I wasn’t born yesterday—far from it. But my mistake last week could have had long-lasting consequences.
During my writing career, I have had six books published plus one I self-published in order to finish my Wally Morris mystery series after Avalon, the publisher, was closed. My historical novel, Hope’s Daughter, was published by The Wild Rose Press. I recently republished it, after some revisions, and it is now available on Amazon.
Then something truly odd happened, and this is where I start blushing in embarrassment. A different person contacted me, claiming (fraudulently as it turns out) to be an editor at a well-respected publishing house, expressing interest in my Wally Morris mystery series (the rights to which are owned by Thomas and Mercer). “She“ asked about any similar feel (warm, amateur sleuth, cozy) manuscripts I might have. I chose one from my unpublished books stored on my aging laptop, polished it up, and sent it as a submission, complete with query letter and synopsis, along with a list of my other completed projects, all ready for potential publication.
I only realized the real editor was not the one who reached out to me when I got an email from an “author” (not the real one) who asked me about my writing process, mentioning things from my unpublished works that could only have been gleaned from my submission to the supposed editor.
I had violated the rule of If-It-Seems-Too-Good-To-Be-True, It-Probably-Is. Lesson learned.
In self-defense, I quickly published the book, before it could be stolen. It is not an ideal situation, but I intend to make the most of it. So here goes…
Announcing: Turkey Shoot by (the real) Joani Ascher
Reviews of Joani Ascher’s Books
“Hope’s Daughter” is an “enjoyable novel that immerses the reader in 1940s New York. ~News-Record
“HOPE’S DAUGHTER is a heartwarming look at one woman’s struggle to make her way in a man’s world to save her family and those she loves.” ~Deborah Nolan, author of Suddenly Lily
VENGEANCE TASTES SWEET:
“It was the perfect mystery for curling up with on a couple of cold days.” ~Roni Denholz, author of One of These Nights
“[Joani] Ascher is a fine writer, and she knows how to make all of her characters come alive. That is, except for the murdered person.” ~Essex Journal
VENGEANCE CUTS LOOSE:
“[I]t would take a sleuth’s sleuth to solve this murder mystery. It’s an impressive piece of work....” ~Essex Journal
VENGEANCE ON HIGH:
“Ascher is such a fine writer and is gifted in being able to keep her readers at bay. Her characters are well drawn, especially that incomparable, tiny, friendly and shrewd Wally Morris.” ~Essex Journal
Joani Ascher Bio
Joani Wolf Ascher was born in Brooklyn, New York, and, according to early report cards, she enjoyed reading and also writing. A prolific letter writer, back in the day when people did that sort of thing, she related detailed stories to her friends about funny occurrences. Sadly, no examples of her budding career exist.
Unfortunately she didn’t study writing at the State University of New York at Buffalo where she earned a B.A. before moving with her husband to Cincinnati, back to Buffalo, then to Cleveland, and finally to New Jersey, or her career might have started sooner.
The seeds for Hope’s Daughter were sown by Joani’s mother when she talked about the colorful characters she had known.
In the Wally Morris mystery series, Joani has taken her love of mysteries and her observations of the people around her and created an amateur sleuth living in a small town whom people have compared to Jessica Fletcher.