House Call #18

And a Book Giveaway!

For Years The Joke Was…

That Fran Lebowitz was the writer who went from ready-to-wear to Haute Couture. Meaning she started her career with funny, snarky magazine essays, then published two collections of said essays — Metropolitan Life and Social Studies — then became so famous as a wit and raconteur that she became the perennial party guest of the rich and famous. Lebowitz practically lived on David Geffen’s private jet where she kept everyone laughing with her sardonic take on everything. For decades, she made a life by telling what the British call “stories you dine out on.” The writers equivalent of the pop artists hired by oligarchs to jazz up the party.

Now thanks to the Netflix series, Pretend It’s a City, she’s being rediscovered by a new generation. Call her racist. Call her transphobic. Call her antisemitic. She can be all of these by turns. Here, what’s important is that you call “dibs” first in the Comments to get the above book — a very classy British edition.

Which Brings Us to This Week’s House Call

My congratulations to Matt Smythe for the beginning of what’s bound to be a meticulously written thriller. And romance. A romantic thriller, peopled by characters with the scariest motives. Read his sample, Red Flags, Here.

Matt has been a peach about tossing ideas back and forth. Matching wits has been a joy all week. I won’t spoil anything by summing it up here, but please pay Matt and Red Flags a visit and offer up some praise and feedback.

Thank you, Matt, for being so excited about the process. You brought a lot of fun to my life, especially on Friday while I was stuck at the tire place getting a flat tire fixed.

If you’d like to submit a writing sample for a House Call, please post a link Here.