And They’re Off….!

So I’ve been swamped with things not so important…

(Tournament on my favourite gaming site. No, I won’t say which, it’s too embarassing.)

And things very important.

By which I mean…I have finally spoken to my editor. She’s based in the land of Oz and worked for magazines I actually know about, and has awards and everything.

My book is in her hands.

She sent me her first review sample.

I swear, I almost keeled over. The email said things that made me think, “Wait a minute, I’ve got potential? POTENTIAL?”

You mean, I sucked so much, I was downgraded from ‘about to be published’ to possibly having ‘potential’?

After my sister revived me with the smelling salts my sainted grandmother left behind, she encouraged me to just open the email, rather than enter the vortex of all the possiblities for suckiness the editor probably meant. I was initially reluctant as it was after midnight my time, and I didn’t want to go to bed with nightmares of my potential, but I eventually gave in.

And you know what? It was no biggie. I mean, yeah, sure there were problems and some suggestions about what to do about them. But I agreed with most of them. And honestly, she was so nice and insightful about the whole thing, just reading it I knew I could make it through a whole book if the comments were going to be this helpful.

I felt all energized, like I could really do this, and ended up writing her the next day, and she wrote back and was even nicer than her review.

Which is how I learned the boogieman under the bed may not be a boogieman at all. It’s probably just your cat Fluffy again.

So now I’m starting edits, and waiting for more of my sliced and diced manuscript.

And yes, I will bite my nails, and cry and not want to let go of my darlings.

But it’s already way different and so much better than I expected. I’ve been dreading the revisions for so long, but now it’s here and I think…it might actually turn out to be fun. Kind of like ripping out your old kitchen, throwing everything out and putting in a whole new fancy kitchen with an island, and soft-closing doors, and a double door fridge that makes ice and stuff.

In other words, it’s going to be a lot of work, and I’m not even at the hard part yet, but I think I’ve got the right person working beside me and it will all be worth it in the end.

So that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it for now.

Tune in later for more updates as I inch along on my writing adventure.

Oh, and just so you know…I have a publication date! ‘Lex Talionis’ is coming out on January 30th 2014!

So excited!

*Does the happy dance*

Stay tuned for cover previews, and synopses and anything else you can think of that you really, really don’t need to see. Because this is my baby and I’m totally going to bug you until you admit out loud that she’s the most beautiful baby you’ve ever seen.

‘Cause, she totally is. Right?

Right?

*Looks nervously at editor*