Road to The End

Last week I finished off the editorial revisions for HELL BENT.   Editorial revision are based on the edit letter I get from my editor.  She points out things that worked for her and also things she feels are lacking or confusing.  It is up to me to decide how to implement changes or adjustments to the book, keeping in mind that she has the fresh eyes on this project and knows her stuff (while also keeping in mind my vision for the book.) 😉

I wanted this book to be a fast and linear read but she thought it was a little too fast and linear and suggested some follow up on the secondary plot lines.

So I got busy. 1) deciding which secondary plot lines I wanted to expand 2) working out the secondary plot arcs so they flowed properly and didn’t bog down the pacing 3) mapping scene by scene against the current text to find places where I could break the book apart and stitch in new scenes 4) writing the new scenes…and finally 5) reading/cleaning up the book from Chapter One to The End making sure the story, action, and emotions flowed so it was still a fast read.

Took me about three weeks, which was a little longer than I would have liked, but I felt the time was well spent. Did I do a good job?  I’m pretty happy with it. 🙂  We’ll see if my editor likes the changes.  One good thing about expanding the book is that we get more scenes with Shame, Terric and characters we know and love from the Allie books–and they are fun scenes!

While my editor looks over the revision, I’m turning my attention to book 2 in the series: STONE COLD.  Since this is a two-book series (at this point) I need to make sure the books work well on their own and are also satisfying when read together. Even though I know many things about STONE COLD’s story, because of the shifts and decisions in the first book, the second book naturally needs to morph and change a little.

Today begins my countdown to getting STONE COLD turned in by early June.  I have not a single word written on it yet. No outline, no scene list.  But I DO have a large cup of coffee and the sun at my back. Time to start walking the road.