From Henderson, reader Thomas Bradley Jr. writes:

Lest any of CityLife’s two-dozen loyal readers think otherwise, not all wannabe Las Vegas novelists are as whiny as Andrew Kiraly and Paul Czuchra.

First, Mr. Kiraly posits the notion that there is no great Vegas novel — because he hasn’t written it yet — and then proceeds to trash Charles Bock’s Beautiful Children, which has earned critical praise. Then letter writer Mr. Czuchra complains about the “movie industry” dissing his work based on the fact it bore the imprint of the universally loathed (to those writers who care enough to do their due diligence) book mill known as PublishAmerica. Perhaps it didn’t occur to him that the movie people might have dismissed his book, too, because maybe it blows.

If you think that is harsh, it is, but only because I’ve been there. I have a completed manuscript of a novel set in Las Vegas. After innumerable literary agents dismissed it with their typical form letters, I re-read the thing cover-to-cover for the umpteenth time and had an epiphany: Those agents were all correct in their judgments — it sucks to high heaven. Plot, characters, dialog, you name it, all crap. So, I gave it an overhaul then set it aside and moved on to another project.

No, I haven’t completely given up on my Vegas novel, and neither should Mr. Kiraly and Mr. Czuchra, or anyone else out there. Re-read your manuscript, polish it, draft a better query letter, and try again - and above all, stop whining. You’re embarrassing the rest of us wannabes.

Who can bring all living governors of both political parties together, including an ex-governor who, as the saying goes, would likely not void his bladder upon the sitting governor were the sitting governor aflame?

No, not Jesus.

The answer is, Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio!

A “save the date” invitation has just been sent out in the names of former Govs. Paul Laxalt (Republican); Robert List (Republican); Richard Bryan (Democrat); Bob Miller (Democrat); and Kenny Guinn (Republican); along with incumbent Jim Gibbons for a May 21 fundraiser in Reno honoring Raggio.

Just for the record, Raggio has been in the Senate for all of those governors save Laxalt, who left office in 1971, just two years before Raggio began his record-setting run as the longest serving senator in state history in 1973.

The invitation list is especially impressive because it includes both Guinn and Gibbons, and if extreme dislike were dollars, Guinn’s antipathy toward Gibbons would be enough to buy a nice beach house in Carlsbad, Calif. (Hey, wait, Guinn does have a nice beach house in Carlsbad!)

But it’s also a testament to Raggio’s firm entrenchment in the Establishment Club, which all ex-governors get a lifetime membership in, regardless of political party. (Bonus political question: How many of those ex-governors now work as trans-partisan lobbyists of one kind or another?)

You know, it’s almost enough to make us want to jump on an airplane to Reno to witness the historic event. Almost.