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Mary Griggs

~ The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

Mary Griggs

Monthly Archives: January 2011

Katherine V Forrest Is My Editor

11 Tuesday Jan 2011

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Mary Griggs, Publishing

(c) by Mary Griggs

A bit of a fangirl moment, as I just received my manuscript back from the editor.

A little background first–as a kid, my entry into lesbian and gay characters in books was from some mass market paperbacks I found each summer at the family beach house. There was a single bookcase of titles left by other visitors that most folks only pulled out when the rains trapped us all inside. I vividly remember the Raymond Chandler’s and Earl Stanley Gardner’s gay killers and a couple of twisted predatory lesbians from books with covers so lurid I could only pull them out after dark.

In high school, I found Jane Rule in my local public library. I was transported by her vivid imagery and descriptions but devastated by what seemed to be the inevitable agony of loneliness that surrounded the lesbians in her books.

Then, in college I took a trip to New York City and ducked out of a group trip to the museum to visit the Oscar Wilde Bookshop. I got lost twice on the way (uptown vs downtown was NOT made clear!) but was too nervous to ask anyone for directions.

Once there, I wandered the cramped store and was floored by the sheer numbers of books written by women. I was torn between wanted to just plant myself down and begin reading and my urge to flee back to safety with a couple of titles. The very lovely man at the register must have seen his fair share of fledgling dykes in his store and he came over to make a couple of recommendations and the wrote out directions to Judith’s Room, a women’s bookstore nearby.

I left that day with a copy of Katherine Forrest’s first mystery starring detective Kate Delafield, Amateur City. The book opened my eyes–there was a strength to the character and to the writing. The storyline was crisp and the build up of tension and reveal kept me riveted to the page.

We were only in New York for a week but I read the book in one evening and escaped the group another time to dash to the women’s bookstore where I found other titles by Katherine Forrest and other recommendations of who to read next.

I have always held Katherine Forrest up as a beacon who led me into the wonderful world of lesbian fiction. When I began writing my own stories, she continued to be my model of a story-teller.

I say all that to explain why I’ve been dancing around my house today. I got the initial edits back on my manuscript and my editor is none other than Katherine V. Forrest herself. When I saw her letterhead, I hyperventilated and had to put the pages down until my head stopped spinning.

She wrote that we have a lot to talk about “but that doesn’t take away from the good ingredients in your novel. Its deep south setting and the real people you portray so realistically. Also some of the wisdom that emerges in the interchanges between your female characters.”

There was more before the suggestions started but Oh, My God!

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Think That You Might Be Wrong

09 Sunday Jan 2011

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2nd Amendment, Mary Griggs, Rant

(c) by Mary Griggs

I am heartsick after learning of the 22-year-old gunman who went to a public constituent meeting in Tucson with a 9mm handgun. Once there, he opened fire, killing a federal judge, a 9-year-old child and four others and wounding thirteen others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Some might argue that the actions in Arizona today are not domestic terrorism. They contend that what happened today was entirely the actions of a single sick and twisted individual. Lunatics are so much easier to dismiss, especially for those who do not wish to acknowledge their culpability in the tragedy.

Terrorism is the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear.

To my mind, that definition completely covers taking a weapon to a political rally and shooting 19 people who had peaceably assembled. Based on the anti-government YouTube ramblings and MySpace posts of alleged shooter, Jared Loughner, it certainly seems to fit the US Code definition: “the term “terrorism” means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets.” (U.S. Code Title 22, Ch.38, Para. 2656f(d)2)

I do believe that the man who pulled the trigger is ultimately responsible for the consequences of his actions. However, his hearing the rhetoric of violence and intimidation during the recent election cycle could have contributed to his putting those words he heard into tragic action. Prominent individuals calling for ‘second amendment solutions’ (Sharon Angel) or telling their supporters to ‘not retreat, reload’ (Sarah Palin) contribute to the likelihood that there will be violence as a result.

The big question is how this country will respond. Will we come together to reduce the climate of fear and hate that characterizes recent discourse? Will we unite in defense of the ballot over the bullet? Or will it be necessary for us to have citizens of opposing politics becoming human shields in the protection of democracy like the Egyptian Muslims who used their bodies to ensure Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas in peace?

No matter what your politics are, in a democracy, violence is not the answer. Besides elections, there are laws and systems in place that allow for peaceful redress of grievances. It has served us so well that, except for the four-year period of the Civil War, the United States has enjoyed more than 200 of years of peaceful transitions of power.

That could all change unless we stand up to the haters. We need to demand that pundits, commentators, elected representatives, and our religious leaders cease their reckless disregard of the truth. We must deal with our homegrown terrorists harshly so that no-one need to fear for their life because they are a different color, different religion, different sexual orientation or different political party from someone else.

I leave you with a sign that has been cropping up in New Orleans for a while. It is a simple message:

We all need to ponder on that for a while.

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