Three things get pretty clear when you visit the websites of publishers:
1. Don't be impatient: your manuscript will end up on the bottom of a pile of hundreds of other manuscripts and it can take months and months before an editor even takes the time and effort to read it
2. Don't get your hopes up too high: presuming that the publisher likes your manuscript, it still has to fit into one of the funds
3. Don't show any assertiveness: don't call us, we'll call you!
Not very encouraging for a novice writer... Last week I got the name of an editor within a reputable publishing house through the sister of a colleague of a friend of mine. Are you still with me...? As I was in a bold mood, I decided to give her a call right away. To my surprise I had a great, very relaxed conversation with this editor. After listening patiently to my story, she immediately requested me to send her everything I had written so far, including the extra scenes! Within 3-4 weeks I will have her feedback by email, she promised me. Even though she still has to read it (and, most of all: like it!), she had made my day already! What a great start!
Because of the DSK-affair, there is a lively discussion going on within the French media at the moment: do they need to report about the private lives of public figures or not? So far, no one did. In a 'Latin Lover' country like France, flirtatious behavior of powerful men has always been generally - not to mention proudly - accepted. A Latin man is made to seduce women, period. However, where does the 'art of seduction' end and does harassment start? There is a thin line, between innocent flirting and touching and obtrusiveness...
The above shows a big similarity with a phenomenon I have described in my book. When a married Italian man has a mistress, no one - apart from the wife - will probably blink an eye. There is an almost silent, general acceptance, like men can't help themselves being born in a culture of machismo. Even though the younger generation seems to deal with this a bit differently, having an 'amante' is still very common in Italy. For me it is just one of the many factors that makes the Italian culture intriguing, for numerous Italian wives it is a pain in the neck... Love, M.
