Virginia Out in June

Just received the ISBN and release month for Virginia.  I intend to press on with Jennie now.  Here's the last paragraph of Chapter 3:

Hanging from the ends of the T-frame were chains, terminating in metal bands.  Manacles.  Behind the car the door was silently closing.

Hand In Glove Submitted

Here's the blurb for the Sexy Short (10,000 words) I sent off today:

Eileen is content with her painting and hiking until her indiscretion, on a cold Welsh hilltop, provokes another from fellow walker Hugh. His revelation stirs feelings she thought were buried forever. Will she conquer her misgivings? Will happy thoughts turn into happiness? And is Hugh really gay after all?

Hand in Glove

Poor Jennie, last seen in jeopardy--and still in it--has waited patiently while I wrote a 10,000-word short: Hand in Glove, which is just about ready for submission.  I'm sorry, Jennie, I've not forgotten you.  This weekend I promise to at least get you out of the frying-pan.  When I've submitted HiG.

Virginia Errata

I edited my book before submission, my editor edited it, I edited it again, not only dealing with his suggestions but making changes of my own.  He incorporated those changes and I've just spent hours plodding through the result and came up with three pages of errata.  It this rate there will still be errors after publication.  I won't be so contemptuous in future of the quality of other folk's proof-reading.
But I still like the book.

Virginia: First Edits

I spent this morning dealing with edits of my book Virginia.  The editor's suggestions are so good it's tempting to simply accept them all.  I say to myself, "Of course.  Why didn't I write it like that in the first place?"
I submitted my manuscript on 29th December and was surprised to receive an answer - and a contract to sign - on 16th January.  Whiskey Creek Press says this step can take months, so I flatter myself they know me and gave me priority.  I signed (of course), and was notified the manuscript had been allocated to an editor on 27th January.  He's an Australian and I've worked with him on several of my books.  We swap brief chit-chat about the weather, etc.  He sent me a request for author and title information: blurb, my bio, book genre, contact details, on 12th February and the first edits were ready for me on 15th February.  We'll go through another cycle of edits, where I'll be restricted to correction of typos, etc.  The next step is notification of ISBN and publication date.  Whiskey Creek publishes twice a month.  Nearer publication I get the galley, which is the final editing stage.  Spellings will be Americanised a bit more, and any corrections I supply should be typos only.  About that time I'll get a request for cover illustration information.  Whiskey Creek have a number of artists.
More later: the boy's home. 

Interlude: Hand in Glove

I've had a short story in mind for a long time, about a walker who complains of the cold.  It finally bubbled to the surface, so I'm taking time out from Jennie to write it.  I thought it would struggle to 5,000 words but with 6,500 written already it looks like a Sexy Short for Whiskey Creek.  Spend another few days on it then see about extricating my heroine from the fine mess I've gotten her into.

Jennie in Jeopardy

Fun last Saturday in Birmingham with Dr Sketchy's Anti-art School.  Burlesque artists perform, then pose for the artists.  Willow Blue had this beautiful red snake and Liberty Pink sang - she's sooo talented.  Must write a story with burlesque dancers.

I have chapter two written.  Poor Jennie's now in trouble: disasters and disappointments, one after the other.  She thought she'd lost everything, but at the end of this chapter there's one more thing she could lose.
It hurts to feel her fear and despair, but I take heart that she'll survive, and be a stronger woman for the experience.