My Own Personal Judith Regan Rejection

Did I really piss some people off recently by saying that publishing killed the short story? What I meant was O.J. killed Nicole and Judith Regan isn't going to let short fiction die! In fact, she is bringing back some juicy short work to publishing. And you can read Regan's 70-page complaint (i.e., $100 million-dollar lawsuit) over at Mixed Media by Jeff Bercovici, which boldly posts the paperwork for anyone with eyes to see.

Besides alleging improper dismissal and defamation by HarperCollins, owned by News Corp., a Rupert Murdoch company, 54-year-old Regan also claims she was the target of a News Corp campaign to keep her from revealing information about Bernard Kerik, a former NYC police commissioner and one-time candidate for Homeland Security Secretary, who just happens to be Regan's former lover. (I believe this is where the spies and chandelier come in.) Seems like Kerik, a memoirist and author of Regan's, used a lot of government money to do things like have sex with Regan in a rescue-worker shelter apartment near ground zero and use his staff to stalk her after they'd broken up. The plot and intrigue here are so overwrought that the folks at Muckety have drawn out a map, which is well worth a quick click-trip over there to take a look.

As for me, this story didn't really warm my heart or excite my loins. I just didn't fall in love with the main character, and couldn't quite wrap my arms around the whole political intrigue or evil media corporation subplot, which are probably true, but just not tasty enough for this hungry lover. I'm sure another reader will fall for Ms. Regan's charming yarn, which has much merit and is a well-written page-turner by all accounts. But, as for me, alas, I'm just going to have to pass.