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Desert Rose Literary Agency (Leann Murphy)

SammyW

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Well victoria, I didn't believe them. Why do you think I used that "crazy" smiley? I'm just amused and a little amazed someone on Writer's Beware worst agents list has the balls to say somthing about them. :Wha:
 
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Desert Rose Update

Hello all. I'm new here, but this thread has enticed me to join. I wish I would've found it before contacting Desert Rose, but at least I haven't sent any money. Same story as a lot on here; acceptance and then asking for money. I've just traded e-mails with John Walker of the San Angelo P.D. and the investigation is still quite well and quite alive. Thanks to all here for pointing me in the right direction on this one.
 
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Further Desert Rose update

I received an e-mail late last night from Desert Rose telling me she was so sorry but she had to withdraw her offer of representation because she "just realized" she had too many authors than the number she prefers to work with at any given time. I'm sure that had I sent her money I wouldn't have received it. Looks like she's trying to dump "clients". If anyone here currently has something with her, beware.
 

louisgodwin

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Hi, BUHS. There's enough info in your profile that Leann might have figured out who you were and dropped you because you talked to Detective Walker. That'd be my guess.

Leann is very well aware of this thread's existence. Trust me.
 
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Thanks, I'm all for making life easier any way I can. I'm just making the query rounds and hoping for the best at this point.
 

louisgodwin

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Some Good News

I got an email from Johnny Walker yesterday saying he's talked to the DA and they are moving forward with the investigation.

I have no idea what this means exactly or where they're at on this case, but it gives me some hope.

For anyone reading this who was has dealt with this agency, you are urged to contact him at [email protected]
 

tomtom

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Desert Scam

Ms. Murphy scammed me out of $ 1,000 bucks on two novels. As ignorant as I was about publishing, it could have been $ 5,000. I turned over all my emails to Johnny Walker in San Angelo. The DA there is putting the case together. Looks like there is a very long list of complaints against Desert Rose. After Ms Murphy got her money, I never got a single update, progress report or anything. She just took the money and dissappeared... Never answers her phone, etc. After talking to the Sheriff in Tom Green County, They are extremely pissed at Leanne Murphy, and I don't doubt for a minute that she will go to prison over this scam, especially since her association with the Titsworths.
 

Julie Worth

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After talking to the Sheriff in Tom Green County, They are extremely pissed at Leanne Murphy, and I don't doubt for a minute that she will go to prison over this scam, especially since her association with the Titsworths.

I suspect Tom Green county is too busy trying to put polygamists in jail to bother with real crime.
 

Cathy C

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"Right down the street" being a somewhat relative thing in Central Texas. ;)

Plus, I'd imagine that the Tom Green Sheriff isn't still involved in that situation anyway (at first, EVERYONE was involved in YFZ---even staff from McCulloch, where I'm at.)
 

mlhernandez

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"Right down the street" being a somewhat relative thing in Central Texas. ;)

Plus, I'd imagine that the Tom Green Sheriff isn't still involved in that situation anyway (at first, EVERYONE was involved in YFZ---even staff from McCulloch, where I'm at.)


Lol, yes, very true. But it really is like just a hop and a skip down the street from them. I mean, you can stand in the parking lot of my childhood church (Our Lady of Guadalupe) and see the white tops of their temple. Hell, I graduated from high school with the girl whose father owned and sold the land to the YFZ back in '02. (And attended plenty of, um, questionable post-football game parties out there.)

But, back on topic, I was almost snagged by Desert Rose way back in my early days of this writing thing. I was sort of surprised to see an agency in SA but thought better of it after a bit of research on how publishing actually works.
 

DaveKuzminski

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Well done, everyone!

Remember, after Leann is convicted, Ann and Victoria will need to down only one more scammer to become Aces. ;)
 
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tomtom

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Desert Scam

Good! Finally! Now I don't have to call the county attorneys office and bitch about them dragging their feet on Leanne Murphy for 2 years. I've been giving them a fit. We can all thank Victoria and Anna for their work. We're all kinda like their flock of sheep. Straying occasionally..following con artists. Another one bites the dust.
 

HapiSofi

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Squeeeeeeeeee!

May she sit in prison till all her hopes and dreams have crumbled into dust and blown away on the wind!
 

louisgodwin

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Tom Green County, Texas Jail ID 339385 Tom Green County Sheriff's Dept. Confined 04/09/2009 12:22pm Released 04/09/2009 10:21pm

**sigh**

It seems she only spent 10 hours in the slammer before she got bonded out. Oh well, hopefully there will be many many many more hours to come.

:D
 
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tomtom

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I hope the 10 hours in the pen preps her for the years she's gonna get. I say 24-36 months,..then 10 yrs probation.