Sending out a manuscript too early is like taking your NICU baby home before she has fully developed. Her little lungs are too immature to work properly and her voice isn’t going to be heard. I remember sitting in the NICU with my brand new granddaughter - wires everywhere, alarms going off, specialized nurses scuttling…
The Gatekeeper’s Daughter: an update
If you’ve been following along, you will know that my seventh book, The Gatekeeper’s Daughter, is currently in revision. What that really means is I am currently spending every day working through my manuscript chapter by chapter and line by line. The big picture, developmental edit is done. Now for a closer look. Characterization, plot…
The Gatekeeper’s Daughter: in revision
When I first started writing, I naïvely thought that once the manuscript had been accepted for publication, the hard work was done. Now that my middle-grade fantasy, The Gatekeeper's Daughter, has found a place at Chicken Scratch Books, I'm learning that the hard work is just beginning. My editor's letter set out the changes that…
Investing in our stories
The same spirit that drives a writer to take a hybrid or indie approach to publishing can lead to the decision to take on every facet of publishing single-handedly. Writing, editing, formatting and cover design can be done independently depending on the writer’s abilities but there is an argument to be made for partnering with…
