R.L. Maizes's Blog

I have a new book coming out this fall:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Here's what Bethany Ball, author of What To Do About the Solomons and The Pessimists, had to say about it:

“Fast-paced and tightly wrought, R.L. Maizes’ new novel, A Complete Fiction, goes right to the mercenary hearts of two writers and with humor and pathos manages to skewer the publishing industry and the pressure cooker of literary social media simultaneously. We follow P.J. as she longs to publish a first novel and George, an editor, who turned her down for writing a book that he may or may not have plagiarized from her. Rooting for both with laugh out loud moments, I raced to the conclusion to find out how it would end.”

Here's what it's about:

With little evidence, would-be author P.J. Larkin serves a "nibble" on the trendy new social-media app Crave, accusing editor George Dunn of stealing the novel she submitted to him for publication. The nibble shoots to the top of the site's Popular Menu Items and before you can say "unpaid literary labor," George is embroiled in a scandal, his job and book deal in jeopardy. P.J.’s novel is snapped up amid the publicity, but has she revealed secrets belonging to her sister, Mia, in the book? Some diners on Crave think so and now it’s P.J.’s turn to feel the public’s scorn.
Told in the humorous vein of Where'd You Go Bernadette?, A COMPLETE FICTION is a novel that examines the very serious questions of who has a right to tell a story and has cancel culture gone too far.

I hope you all like it!

"Esteemed Agent,

I’m seeking representation for my [300,000-word rhyming memoir / novel-in-grocery-coupons / famous literary graves calendar**] which is a cross between [Maid and Green Eggs and Ham / a bag of Halloween candy and that novel-in-texts you just sold / an apple watch and a mortuary pamphlet]. I was referred to you by [my cousin, who babysits your three incorr—admirably independent children / a writer you represented until you discovered his historical novel was actually The Diary of Anais Nin / Stephen King, if by referred you mean escorted off his property by security]."

Read more of my spoof on query letters here: https://electricliterature.com/desper...

The ebook of my short story collection, We Love Anderson Cooper, is on sale for $2.99, wherever ebooks are sold. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... Just a thought: The holidays are coming and you can buy this book as a gift now and have it delivered on the holidays.

Enter to win a paperback copy of Other People's Pets. https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...

Enter to win one of 100 copies of OTHER PEOPLE'S PETS, winner of Colorado Book Award. https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...
More about the book here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...

Delighted that my novel, Other People's Pets, won the Colorado Book Award in General Fiction. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists. https://coloradohumanities.org/progra... The paperback of the novel will be released on July 6 and is available for preorder now. https://us.macmillan.com/books/978125...

The ebook of my short story collection, We Love Anderson Cooper, is on sale for $2.99! https://celadonbooks.com/we-love-ande...

Thrilled with this Washington Post review of my new novel: "'Other People’s Pets,' with its lively voice and unexpected characters, makes a perfect addition to anyone’s summer reading pile, but it is required for those who understand that coming of age has absolutely nothing to do with age." Read the full review here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...

I published two essays this past week. One, in Oprah Magazine, about how I mourned my mother's face after she got plastic surgery: https://www.oprahmag.com/beauty/a3335...

The second, in Literary Hub, about how developmental editors helped me succeed as a writer. https://lithub.com/a-love-letter-to-d...

Enter now to win 1 of 10 signed copies 📚 of my novel, OTHER PEOPLE'S PETS. Goodreads Giveaway July 5 - 12. https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sh...