It's a Sci-Fi Life For Us

Greetings, Earthlings. Yeah, I think I've had my head in sci-fi for way too long. LOL! I've got my sci-fi, The Transhuman Project, out in on submission to agents, and I just finished edits on Deek's sci-fi, The Extractor. Y'all, my man is brilliant. This book is so interesting and complex that it left me thinking and pondering for days and days. Heck, I'm STILL thinking about it.

The Extractor, virtual reality gone amuck...

My next editing project, with a brand new client, is fantasy, so I'll be taking a little break from sci-fi, but I love both genres SO much!

We are so nerdy, and we love it!

In other news and randomness:

Y'all, it's April. And this girl is Southern. So this still cold, still snowing business in April "ain't going to work for me," as my Mema would say. No, sir. No way. No how. Bring me 80 degree weather and the sun so bright and intense you feel like it'll eat your skin off. That's what I'm talking about. Not this crazy, cold mess. Boo, winter. You've WAY overstayed your welcome (and for me, you're not even welcome, really). 

Gus is all of us on a cold spring morning.

The winter/spring hybrid

But sometimes Snapchat makes you look like a 40s starlet, so you forget about this weird winter/spring hybrid for a minute. ;) 

And sometimes you find a "Peach Pit" shirt at the thrift store, in the $1 section, and you wonder how anyone can give up such a treasure. Their loss is my gain...after I washed it, of course! ;) 

Despite the cool weather, Deek and I still love to go for a long stroll, and sometimes we allow coffee to come along for the ride.

I adore this man more than words can express!

<3 <3

This past weekend, we had an afternoon date, and Deek surprised me by taking me somewhere completely new and exotic. I love how he's so adventurous and willing to try new things!

Exploring

Wow, fruit can be gorgeous and slightly terrifying.

Look how huge this jackfruit is!

And Deek's contribution to the picture. ROFL!

And we celebrated our engagement-iversary. 

Deek and I love to celebrate every moment we can! <3

Here's our first kiss as an engaged couple! 

Until next time, explore, adventure, and have a blast doing it!

Life of an Editor

Howdy, y'all! I hope you enjoyed my previous two posts about why you need a quality cover artist and editor. I hope to post a few more blogs on those topics in the coming months. But for now, I thought you might be interested in a little behind-the-scenes look at the life of an editor.

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Ok, so as you know, I work for both BookFish Books and Tenacious Books Publishing, and I run a freelance business. What does all that look like? 

Well, it's a bit hectic, to say the least...

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I am a trained line and copy editor, but I've had the pleasure of working with some truly great content editors (Heather Van Fleet, Katie Carroll, and Anya Kagan, to name a few). From them, I've learned A LOT about content editing. So, since one BookFish content editor is on maternity leave and the other is away on a family emergency, I stepped out of my line/copy editing role and took on content editing for Meet Me Under The Stars. Note: This isn't the first time I've had to step in on content, and I find I quite enjoy it. 

So, I've been working with the KD Proctor to whip this amazing story into the best shape of its life. And let me say, KD is a true pleasure to work with. She's funny and prompt, and she puts her whole heart into her story. Can't beat that!

KD Proctor

While I worked on Meet Me Under The Stars, Tenacious Books Publishing signed Chrissy Lessey and her The Crystal Coast Series. These books are set to release in the summer, so I had to jump on those edits quickly. I'd do set of edits for KD, send them to her, do a set of edits for Chrissy, and send them to her, just in time to get KD's edits back again.

Chrissy Lessey

Now, don't forget, as senior editor, I also read the final draft of all books from BookFish before they go out, and I format them for eBook and print. While I've been busily working on Meet Me Under the Stars and The Crystal Coast Series, Jessica Calla has been working with her editors on She Wants It All (the third book in The Sheridan Hall series). In a few days, I'll be set to be the final pair of eyes on this story before it goes into production, which I'll also handle. BUT I've still got edits on The Hunted (Book 2 of The Crystal Coast Series), The Beacon (Book 3 of The Crystal Coast Series), the final read-through for Meet Me Under The Stars, and production for all three books in The Crystal Coast Series, Meet Me Under The Stars, and She Wants It All.

The gorgeous cover by the supremely talent Anita Carroll!

Is your head spinning? I know mine is! But that's a sneak peek of what it's like to work for two separate publishing companies and fit in all the various deadlines.

Despite all the work we have to do, Deek and I managed to sneak away to Colonial Williamsburg for a little R&R this past weekend. What a nice, relaxing time with my best friend! As my family always says: I love you to the moon and back! Thank you so much, my Deek, for whisking me away from all my responsibilities and filling my weekend with fun, laughter, and love. You amaze me every single day, and I fall a bit more in love with you with each passing moment! 

Since Deek's doing a whole blog on our trip, I'll just give you a little sneak peek at some photos he didn't use. ;) 

Coffee'd up and ready to go!

We tried "real" chocolate. Surprisingly VERY good!

Very cool electrolyte water bottle

One of the oldest college buildings in America (campus of William and Mary)

At the lectern in one of the oldest classrooms in America.

The College of William and Mary STILL holds class here. How cool is that?

You can't take us anywhere...

The prison where Blackbeard's men were held until their hangings!

This one is for you, Chrissy (The Crystal Coast Series)!

He's my partner, my best friend, my soul mate, my world! <3

Hubba hubba!! 

Well, since I've got massive deadlines to meet, I better scram! Catch you on the flip side, friends! 

Until next time, live out loud! 

The Importance of Quality Editing

Now, here I go writing a post about editing, so I'm sure there will be mistakes. Why? Because we ALL need an editor (even editors). We ALL see what we want to see in our writing rather than what's actually there.

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If you're going to self-publish your book, can you edit it yourself? You *can*, but you shouldn't. Because we all see what we want to see in our own writing, you won't be able to catch mistakes like plot holes, misspellings, or misplaced commas. You'll need an editor for that.

This day and age, almost anyone can hang an internet "shingle" up and claim to be an editor, so make sure you use your money wisely. Just because an editor is cheap doesn't mean they're good at what they do (in fact, it's usually the opposite). Find someone with solid credentials, who's plugged into the industry, and who understands what it takes to make a great book.

An editor should never, never, never hand you back a manuscript with just a few notes. If you get that, you've hired someone who doesn't know what they're doing and/or someone who rushed through your work without giving it the proper time and attention. Time and attention you paid for.

Editing *should* be a difficult process for you. You should feel pushed out of your comfort zone. You should feel stretched to the limit. You're growing and learning. If you just get a pat on the head from an editor, you've wasted your money.

*Please hire a quality editor in order to maintain the integrity of self-publishing.*

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What should your editors look for in your manuscript? Well, there are a few different types of editors. 

You want a developmental or content editor to focus on plot, characterization, voice, setting, etc. They'll make sure you don't have the dreaded "plot holes." 

For example, I just did content edits on a book where the sister "tossed" her dead sister's ashes onto a bed. That's a very insensitive thing to do, and this character is not insensitive. In fact, she and her sister were very close. So, it's not consistent with the characterization of this person throughout the book.

PS. You can ask an editor to do a sample edit for you. Quality editors are happy to work on a small section of your book to prove they know their stuff.

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You want a line and copy editor to check your grammar, punctuation, word choice, etc. This person will go over your manuscript with a fine-toothed comb and make sure you're clearly communicating the information in your story.

For example: I'm sure you've all seen this one (I have two shirts with this on it 'cause...word nerd).

Let's eat kids.

Let's eat, kids.

VERY different meanings! So, you'll want to employ a line/copy editor to make sure you're being most clear.

Note: I do not recommend hiring the same person to do content and line editing. You want fresh eyes for each stage. And I also recommend hiring a proofreader because no matter how many eyes are on your book, another pair will make your work as sharp as possible.

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So, you're interested in an editor with experience and knowledge of the industry. Where do you turn? Well, obviously, I have to plug myself because...it's my blog. LOL! I am available to do content or line/copy, though I'm more classically trained in line/copy. Other editors I'd recommend are:

Anya Kagan at Touchstone Editing

Ellie Sipila at Move To The Write

I have personal experience with both of these ladies and can vouch for them. They're truly TOP NOTCH!! 

Before you hire an editor, do attempt a self edit because you never want to turn your rough draft into anyone. Always, always, always look over your own work. But then release your baby into capable hands.

If you have questions about how to do a self-edit before you hire an editor, I've written a list of common writing mistakes. Remember, this list is to guide you in a round of self-edits BEFORE you turn your story over to a professional editors. It's not to replace professional editor. Because it's time to realize you *can't* do this one your own and still produce quality work (not even if you're already an editor). Because, we all see what we want to see...

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Until next time, write on!