Support Michael Drayton, Detective Guy

The first chapter of my novel, Michael Drayton, Detective Guy, is up on the First Chapters Writing Contest pages on Gather.com. Anyone who is interested is welcome to read the first chapters of manuscripts and rate them. You just have to sign up for a gather.com membership, which is free. Decisions concerning the first round will be announced on April 3rd.

My advice to one and all is to vote your heart if you vote at all. I’m not going to check either my ratings or any comments, since the possibility of being terribly hurt far outweighs the chance that I won’t.

The guidelines for voting read as follows:

All members who vote in the Competition as well as the Grand Prize judging panel must consider the following criteria equally when judging: 1) Quality of writing (including grammar and spelling); 2) Author’s ability to engage the reader; 3) Originality of the author’s voice; 4) Potential of the finished book in the marketplace.

I think my story scores well on all four counts, but you can never tell how these things will work out.

Anyway, if you’re interested, go take a look. You don’t have to be a member to just read, only vote, so why not go and see what you think. It might turn out to be worth your while.

Books | Herman Glimscher | March 13, 2007 3:31 pm

By DJ Cayenne, March 13, 2007 @ 3:36 pm

Herm: Very cool. It appears that I will need to vote my heart at home. For some reason, my employer is blocking access to the site. That’s just wrong.
By Herman Glimscher, March 13, 2007 @ 4:17 pm

Damn ‘em.
By DJ Cayenne, March 13, 2007 @ 10:48 pm

Herm: I just finished reading (and voting) on your chapter. Hats off, man. First off, thanks for sharing it with us. Secondly, I thought it was great. From what I read, it would be a lot of fun to settle into a novel’s-worth of shenanigans with Frank. And I don’t trust that personal assistant one bit!
By suzzy, March 14, 2007 @ 4:04 am

Your writing says that you are a humble person. I am definitely going to check out URL out. Thank you.
By Herman Glimscher, March 14, 2007 @ 9:07 am

DJ: Thanks and thanks for your comment on the Gather site (Sally read it to me–she’s acting as my firewall). Let’s hope that I make it to the next level so that you can read Chapter 2.

One question, though. Who the hell is Frank? Have you been seeing another novel behind my back?

Suzzy: The humbleness is all an act, but thank you.I really hope you enjoy Chapter 1.
By DJ Cayenne, March 14, 2007 @ 11:56 am

Herm: Late at night, Michael Drayton became fused in my mind with that other detective, Frank Drebin. They are not much alike. Sorry.
By Herman Glimscher, March 14, 2007 @ 2:03 pm

I understand. It’s not far in the Detective’s Directory from Drayton to Drebin. And the damn time-change is getting to everybody. I think it’s affecting people the same way the wind did in this quote from Raymond Chandler:

“There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands’ necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge.”

And, as always, things happen. And I still appreciate your very kind comments. Thanks.
By DJ Cayenne, March 14, 2007 @ 5:53 pm

My great shame (#93): Still haven’t read any Chandler.