I hope this finds you all healthy, wealthy and wise...
(or at least one out of three?)
In the past five months I have finally had the free-time to complete my latest novel, The Exile, The Matriarch and The Flood(working title). I am actively seeking representation. I would prefer to work with an agent before approaching a publishing house, however, given the opportunity, I would not balk at direct discussions w/ a publisher.
This is where I need help...
My last novel was under contract for seven years. Although copies of the book were available at all times, the publisher did nothing in the way of promotion or sales. (Not to mention completely confrontational regarding royalties) It was a very disappointing experience. I am seeking to be involved in a full-fledged promotional campaign and I am willing to travel extensively to do so.
If any of you know, or know of, agents and/or publishers seeking novels and/or short fiction please send me their information. I will begin the query process in the next few weeks and any additional leads are greatly appreciated!
Additionally, I am seeking active representation for my first and second novels as well as a collection of short stories. If the agent/publisher you have in mind is interested in seeing more material, the following is a list of available work for publication:
The Exile, The Matriarch and The Flood (novel) - 2011
(approx. 100,000 words)
Humanity has outlived it's archaic myths, the old stories no longer bring catharsis and have evolved into intellectual institutions of control. Victor Loingsech, the Exile, is facing unemployment for the first time in over a decade. He takes his severance pay to Dublin, Ireland in search of inspiration and to quell his terminal ennui. He returns to Los Angeles defeated; he has realized that his unhappiness is not location-based. Victor begins working on a novel about "rain" before disappearing forever and leaving the unfinished manuscript to be found by his confidant Ian McNeel.
Erlyst Rae Atropos, the Matrirch, wakes from a long sleep paralyzed. She is the viscious, heartless matriarch of the Atropos Empire. Her husband, a very abusive philanderer, dies mysteriously and Erlyst is forced to fight off corporate hyenas unable to trust a single person she knows. The re-lived and fresh pain and suffering prove too much and Erlyst decides to exert her the control over the life she forfeited for wealth. While trying to throw herself in front of a subway train, Erlyst is interrupted by a man who saves her life and then wanders off into obscurity. When she wakens, she plots her revenge; her family, her Empire and the strange man from the subway must be imprisoned as she has been. Erlyst hires a shady B-movie producer to create a reality-tv program about the Atropos Empire in order to shine bright lights on the shadowy lives surrounding her.
Il Diluvio is a raistorm that submerges Los Angeles and creates a massive refugee crisis that sparks talk between states of seccession from the Union. Led by the psychotic Mayor Alaman of Los Angeles, rebel states begin to wage a civil war against the Federal Government. The United States is drained and defeated by internal warfare and becomes an isolated micro-power again. The RTVS is a brilliant plan to turn the majority of American society into a series of tailor-made Reality Programs using product placement for foreign advertisers to create a "consumer paradise" in which Americans become an enormous commercial. A shadowy character moves through the events leading to and following America's second civil war and eventually emerges as the creator of the RTVS (Reality-TV Society). As the smoke clears in the war between RTVS sympathizers and its opponents, the US is nearly destroyed. The shadowy man introduces the myths of The Exile and The Matriarch to a future generation thus giving American society a new myth and a new purpose, and a new reason to carry on.
Unsent Letters to Crystal (Triptych novella) - 2011
(4009 words)
Erotic love letters in the form of narratives written from Dublin, Ireland, London, England and Los Angeles, Ca.
A Selfish Man (novel) - 2003
(111,264 words)
Uncertain about their future, Ian McNeel and his two companions forsake California. Embarking on a roadtrip across the country, they land deep in the unfamiliar world of the American South. Even there he fails to find his place. Instead, his emptiness spins out of control, leading him on an orgy of drinking, drugs and sexual obsession.
*Published by Publish America in 2003. This manuscript is no longer under contract.
Silence (novella) - 2000
(approx. 20,000 words)
A terse tale following Dean O'Leary on his dark journey from a life of professional bank robbery to a silent and deadly decline in the warm, unforgiving sands of Las Vegas, Nv.
*Published by Transplant Press in 2000, 100 copy limited pressing. This manuscript is no longer under contract.
Untitled Collection of Short Stories (fiction) - 1998-2006
(approx. 30,000 words)
- Forecasting (2006): Ever wonder why the rich elite continue to build marvelous, decadent mansions in the dry, fire-prone hills of Malibu, Ca? Because that's the point of the game...forecasting...
- A Treatise of Faith (2003): Patrick picks a man up from Los Angeles International Airport at the request of a dear friend. When Nic arrives he and Patrick slip into a pub for a pint and Nic explains why he is in LA. Nic's newest novel A Treatise of Faith promises to dispel unreasonable religious furvor by finally, and completely arguing against proselytization. Rumors of his work were leaked by his publisher and Nic flees to LA to escape death threats and violence from true-believers.
- Fraternization...Finally (2011 - erotic): A library employee finally realizes a long-lived fantasy with her shy, quiet co-worker.
- Lebensgefährte - Soulmate (2003): A modern re-telling of Rapunzel with a feminist tilt.
- You Make My Skin Crawl (2000): A man on a leisurely walk in North Georgia falls into a pool of stagnant water. He rushes home, his mind races uncontrollably until he can wash away the potential bacteria and filth. Once cleansed, body and mind, the man's worst fears come to life as his body begins to shudder and move...inside.
- I Was Watching You (2011 - erotic): A woman, bored by the party she's attending, accidentally sees a man pleasuring himself and drifts into a fantasy of knocking on his door and humbly offering assistance.
- Wed in a Desert Avalon (2003): A Hunter Thompson-esque drug-addled, whirlwind race to Las Vegas for a stranger's wedding.
- Torture Scene Los Angeles (2003): A long, torturous and unnecessary interrogation in an abandoned downtown warehouse.
- Mrs. Riley (2005 - erotic): Mrs. Riley finally decides to approach the stranger she sees daily at lunch. Has she mustered the strength to take the chance, or will she walk away again with only a side-glance and an unremitted desire?
- Brooks Bros. Suit Circa 1999 (2000): A noir look into the details of an alien intelligence using Y2K as cover for invasion.
The Misadventures of Joan and Bill (non-fiction) - 2000
(6104 words)
The tale of the trauma drenched, short and volatile marriage between Beat author William S. Burroughs and Joan Vollmer.
Thank you ALL in advance for your help, slainté!
-William
Paul O'Donovan's album "The Happylands and Elsewhere", is on line on MySpace at 
