No Rest for the Weary

Have you ever noticed that ‘edit’ is a four letter word?? That may explain why it’s so hard.I hired a freelance editor recently. She was a kind lady, very knowledgeable and skilled. But. . .“We’re going to have to cut chapter one,” she said.“What! The entire chapter?”“I’m afraid so. And your heroine’s goal is not clearly defined. I want to know what motivates her early on, the first paragraph if possible, and no later than the first or second page.”Good...

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Dealing with Disappointment

A funny thing happened on my way to the market…Wait, that’s a different story.It was the mailbox. . .er. . .my inbox. A funny thing happened on my way to my inbox. My manuscript was turned in, and I was waiting to hear from my editor on the rewrites. Instead, I received a message shortly before the conference that said something I never expected to hear.Barbour is delaying the launch of their new mystery line.There was more to the message, but for...

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Moody Blues

It hit me the other day.One moment, I was on top of the world, rejoicing over the fact that my words were down on paper and would soon be in the hands of readers. The next, I was scared witless over the fact that my words were down on paper and would soon be in the hands of readers.What ever made me think I was called to write? How dare I think that I can string together a handful of words and make them into a coherent sentence that actually touches...

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Pitch and Prepare

Before I was published, the process for submitting a manuscript was a long, sometimes grueling task. First came the query letter. Beyond that hurdle lay the proposal. After that, the full manuscript. Then the backcover copy. The list went on. I learned to sympathize with the pets in a circus performance. Here’s the hoop. Jump through.As authors, we’re willing to do almost anything to see our work in print. We spend hours laboring over just the right...

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The Royalty Statement

I received an interesting piece of mail the other day. Since it bore my publisher’s address, I was quite intrigued and couldn’t wait to get it home so I could open it. My hands trembled. I took in air with short, troubled gasps. What if my editor at Barbour changed her mind? What if Barbour didn’t want my book after all, and they were informing of their decision through a standardized form letter? Imagine my surprise when I pulled out a piece of...

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