Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg Read Free Book Online Page A

around me get brighter and then fade away. Green grass, blue sky, yellow lemons. This is our postcard from Italy.
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    FAX: 1 of 2
    TO: Lucy Fiamma
    FROM: Angel Robinson
    RE: Reader Reports
    Dear Lucy:
    I enjoyed meeting with you yesterday and very much appreciate the opportunity to interview for a position in your agency. I have prepared reader’s reports for the manuscripts that Nora gave me and plan to drop those off at your office by the end of the day. However, I thought I would fax the following report to you now, as I think this particular manuscript has some spectacular writing and shows a tremendous amount of potential.
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    I look forward to speaking with you soon.
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    With best wishes,
Angel Robinson
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    Title: PARCO LAMBRO
    Author: Damiano Vero
    Genre: Memoir
    Reader: Angel Robinson
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    Author is Italian, living in S.F., and works as a pastry chef. This is his first book and he has no previous publishing credits. The story is a memoir about the author’s struggle with heroin addiction in Milan in the 1970s. He goes on to describe how he overcame this addiction when he moved to the U.S. I believe there’s much to recommend here. The author has an interesting way with language, which probably comes from his own internal translation of English. The pages we have here are very moody. The book opens with a gripping scene from the park of the title and goes on to describe the daily “habits” of the author and his group of friends; how they managed to support their addictions by stealing, etc. There are some great descriptions of Milan, and the author’s struggles are related in a very compelling way. It’s a sad story in many ways and definitely not how we Americans think of Italians. However, the second half of the story (at least how the author has described it) is much more hopeful—his hard-won success in this country, his efforts to help the friends he left behind, and so on. I think the writing is just great (I was hooked from the first sentence and didn’t want it to end) and I also think it would have excellent market appeal for all the reasons listed above. I’d give it a strong recommendation.
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    I BEGAN MY JOB as assistant to Lucy Fiamma on Monday morning, five days after my interview with her. I walked into the office that day armed with nothing thicker or more durable than a sense of trepidation and the small cappuccino I’d purchased at the Peet’s conveniently located less than five minutes from Lucy’s office. I must have looked anxious because the girl making my coffee asked me twice if I wanted decaf and seemed almost troubled when I told her I had to have regular.
    As I clutched my extra-foam cappuccino and made my way to my desk for the first time, I realized I had no idea whether it had been my interview, my reader’s reports, or sheer desperation on Lucy’s part that had convinced her to hire me. Anna had been the one to call me to tell me I’d gotten the job and that I should plan to start immediately. I hadn’t even spoken to Lucy herself since the interview. I hovered over my paper-strewn desk for a moment and decided that it didn’t matter. The job was mine and it started now.
    â€œHi, Angel!”
    I turned toward Nora/Kelly, who, after a full five minutes, had finally noticed my presence in the office.
    â€œGood morning,” I said, infusing my words with as much perkiness as possible.
    â€œHow are you?” Nora/Kelly sounded almost hysterically glad to see me. She also looked hungrier than the last time I’d seen her.
    â€œFine, thanks. I’m ready to go. Is Lucy here?”
    â€œShe’s on the phone, but she left a note for you on your desk.”
    â€œOkaaaay,” I said, wondering how in the hell I was going to find a note from Lucy in that disorganized horror. Nora/Kelly returned her gaze to her own meticulously neat desk once again and started fiddling with loose Rolodex