During this very week in late July is when the opening scene in Alienable Rights, my first Other Worldly (OW) novel, takes place. Wherein Rowan Layne walks out into bright sunshine in Reno—and paranoid gun-crazed pandemonium—over breaking news that aliens are among us, and we might be aliens ourselves.
In that novel, published February 2020, Rowan has just completed a grueling two and a half days of taking the Nevada Bar exam and now wonders if it’s such a good idea to attempt a return to the practice of law.
In life, I took that very exam in Reno in 2017 during this week as well. And, ironically, I began drafting Alienable Rights in October, a few weeks before receiving my results (I passed and so did Rowan).
Hence, every time I read online articles like that perused recently in Writer’s Digest addressing how long it takes to go from a book idea to publication, my answer is three years. Of course, had I continued to spend an indeterminate amount of time on the traditional publishing industry’s requirement of first obtaining a literary agent, I might still be waiting. Indeed, I remain without even so much as the common courtesy of a negative reply from multiple literary agencies.
Instead, this year in July I’m waiting on the imminent return of a revamped Alienable Rights from my editor even as I continue drafting the eighth and final OW novel, Alien Origins. And, like Rowan Layne, I never ended up practicing law in Nevada.
In fact, earlier this year, I voluntarily relinquished that Nevada law license (far more complicated than one might think), for several reasons. Why continue to pay an annual inactive fee of more than $100 for something I will never use? I no longer live in Nevada, so I would only be eligible to practice law for the federal government here. Unless I wanted to sit for the New Mexico Bar exam, but private practice is not a realistic or desirable option.
In any event, several reasons render federal or private work problematic, the primary issue being my age. If you don’t think ageism is a real thing when it comes to hiring, just wait until you’re old enough to experience it. That, coupled with blatant sexism endured the entire time I practiced law for the federal government as a California-licensed lawyer is quite enough for one lifetime.
Funny how women are discriminated against in the workplace during child-bearing years for their potential to become pregnant, but when they become too old to do so, they’re also too old to be employable in many professions. Yet men somehow don’t seem to be too old. And if you don’t think lawyers actively and blatantly discriminate against females in the federal government, think again.
Plus, even if I were younger, there is no way I would be willing to practice environmental law for the current atrocity that is the US government. I previously worked for the Department of Defense, including the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. Can you imagine my doing so now? What a nightmare of a horror shit show. Talk about sexism. Among many other vile practices.
Indeed, it’s the ongoing corrupt practices of lawyers, government officials, and those who call themselves legitimate members of the media that make Alienable Rights still relevant as opposed to obsolete nine years later.
Alas, my two degrees in journalism and law represent the two most disappointing professions these days in terms of integrity, accountability, objectivity, and basic human decency. Both industries, as in the legacy media and too many ivy-league educated lawyers at DOJ or high-powered law firms, appear to be actively assisting in the desecration of the US Constitution and the destruction of our democracy.
Recent case in point for government lawyers: Todd Blanche serving as acting US attorney general, with Republicans in Congress all too willing to usher him into the official job. But Bill Barr was just as bad, as was Pam Bondi. And then there’s those six seditious SCOTUS justices flat out ignoring their oath.
As for the media, seen on social media after Friday night’s pathetic joke of a White House Correspondents’ Association dinner: Journalism is dead.
Hence, I’ll stay retired and stick to writing books and this weekly blog post, the latter fulfilling somewhat of a journalistic need. Because I do sometimes miss that local newspaper column I had in rural Nevada, but I don’t miss the powers that be at Gannett media corporation pulling my punches when I dared write about racism.
And I’ll continue grappling with the idea of pitching the Other Worldly series to literary agents in the hopes of selling my novels to a traditional publisher. Will I still end up battling sexism and ageism? I have absolutely no doubt.
That and I’ll also face an uphill struggle against a patriarchal structure that often eschews sociopolitical, environmental, feminist messages like those contained in each of my OW novels. I may be brave enough to write what I write, but how many in the traditional publishing industry are willing to fearlessly take that on?
It used to be all about whether they could make money. Now it might be more about genuflecting for an imbecile of a dictator-wannabe. Did I say lack of integrity? How about lack of personal and professional dignity? How far the legal and journalism professions have fallen. How pathetic their blatant capitulation to fascists. Perhaps the publishing industry has similarly suffered too, but just maybe there are some with spines who still stand for the First Amendment.
At least I no longer have to be a part of, or constrained by, the legal or journalistic professional worlds. Swapping reading law books for writing books of my own has certainly provided an entertaining catharsis, and a most excellent outlet since Rowan Layne first raged against Fox News hacks, misogynist televangelists, alt right conspiracy theorist radio hosts, and far too many corrupt government lawyers in Alienable Rights.