"MaryJanice Davidson - Sleeping with the Fishes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Davidson Mary Janice)

Acknowledgments
I knew next to nothing about the things in this book when Fred popped into my head. Oh, sure, I
knew about mermaid clich├йs and stereotypes (Ariel, of Disney movie fame, yowling on top of a
rock in a harbor instantly springs to mind) but nothing about the U.S. Coast Guard, marine
biology, sea life, the National Ocean Service, or the New England Aquarium. (I'm from
landlocked Minnesota.)
All these places and subjects had extensive books and websites available, which were truly a
godsend to this landlubber. And I did have my wedding reception at the New England Aquarium
years ago, which helped.
Further, I must (again) thank my editor, Cindy Hwang. I made the gross mistake of initially
writing Fred the Mermaid in first personтАФgross because first person should be used sparingly, if
at all, and a mistake because Fred ended up sounding like Betsy with fins.
Even worse, it took me two hundred pages to figure that out. So, seconds from my deadline, I
ripped the whole thing up and started over: page one, chapter one. Cindy, to her great credit, did
not implode, burst into tears, quit, tear up my contract, hire a hit man, smack me upside the head,
or even raise her voice. She just cheerfully extended my deadline and asked me to be sure to tell
her if I needed anything else.
Little did she know, my grandfather was going to die three weeks later. Again: no weeping (well,
there was weeping, but it was all on my end), no threats, nothing but calm condolence and an
assurance that the last thing I should worry about is some silly deadline. (She managed to say this
without ripping out any of her hair as she pictured the fall line with a big spot where Sleeping with
the Fishes was going to be.)
Thus, an even later manuscript. (See, see? Unlike most writers, I'll actually admit it: the book was
late. It was entirely my fault. I suck.) And, though she must have been sorely tempted, rather than
shoot the thing straight to galleys, the same team of editors descended on the book and did their
usual stellar job of fixing my mistakes and making me look all, y'know, smart n' stuff. These
people turned a messy pile of mistake-ridden pages (more than a few, tear splotched) into a book,
the one you're holding in your hands.


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It's people like me who give people like her peptic ulcers. I'll get the credit and hardly anyone will
know her name: Cindy Hwang. People will wait in line for my autograph and they'll ask her
where the bathroom is.
Fair? No. The saving of me? Good God, yes.




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Davidson, MaryJanice - Sleeping with the Fishes




Author's Note
As a landlubber, I could only rely on my imagination so much. Various sources were invaluable.