Edits and Revisions

I love when a book gets to the editing stage, as it means I've actually finished and submitteded the whole novel! As a panster, I'm never quite sure how a story will end until I get there, and I'm still trying to decide if I should plan a little more. Like many other writers, the characters are the most important element of a novel for me and I prefer to set them up then let them play. But my plot sometimes get a little lost on the way, and occasionally I have to rework an ending.

This week, I was delighted to receive the first edits for my new tween book, The Jigsaw Puzzle, which will be coming soon from MuseItUp Publishing. Fortunately, my editor really likes the story and there are no issues with the plot, nor too many corrections as far as I can see from my quick glance. I'm really looking forward to going through it all in the next day or two, with the benefit of her professional experience and advice.

I also submitted another children's story, shorter and for younger children, to an online publisher who bought one of my previous children's stories. Although they really like the story overall, this one needs a slightly stronger ending. I was very pleased to get the opportunity to revise the ending and submit again - which I did right away this morning! I'll let you know if it's successful.

I'm also redrafting and revising an adult historical that had some very good feedback from the first publisher I tried, but some elements of the plot let it down. Now that I'm going through it all again, I completely agree and I've already ditched almost 5,000 words of it (I'm about 3/4 of way through revisions). I've learned two lesons from this: I submitted in far too much of a hurry, and some novels need a little more plotting than others. This novel will hopefully be all the stronger for its revisions and will soon be ready to wing its way to another publisher.

Fortunately, I love all the stages of writing and submitting, and don't even mind occasional rejections, as long as I'm still getting acceptances. It's even better when I learn valuable lessons that hopefully strenthen the writing along the way!

In case anyone is interested in writing for children, I'll be starting a new series over on my children's blog, Flights of Imagination, from Monday. Each week, I'm going to feature a children's, tween, or YA author and book. If you write for these age groups and would like your book featured, please let me know.

Rosemary

MIU November Donation for Red Cross

MuseItUp Publishing, the lovely Canadian publisher of my tween book, Summer of the Eagles, is donating 10% of all book sales purchased from their Bookstore during November to the Red Cross. This is towards the aid for the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in the US.

The word count is mounting during my NaNo challenge, although it remains to be seen if I can keep it up for the rest of the month! I'm enjoying writing a contemporary and a short historical at the same time, as it stops me getting bored with one or the other. I have a break in between, of course, and do other things or go out gallavanting. I definitely find train journeys brilliant for writing a few hundred words - a good excuse to go to Glasgow more often perhaps! Then there's the weekly coffee and cake at my favourite Costa in a nearby mall. Who says we need to sit at home to write - the buzz of being among people, but slightly removed from them, seems to bring out my creativity. Anyone else more creative somewhere other than at home?

On with some more work before today's writing group!

Rosemary

Two-Day Half Price Book Sale

Thought I'd mention the MuseItUp Publishing half price sale on their ebooks for today and tomorrow only, 3rd and 4th July, to honour the American 4th of July holiday. You can buy any of their ebooks here, if so inclined - don't forget the code: MUSEJULY4. They also use PayPal.

MuseItUp are Canadian and published my tween book, Summer of the Eagles!

Rosemary

Lavender Dreams - Anthology for Cancer Research

I'm delighted to announce that a new anthology, 'Lavender Dreams', has just been released from one of my Canadian publishers, MuseItUp, and it includes one of my short stories. The collection is in memory of one of the well-loved editors who died from cancer earlier this year. I'm so pleased it's released in the week I'm celebrating fifty plus years of a relatively healthy life, as it reminds me of others. I dedicated my story to my lovely mother who survived a major operation for cancer many years ago and lived cancer-free to enjoy another ten years or so before she passed on at 80 years of age.

Lavender Dreams contains ten stories: fiction, fiction based on a true story, and one non-fiction. My story is called 'Waiting' and is fiction based on an actual incident. The idea is that stories from different Muse authors will be featured another year, so that the book always remains fresh. All royalties from the authors and the cover artist will go to cancer research. It is also coming out in print in a couple of weeks and will be available on Amazon as well as from the publisher.

If you would like to buy a copy to support cancer research, Lavender Dreams is now available in ebook from:

MuseItUp Publishing (all e-formats) at $1.99
Kindle Amazon (US) at $2.30
Kindle Amazon (UK) at £1.44

If anyone would like to display this lovely badge on the side of their blog, please feel free to support it in this way! Thank you.

Rosemary

Free Online Writers Conference

Sorry for the last minute information, but I thought I should mention this brilliant, and free, Online Writers Conference, October 3rd to 9th, from one of my Canadian publishers, MuseItUp Publishing.

You just have to register here by Sunday, September 25th. There are so many great workshops and even an opportunity to pitch a book idea to one of the designated agents or publishers online - our MIU publisher, Lea, is very generous in sharing opportunities for writers.

I've just registered, so maybe see some of you there!

Rosemary