I think I’ve said this several times before: I’m a big fan of historical romance. At this stage in my writing career I have no interest in writing one. Not sure if my voice would ever suit historical romance, and I’m not so certain I’m such a stickler for detail either. But read it? Oh, yeah!

Jackie Barbosa, a writer friend of mine, shared with me her newest book from Cobblestone Press - Wickedly Ever After. This book was released last Friday and is now available for sale…but act quickly! The book will only be available for sale for 6 months.

Why is that, you say? Well, Ms. Barbosa has a book coming out with Kensington next summer…and this story will be part of it!

Let me get to my review…I’m no professional reviewer, so bear with me.

I’m going with first names here, because I suck at understanding how titled folk in merry old England should be referred to. Eleanor was jilted at the altar. Nathaniel’s fiancee happened to be the one who ran off with Eleanor’s betrothed, Alistair. Alistair sends a letter suggesting Nathaniel would be a good replacement spouse for Eleanor, and the fun begins.

Nathaniel is believed to be a wastrel, even by his own family. He secretly leads a double life as a respected translator of poetry. The very same translator for whom Eleanor has great respect. There is deception. There is sexual tension. There is everything you want in a good historical romance. Nathaniel’s a bad, bad boy, and he has no qualms about sharing his knowledge with Eleanor. These two have sparks flying from almost the very first moment they meet.

Jackie created two wonderful, believable characters and gives you just enough of a tease throughout the book to keep you reading. Her writing style is very rich and reads smoothly. I got lost in her words and read the book in one sitting. The only thing I could have wished for was a longer book. I loved these characters and their romance that much.

I will be the first to say that her writing is too good for the smaller market of epublishing. I look forward to her debut novel and the success that will surely follow. Wickedly Ever After is not to be missed, if you are a fan of historical romance.

**The story of Alistair was the subject of an earlier release, Carnally Ever After. That book is available through Cobblestone Press or Fictionwise.**

Jackie Barbosa will be my author interview on June 9th, so be sure to stop by to learn more about this very talented writer.

Kris

Okay, I’m so pathetic. I’m participating in The Romance Studio Diva Contest. Somehow I managed to squeak by in the last round. But now I’m really struggling in the fan letter portion. If I don’t get at least 2 or 3 more votes before voting closes on Friday, I am toast.

And I really wanted to make it to the next round, because it would be another anonymous writing sample. At least, the next round will be impartial rather than a popularity contest.

I’m competing with some really big authors…and popularity is NOT what will get me further ahead! So PLEASE consider giving me a vote. Even if it’s a pity vote! I’d be ever grateful.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE! 

Thanks to anyone who can help me out!

Kris

The last two weeks I’ve been decidedly unfocused in my writing. And in my blogging. Distractions galore right now. Let’s hope in the next few weeks that all clears up, and I can get back to writing. I hate feeling like I’m wasting my day. All these books I want to write, and I’m not doing it! ARGH!

My mind has been in a whirl about what books I should be writing and when. There is truth to the idea that once you get serious about writing and doing it ‘as a job,’ you really look at writing differently. Which, for me, isn’t a bad thing. It’s good. Just different.

Some writers eschew the whole marketing side of the publishing world. Drives them nuts to think about their creative efforts attached to some sales effort. Somehow they think commercializing their writing is the worst thing that could happen. Not me. I don’t mind it.

I wouldn’t be writing, if I didn’t want to both fulfill myself creatively and make some money. I’ve done both separately before, and neither is very fulfilling. Who wants to write something in a vacuum? There is a need to be rewarded for one’s efforts, whether it be in your creative efforts or some other work you take on. I have no problems being honest about that.

But when you really start to look at the market, the readers, the publishers, and where your writing fits into it, boy is it weird. Just a totally different way to look at yourself and your writing.

Maybe I’m being vague here, but it’s really hard to describe. And, thus, the ‘lack of focus.’ I’m approaching my writing in a bit of a different light.

I’m going to give myself this long weekend to straighten out my head. Then, on Tuesday, I want to begin again with a fresh eye. Delve into those projects that are begging for my attention. Oh, and definitely find another hottie for my Hottie of the Week. So stay tuned…

Well, although I did a very similar meme not too long ago, my writing friend, Fiona Jayde, tagged me a couple of days ago. And I can’t let her down. So here are the rules:

The rules:

a. Link to the person who tagged you.
b. Post the rules on your blog.
c. Write six random things about yourself.
d. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
e. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment at their blog.
f. Let your tagger know when your entry is up.

Hopefully, I can find six random people to tag. If not, I’ll do my best!

1. I can’t eat raw onions or garlic.

2. I will watch “Pitch Black” and “Event Horizon” whenever I find them on tv.

3. I’ve been to a Star Trek convention.

4. I hated The DaVinci Code.

5. I never wear shoes in my house.

6. I cannot watch tv shows or movies where damage is done to the brain or eyes. ICK!

Now, for the victims!

1. Cyan Bell

2. Jackie Barbosa

3. Shelli Stevens

4. Tierney O’Malley

5. Amie Stuart

Hopefully, they won’t kill me.

Amie Stuart is my author interview today. She is the author of the very first Wicked ever released by Cobblestone Press. The Wicked line is a line of seriously hot short stories. Here’s the blurb for ROPERS RULE:

Betsy Henley has sworn off cowboys for good, and only an invitation from a long-time crush could draw her back in to the rodeo world she left behind. She accepts, eager to find out if Alex Lucero sees her as more than his former team- roping partner’s little sister.

Then again, maybe Betsy doesn’t have to.

She also has several other books in print (see pretty cover art above). Now, let’s move on to the questions….

Q. You have the very first Wicked book up for sale at Cobblestone Press. What made you enter the contest?

A. I think it was actually a combination of things. I really really love writing shorts, in part because you can really let your imagination run wild *g*, but up until recently, it’s been hard to find a market for them. I originally wrote Ropers Rule for Black Lace a couple years ago, but my editor left and the new editor rejected it. I shopped it a few other places then finally gave up. And even though I sold to New York, I’ve really struggled to find balance the last couple of years so one thing I’ve been working toward the last six months or so is having more fun with my writing (and getting back to writing being fun)—Burnout’s a bitch. On top of all of that I have a lot of respect for Sable and Deanna and what they’ve done with Cobblestone.

I think that was a really long way of saying opportunity knocked and for once, I listened LOL

Q. So, do you have a thing for cowboys? (it had to be asked!)

A. Yes, and it’s really shameful. I’ve even gone to the George Strait Team Roping Classic a few times *sigh*

Q. How did you end up writing erotic romance?

A. I actually started out writing short erotica (really BAD short erotica LOL), then my mom passed away and I didn’t write for three years. When I started back up again, I found myself writing really hot mainstream romance. I like the combination of sex and a good story and you know, I cut my teeth on Bertrice Small—when I was in my early 20’s it didn’t get much hotter than her. *g*

Q. Do you write in other genres?

A. Yes, mainstream romance (that has hot sex in it—I guess you could call it erotic romance but I hate labels LOL), and my agent is currently shopping a futuristic. I’ve also dabbled in women’s fiction, chick lit and young adult fiction.

Q. You have TWO print books coming out shortly. What can you tell us about your road to publication?

A. I started writing seriously, for publication, in 2003. By the time I sold in 2006 (which doesn’t seem like a very long time), I’d racked up nearly 100 rejections on five or six different manuscripts (hey I gave up TV!) and hired and fired my first agent, so I definitely think I paid my dues. I signed with a new agent in March of 06 (after I sold to Aphrodisia), then parted ways with her…a year ago over the manuscript my current agent is shopping. I probably AM at 100 rejections now—or over. I remember being unpublished and thinking how everything would be great if I could just sell a book. And published authors saying, it just as hard on that side of the fence because you trade one set of problems/issues/struggles for another. They were right. If there is one thing I’ve learned in this business, everyone has dues to pay. And I do mean everyone. You either pay them up front or they’ll catch you on the back end.

I’m currently finishing up the second book in my second Aphrodisia contract and honestly I’m excited to not be under contract for a while so I can write without that ticking clock hanging over my head J

Q. Give us a quick peek at NAILED and MAKE U SWEAT. What are they about?

A. I could just give you the blurbs but I think it’s more interesting if I tell you what the books are really about

In NAILED, Julie Burt is a woman on the run and Wynn Collier is the muscle hired to find her. Okay seriously…after the death of her sister and brother in law in a gas explosion, Julie Burt fears for her life and takes off, making it her business to fall off the grid. She’s convinced her sister’s death was no accident. She changes her name, has a little plastic surgery and gets a job in a small town doing apartment maintenance. That’s where she is when Wynn Collier catches up with her.

Wynn’s not your ordinary hired muscle—he’s the black sheep of the family because he’s not a gun for hire like his brothers. After screwing up a job (with his brother’s help), Wynn has to bring Julie in so he can get back in his father’s good graces. The only problem is, he sleeps with her before he finds out she’s the woman he’s spent 18 months hunting. Hilarity and apartment maintenance ensue.

For what it’s worth, NAILED is much more erotic romance than erotica, with some mystery thrown in for good measure. It was a lot of fun to write but it’s not a story that takes itself too seriously J Julie is a feisty, pro-active heroine and Wynn is…hot and a really good cook.

MAKE U SWEAT is about three women (two sisters and a cousin) who have inherited a moving company! For two of them, it’s all they’ve ever known and they love what they do, but the third, Cousin Carla, hates the business and wants out in the worst way possible.

You know that old adage about opposites attracting? If that’s really true, then Reece Cavanaugh and Jack Saunders are the perfect match. Jack’s as laid-back as Reece is uptight (I can relate which made her fairly easy to write LOL)

Robbie Jo is the good-time party girl who finds herself enamored with Cash McBride, the stoic …wait for it…cowboy her sister hires on. (I think I like this one best and almost wish I’d gotten to spend more time with them. Hmmm I wonder why.)

Carla Cavanaugh is actually the villainess in the first two novellas…she wants to sell her part of the business and get out of Galveston. She’s got big dreams, and her lawyer, Josh Winters is more than willing to help them come true…for a price. Carla’s story was actually the most challenging—she’s such a BITCH in the first two novellas that I didn’t want to turn it all around and make her “misunderstood”—that would have been a cop-out. So, while she still bitchy and kind of immature in her own story, you find out there’s something bigger going on with her and in the end I think she grows into quite a lovely character.

Funny enough, when I actually came up with the idea, it was three guys, but I couldn’t get it to work no matter how I tried. When I tried the three women angle, it just all came together.

Q. I also found out that you are working on a recipe site. Can you share a quick favorite recipe with us?

A. Ah yes…never enough hours in the day. I’d love to get it up and running when I finish this book J

I tend to improvise /not measure when I cook…so you can adjust the onion/garlic/mushroom to suit. This one’s not for the dieter!

Here’s one from NAILED

Wynn’s Winsome Chicken Tetrazzini

1 8oz pkg pasta (spaghetti or angel hair work fine)

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

1 c chicken brother

1 c. heavy cream (though half and half works fine)

2 tbsp sherry

½ cup fresh mushrooms (canned works fine also)

½ small onion

1 garlic clove

2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (You can use canned, the pre-cooked Tyson packages of chicken, or boil chicken thighs off the bone and use the broth, or even sauté some chicken breast tenders up)

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup grated parmesan (or more if you want—and don’t use the Kraft stuff you put on spaghetti—get the real thing)

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook your pasta until al dente. If you use real chicken instead of pre-cooked you can start the pasta while your chicken cools

3. While your pasta cooks, slice and dice your onion, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté until tender and set aside.

4. Melt your butter, stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook until smooth.

5. Remove from heat and add broth and cream. Return to heat and let cook for one minute.

6. Add sherry, mushrooms, garlic, onion, and chicken. Correct seasoning if needed

7. Add to prepared baking dish (9×13 works great). Top with parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.

I usually cover mine with foil for 15 then uncover for the second 15 minutes.

Q. What’s one of your favorite books?

Jude Deveraux’s Wishes is one of my all-time favorite books ever!

Okay, I don’t know about you, but I’m dying to try that recipe. Thanks so much, Amie, for the interview.

Kris

Reader Reviews

If you don’t already know, my first book published with Cobblestone Press has been available on Fictionwise for about 2 weeks now. Being the obsessive freak that I am, I find myself checking back repeatedly to see how the book is doing and if I have any reader reviews.

Readers seem to be responding very well to that book. Much to my surprise, I discovered my book is now in the top ten of the highest rated books for Cobblestone Press. Wow! I am truly flattered and honored that people are enjoying it so much.

I think I’ve said before that I really value the readers’ opinion much more than any review. I want to know I’m entertaining people and that they feel they’ve gotten what they paid for. A good story, a good romance, and a satisfying ending.

Let’s just hope all my books are just as well received as this one.

Inventions

Do you ever think up some great device or tool and wish you could buy it in the store? Now, I’m no inventor. Bringing an idea to market is a long, time- and money-consuming process. But as I was walking yesterday, I decided what the world needs is this:

A scale that doesn’t show your weight.

I know. Weight is kinda the point of a scale, isn’t it? But what I would like is a scale that is programmable so that it doesn’t show your weight. You just get on it, press a button to ’set’ the weight you are currently, and then you go on your merry way. Every day or every week, you could go back to the scale to weigh yourself again to find out if you lost or gained pounds. And that is all it would show you…weight lost, weight gained. You could reset it for the following week, or keep track of your progress from week to week, day to day. Without a big scary number staring you in the face.

So there you go. My idea for the week. Unless, of course, such a scale exists. If so, please tell me in the comments!

Interviews

Amie Stuart will be my author interview on Monday. I was going to schedule someone for May 26th, but then I realized that’s Memorial Day….so I think I will take that day off. My next author interview will be in June, and I’ll give more details about June’s schedule in my newsletter for next month and here on the blog.

Hope you have a great Saturday!

Kris

One of the reasons I felt compelled to write books and stories was my insatiable interest in the intricacies of plot and character.

I’m an analyzer. I like to sit back from things and think it through…why people act the way they do and make the choices they do. I find people endlessly fascinating. Tell me your Aunt Dora is a meanie, and I will want to ask questions to find out why. Talk about your first cruise in the Caribbean, and I will want all the gory details.

TV shows and movies give me endless stories to analyze, take apart, criticize, and put back together again in my head…or aloud (ooops). I find better ways to solve the mystery, more interesting methods to showing the character, and re-editing scenes mentally to my own liking.

I guess it was only natural that eventually I would write my own stories.

Stephen King wrote a very useful book for writers called “On Writing.” I’ve recommended it to a few writer friends. He has great advice for someone trying to improve their craft. But one thing I disagree with…he doesn’t like to watch tv. In fact, he advises writers against spending too much time in front of the ‘idiot box,’ I think he calls it.

I love to read…don’t get me wrong…but I have learned a lot about storytelling from watching tv and movies. How to create tension. How to write dialogue. How to present a scene. How to have a beginning, middle, and end. It’s all there in tv dramas and movies.

Stories are my life. The one thing I’ve learned about myself in the last five years is that I am meant to be a writer. It gives me great pleasure. Great joy. Great satisfaction. Like no other job I’ve had. Yes, it’s tough. Yes, it can feel like an uphill battle sometimes. But if it were too easy, it wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable.

Anytime I get discouraged, maybe for the briefest of brief moments I think, what if I just stopped trying? And then I see my life stretched out before me. Empty of creation. Empty of words. and I just can’t imagine it.

Hard or not, I’m here to stay as a writer.

Kris

Publishing is one big waiting game. I’m sure you’ve heard that before. Or, if you’re a writer, you’ve probably experienced it before. Waiting to hear back from agents. Waiting to hear back from editors. Waiting to hear back from publishers.

How do you stand the waiting, you ask?

This is my four-step process:

1) Obsess. This is my first line of defense. If I’ve queried an agent, do research. Go onto Google and look for every author who mentions this agent, check Absolute Write in their forums for any discussions, look on querytracker.net or other sites for any news you can get your hands on. If I’ve queried an epublisher, do the same. Search for authors who might have sales info, query info, ANY info on said epub. Keep doing this until you waste many hours and your eyes begin to burn.

2) Read. Re-read the manuscript you are querying. Either fix minor spelling/grammar errors or reflect on the awesomeness of your story and how any editor/agent would be *stupid* not to snap up your gem of a book.

3) Downplay your expectations. Just a few hours or days ago, you might have thought your book was the best thing since Homer Simpson met Marge. Now, with some time, you start making your expectations more realistic. What will your plans be if the agent/editor turns you down. Will you query other agents/editors? Will you retool the book? Will you just put it in a drawer? This is the point when you start thinking that it’s no big deal if you get a rejection. You can always write something else.

4) Write something else. This typically comes after number 3. You’ve played out the scenario in your mind, you start seeing the flaws in your book, and think that the editors/agents might see them, too. But now you know you could write something even better. A book that will knock their socks off. You start plotting and planning your next book and can hardly wait to get started.

The ideal would be to skip to number 4 every time. But it just doesn’t work that way. Once I send out that query a lot of self-reflection goes on. I just can’t seem to dive right into the next project until I work through my feelings.

What about you writers out there? Any steps that you find yourself repeating after every submission?

Kris

Today, our author interview is Crystal Jordan. She is the up-and-coming author…she has several books out there with epublishers (Cobblestone Press, Samhain Publishing, The Wild Rose Press) and will soon have new stuff in print with Kensington’s Aphrodisia line! Wow!

Let’s find out more about her.

Q. Looking at your biography, I see that you write many different genres. What’s your favorite?

A. Well, I just love a good love story…and I love being able to make stuff up out of thin air. Most of my books are cross-genre so I can have both. Paranormal romance, futuristic romance, paranormal or futuristic erotic romance. Who says you can’t have it all? They are SO wrong. I’m having my cake and eating it too–right now! (Is it wrong that it’s time for breakfast and not dessert?)

Q. What can you tell us about your latest release, TREASURED? (I adore that cover, by the way…I remember coming across it awhile back and just staring at it for many long minutes)

A. That cover was exactly what I asked for–only better! Anne Cain did it for me, and I just love it. It’s completely drool-worthy! TREASURED is a pirate time-travel book with one of my naughtiest heroes to date. James Morrow is just…well, a pirate. A take no prisoners, no holds barred PIRATE.

Here’s the official blurb:
Graduate student Rebecca Small is so obsessed with the past—especially the Golden Age of Piracy—she doesn’t mind her unglamorous job preparing museum displays. This display is about her favorite subject, James Morrow, a famous pirate who mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

Becca touches the pirate’s antique sword, and finds herself on a ship in the middle of a sword fight, saving the sexy captain from being stabbed in the back—literally. Once the smoke clears, the man who claims he’s her husband is more than eager to reward her for her timely assistance.

James Morrow knows very little about the woman he was forced to marry five years ago, but the woman who saved him doesn’t fit the portrait he’s painted of her in his mind. She’s strong, brave, and submits to his every dark desire. She seems the perfect woman for a pirate, but he makes his living among the dishonest and disreputable—trust isn’t a commodity he trades in.

Q. Tell us about your favorite book that you’ve written.
A. My favorite book is without a doubt my December 2008 release from Kensington, CARNAL DESIRES. It continues the series I introduce in a novella in SEXY BEAST V, which releases from Kensington in September 2008. It’s about a futuristic world where all humans have been genetically engineered into sexy shape-shifters, including dragons, tigers, polar bears, and mermaids. It basically has all my favorite elements: paranormal, futuristic, and naughty erotic love stories.

I set up a website that talks about the world and all the books set in it (I even have a few free reads available): http://crystaljordan.com/carnaldesires.html

Q. Do you write every day? What is your writing schedule like?

A. Definitely! I’m such a procrastinator that if I don’t keep myself in the habit of writing every day, I’ll get lazy and just…won’t write at all. You can see how my agent and publishers might take a hit out on me if I DIDN’T write every single day! Since I have a day job as a librarian, I write in the evenings on week days. My word count for weekdays is 1,000 words, and on weekends, it’s typically 3,000-5,000 words per day. No excuses, no whining about being blocked, I have to sit there until I make wordcount. Hey, I’m single, so I have the time to put into my writing.

Q. I see that you have something coming out in September with Kensington. How is working with a print publisher different than working with an e-publisher?

A. It’s SO different, and yet it’s basically the same. I mean, both processes are geared towards producing a high-quality book for sale to readers. That means working with an editor to polish and sculpt a manuscript until it’s the best it can be. For e-publishing, that typically means you’re working with one editor through the entire process and can go through three or more rounds of revisions and edits before you get to that final product. And all of this is done by sending an electronic file back and forth using Track Changes in Word.

In New York, it’s all on paper. With Kensington (the only New York publisher I’ve had experience with so far), I have my official editor who handles overall content. He’s the one who lets me know if I’ll need to do any significant revisions on a manuscript. From there, it goes to a copy editor (whose name I may or may not ever know) that handles grammar, punctuation, and spelling issues. The spelling can be especially fun for someone like me who likes to MAKE WORDS UP. I always feel kind of bad for anyone who’s anal about spelling getting my work. The final stage of the process is page proofs. This is where they send you print outs of what your book will actually look like and you go through to make one last check on spelling, grammar, and punctuation. What’s killer is if you find something you REALLY want to change at this point, because you actually aren’t allowed to–at this stage it’s ONLY a final check, no rewriting permitted. PainFUL for those of us who are OCD about our books.

Q. Which came first, the librarian or the writer?

A. The librarian. I never even dreamed of being a writer until I got my first job as a librarian and had no homework to fill my evenings, so I read like crazy until I was so bored with it I wanted to scream. I was complaining to my grandmother (who got me started on reading romance many, many moons ago) on the phone about how some author had messed a book up and killed one of the best secondary characters for no good reason other than shock value and…well, Grams interrupted my rant to say, “Crystal, if you think you can do better, then do it.” I responded, “Fine. Fine, I will!”

The rest is history.

However, in defense of that unnamed author, I now realize how frickin’ HARD it is to write a book, and that you simply cannot please every reader every time.

Q. Where do you see yourself in five years?

A. Number one on the New York Times Best Seller list. Hey, I can dream, can’t I? Go big or go home!

Q. Is there a book you’d like to write, but for some reason haven’t?

A. My critique partner, R.G. Alexander, calls me the Idea Machine. I always have a million ideas percolating on the back burner of my mind. So, if there’s anything I haven’t written yet (and there are MANY), it’s always because there just aren’t enough hours in the day to write all my ideas. Some will just have to remain in cold storage until such time as I can get around to them. Ah, well!

Q. Tell us about finding your agent. I love those kinds of stories!

A. Ha! My poor agent had no idea what she was getting into when she met me. Which is a good thing for me, because I love her long time. The short story is on the Tuesday of RWA week last year, I got The Call from my Kensington editor on a novella I had subbed seven months before and waded through the slush pile on. I didn’t submit it to an agent first because it was a previously e-published novella, and I didn’t think any agent in their right mind would touch it, so I went straight to the source and subbed directly to an editor. I honestly thought the novella got lost in the mail because I followed up and never heard anything back until my editor called me.

I was already in Dallas at the time, so I spent the conference stalking–uh, TALKING to agents. With a deal on the table, you better believe there were several who gave me business cards and told me to contact them when I got home from RWA–and a few who sat down and interviewed on the spot. I really wanted an agent who represented all my genres. Not just the romance, but I also dip my toes into YA writing as well. A friend of mine, Eden Bradley, is repped by Roberta Brown, who is without a doubt the nicest lady ever. And while she thought I was sweet, she definitely does NOT rep all my genres. She told Eden that she didn’t often recommend authors and agents to each other simply because it has the potential to go very badly, but that she was certain that I had to meet Lucienne Diver because she was The Agent For Me. So, Eden hauled me over (literally hauled me, and I’m three times her size, so she was a determined networker just then) to introduce me to Lucienne at the Berkley publisher party. While I had several agents offer to take me on, I just clicked with her the best, so when she said she wanted to offer me representation, I was all over her like white on rice.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t the short story, but there it is!

Thanks for having me, it’s been fun!
-Crystal

It *was* fun, Crystal! Thanks for taking the time…

Kris

I have a few failed books hiding under my metaphorical bed. These were not erotic romances, but most definitely romance of one kind or another. I mentioned one of them to a writer friend of mine who suggested I rework the book to make it into an erotic romance.

So, my question is this…when is a book really dead? When do you just give up and move onto something new?

When I write, 80-90% of that first draft stays as is. So I’m not used to doing some humongous editing project, reworking my story over and over and over. When I was writing THE OPAL HUNTER, I cut one scene entirely…about 3 or 4 pages. There was no purpose to it at all. Just more setting and a bit of character. But it wasn’t vital to the telling of the story. Mostly what I do when I edit, is reword awkward sentences and get rid of basic grammar mistakes. And when I finish the final version, I really am done with it.

It’s very hard for me to go back, unassisted, and redo a book that I think is ‘done.’ My brain just can’t see it from the outside anymore. I’ve read that sucker over and over again. I know every scene, each plot twist by heart. And to go back…? Well, that’s hard to think about.

The sad thing is, if I had started writing that book idea NOW, it probably would have turned out to be a much different book. And probably would have worked, would have been something I could sell.

So, have you ever (authors out there) gone back to an old manuscript and tried to save it? Did it work?

Kris