The Master of All Desires by Judith Merkle Riley

Imagine my surprise and delight when I opened up a package last month and saw her books, AN ORACLE GLASS and THE MASTER OF ALL DESIRES, all shiny and new, with gorgeous new covers! The first cover of Judith's A VISION OF LIGHTĬan you see the family resemblance? (Actually, this is the first time I put it together.)Īlas, her novels went out of print, too, and I was sad - sad and angry she died so relatively young and also sad that her books were gone, too. CHURCHILL'S SECRETARY was published, but I dedicated PRINCESS ELIZABETH'S SPY to her. Later, when I got an agent, and then a publisher, Judith guided me through a number of tricky situations, older novelist to debut novelist, mentor to novice, friend to friend.Īlas, she died before MR. And Maggie definitely has Judith's sense of humor. I named Maggie Hope after her character Margaret in her first novel, VISON OF LIGHT. As a good luck charm, I gave my Maggie red hair after her Margaret's red hair - who was a redhead inspired by Judith's daughter and my eventual friend Elizabeth. And to her credit, she didn't laugh or make paper airplanes out of it, but instead send me constructive criticism, as well as love and support. She was one of the first people I showed a draft of MR.

Judith was a colleague, who also became a friend and a mentor. She introduced me to her lovely daughter (Elizabeth Riley, now a superstar book publicist) and Elizabeth and I became fast friends. When I left Viking/Penguin, we stayed in touch. I worked with Judith on the books, THE ORACLE GLASS and THE SERPENT GARDEN. I guided her books through the editorial process, yes, as I did with many books - but she always was so kind, so funny, so gracious - I felt (for the first time) like a colleague. Judith made my dorky twenty-two-year-old self feel like a real publishing professional. The original cover of THE MASTER OF DESIRES I was liking more of the smiley pictures, but Judith said, 'No, I like the one with the half-smile-that's the right one for the author of a book with witches.' And that's the one you see above. I clearly remember my first telephone conversation with Judith, going over the contact sheet of her author photos for THE ORACLE GLASS (there was no email then). I was lucky to be able to work with Judith in 1992, when I was but a lowly editorial assistant for Pamela Dorman at Viking/Penguin. Judith's books are historical fiction, with strong woman protagonists, wicked wit, and a supernatural twist. SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Today I'm delighted to introduce Shana Drehs, Editorial Director of Sourcebooks & Sourcebooks Landmark, who's talking about the late (and beloved) novelist Judith Merkle Riley - and the reissue of two of her novels, THE ORACLE GLASS and MASTER OF ALL DESIRES.

The Master of All Desires by Judith Merkle Riley