Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg

shopping channel. An under-fed woman in red is selling golden angels on a chain for under twenty dollars.
    â€œI’m sorry I’m late,” Jennifer says, kissing Michael on the cheek.
    â€œIt’s all right, Jen,” Michael says, his voice a pan of melted butter. “We’ve got plenty of time. Las Vegas never sleeps.”
    Jennifer puts her arms around Michael’s neck. His ocean eyes shine up at her and his mouth curves up into a smile. “Nervous?” she asks. She keeps her tone light because she can smell the fear on him, subtle but biting.
    â€œYeah,” he says. His hands find a place in the small of her back and press in. “Aren’t you?”
    No, Jennifer thinks. She’s not nervous. She’s never been more sure of anything in her life. She says, “Do you have the rings?”
    â€œI’ve got the rings, Jennifer. And, more importantly, I’ve got the car. Did you see the car?” He presses his lips on the side of her neck. He smells of the cigarettes he supposedly quit smoking three weeks ago and the mints he’s chewed to disguise them. She can also detect the faint but unmistakable odor of alcohol.
    â€œThe car?” she asks.
    â€œGo look outside,” he says.
    Jennifer breaks his grip, walks slowly over to the window. There is a candy-apple red Corvette sitting in the driveway. Even in the dark, it glows like a Pacific sunset.
    â€œWhat’s all this, Michael?”
    â€œYou like it?” He is smiling wide enough to swallow a small lake. “I rented it. For tonight.”
    â€œWhy?” Jennifer asks him.
    â€œIsn’t it beautiful? I figure if we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right. A classic car for a classic American experience. A wedding in Las Vegas. What do you say?”
    Jennifer wants to be as enthusiastic as he is over this car, but she can’t quite catch the same thrill.
    Still she says, “It’s great, Michael. When does it have to be back?”
    â€œTomorrow.”
    Jennifer raises her eyebrows in surprise. “Well then, cowboy,” she says. “We’d better get going.”
    Â 
    Title: ELVIS WILL DANCE AT YOUR WEDDING
    Author: Shelly Franklin
    Genre: Fiction
    Reader: Anna
    This is a stupid idea. And boring. The title is awful. The author has an MFA and she has had some things published in literary magazines, but otherwise no credits. This is a first novel. It’s about a couple who drive to Las Vegas to get married. I don’t think anything else happens. It’s very slow and it’s a dumb premise. The writing is dry and not evocative. I don’t know where this is going. I don’t know why Elvis is in the title. She doesn’t say if she’s sent it to any other agents, but I don’t think it matters. This isn’t our kind of thing. My recommendation is to reject.
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    Title: ELVIS WILL DANCE AT YOUR WEDDING
    Author: Shelly Franklin
    Genre: Fiction
    Reader: Angel
    Author is a graduate of the California University writing program, which has been producing many bestselling writers over the last few years, so I gave this (originally her thesis) a close read. I actually like the title. I know it’s a bit wacky, but the novel is about getting married in Las Vegas. Who better than Elvis in the title? I also like the writing here. The author sets up a certain tension right away so we know, as readers, that there are already problems between these two people and that getting married might be a mistake. I didn’t find the writing dry—quite the opposite. I read the synopsis and it’s clear that the author knows where she’s going with this material. She has a definite plot and structure, both of which will work, in my opinion. The only possible problem I see is that the novel is written largely in the present tense. Although this works in terms of keeping us in the moment (and the novel does take place over the course of