Author newsletter: She refused to give up on "Rebel Yell"

 

Aimee Malloy's thriller The Perfect Mother takes the premise of a group of young mothers finally getting a night out and asks the morbid question: What if one of them came home to find her baby missing?

Malloy got inspiration from, of all things, Billy Idol's song "Rebel Yell." She told The New York Times: “The lyrics — in the midnight hour, she wants more, more, more / Oh yeah little baby, she wants more more more — I immediately saw as representative of the demands an infant makes on a mother. I listened to the song incessantly while writing the early scenes, leading up to the night the women go out and drink too much and dance to the song, declaring it the ‘anthem of motherhood.’”

Her editor said it would be too expensive to license the lyrics, but Malloy refused to give up. She tracked down the singer's manager.

Billy said yes.

Here's a roundup of news you can use:

• Romance author Faleena Hopkins filed for a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order on Friday in federal court over a challenge of Hopkins' application to trademark the word "cocky."

• A new trademark controversy— this time over the word "forever" — ended quickly this week, with the author agreeing to withdraw the application. Plus, if you're on Twitter, consider following @cockybot.

• Kindle Worlds is closing, Amazon announced. It also increased the funding pool for Kindle Unlimitedin April.

• Is a troop one person or a group,and what's up with obviously repetitive phrases such as "It is what it is"? Grammar Girl has the answers. Plus Daily Writing Tips offers a guide to internal punctuation and how to make sentences more concise. It also has a guide to abbreviations.

• Writing a book from multiple points of view.

• And how to write serialized fiction.

• The Romantic Times Convention and Magazine is closing.

• Romance Writers of America may end the Golden Heart Contest.

• What is a cozy mystery? Amanda Flower has some thoughts.

• Tim Hawken gives some advice on how to create a compelling book cover.

• Textbook authors sue Cenage over its subscription service.

• Does your opening have an excess of nested scenes? Peter Selgin writes about Russian Doll Syndrome. He also shows how a critique of just the first page of your book can yield invaluable feedback.

• Speaking of feedback, Annie Neugebauer talks about how to use different types of readers to get it.

• Know an independent bookseller who deserves a holiday bonus? Nominate them here. (Thanks to James Patterson for his continued generosity.)

• Can meditation help you beat writer's block?

• Writing a memoir? Here's advice on how to break the news to your family,and how to recall details.

• Defining and redefining success can help maintain your motivation.

• Success can also come from your daily writing habits. Jennifer Haupt interviewed four authors about their habits.

• Literary agent spotlight: Kristin Nelson. She's looking for "literary and commercial fiction for adults; young adult and middle grade books for kids." Contact information is here.