Hand Selling

Well, Dr. Theresa wanted a book about murderers for her birthday, so I was like, "Okay!" And then I impersonated the famous "shrugging emoji." To be clear, it wasn't just any book on the subject, it was a particular one that she had heard Richard Howorth and Megan Abbott talking up back when I did that Q&A with Megan at Square Books. That's what they call "hand selling" in the book business! So we went to Square Books and I got her the book and then she was driving the car and I was sitting in the passenger seat with whatever look I usually have on my face, and I said something like, "This is what you wanted for your birthday!" And, spurred by my ever-curious childlike wonder, I opened it up completely at random to "They call it the OWL. The Olympic-Wallowa Lineament. Nobody knows what it is." Well! That would have seemed extra creepy to me (especially nobody knowing what it is and the owl jumping out at me in all caps like that) if birthday magic had not preemptively counterbalanced it. I was given cause to recall another OWL - an acronym, that is, standing for something else entirely - from a manuscript I read in June [correction: June of 2024 (!) - ed.] but cannot address here until December. I hope you can hold out!