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Monday, April 7, 2014

Writers Etiquette: Lesson Three


Dear Miss Rosie:
A gentleman in my life has done me an egregious wrong, for which I am unable to find proper redress. As a result, I am resolved upon featuring said gentleman (a misnomer of there ever was one) as a character in my next work in order to reveal him as the cad that he is. May I?


Dear Not-So-Gentle Reader:
Miss Rosie sympathizes with your position and finds herself indignant on your behalf and on that of ladies everywhere who suffer at the hands of Loutish Gentlemen. However, she cautions against taking such hasty action. First, she suggests you peruse what Dear Janet Reid has to say on the subject of libel. Even the Faintest Suggestion of such will bring about a hasty end to your career—is that what you want? Is taking revenge upon the Gentleman in Question worth losing everything for which you have worked? 

Further, think about the ways in which the internet may be utilized as a means of Nefarious Retaliation. What if Said Gentleman embarks upon a Smear Campaign through the offices of Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, or Goodreads? Miss Rosie shudders to think what might happen to that pretty line of review stars should this gentleman decide to respond in kind.

Miss Rosie herself, as a Writer of Mysteries, has had to strongly resist the Alluring Temptation to, ahem, “knock off” in print a certain Shameless Lady of Her Acquaintance (she uses the term loosely) on more than one occasion. To paraphrase Dear Mr. Clinton, she feels your pain.

The best Miss Rosie can advise is to comport yourself as the Esteemed Professional you undoubtedly are. Resist the urge to immortalize the scoundrel in print, as he is undeserving of that honor. Bear in mind that the truth will out. Cads eventually get their comeuppance. And while revenge may be a dish served cold, karma’s a bitch that always bites. It's just a matter of when.



A Jersey girl born and bred, Rosie Genova left her heart at the shore, which serves as the setting for much of her work. Her new series, the Italian Kitchen Mysteries, is informed by her deep appreciation for good food, her pride in her heritage, and her love of classic mysteries, from Nancy Drew to Miss Marple. Her debut novel, Murder and Marinara, was selected as a Best Cozy of 2013 by Suspense Magazine. The second book in her series, The Wedding Soup Murder, will release September 2. An English teacher by day and novelist by night, Rosie also writes women’s fiction as Rosemary DiBattista. She lives fifty miles from the nearest ocean  in central New Jersey, with her husband and two of her three sons.

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