Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2014 12:55:31 GMT -5
I am seeking a fellow writer of crime/mystery fiction to collaborate on up to a dozen novels during the next 4-5 years.
I am looking for a natural plotter whose talent is building the framework for a complete story – beginning, middle and end. We would then collaborate on story development, character development, subplots, etc. (to the extent necessary), and I would carry the bulk of the writing weight. My strength is in voice and characters, relationships, particularly dialogue, and hitting the emotional buttons. My style is lean. Compatibility of style is critical, especially as there will be shared responsibility/approval in the writing.
My objective is to find a full 50-50 partner with shared vision, production goals and responsibility.
The genre is crime/mystery fiction with legal and/or political context, and set in Boston or New England. I think the market is saturated with serial killers, child abduction, pedophilia, etc. perpetrated by the World’s Worst Badass. I don’t use a lot of violence, but not out of any ideology, I’m just trying to find a niche that everyone else isn’t crowding. The focus is on characters, relationships, emotional turmoil, all the good stuff that sucks the reader in for the ride. I try to bring readers into conflicts that they’re most familiar with (as opposed to taking them to a different world): fear of humiliation or embarrassment from one’s neighbors/friends/family; fractured familial relationships; people accused of crimes that appear out of character. I want to put readers in situations they could actually find themselves.
I have a second finished novel that features two former homicide detectives in the PI business – one white, one black, not unlike Spenser and Hawk. This first-in-a-series ms my agent brought to T&M and RH, to no avail. The second in the series is about 25k in, but I’ve stalled on the storyline due to my plotting disability. My agent and beta readers love the characters and their relationship – it’s the story development that is problematic. I’d like to continue with these two characters, but am open to beginning anew.
I have also been asked many times if the two characters (Paul and Shannon) from Diary of a Small Fish will be coming back. That is another possibility.
My desire is to find a collaboration that can produce novels that Thomas & Mercer will buy (and continue to buy). At this time, I am not interested in a traditional publishing deal. It’s either T&M or SP all the way. My relationship with my agent is superb, and I am looking for a collaboration that she will embrace.
I am nearing 60 years of age. I’ve been a professional (lawyer) for 35 years and I’ve raised two children to maturity. I have a sharp sense of humor and zero appetite for bullshit, game playing, passive aggressiveness, insecurity, jealousy or dishonesty. I speak directly, I say what I mean, and I have deep familiarity with phrases like, “I don’t know,” “I’m sorry,” “you’re right, I’m wrong,” and “I like your way better.”
If this sounds like something you would like to explore, send me an email at lottabaloney@gmail.com, along with a bio and the writing sample you feel best represents your strongest talent. If there is a good fit, we can explore further.
If you can’t decide because you don’t know if I am a raving lunatic, test me with questions below. No trick questions.
I am looking for a natural plotter whose talent is building the framework for a complete story – beginning, middle and end. We would then collaborate on story development, character development, subplots, etc. (to the extent necessary), and I would carry the bulk of the writing weight. My strength is in voice and characters, relationships, particularly dialogue, and hitting the emotional buttons. My style is lean. Compatibility of style is critical, especially as there will be shared responsibility/approval in the writing.
My objective is to find a full 50-50 partner with shared vision, production goals and responsibility.
The genre is crime/mystery fiction with legal and/or political context, and set in Boston or New England. I think the market is saturated with serial killers, child abduction, pedophilia, etc. perpetrated by the World’s Worst Badass. I don’t use a lot of violence, but not out of any ideology, I’m just trying to find a niche that everyone else isn’t crowding. The focus is on characters, relationships, emotional turmoil, all the good stuff that sucks the reader in for the ride. I try to bring readers into conflicts that they’re most familiar with (as opposed to taking them to a different world): fear of humiliation or embarrassment from one’s neighbors/friends/family; fractured familial relationships; people accused of crimes that appear out of character. I want to put readers in situations they could actually find themselves.
I have a second finished novel that features two former homicide detectives in the PI business – one white, one black, not unlike Spenser and Hawk. This first-in-a-series ms my agent brought to T&M and RH, to no avail. The second in the series is about 25k in, but I’ve stalled on the storyline due to my plotting disability. My agent and beta readers love the characters and their relationship – it’s the story development that is problematic. I’d like to continue with these two characters, but am open to beginning anew.
I have also been asked many times if the two characters (Paul and Shannon) from Diary of a Small Fish will be coming back. That is another possibility.
My desire is to find a collaboration that can produce novels that Thomas & Mercer will buy (and continue to buy). At this time, I am not interested in a traditional publishing deal. It’s either T&M or SP all the way. My relationship with my agent is superb, and I am looking for a collaboration that she will embrace.
I am nearing 60 years of age. I’ve been a professional (lawyer) for 35 years and I’ve raised two children to maturity. I have a sharp sense of humor and zero appetite for bullshit, game playing, passive aggressiveness, insecurity, jealousy or dishonesty. I speak directly, I say what I mean, and I have deep familiarity with phrases like, “I don’t know,” “I’m sorry,” “you’re right, I’m wrong,” and “I like your way better.”
If this sounds like something you would like to explore, send me an email at lottabaloney@gmail.com, along with a bio and the writing sample you feel best represents your strongest talent. If there is a good fit, we can explore further.
If you can’t decide because you don’t know if I am a raving lunatic, test me with questions below. No trick questions.
Welcome, Pete. I admit that I always have to fight a knee-jerk volunteerism whenever someone issues an open call for collaborators because I LOVE collaboration. However, you are saved by the fact that I don't write crime/mystery fiction (although I still sometimes read it) and by the fact that I already have three other WIPs. So, congratulations! 
