Question!

I'm revamping my website at the moment with www.swankwebstyle.com

I'm thinking about doing a Q&A page and want y'all's opinion.

1. Do you LIKE reading author's Q&A pages?

2. What are good questions to ask myself - which I will then answer very wittily and charmingly?

Thanks!!!

Love this Writing Quote!

"If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of 'The Elements of Style'. The first greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they're happy."

Dorothy Parker

Panting toward the Home Stretch

I'm almost done with my editorial revisions for THE HEALING SPELL (Scholastic June 2010) and it's been a much bigger haul than I first anticipated. I've been a month making *small* changes, but there have been about 100 of them! Eleven pages of editorial suggestions!

Gorgeous Editor made phenomenal and thought-provoking and insightful suggestions, but they've taken much more thought than I ever expected. And I had to write a new chapter. And add to the characters relationships. And add depth to my MC's internal life and arc. And foreshadow. And my brain is turning to mush.

I have a full day of some more fixes then I hope to read through all the changes again to make sure they *make sense*, *no accidental errors*, *could be tightened*, and * I didn't forget anything*.

Goal: To mail to my Gorgeous Editor tomorrow!!!

I find myself wanting to poop out . . . and my eyes are burning . . .

Gorgeous Editor has New Book Out!

And the book is gorgeously written and tells a wonderful, heart-warming, heartbreaking story with characters that are achingly real! (Caution: hot boy inside!)

The cover is FAB, too! And the author is a FAB editor! And she's MY EDITOR!!!




Check out Lisa's super website and blog! She's got some fun stuff on the book page including a map of her favorite places in Manhattan. Besides being an editor for Scholastic, Lisa is also an artist and an award-winning sculptor and an award-winning author! And she's gorgeous.

Of course.

LISA ANN SANDELL

MONDAY MADNESS!!!

I've been scarce because I've been REVISING for my new and wonderful editor.

Her line edits were very light, and her revision suggestions nothing major, mostly adding some depth and a few scenes throughout to add to the relationships in Livie's life, but figuring out WHERE everything should go and exactly WHAT to add and then make it all work together is STILL SO HARD!

My brain balks, like I'm a bratty kid again. "You mean I have to do more WORK? I don't wanna. I wanna go outside and play."

It takes me a long time to figure it all out and I was so fried from my amazing research trip that it took me 2-3 weeks just to decompress and process and go through more research and re-read some stuff.

Last week I asked my editor some questions I had about my first chapter, the first page in particular and we talked about it via email, and then I wrote her this:

Me: I'm not set on any particular way to open the book, but honestly, I'm so worried about making this book *perfect* I may be losing my perspective. I'm starting to question EVERY LINE as I revise! But I might be way over-thinking this . . . aaah!

Gorgeous Editor: I know that revising can start to drive an author mad and make it impossible to distinguish between what’s working and what’s not. I can’t wait to read the manuscript again. And I’m always here for you to bounce ideas off of! That is the best part of my job.

Me: The best part of your job is bouncing around ideas with your authors? That's fun to know! Not that I'm going to start pestering you every day . . . ;-D

So we decided to rearrange a few paragraphs, but I'm still not convinced it's THE BEST opening.

So I'll just do this:

And eat this:





And then I'll feel better!