Jeanne De Vita is the managing director for Musa Publishing, an independent virtual publishing company. She created the Erato imprint that aims to produce a "wide spectrum of high-quality GLBTQ fiction in order to meet the needs of our diverse readership," according to Erato's blog. De Vita's goal with the Erato imprint is to go beyond the preexisting market for LGBT fiction to find "not only fresh writers but stories that can't easily fit on a shelf," said Vita "like gay and lesbian fiction with transgender subplots."
As managing director of an independent publishing company she has a wide range of duties: management and admin, acquisitions, and author relations. She also acquires and edits novels for the Erato publishing line.
Recently, De Vita recruited an author, Mystic Thompson, whose work had been published by another company, after seeing the potential in Thompson's novel Fighting Kudzu Justice. De Vita asked Thompson if she was willing to include lesbian themes, leaving Thompson to decide whether to come out on a national platform. After encouragement from Guinevere Turner, writer and editor for some of The L Word, Thompson added a lesbian element and subplots to highlight the varied experiences of LGBT people.
After Thompson rewrote approximately a third to a half of the novel, Fighting Kudzu was released Sept. 5. Thompson and Turner are now in conversation about the possibility of putting together a screenplay.
"We joke about the lesbian rodeo show we're putting onthe three of us: me as the editor, [Thompson] the author, and [Turner] the screenwriter and actress" said De Vita.
De Vita has her own passion for writing romance and erotica under the pen name Annie Anthonya tribute to her younger brother, who passed away in 2002. Annie's next short story, Blue Suede Boi, is to be released within the next month.
THE STATS
Age: 41
Hometown: Oak Park
Hobbies: Crochetinghas donated hundreds of homemade hats and burial garments to hospitals throughout the country
Favorite sport: Rock climbing
Favorite sports team: Chicago Force
Favorite dessert: "There is nothing on earth like Black Dog Gelatonothing."
Favorite TV show: Sherlock Holmes starring Basil Rathbone
Favorite music: Indie singer-songwriters including Sami Grisafe ( Chicago ), Blame Sally, and Holly Miranda
Volunteering: Respite care for children with disabilities for 7 years, two service trips to Romania to work in clinics with ill children, and most recently with NOH8 to help with admin work