“I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this any more.”

That famous quote from the film Network applies to me today.

I'm mad as hell about the continuing slaughter of innocents with high-firepower lethal firearms. The tragic Northern Illinois University shooting will not be the last.

What I'm not going to take any more is keeping mum about the anti-lethal-weapon theme in my novel, We the Enemy. If this book can stimulate debate about what to do about lethal firearms, I'm duty-bound to somehow get it out there.

So I'm not going to continue to take the traditional meek approach to seeking publication.

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I'm giving it away

I'm putting my novel where my mouth is. I've set up a special email address where you can request a free e-copy of my novel -- please do not use my regular e-address. The free book is a PDF. All I ask is your name and email address.

I'm making a personal appeal to several select literary agents

For some time, I've tried to market We the Enemy traditionally, pitching it as a thriller or speculative suspense novel. I had an agent who loved it, but could never find the right fit. But we both shied away from talking about its core values. It's written well enough, and the story is a page-turner for many readers, but those conventional merits have never seemed commercial enough to engage a publisher.

Today I sent an email appeal to eleven literary agents who have expressed appreciation for my writing, and with whom I've had some correspondence. I'm asking them (or an assistant) to read the book and consider representing it because it could do some good.

Here are excerpts from the text of the email:

Because of the tragic shootings at Northern Illinois University, I'm going to take a chance on breaking a couple of querying rules. I know what the rules are, but this is important. You know me a little, and have found my writing to be professional. I'm angry, I'm sad, and there's something we can do, you and I.

I have a novel that takes on our country's problems with lethal firearms in a prescriptive, thought-stimulating way. I'm writing to you because I think it that can be of service above and beyond its entertainment value.

This is not about getting me published. It's about doing something for all of us. I'm going to give away an e-version of this book, but finding a publisher for it will multiply its impact.

You are an agent of books. Maybe you can be an agent of change, too.

I urge you (or an assistant) to read the manuscript for my novel, "We the Enemy" because an ordinary query, or synopsis, or even the first few chapters won't tell you what you need to know.

You won't see what makes this novel a powerful thought-starter with a traditional query/partial approach because the book is smart enough not to bludgeon you with didactic messages. Yet it works.

A beta reader, a thirty-something woman, asked for two more copies so she could send them to her college-age daughter and a woman friend to discuss the ideas.

The concluding paragraph in a review of the unpublished novel by the reviewer for a university newspaper, a young woman, says:

"Even though this book is a work of fiction, it is also safe to say it is a work of inspiration. Any good piece of writing should be able to persuade a reader to think about something in a different way, and "We the Enemy" does exactly that. While it may be unrealistic to wish for a perfect world, it is not unrealistic to wish for changes in our world. Rhamey's book encourages people to not only strive for change in the outside world, but to strive for change within themselves. This book is sure to leave the reader with a lot to think about, and a lot to hope for."

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Do me a favor and spread the word about the free e-book.

If anything happens on the agent front, I'll let you know. Thanks for listening. We'll return to regularly scheduled flogging tomorrow, but I will continue to include the free book offer.

All best,

Ray

Comments

[Danie]

As you know, Ray, I haven't yet finished your book because of real life getting in the way of reading, but I immediately thought of it when I heard the news about the shooting.

I must voice a very strong opinion against the networks, especially CNN, giving these sickos a stage on which to become famous. The last one hit a mall in Omaha and as usual, it became round the clock coverage on CNN for a few days. This guy became famous, as he wanted to, otherwise why would he have done this? It makes me so mad when CNN does this. I predicted there would be another soon, and there you have it.

This quick rise to fame as a result of mass-murder appeals to the mentally disturbed who feel ignored or unimportant. If the news channels and network shows focused on the victims and didn't give these killers a second in the limelight, the mass killings would stop.

[Scott from Oregon]

I don't think the killings would stop if the media stopped making these people household names, but they would certainly decrease.

The psychological path is the only path that will reduce psychological malfunctions.

I've heard many argue for allowing MORE guns in schools, and I've been emploring those who espouse this route to simply do the math.

Since no one knows who or when or where the next attack will occur, we would have to add over a million guns into our school systems, places with the highest level of male testosterone, the highest alcohol and drug abuse, and the prettiest girls...

That's not a good idea.