So, here it is spring time...well, almost summer, and I haven't written a thing on this blog since before Christmas. I guess I'm not very good at this blogging stuff. It seems rather silly to me, thinking someone really wants to read my thoughts on anything. It seems crazy that someone who loves to write can't think of anything to write, but that's how it is. I love to lose myself in writing a novel, but blogging is actually putting myself on display and I feel a tad uncomfortable with that. I am so ready to have another book published! I am watching the mail for the contract from Authors Ink Books for Sweet Sacrifices. I have been working on this book for years! It has gone through so many major rewrites, I can hardly stand the thought of editing it any more. Of course, it will need to be edited again once the contract is signed and the publishing process is actually in motion, but hopefully there won't be many real structural changes. Here's a synopsis for Sweet Sacrifices: Raised in squalor by a heartbroken, unwed mother, Kendall vowed she would never make the same mistakes her mother did. Yet, when her husband disappears, leaving her pregnant and penniless, Kendall finds herself in an all too familiar predicament. Deciding she will not let her son grow up fatherless, she follows her husband to his family's estate. There, she finds herself caught in a web of lies, deception, and eminent danger.
In a world where money and social standing are what matters most, and she is warned that love only gets in the way, Kendall learns what a mother will sacrifice for her child and what a woman will sacrifice for the man she loves.
Luke Templeton has been cleaning up his brother?s messes for years. So, when he finds Kendall and her newborn baby on a deserted road leading to his family?s estate, he isn?t really surprised she?s looking for his brother. He is surprised that Kendall thinks she and Adam are married, since Adam already has a wife at home. When his mother suggests he and Kendall marry in order to give the baby the life he deserves, Luke and Kendall reluctantly agree. Though he vows there will be no love in the marriage between them, when Kendall and her baby are threatened, Luke realizes how much he has to lose and how much he will sacrifice to save the ones he loves. Sweet Sacrifices is a little different than my other novels. For one thing, it's set in the 1950's. I think it's closer to a gothic romance than the others. There are no glimpses into the killer's mind as there were in the others, and I admit I missed the fun of writing those parts, but that just wouldn't fit in this story. It does have steamier love scenes than my others. I still don't go into great intricate detail, but I think the scenes fit well in this book. I think Sweet Sacrifices is probably a better written book than my others. I have learned so much about the rules of writing in the last nine years. Talent may be enough in some artistic endeavors, but in writing it only goes so far. There are rules that must be followed before you can even get an agent or publisher to look at your work. Once they do look at it, there are even more rules in order for it to be published. Not that I'm complaining. I complained and whined a bit about the rules at the very beginning of this journey. My first book was published by an disreputable publisher without any editing at all, and a reviewer who I now consider a good friend was kind enough to give me pointers on the rules I had broken. She also gave me a good review based on the story, etc., but her lessons were probably even more valuable to me. I started writing Sweet Sacrifices at about the same time I finished Flowers for Megan, before I understood all the rules. So, it required a lot of editing. Since Christmas, I've edited out tons of passive voice issues, added some scenes that created a better timeline and took out some that weren't important. I know all this editing has made it better, but, boy, was it annoying when I was doing it. Reading my own words over and over and over again drives me crazy. By this time in the process, I'm always certain it's the most boring drivel anyone has ever written or read. It becomes imperative for me to get it signed over to a publisher, because otherwise, I may just toss it in the trash. Once it's signed, I can relax for a little while, knowing I can't very well throw it out now that I've promised it to someone. As sick of reading my own words as I get at this stage, it's a totally cool experience to read them once they're in book form! Well, it looks like I did have a lot to say about myself or at least my writing. Maybe I'll think of something else to say before next Christmas. |
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