STATUS: The dog days of August. I handled over a 100 emails and got caught up. I concluded a film deal (won’t be able to announce for a bit so sorry) and did a phone conference about a contract as just a tad bit of what I did today.
What’s playing on the iPod right now? STAY (I MISSED YOU) by Lisa Loeb
I know you’ve heard the saying that all publicity is good publicity. Well, I can certainly think of a few instances where that might not be the case and when I saw this article about an author who made the news because she shot her father in the rear end, I thought to myself that there really couldn’t be a better of example that I could offer of this.
Especially since the author describes her writing as redneck noir. Suitably apt? So maybe the lesson here is think before you shoot?
You realize we’re all going to see if her Amazon numbers take a jump. If they do pubbed authors everywhere will start looking at our relatives to determine who might benefit from a small flesh wound.
Did anyone else laugh at the fact that her last name is Reardon and the article says she shot her father in the rear end?
No?
I’m the only one with the sense of a humor only a twelve year old boy could appreciate?
Maybe she was doing some ‘research’ for her next novel. I, personally, would take your recent whitewater rafting trip over being charged with a felony, but hey, everybody’s different, right?
On the bright side (is there really one to this story?), she’ll have plenty to blog about.
I would have agreed with your post, but then I clicked the link to her website and read about her book and found myself thinking, “Hmm, actually that sounds quite good. Maybe I’ll pick it up.”
I never would have known her name if she hadn’t shot her father in the butt. 😉
My first novel, a hardboiled mystery, got a stinker of a review from PW. At BEA, I honestly considered getting into a fistfight with the people at the booth (and by ‘people’, I mean ‘slender 22-year-old women’), just to get some publicity.
I managed to restrain myself. And my book vanished without a ripple.
I wish you’d posted this BEFORE I paid for the gun. Now what am I going to do with it?
Dad? Come here! Maybe she’s wrong.
I also thought she was remarkably well-named. I wonder if Random House will make anything of the fact she’s one of their authors? “The mistress of butt-clenching suspense.” I like it.
I think you just made me laugh for fifteen minutes straight. =)
Oh my. Not good. No any good reps for the incarcerated? She’ll have all the time in the world to write.
Redneck Noir! I love it!
http://www.thebiglitowski.blogspot.com
Redneck Noir? Sounds like she’s acting out the plot for her next book.
A) Since she didn’t kill him, we can assume that they will all be laughing their A***S of at Christmas about this.
B) I’m glad it had a happy ENDING.
Thank you, Kristin, for the very good advice. (Writing it down for future reference.)
Darn! I’ll have to try real hard to keep myself in check. My father’s a real jerk, I spent enoug time in the military to be a fair shot, and I write redneck literary.
Maybe literary is the key. I think if Proulx shot some one in the rear it would do more for her career than them two boys who went up the mountain with a herd of sheep.
Oh, one more thing. If she’s a redneck, how much corn mash do you figure she had in her when she shot her dad? I thought all rednecks could aim a little better than that. I hope they revoke her membership to the rod and gun club.
Yes, it’s me again. I just read her website and had to comment on it. I think we can likely establish a motive.
This one for example (from her site http://www.lisareardon.com/index.htm ):
Billy Dead
Realistic portrayal of family life, murder, abuse, incest, and self-mutilation.
Um, in what universe is that a realistic portrayal of family life (I am really restraining myself from any digs on her home state)?
And, it goes on:
The Mercy Killers
1968, McGurk’s Tap Room in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Death, drugs, war, child abuse, and plenty of laughs.
Blaameless
Lack of accountability leads to a dead child, adultery, alcoholism, nervous breakdowns and insomnia.
This is what she is writing about when she isn’t writing plays about lesbian pirates. Yikes. I’m willing to bet her books get a heap of publicity, via her lawyer, as evidence.
Ack, that’s painfully close to where I am! Though I’m more of a suburbia girl than out in the boonies.
Still, decidedly creepy. And confusing. Why aim for the behind?
Ok, that’s not funny… but it kinda is. (yes, I’m going straight to hell).
I used to live in Washtenaw county MI – but not in Dexter. I worked at U of M for a few years back in the mid 90s.
I wonder what he did to deserve to get shot in the bum?!
*not funny! not funny! not funny!*
I have to disagree. I think it’s still good press. They even put her website in the article…not that I’d suggest anyone else shoot their father in the buttocks to sell some books.
I’m wondering what makes redneck noir different from regular, boring noir. Jeff Foxworthy a protagonist?
Redneck noir? LOL!
I think I’m gonna laugh about that all day. 🙂 Not the father being shot in the rear part, but the redneck noir description 😛
Perhaps even this publicity might still prove to be good. I’m interested (as I see a few others are as well) in at least checking out this author. After all, it doesn’t get much redneck noir than this.
I know that it seems really funny on the surface, but for those of us who actually knew Lisa, it’s pretty upsetting. We know that she had many family issues and I can only assume that she acted because of those.
Also- she’s not a redneck by any means. A great writer, yes, and a good teacher and friend. I just hope everything sorts itself out.
You had me until “Redneck Noir,” because the fact that the true life story matched her fictional premise nudged it back to “any publicity is good publicity.” Or, as O. Wilde said, “There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”
I’m just wondering if they will use her mug shot for her next jacket photo? Could lend some credibility, no?
word verification: riddle – Plenty of them brougth up by this story.
The incident is certainly creating a lot of buzz and hits on sites.
I’d say that shooting Dad in the rear *is* Redneck Noir.
Good thing the shot wasn’t fatal, otherwise she’d be an ASS-assin.