Almost there!

Update on The Trouble With Demons: Well, folks, I'm almost there -- finished, completed, done, ready to turn it in. WOOT!!!! I dropped back to Chapter 1 last week and went through the entire manuscript, reading, tweaking, etc. Some of the things that I thought needed to be fixed turned out to be just fine. The rest was stuff that was easily tweaked into shape. So Chapters 1-27 are ready to go. The only thing I have left to do is finish Chapter 28 and write 29 and 30. I am one more happy (and relieved) author! My deadline to my publisher is May 1, so not only am I going to make that deadline, chances are really good that I'll be turning it in early. I hope to be done before I leave for the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Pittsburgh on Wed., April 16. That's my new goal. ; ) That way, I can have even more fun at the convention knowing I don't have a deadline hanging over my head.

New Contest! Since some of you have read your copies of Magic Lost, Trouble Found multiple times, I thought I'd give you all a chance to replace it with a brand new, signed and personalized copy. It's only another four weeks until Armed & Magical hits bookstore shelves, so each of those weeks I'll be giving away a copy of MLTF and other book goodies. Just send me an email at lisa@lisashearin.com with "MLTF contest" in the subject line and you'll be entered to win. The winning names will be drawn on the next four Saturdays. You only have to enter once to be eligible for each week's drawing.

Make it a great Monday!
Lisa

Saturday Fun Pic -- The Rude Parrot

On page 30 of Magic Lost, Trouble Found, Raine and Phaelan need help extracting Quentin from Sarad Nukpana's clutches:

"Sit tight," Phaelan whispered. "I'll get some help. Tanik Ozal and his crew are two blocks over at the Rude Parrot. They live for this sort of thing."

Derek and I had some ale glasses made. ; )

Coming up next week: the last of the edits for The Trouble With Demons. Plus, another contest to win cool stuff.

Have a great weekend!

Lisa

What to do when the book grinds to a halt

I have a problem that's turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I'm two chapters from the end of The Trouble With Demons and I simply couldn't make it go any further. Chapter 28 took me five days to write (a long time for me), and I'm still not quite finished with it. The problem? Lack of emotional punch. The action was all there and it was great, but the Raine/Tam/Mychael connection that I'd established earlier in the book just wasn't coming to fruition like I felt it should. So that's why my muse has been coming to visit at 3:15 and starting to work on the revisions -- because to give the ending the punch it needed, that's exactly what I had to do.

So starting on Tuesday, I went back to Chapter 1 and started the final revision/polish. And much to my delight/surprise/relief, the book is in nearly perfect condition. Of course, my editor Anne will let me know what condition it's really in. ; ) But for me, it's as good as I can make it right now. In two days, I've gone through the first 15 chapters, and they're now polished and ready to go. (squeee!) And the parts that needed the most tweaking were in those first 15 chapters.

Yesterday and today, for all of you Tam and/or Mychael fans, I'm turning up the temperature on the Raine & Tam and the Raine & Mychael scenes -- and even a scene with Tam, Raine, and Mychael. Yes, you heard me right (folds hands primly with a wicked little smile). The three of them. I'll say no more. ; )

I'm not going to say anything to jinx my progress, but by Monday morning, I hope to have a feel for how long the rest of TTWD will take. (Pssst, I think I'm going to be turning it in early. Don't tell my muse.)

Tomorrow is the Saturday Fun Pic, and Derek (the official Saturday Fun Pic photographer) has a great one for you.

Happy Friday!
Lisa

The perils of the 3:15 muse wake-up call

If you're a writer, it's happened to you -- you work on your book until late, you finally get into bed, and between 3-4:00 in the morning you wake up. Or to be more exact, your muse wakes you up, or that pessimistic voice in your head that you can control during daylight hours. And worst of all, sometimes your muse and that pessimistic voice are one and the same.

I've been getting both types of visits for the past few weeks. It's normal for me when I'm finishing a book. With two chapters to go, my muse kicks me awake. I want to go back to sleep; she wants me to start on the revisions: wrap my head around the whole book, find the weakensses, faulty spots -- basically the good, the bad, and the ugly. And once you think that one book-related thought, she's won. I know I won't get back to sleep until an hour or less before my alarm goes off at 5:45. (Yep, I'm at my desk at my day job at 7:30.)

Thinking about book revisions at 3:15 is annoying, but it's okay. It's constructive. But when my muse has stayed at the "muse bar" until well after last call, and has had a few too many -- that 3:15 visit isn't from a my muse "the helpful writing partner"; it's the Anti-Muse -- cranky, hyper-critical, destructive. Those are the middle-of-the-night wake-up calls when my first thought is of every dark nook, cranny, and problem with the book -- the beginning is wrong, the middle is a quagmire, and the ending. . .well, the ending simply sucks.

Don't listen to the Anti-Muse. Yes, there may be (okay, probably are) some problems with the book, but they're not nearly as bad as the Anti-Muse makes them out to be; in fact, they're probably pretty minor. But at 3:15, my defenses aren't up, and the Anti-Muse gets in. I've learned that what she tells me are just drunken ramblings, and when the sun comes up, rational thought returns.

Since I'm in the home stretch of finishing The Trouble With Demons, starting tomorrow, I'll talk about what I'm doing with the edits and final revisions and why.

Have a good one!
Lisa

Armed & Magical review in Romantic Times

I'm interrupting our regularly scheduled blog to bring you the first print magazine review of Armed & Magical --
4 1/2 stars from Romantic Times. WOOT! 4 1/2 stars is pretty much their highest praise. I'm a very happy author. The review will be in their May issue which should be available any day now.

Their Review: Shearin continues to demonstrate her marvelous gift for balancing offbeat humor with high-stakes adventure and paranormal thrills in book two of her high-octane, first-person suspense ride. You don't get much better than this imaginative and hilarious book.

Their Summary: Since becoming the reluctant bond servant to the terrifying stone of power, the Saghred, Raine has traveled to the Isle of Mid in hopes of finding a way to break the bond. But most fear Raine and her burgeoning power. Luckily, Mychael, the sexy leader of the Guardians, believes in her.

There are elves and goblins who either want Raine dead or want to use her connection to the Saghred. The kidnapping of several students only hints at the danger about to be unleashed. When her young friend Piaras is threatened, Raine goes into protection mode. Can she stop the power of an ancient stone from claiming more victims?

In tomorrow's blog, I'll tell you why you shouldn't listen to your muse (or any other little voice in your head) at 3:15 am when you're trying to finish a book. And then I'll tell you how I do my revisions before I turn in a manuscript.

The week's half over!
Lisa

I'm in the home stretch

I'm in the home stretch to have a complete manuscript for The Trouble With Demons -- I'll get to the end of Chapter 28 today, and then I only have two more chapters to go (I think). Notice that I said "complete" manuscript, not "finished." Believe me, it ain't finished. I'd hoped to have all of the chapters written by April 1. Well, it's gonna be a few days after that. There's a thing about last chapters -- they write slowly, very slowly. I've been doing a chapter on average every three days. I'm on my fifth day on Chapter 28. (Sigh of exhaustion.) All of the action is culminating in these last chapters, and it's getting just a wee bit crowded.

Though when you're writing a climatic battle between demons and mortals with basically the fate of the world in the balance, you can't be all that surprised when things get complicated.

My deadline to my publisher is May 1.

Apparently my muse thinks that I'm doing just fine without her. She's doing the same thing that she's done on all of my books -- left me to finish up while she skips ahead and starts work on the revisions. She's been waking me up at 3:15 every morning to give me a progress report (whether I want it or not) -- and to tell me what I have to add, delete, and change.

Tomorrow I'll tell you why you shouldn't listen to your muse (or any other little voice in your head) at 3:15 am when you're trying to finish a book. And then I'll tell you how I do my revisions before I turn in a manuscript.

Contests: I have at least one more advance reader copy (ARC) of Armed & Magical, and since a lot of you have been telling me that you've read Magic Lost, Trouble Found multiple times, your copies might be getting a little on the ragged side. How about a fresh, new one? Signed and personalized. ; ) I've got a couple of those to give away.

And in the next few weeks you'll be able to buy Raine stuff (and Tam, Mychael, Phaelan, Armed & Magical, and Raines's Rangers stuff) through our very own Cafepress store. My designer is now working on the items that you all requested. BTW -- My publisher has given me permission to use the exact font that appears on the book covers in anything that we produce. Yea!

I have some REALLY EXCITING Magic Lost, Trouble Found related news that I can't tell you yet, but as soon as the official announcement is made, I'll be shouting it from the rooftops here. *humongous (and stunned) grin*

Lisa

We have a winner!

The winner of the advance reader copy of Armed & Magical is Patty Vasquez! Congratulations, Patty! Patty, just email me your mailing address and I'll get that in the mail to you ASAP.

And if you didn't win this time, don't worry -- I'll be having more contests. I have at least one more advance reader copy (ARC) of Armed & Magical, and since a lot of you have been telling me that you've read Magic Lost, Trouble Found multiple times, your copies might be getting a little on the ragged side. How about a fresh, new one? Signed and personalized. ; ) I've got a couple of those to give away.

And in the next few weeks you'll be able to buy Raine stuff (and Tam, Mychael, Phaelan, Armed & Magical, and Raines's Rangers stuff) through our very own Cafepress store. My designer is coming by the house this morning so we can start working out the details. BTW -- My publisher has given me permission to use the exact font that appears on the book covers in anything that we produce. Yea!

Update on The Trouble With Demons: I got a great start on Chapter 28 yesterday and the plan is to be finished with that chapter by tomorrow night. Then I've only got two more chapters to go. Whew! Like I've said, I think I know how a marathon runner feels when the finish line is in sight.

I'll be taking Easter Monday off from blogging, but I'll be back to blogging every day as per usual beginning on Tuesday.

Take care and Happy Easter!
Lisa

Win an advance reader copy of Armed & Magical!

I promised a contest and here it is. ; ) Send an email to lisa@lisashearin.com with the words "Armed & Magical contest" in the subject line, and you'll be entered to win an advance readers copy (ARC) of Armed & Magical, signed and personalized to the winner. I'll do a random drawing to find our winner on Saturday morning and post it on that day's blog. Actually I'll probably have Derek do that, since he's a completely impartial third party. The dogs would be good for that, but they don't have opposable thumbs. ; )

And in the next week or two, I'll be running the second contest over at Raine's Rangers for another Armed & Magical advance copy. The winner of the first contest was announced this morning. Congratulations, Megan! So if you send me an email for the blog contest and also join Raine's Rangers, you'll double your chances of winning. ; )

I'll be writing like a fiend this week (about four chapters to go on The Trouble With Demons), and I'm determined to get through two of those chapters this week. (Growl of determination). So I thought you all would understand if I took this week off from blogging to concentrate on pushing through these extra tough two chapters. I'll still answer emails, respond to blogs, and jump in on Raine's Rangers as I can (which means at least once a day). I thought you all would rather have a kick-butt book than listen to my writing words of "wisdom." Trust me, when you're on deadline, any wisdom you may have goes right out the window. ; )

Lisa

Breaking through the block

I know I said I wasn't going to blog today, but Derek & I don't leave for my dad's until noon, so I thought I'd pop in and give you an update. (See yesterday's blog for what we're doing this weekend.)

Writing longhand is working like a charm. I started yesterday with Tam. Then I'll move on to Mychael, Raine, and Piaras. Yesterday I asked Tam why he loves Raine -- and got 11 pages worth of answer. And he isn't finished; I had to stop to pack. FINALLY, after all these years, the goblin speaks! ; ) I'll continue with him today. It's a six-hour drive to Dad's, so I'll just take a Dramamine and keep right on working. I'll be back here blogging as per usual on Monday.

If you haven't joined Raine's Rangers (Yahoo fan club), do so this week. On Tuesday, we'll be doing a random drawing for an advance reader copy of Armed & Magical along with some other book goodies. We're having a blast over there!

And if you have some additional ideas for products to feature in our Cafepress store, email me or respond to the blog. (see Tuesday's blog for details) And see Monday's blog for more details on Raine's Rangers.

Trouble in demonland

Okay, this is absolutely the last time I'm using the word "Trouble" in the title of one of my books. It's like to use it is to ask for it. Though don't get in a panic, the book's fine. I'm just having the same problem I had with the first two books -- the final four chapters are. . .shall we say. . .a BITTY!

When I started this blog, I promised you the writing process -- warts and all. Well, welcome to the warts. To kind of give you an idea of what the problem is without giving anything away -- there's something cool (heck, exceptionally cool) that happens between Raine, Tam and Mychael. And no, it's not that. Get your minds out of the gutter. ; ) This cool thing is also a major part of the plot, and I haven't developed it fully enough throughout the book so that I can pay it off at the end of the book. (That's probably clear as mud.) And then there's something incredibly scary that's going on with Piaras. Likewise, I've gotta pay that off in the last chapters. Problem is, there's so danged much going on that what's left of my brain cells are running around in circles.

So I'm taking the pressure off of myself and dropping back to the notepad and digging into motivation and involvement, and the consequences of both. Just stream of consciousness scribbling -- but mainly I'm giving my brain a break. It needs it. I need it. No laptop for me until Monday. And there's an additional reason for that. Today will be my last blog this week. Tomorrow Derek and I leave for South Carolina to move my dad in with my sister (on the other side of South Carolina). Dad's been in failing health for the past few years, and we finally convinced him that he needed to move in with one of us. So he's moving in with my sister and her family. This way Dad gets to see his grandchildren every day. At our house, he'd only get to see his granddogs. ; ) So tomorrow Derek and I make the trek down to dad's (6 hours). On Friday we get him packed, on Saturday we (me and Derek, and my sister and her family) load up the trucks and caravan to my sister's house on the other side of the state. Derek and I hope to be coming back on Sunday, but it could be Monday. So for that time, I'll have no Internet access and quite frankly, no time to use it if I did have it. But physical work will give my brain time to stew (and my brain cells time to regenerate), and I'll have a notepad handy to jot down any breakthroughs that come to mind.

By Monday I hope to have a rested brain and everything (or at least enough) worked out so I can push through to the end. It'll be a better book because of it. And that's always my goal -- to give all of you the best book I possibly can. : )

If you haven't joined Raine's Rangers (Yahoo fan club), do so this week. On Tuesday, we'll be doing a random drawing for an advance reader copy of Armed & Magical along with some other book goodies. We're having a blast over there!

And if you have some additional ideas for products to feature in our Cafepress store, email me or respond to the blog. (see yesterday's blog for details) And see Monday's blog for more details on Raine's Rangers.

Take care!
Lisa

I'm opening a Cafepress store

I've been getting requests for book-related t-shirts, mugs, etc. You ask and I deliver. Before Armed & Magical hits the shelves on April 29, the plan is to have a Cafepress store up and running and filled with goodies -- wearable and otherwise.

While I can't use the bookcovers themselves on items that will be sold (copyright issues), I can use the book titles and all sorts of other things.

What I need for you all to do is to pop over to Cafepress, take a look around, and let me know what kind of stuff you'd like to see in our store -- and what would you like to have on it. For example, would you like t-shirts or mugs with:

I (heart) Raine!
or
I (heart) Tam!
or
I (heart) Mychael!
or
I (heart) Phaelan!
with Armed & Magical on the other side.

And for those of you who have joined Raine's Rangers, I want to do Ranger gear as well. Let's show that Ranger pride. ; ) Black caps would be too cool!

And how about t-shirts with some of Raine's one-liners:

"In my family, that's not silence, it's reloading."

"Safe is relative."

"Most girls get flowers or candy. I get a declaration of martial law."

"I couldn't be bonded to just any old stone of cataclysmic power. Mine had lawyers."

Those are just some ideas. Let me hear yours. I'll be getting a designer to work soon on what we decide. Have fun with it!

Lisa

Raine's Rangers -- The official fan club site

I've been wanting to have an official fan club site for a long time, a place where you all can meet, chat, and discuss -- but most of all, a place for you to have fun. I'm having a great time with the daily blog and it will continue, but I wanted to give you all a place of your own where you could debate the merits of Tam vs Mychael, discuss what Phaelan should blow up next, etc.

So we now have a Yahoo Group fan site all set up all ready to go. All you need to do is join Raine's Rangers. There will also be a link on my home page and on this blog page for additional convenience.

Our group moderator (Tairis Anders) came up with the name Raine's Rangers. I thought it was a hoot and I love it. ; ) And he didn't know that he'd come across a name that I'd used in some of my first novels (unpublished) and that I plan to use in future books. "Rangers" are a group of elite elven commandos; so the name is not only cool, it's appropriate. I love hearing from fans, I love answering questions, and I plan on diving into discussions as often as my writing schedule allows.

Now for the really cool part -- for those of you who join in the next week, there will be drawing for a signed and personalized advance reader copy of Armed & Magical, in addition to some other book-related goodies. The winner will be announced next Tuesday.

And speaking of Tuesday, drop back by tomorrow for another announcement. It involves . . .hmmm, how can I hint at this? Tuesday involves shopping. *self-satisfied, secret-keeping grin*

So click on the link above to join Raine's Rangers. Come on in, pull up a stool, belly up to the bar, and let the fun begin!

Lisa

Saturday Fun Pic -- Andy wants a cookie

I came down from my office one night for a refill on coffee and was ambushed by Andy who was asking for a cookie. Gracie and Lucy were right behind him. So of course, it was cookies for everyone. ; )

Update on The Trouble With Demons: I really wanted to finish Chapter 26 last night. I will finish it today. Then by my best estimate, I'll have four chapters to go, and I'll have a completed manuscript. Woot!! But of course after that, I have to go back and fix, reflow, tighten, and polish all before May 1st. I do believe I'm gonna make it. ; )

Be sure to drop by on Monday and Tuesday when I'll be unveiling some surprises I have for you. Monday involves fun and prizes. Tuesday involves . . .hmmm, how can I hint at this? Tuesday involves shopping. *self-satisfied, secret-keeping grin*

Have a great weekend!

Lisa

Editorial Feedback (Part V) -- It's all in the details

In today's blog, I finish a series of posts on my editor's feedback/suggestions on Magic Lost, Trouble Found. See Monday's blog for how my editor and agent's suggestions helped me cut about 100 pages from my original manuscript. And Tuesday for how to manage minor characters to minimize reader confusion. On Wednesday I talked about character crowd control. And yesterday's topic was "make the reader care."

Today's topic is "It's all in the details."

Some of my editor Anne's suggestions for tightening up MLTF included paying attention to details that I'd overlooked or not expounded on enough. She wanted more detail on Mermeia. She didn't want pages of info dump, but judiciously placed details that would enlighten and interest the reader. She also wanted me to expand on what kind of work Raine had done for elven intelligence, saying that it was interesting and needed to be made more of.

And she wanted me to explain what happens and what Raine does when she uses magic. She wasn't going to let me get away with saying "I gathered my will and struck them" or something like that. For example in Chapter 1 of MLTF, I turned an "I struck them" cop-out explaination into Raine using her magic to lift and toss a bucket of manure on the Khrynsani shamans. More detail, much funnier. And of course since Anne is a Tam fan, she wanted me to hint at more details about Tam's past. She also wanted an explanation of how Raine's dad came to be stuck in the Saghred, and how the Khrynsani were involved. Apparently again, I glossed over that part in the first version.

But most prevalent in her comments were those little details that for readers (and agents and editors) stick out like sore thumbs. Loose threads, if you will. When I'm writing, I get too close to the story and sometimes I make assumptions. Either I think something doesn't need explaining or that I've already explained it elsewhere. I know the story; it's in my head. But just because it's in my head doesn't mean that I put it on the page. It's like writing directions, you may skip a few steps because you know them and they're obvious to you -- they're not obvious to the reader.

But include details with a light touch. Nothing's worse than reading happily along, and then running smack into a big pile of info dump. Give details, but keep it brief, and weave it into the story so the facts don't disrupt the flow.

Drop by tomorrow for the Saturday Fun Pic.

On Monday and Tuesday, I'll be unveiling some surprises I have for you. And on Tuesday, I'm going to need everyone's input on what you prefer and what you want. I'll just leave it at that. ; )

It's Friday!!
Lisa

Editorial Feedback (Part IV) -- Make the reader care

Now on to today's blog which continues with my editor's feedback/suggestions on Magic Lost, Trouble Found. See Monday's blog for how my editor and agent's suggestions helped me cut about 100 pages from my original manuscript. And Tuesday for how to manage minor characters to minimize reader confusion. And yesterday's topic was character crowd control.

Today's topic is "Make the reader care."

For those of you who have read the outtakes from In Magic Lost, Trouble Found (see the "Interviews" tab on my home page), you know that at one point in the book, I had Quentin (first featured in Chapter 1) being kidnapped. To get him back, Raine would have to give the amulet to Mermeia's crime lord. It fit nicely with the plot, I liked it, I wrote it. The Karl subplot was one that Anne suggested that I get rid of. It was a fun subplot, there was nothing wrong with it, or as Anne said "you've just got too much good stuff for one book." So I nixed the Karl subplot and simply had Quentin kidnapped by Sarad Nukpana at the end of the book. Worked nicely -- or so I thought. Anne brought up a danged good point. While Quentin was a Raine's friend, he wasn't in that much of the book; but most importantly, the reader wouldn't have an emotional attachment to him. So when Nukpana kidnapped him to force Raine to turn over the Saghred, who would really care? Like I said, danged good point.

Anne suggested that I use Piaras in the final scene in The Ruins. The emotional attachment between Raine and Piaras had grown throughout the book; she thought of him as her little brother and had gone through a lot to protect him. Readers would have an emotional investment in Piaras and would care what happened to him. Raine's reaction to Sarad Nukpana about to sacrifice Piaras made that climactic scene much more powerful. Bingo!

And both Anne and Kristin suggested something that I know most of you would have cheered for -- more Mychael and Tam. ; )

Anne said that they were two fantastic potential love interests, and she would like to see them in the book much more -- and while I was at it, turn up the heat. ; ) She also wanted to know more about Tam (Anne's a Tam fan. *grin*) How did Raine meet Tam? What happened between them? Why aren't they together anymore? Does he have a connection to her work in elven intelligence? It was Anne who suggested that Raine take Tam up on his offer for her to hide out at his club instead of at a safe house. I thought it was a great idea, and had a lot of fun writing that scene. Like I've said, Anne, Kristin and I are all on the same page when it comes to our opinions about my books. It makes working with them an absolute joy.

Tomorrow I'll finish with Editorial Feedback (Part V) -- It's all in the details.
And I'll have some really fun news coming up, possibly tomorrow -- definitely by Monday.

Lisa

Editorial Feedback (Part III) -- Character crowd control

COOL NEWS -- Magic Lost, Trouble Found is close to selling out its first printing, so my publisher has ordered a reprint. Raine is going back on the presses! Thank you everyone for snatching up those copies! ; )

And with the publication date of Armed & Magical less than two months away, my publisher has told me that they'd really like to see a push on MLTF sales to go along with the debut of Armed & Magical. Here's how you can help -- if you haven't bought a copy of MLTF yet, pop over to the Sample Chapters page, give it a read, and if you like it, hit Amazon, your nearest Barnes & Noble, or your fav bookseller and get yourself a copy (or one for a fantasy-loving friend). And speaking of Amazon, apparently the more good reviews, the better a book's sales can be. A lot of people looking for new authors/books pay close attention to Amazon reviews. So if you haven't posted one and would like to, I would really appreciate it. : )

Now on to today's blog which continues with my editor's feedback/suggestions on Magic Lost, Trouble Found. See Monday's blog for how my editor and agent's suggestions helped me cut about 100 pages from my original manuscript. And see yesterday's blog for how to manage minor characters to minimize reader confusion.

Today's topic is character crowd control.

For those of you with a small cast of characters, this isn't much of an issue. It's a big one for me. I have one main character (Raine), and a supporting cast (Mychael, Tam, Phaelan, Piaras). I have an ensemble cast, and apparently ensemble casts tend to sprout subplots, which attract more characters. One of the big problems I have with the last five chapters or so of my books is crowd control. It gave me fits in MLTF and A&M, and it's doing the same thing in The Trouble With Demons. There's just too many danged people "on stage." I literally have a cast of thousands at the end of TTWD -- because of course I have to count the demon horde. ; ) But as was the case with the first two books, they all need to be there. It results in me doing some juggling and fancy footwork. I thought that the last five chapters rocked in A&M -- a lot of people, tons of action, but it all balanced and moved like a bullet train. I'm very proud of it -- and it took a helluva lot of work (and three rewrites) to get it that way.

Anne's suggestions for crowded scenes in MLTF was to take a look and make sure everybody who's in a scene needs to be there. In some sections in the original manuscript (Tam's office in Sirens, the goblin embassy garden, the mausoleum), I had half a dozen extra people coming along for the ride, but they didn't have an essential role to play in the scene. They ended up being a distraction for the reader, and for me as the writer, since I had to essentially give stage directions telling the reader who was doing what where.

To clear up the confusion, I had to ask myself: Who absolutely must be here? And I had to give a good reason, that I liked the character wasn't good enough. They had to be critical to the action. If they weren't, they went.

Tomorrow I'll continue with Editorial Feedback (Part IV) -- Make the reader care. And I'll finish on Friday with Part V -- It's all in the details.

Have a good one!
Lisa

Editorial Feedback (Part II) -- Minor characters

For those of you who are on the verge of getting an agent, or signing that first publishing contract, I'm going to take a few days (or maybe the entire week) to cover what's involved once you start working with your agent and editor, and what you can expect during the editing process. I'll be using snippets from my editor's "editorial letter" for Magic Lost, Trouble Found. See yesterday's blog on how I cut about 100 pages from my original manuscript.

Remember that every agent and editor handle feedback differently, and each book is different, so in other words, no two books or editorial letters are alike. Kristin Nelson (my agent) preferred to give her feedback on MLTF using track changes to insert her comments directly into my manuscript. Anne Sowards (my editor at Ace Books) sent an letter (actually it was an email) that was 7 pages, single spaced. Anne organized her comments by topic, and then called out specific pages where she had questions/suggestions.

Today's topic is based on the suggestion from Anne to further streamline the MLTF's plot -- either deleting unnecessary minor characters, or incorporating their roles into my main characters. It wasn't as difficult as it sounded, and it worked like a charm.

I think at one point, I counted 96 named characters in Thief of Souls (the book that became MLTF). Now I'm pretty decent at juggling the proverbial "cast of thousands," but dang -- 96 is a lot of warm bodies to keep track of in one book. Anne pointed out that I had so many named minor characters, that when the genuinely important characters showed up again she couldn't remember who they were, what with all the other characters she was trying to keep track of.

She went on to say that readers generally assume that named characters are going to have a role to play. I had a lot of minor characters who I mentioned one or two times and then they fell off the face of the earth, never to be seen or heard from again. She suggested that rather than naming necessary minor characters that I identify them by their function ("the steward" instead of "Rakta", "the healer" instead of "Aubina", "Bertram's assistant" instead of "Hollis", etc. It was a fabulous idea, worked like a charm, and freed up some names that I could put back into the name pool to use for later books. It's hard enough to think up good names, so the more I can put back into storage for later use, the better.

Then there are the minor characters who are mentioned more frequently, but their presence doesn't move the plot forward. And that is the key to every book in existence -- the plot must move forward. Constantly. The scenes with Alix and Parry were fun, but they did nadda to progress the plot. (See the "Interviews" page for "Outtakes from MLTF" where you can read those deleted chapters with Alix and Parry, among others.) Anne pointed out that while Alix and Parry are Raine's friends, that they really don't do anything in the book that somebody else doesn't already do. She recommend saving them for a book where they can be integral to the story instead.

Anne also suggested cutting down on the number of each characters' "identifiers." Nachtmagus Nigelius Nicabar is referred to as both Nigel and Nicabar, and this doesn't seem necessary, and can be confusing. Once his full name is given, I should just call him "Nicabar" every other time he's mentioned to simplify things. Similarly, just call Quentin Rand "Quentin" once he's introduced. I had also refered to Quentin as "the Rheskilian." And the fact that he was Rheskilian wasn't essential to the plot, so I got rid of it.

Tomorrow's topic: Editorial Feedback (Part III) -- Character crowd control.
Plus, some REALLY cool news from my publisher. ; )

Have a good one!
Lisa

Editorial feedback (Part I) -- Reducing the word count

News from Friday: For those of you who got an early start on your weekend, and didn't stop by on Friday, I was finally able to announce the big news I'd hinted at back in December. The contracts are signed, so it's official -- AST Publishers in Moscow bought the Russian translation rights for both Magic Lost, Trouble Found and Armed & Magical! Both books will be printed first in hardcopy (woot!) and then in paperback. Believe me, when I get my sample copies, I'll definitely post plenty of photos.

Now on to today's topic. For those of you who are on the verge of getting an agent, or signing that first publishing contract, I'm going to take a few days (or maybe the entire week) to cover the what's involved once you start working with your agent and editor, and what you can expect during the editing process. I'll be using snippets from my editor's "editorial letter" for Magic Lost, Trouble Found.

Before I begin, a word of disclaimer. Every agent and editor handle feedback differently, and each book is different, so in other words, no two books or editorial letters are alike. Kristin Nelson (my agent) preferred to give her feedback on MLTF using track changes to insert her comments directly into my manuscript. Anne Sowards (my editor at Ace Books) sent an letter (actually it was an email) that was 7 pages, single spaced. Anne organized her comments by topic, and then called out specific pages where she had questions/suggestions. This was for MLTF. For Armed & Magical, there was no editorial letter from Anne; she had two questions and we were done. Wow! Like I said, no two books or feedbacks are alike.

One of the first things both Kristin and Anne addressed in their comments to me about MLTF was shortening the book. MLTF (then called Thief of Souls) weighed in at 122,000 words. It was a big puppy. Each publisher is different, but Ace Books prefers books in the 90,000-100,000 range. When the dust had settled and I'd finished with Kristin's edits, I'd cut 43 pages from the original manuscript. Then we sent it out on submission. Anne bought it. Anne's suggestions resulted in me cutting another 65 pages. I know it sounds like a lot, but it was all needed, and most importantly it was for the good of the book. An agent or editor isn't out to slice and dice your baby; they want what will put the best possible product on the shelf. Fortunately Kristin, Anne, and I were all on the same page. I loved their ideas, and incorporated most of them into what you've now read as MLTF.

That brings up one more thing. A lot of people have no idea what (or how much) an editor does once they get a manuscript. I certainly had no clue. An editor works with the author to get the best book possible. They make suggestions, the two of you brainstorm -- I loved the entire experience. Both Kristin and Anne are a joy to work with, and just plain fun. ; ) And if there's a suggestion that you don't agree with, simply give a good reason why you can't do it, and more than likely your editor will be cool with that. It's your book; you're the author. But at the same time, the author needs to have a completely open mind. You've been working with this book seemingly forever, so sometimes (actually most of the time) you're too close to it to be truly objective. I know I was. Your editor doesn't have that problem. Listen to her (or him) with an open mind. They've got your best interests (and your book's) at heart.

So how did I shorten MTLF? Anne suggested three ways (and I'll expand on these tomorrow).
1. Take out a big subplot or two to help focus the plot.
2. Remove scenes that don't move the plot forward.
3. Take out extraneous dialogue, characters, and descriptions that don't move the plot forward.

In a nutshell, anything that doesn't propel your plot forward needs to go regardless of how much you love it.

Coming up tomorrow: Editor Feedback -- Saying bye-bye to minor characters (and incorporating their roles into your main characters). Trust me; it works. ; )

I know it's Monday, but try to stay awake for it anyway.
Lisa

Saturday Fun Pics -- Renaissance Faire photos

Sorry I'm posting so late. I'm determined to finish Chapter 25 of The Trouble With Demons today, and the photo scanner was giving Derek fits. The photos below are from about five years ago when our Renaissance fencing group "The Ship's Company" was performing at a local Renaissance Faire. Enjoy!

Our coach Wes Caudill (in the black hat) is using Derek to help demonstrate the finer points of a duel.

Wes, me, and Derek between shows.

Derek and I have just finished a bout, and we're taking a break on the edge of the fighting field, enjoying watching our friends kick each others' butts.

This is me in the middle of a bout, in defensive mode, parrying, and backing the hell up. Wes is probably coming after me. ; )

Coming up beginning on Monday: For those of you who are on the verge of getting an agent, or signing that first publishing contract, I'm going to take a few days to cover the what's involved once you start working with your editor, and what you can expect during the editing process. I'll be using snippets from my editor's "editorial letter" for Magic Lost, Trouble Found.