Compliments of a Friend (8 page)

The next day, the next week—who knows how long afterward (one of the joys of writer’s block, aside from the usual self-loathing and doomed attempts to search the Bible or Mother Goose Tales for some antique plot to crib, is that time alternates between slo-mo and fast-forward; fourth-dimension-wise, you never know where you are), I do know I was getting desperate, especially after a lighthearted call from one of the other group members asking if I had any idea when I’d be handing in the story. “Probably in a few days,” I said cheerily.

“I was only asking because everyone else’s pieces are in. But no pressure. If you need a little longer, just let me know.”

That’s when Judith Singer returned to my life to save me. My first novel, Compromising Positions, was narrated by Judith, a stay-at-home Long Island mom, who tracked down the killer of M. Bruce Fleckstein, the Don Juan of Long Island dentists. Not only did the book get published, it was also so successful (bestseller, tons of translations, critically lauded movie) that it equaled even my most grandiose fantasies.

Now she was back in my head. In a genuinely kind voice, she said: Use me. You know me so well. You know my voice, my friends and family, my feelings. And admit it. Aren’t you dying to know what happened to me after Compromising Positions ended?

Yes, I was! Two days later, I handed in “Compliments of a Friend,” the continuation of Judith’s story. True, I’ve altered it quite a bit for this edition. But the bottom line is Judith Singer is my coauthor on this one. I sent out an SOS and she rushed over to collaborate. And I loved being back in her company so much that my next novel, Long Time No See, was simply an extension of what you’ve just read, my first short story.

I hope you enjoyed being with her as much as I did.

And a personal message to Judith: Thank you and bless you.

—Susan Isaacs

A Biography of Susan Isaacs

Susan Isaacs (b. 1943) is an award-winning author of mystery and literary fiction who holds the rare distinction of having had every one of her novels appear on the New York Times bestseller list.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, she attended Queens College, and upon graduation took an aptitude test for a position as a computer programmer. She failed the test, but when the interviewer saw that she had written for her college newspaper, she offered her a job at Seventeen magazine.

After several years writing advice columns, then political speeches, Isaacs tried her hand at a mystery novel, and Compromising Positions was published in 1978. The story of housewife-turned-detective was a runaway success. It has been translated into thirty languages and adapted into a film starring Susan Sarandon and Raul Julia, and Isaacs wrote the screenplay herself.

Isaacs’s experience in city politics informed her second novel, Close Relations. Like Compromising Positions, it became a critical and commercial success, and established her as an author of literary fiction. Her fourth book, the World War II drama Shining Through, was later made into a film starring Michael Douglas, Melanie Griffith, and Liam Neeson. Isaacs also found success as a screenwriter, penning 1987’s Hello Again, a comedy starring Shelley Long and Gabriel Byrne.

A former president of the Mystery Writers of America, she is a winner of the John Steinbeck Award, the Marymount Manhattan Writing Center Award, and the Writers for Writers Award. Isaacs is currently chairman of the board of the literary organization Poets & Writers. She has continued her involvement with politics, covering the 2000 election for the Long Island daily newspaper Newsday, an experience she has called “one of the greatest thrills of my life.”

Since 1968 she has been married to Elkan Abramowitz, a criminal defense lawyer with whom she has two children. Now a grandmother, she lives on Long Island.

Susan, the budding author, at about ten months of age. “Note the toothless smile,” Isaacs says. “Perhaps I’d not yet developed my ironic sensibility?”

Susan’s uncle, Herbert Isaacs Nova, a bomber pilot, named his B-26 for his niece in celebration of her birth, which was December 7, the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. This is one of the reasons she feels such a connection to World War II—and returns to it a few times in her novels.

“Cowgirl—such a practical ambition for a girl from Brooklyn!” says Isaacs.

Susan and Elkan Abramowitz on their wedding day. Susan says, “Marrying Elkan was the smartest decision of my life.”

Susan and Elkan’s son, Andy (now a lawyer), with the dog Susan calls “the noblest collie since Lassie.”

Susan with her daughter, Elizabeth (now a philosopher), in the early days.

Family vacation circa 1987. According to Susan, she is “98 percent sure we’re at Versailles.”

Susan (right) with Ethel Merman and Liz Smith at the launch of her second novel, Close Relations (1980).

The Compromising Positions film wrap party. From left to right: Susan Isaacs, Joe Mantegna, Frank Perry, Deborah Rush, Josh Mostel, and Anne De Salvo.

Susan and Elkan at the Tetons during one of their great vacations in Wyoming.

Susan’s mom and dad. She calls them “charming, bright, and warmhearted.”

Susan’s scene with Shelley Long in Hello Again. She wrote herself a role in the film—and actually got to play it!

Susan Isaacs signing books at the annual Book Expo. She is pictured with her publicist, Jane Beirn, and her late editor, Larry Ashmead.

Susan at home in New York during a New York Post photo shoot. (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Lippman.)

Susan at the 2010 Poets & Writers bash with emcee Dave Barry. She has been chairman of the board of Poets & Writers (www.pw.org) for many years.

Susan’s family on her grandson Edmund’s first birthday. Edmund was born developmentally disabled and Susan’s daughter and son-in-law decided to celebrate his first birthday with a softball game/picnic/fundraiser for the 5 P Minus Society (www.fivepminus.org).

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2013 by Susan Isaacs

Cover design by Connie Gabbert

978-1-4804-5497-2

Published in 2013 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

345 Hudson Street

New York, NY 10014

www.openroadmedia.com

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