Hey, everyone. March has arrived and the sun is warmer and the Maine snow is finally melting. I’m nearly done with my new novel, due to the publisher on May 1st. And getting ready for the launch of PRAY FOR THE GIRL on April 30th.

By now you’ve heard of the college admission scandal. It’s enough juicy crime details to be made into a riveting psychological thriller. The well-to-do, including two famous TV actresses, paid large sums of dough to get their kids into the college of their choices.

Ugh! Really?

This issue strikes close to home, seeing how my son went through the painful college admissions process last year. Thank goodness he landed at a school that he now loves and perfectly firs his academic and social needs (GO HURRICANES). Although his GPA and SAT scores were above most of the colleges he applied to, being a white male did not help in this day and age of geographical and ethnic diversity. I’m not complaining about this, it’s just the reality of modern day college admissions. It’s an aspect of college admissions that must be accepted as part and parcel of our times.

So to hear that these affluent parents paid money to get their kids into the college of their choice, troubles even more. Besides being illegal, immoral and wholly unethical, it does incredible harm to the students more deserving of admittance. And those include students with higher scores, as well as highly qualified minorities seeking entrance to the college of their choice. As loud proponents of diversity and inclusion, these two actresses are the epitome of hypocrisy.

What in the world were these parents thinking? Their criminal meddling not only hurts other students, but it seriously harms their own children’s emotional and academic maturity. Did their kids know what their parents were cheating and committing criminal acts for them? And what did they think of them when they found out? Or maybe they expected to be doted on and spoiled, having grown up that way their entire lives. Then there’s presence at the university that accepted them. How do they feel about being there now? How about their professors and peers. I’m sure they’ll be harassed and despised on campus for how they were admitted, and it will be a very uncomfortable experience., especially when their parents become felons.. Was that elite degree worth it! These parents couldn’t have harmed their children more if they’d abused them, which in many ways they did.

Apart from the sleazy and corrupt aspects of this story, how are children supposed to grow and develop on their own if their parents don’t let them get by on their merits. These kids will grow up with an inflated sense of ego, as well as a hard time getting on in life. They’ll never develop a true sense of worth or self-esteem—and that’s the true crime in all this.

I tryout hope these parents will go to jailing guilty. As a writer of mysteries and psychological thrillers, I can think of a lot worse crimes to write about, but none that so vividly captures the hypocrisy of our times. And these were people who professed a  strong belief in women’s rights, social justice and diversity in institutions. How hypocritical can you get?

When applying  for colleges, I sar my son down and explained that rejection is part of life, and that often times life is not fair. I told him that it didn’t matter what college he got into, whether it be Harvard or the local community college. If he worked hard and put in the time, he could succeed at anything, and just as much as those students attending the super elite universities. That’s because we live in a meritocracy where the cream rises to the top. Ask any published author about rejection and they’ll tell you that failing was essential,to their development as a writer. The school of hard knocks is the most valuable learning institution you’ll ever know. Accept it. Embrace it. It will make you and your kids better persons.

With that said, I hope you can come to the book launch for PRAY FOR THE GIRL at Longfellow Books at 7:00 on April 30th. Hope to see you there.