By Ivy H. Booker
The Accidental Life of MF Ascher
Dark Friendship Fiction
Four writers. Four genres. Four reasons to kill.
When four broke writers meet for their annual retreat in upstate New York, they share it all—insulting rejection letters, crushing disappointments, the projects that almost made it but fell short. With too much wine and the need to let loose, they decide to have some harmless fun and create an outlandish story using AI.
But what starts out as a joke produces a real book that accidentally goes viral and brings a cash windfall that changes everything. As book sales surge and the pressure to maintain their anonymity mounts, they turn against each other, leading to deadly consequences.
In The Accidental Life of MF Ascher, loyalties are tested, reputations are at stake, and revenge is the only way out.
Dark, gripping, and laugh-out-loud funny, this is a novel about friendship and the intoxicating dangers of money, technology, and the blinding quest to succeed at any cost.
Collaborative Author
Ivy H. Booker
Ivy H. Booker is the pen name of a small group of writers who came together through the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Between the four of them, they’ve published 20 books.
Sara LaFontain lives in Arizona, where her husband lovingly supplies her with chocolate to fuel her writing habit. She is the author of the romantic women’s fiction Whispering Pines Island series, and the Corbitt Calamities pop star thrillers. Prior to becoming an author, Sara held a variety of jobs ranging from the unusual (wildlife tour guide in the Brazilian Pantanal) to the emotional (domestic violence case advocate) to the respectable (attorney). She also works as an Author Accelerator certified book coach.
Julie Mayerson Brown is an author, essayist, and playwright. Her Clearwater Series, five novels and a YA novella, takes place in a charming town in California Wine Country. The books all feature lovable, quirky characters, adorable dogs, best-friendships, and delicious sticky buns. In addition to feel good stories, Julie writes book club fiction that delves into darker themes of family dysfunction, betrayal, and suspense. She lives in Los Angeles with her family and a pack of rescued boxers.
Marina DelVecchio is the author of Dear Jane (2019), The Professor’s Wife (2021), The Virgin Chronicles (2022), and Unsexed: Memoirs of a Prostitute’s Daughter (2024). Her essays appear in Ms. Magazine, the Huffington Post, The New Agenda, The Tishman Review, WE Magazine for Women, and Vast Literary Magazine, among others. She teaches writing, literature, and women’s studies as a full-time professor in North Carolina.
Jen Sinclair pens personal essays and contemporary fiction that explore complicated relationships, love, loss, and all the messiness of life. She lives in Saint Augustine, Florida, with her husband, kids, and spoiled puppy. When she isn’t working out story elements, belting out songs from one of her many Spotify playlists, or having conversations with imaginary friends, she enjoys spending time outside walking beaches and trails, paddling waterways, or driving around with the top off her Jeep.
Q&A With the Authors
How did this collaboration come about?
We first met on Zoom during Women’s Fiction Writers Association “Write-In” meetings. After a particularly frustrating writing session, the four of us formed a brainstorming group to help each other out with our individual projects. As the saying goes, one thing led to another… the subject of AI came up, and we lamented the danger it poses to all creatives. Somebody said, “We should write a book about writers using AI and then it all goes terribly wrong.” So we did!
What is “dark friendship fiction?”
It’s a genre that explores hidden darkness in relationships between friends. When the truth comes out, the friendships end up strained or even destroyed because of jealousy, secrets, deception, and betrayal.
You four did a great job of making the characters unique, while the overall tone and voice remained consistent. What was the writing process like?
Slow at first, but once we got our rhythm and process down, we moved faster. We started with a basic outline, though of course it evolved along the way. We each wrote our own characters’ POV chapters and posted them in a Google Doc to be read ahead of a Zoom call. Then we discussed the specifics, edited where needed, and moved on to the next POV. One of the challenges was getting the other characters’ voices right in our individual chapters. We were very open to changes when one of us said that “our” character would not do or say something in reaction to the POV character. We killed many, many darlings.
What would each of you say about your characters?
Sara: Sophia Aldren is a literary fiction writer with an MFA, and she would like everybody to know that.
Julie: Talia Goldstein is a good Jewish daughter with mommy issues and insecurities; she buries herself in ice cream and red wine. Ever the peacemaker, Talia endlessly struggles to keep her best friends from turning on each other.
Marina: Max DeLeon is an orphan essayist who compares the publishing industry to the foster care system that corrupts and ruins the innocent lives of its wards. Her writing aims to bring down both systems, no matter the cost to her or anyone else.
Jen: Chelsea Specter is jaded and apathetic after being screwed over by everyone she’s trusted, including an ex-husband who stole her book, causing her to be blackballed from publishing.
Do you have plans to write another book?
Yes! We are writing it now. It will not be a sequel to MF Ascher, but it will explore similar themes.
Book Club Questions
How did the main character(s) change or grow throughout the story?
With four main characters, which ones did you relate to or empathize with the most and why?
Was there a character you really wanted to smack? If so, why and what advice would you give her?
What do you think happens to the characters after the novel concludes?
How did the authors create conflict and tension in the book? What was the main conflict or problem in the story and how was it resolved?
In what ways did the authors keep you interested or surprised throughout the story?
What was the most memorable or shocking scene or twist in the story and why? Any favorite lines or quotes?
The characters all had ridiculous amounts of money land in their laps, but each dealt with their windfall differently. What do you think of their actions and decisions?
Ivy H. Booker is the pen name for four authors. What do you think might have been their biggest challenges co-writing a novel? Be creative!
How did you feel about the ending? Was it satisfying, or did you want more?
For press inquiries, podcasts, or to invite one (or more) of us to your Zoom bookclub, contact us at
authorivyhbooker@gmail.com