Yesterday, something happened that I’ve been waiting for, for like, ever. The announcement of my book deal showed up in Publishers Marketplace. Here it is in all of its luscious glory:

Holly West’s DIARY OF BEDLAM and DIARY OF DECEPTION, in which the secret identity of a lady as soothsayer – also a favorite mistress of King Charles II – is threatened when a plot to murder the King is revealed as her diary goes missing and one of her clients ends up dead, to Angela James at Carina Press, for publication in 2013, by Elizabeth Kracht at Kimberley Cameron & Associates (World).

The only gripe I have (there had to be at least one, right?) is that it’s classified as “Women’s Fiction/Romance.” Say what? I’m a crime fiction writer, people! I thought I’d made that clear!

But the thing is, who really cares what I am? These classifications are somewhat arbitrary anyway. And frankly, if being a writer of “women’s fiction” or romance helps to sell books, I’m down with that. Girlfriend wants to get paid.

The thing that bothers me more than the classification, I think, is my own reaction to it. I do think there is a stigma attached to women’s fiction and romance and I’m as guilty of perpetrating it as anybody. The fact is that there are great and not so great books in every category and I hate that something that’s labeled “woman” is somehow considered lesser, especially in my own mind.

So whatever DIARY OF BEDLAM and its sequel are considered for the market, my only real concern is that they are KICK ASS books. Oh, and that girlfriend gets paid.

4 Replies to “Identity Crisis”

  1. Susie says: April 8, 2013 at 2:52 pm

    Congrats again! At least you know you’re a writer! 🙂 Just curious, how did you query your book? Did you call it crime fiction?

    1. Holly West says: April 8, 2013 at 4:25 pm

      I called it a “historical mystery.”

  2. Terry Shames says: April 8, 2013 at 2:15 pm

    Holly, if you haven’t done so, join Romance Writers of America. It’s expensive, but worth every penny. Once you start getting their magazine, you’ll find out that these are some kick-ass women (and a few men), serious about their careers and working hard to help each other get better as a writer and to sell more books!

    1. Holly West says: April 8, 2013 at 2:17 pm

      I absolutely intend to join RWA, Terry. I just haven’t gotten around to it. I was waiting for the deal to go through, and now that it has, I guess I’d better get on that!

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