Blurbage

[Jeri Westerson]

So I thought it would be a great idea to get blurbs on my pre-published, pre-contract novel Veil of Lies in order to get an editor’s “maybe” changed to a “yes”. My agent thought it was a great idea, too, especially after I started getting them. The fabulous Cornelia Read (A Field of Darkness) whom I met at Bouchercon was the first to offer one, and a truly great one it was. Next was Margaret Frazer, diva of medieval mystery. So I was on my way. I decided to contact another Big Name in medieval mystery, but I didn’t hold much hope in this one. She is an über historian and hates any sort of hint of historical inaccuracies in novels (I didn’t point out that (1) it’s a work of fiction (2) none of my characters were related to the Jesus bloodline (3) monks and nuns didn’t solve crimes in the middle ages in the first place...) but I sent it to her anyway, thinking if she got drunk one night and read it then maybe... Anyway, got a note back from her a couple of months later but she just couldn’t blurb it. Being “Medieval Noir” and all she didn’t feel she was part of the mainstream enough to comment on it. (?) Just as well. I won $5 bucks from my agent on it.

It takes chutzbah to ask for a blurb on a manuscript that hasn’t even got an offer yet, but that’s me. I mean, how scary is that to be approached by every yahoo with a computer who’s got a book? But of course when I approached Margaret Frazer and Cornelia Read (actually, she approached me, God love her!) I gave them my card and directed them to my blog Getting Medieval so they could see that I really knew what I was doing (ha!). Anyway, it’s a blog with articles on history and mystery and plenty of interesting interviews. And God help me but I’ve also got another blog for my other series I’ve started and I’ve even got a promise of two blurbs for that so far. So, if anyone out there is interested in adding your name to the blurbage, drop me a line. But get used to Medieval Noir. As I quipped to Cornelia Read, who loved it, “Noir is the new black.”