Pages

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

A Year in the Life of an Author: August

Here is where life intersects expectantly. I turned my book in the first part of July and then looked ahead to a few weeks of vacation, catching up around the house and generally enjoying summer. After working 7 days a week for seven months, I was so looking forward to a few weeks off.

None of that was meant to be.

In a moment where I was feeling on top of the world, I stepped off a curb and changed everything. An hour later I was in the emergency room with two sprained ankles, and a sprain on one side that reached all the way up to my knee.

So my vacation got cancelled (literally, the family vacation was a no-go), I read a lot of books, directed the family from the couch and knit. I missed the only good gardening, biking, swimming, hiking, good weather we've had all year here in Seattle.

Finally after nearly 8 weeks, I am walking again, but it has left me feeling a bit robbed. Because now it is time to get back to work and already Summer is packing up her bags and waving goodbye.

The novel I sent in the first part of July, And The Miss Ran Away with the Rake, is back from my editor--revision time. She wants me to trim a bit--the entire story came in a bit long in the tooth and the middle could use some tightening. I agree. It could also stand to have the "ST" (sexual tension) amped up a bit. That I also agree. So I am clipping and tucking and telling my hero and heroine to, in the words of the immortal Marvin Gaye, "Get it on."

LOL.

All in all, the revisions are rather standard, the entire process will take me about two weeks and involve re-reading the entire manuscript, making copious and necessary changes with a red pencil and getting it all into the computer and back to my editor.


Then it's time to make one more pass through the proposal for Book Three in the Rhymes with Love series, and get it in. Then start working on it. But that's for September's column.

Ah, yes, the glamorous life.

But one good thing: Avon currently has Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress on sale for $1.99! Get your digital deal from:

· Kindle from Amazon
· Nook from Barnes and Noble
· Kobo e-readers
· Sony e-readers

As as always, read the  excerpt for free! Have a great September!

Best, Elizabeth

3 comments:

Pat Cochran said...

Ouch, Elizabeth! You don't just trip and stub your toe! You do things in
a big way! So sorry you were hurt and
had to spend your down time in recu-
peration, instead of vacation time!!

Pat C.

Leah Weller (leahluvsmedieval) said...

I hope you're feeling better now. You sound like me....back in '05, I tripped over a bag of trash I had set in the kitchen to take out the next morning and then proceeded to walk around on a broke foot for three days before I went to the doctor. I'm giggling here. Sometimes it takes the smallest of things to cause some big damage. Love the title for the book you're revising now. It made me smile. :)

Karen H said...

OMG...I hope all will be ok very soon. Let me tell you about those curbs and how you have to watch those little stumbling blocks. Back in 1981, I took my son to watch 4th of July fireworks in our small hometown. We parked on a side street, sat on the grass near the curb. After the show was over, I stepped off the curb to get into the car and the heel of my moccasin slipped and down I went. I broke a bone in my right foot. Take about painful. But then the problem was to get home! Not easy to drive with a bum right foot. Never went to doctor, just soaked it in cold water and kept it wrapped with Ace bandage. It healed just fine.