No, I’m not in Bergen, Norway (although I will be going back in the spring). I thought I’d have some chill time this week but that’s clearly not happening. Instead it’s full steam ahead with the lovely book 3 manuscript revamps and getting ready for the trip to London next week (So excited!). Checklists are smokin’ this week to make sure we don’t forget anything (cat food, cat sitter, cat litter–the girlz would not be amused).
Weather in London looks to be cool and maybe a little wet during our stay(Yay, rain!). My reading and listening material are locked and loaded for the flight over. Now if only the latest volcano on Iceland doesn’t decide to erupt causing massive airline problems and delays, we’ll be across the pond next week. In the meantime, it’s #WritersDiary time:
In the writing world…
Edits, edits and more edits, sprinkled with revisions, revisions, revisions (I’m a little under water at the time). The past few weeks have been very intense, only because you catch the zillion things you couldn’t even to begin to imagine were there, hiding in broad daylight in your manuscript. These are the main areas I’ve been concentrating on:
Flow: As many times as I’ve gone over the new story, I’m constantly checking for consistency and timeframes to make sure things happen when they’re supposed to, with the right people being in the right place when they’re supposed to. I’ve learned with this manuscript, taking lots of people on a trip across the U.S. with multiple stops is a challenge, to say the least—rather like herding cats…
Plot Holes: I know what’s supposed to happen, but does it really? Do the loose ends get resolved? Tiny details matter!
Dialogue: Best check for me is to read the story out loud. If you can’t say a sentence without stumbling, it’s wrong…
Killing the darlings: This is a tough one for me, but deep in my heart I know it’s the right thing to do…
Spelling, grammar, punctuation: there/their, hear/here, “/’; a never ending battle…
In the reading world…
This week I’ve had the privilege of reading (and reviewing) Author C.A. Powell’s book, The Last Days of Thunder Child; Victorian Britain in Chaos and Author Suzy Davies’ story, The Cave. The reviews and book urls are below:
The Last days of Thunder Child; Victorian Britain in Chaos: 5 Stars
Exciting, imaginative read! Such a descriptive storyline transported you back in time to the Martian invasion as seen through the eyes of young Seaman Perry, facing his first major mission aboard the HMS Thunder Child, and Mr. Stanley, meek MOD clerk who becomes a leader in a time of chaos and destruction, finding love and a family in the process. Author C. A. Powell weaves a detailed narrative as Martians descend upon the British countryside, destroying cities and towns with deadly gas and heat-rays. You are swept out to sea for the final battle, the two men’s stories intertwining, leaving you guessing until the very end who will prevail. Very entertaining read, highly recommended!
The Cave: 5 Stars
Such an inspirational story of the human spirit in times of crisis, and the unbreakable bond of family and faith. Author Suzy Davies takes us down the path into the cave with the football team, a journey that should have been exciting and fun, that turns into a journey of the unknown with many dangers. We travel between the boys and their families, understanding the joys and sorrows that flood their minds. Human spirit and courage at its best. A great YA read!
Next in the reading (and listening) queue:
Big thank you to Mark Schultz and Grizz for featuring me on the Wordrefiner website!
Such a great review for The Crown for Castlewood Manor! Woot, woot!!
It has been quite a while since I have had the pleasure of reading a well-written cozy murder. I confess to being a little squeamish in the presence of a lot of blood and gore. I enjoyed this story so much, there was nothing to make me uncomfortable in this wonderful story about the behind the scenes selection process for an estate to be showcased in a British period drama, similar to Downton Abbey. I can’t say much more without giving a spoiler, so let me say this about Barton’s writing. Her writing is marvelous! She handles the intricacies of first person POV so well. The story is told from the point of view of Dr. Gemma Phillips. This thoroughly American woman has studied the family history for her PhD. and has an eye for so much of the many decades of culture of British manors and estates. The scene-setting leaves little to be desired, the dialogue, action, and characterizations are simply wonderful in the small village and the stately manor, known as Cherrywood Hall. The clothing and foods of the past get some interesting exposure in this story. I was in suspense most of the time, and quite shocked at some of the plot twists! I have never been very good at guessing who the perp is, in a well-written story. You are going to get a great deal of reading pleasure from this book. I award The Crown for Castlewood Manor a score of 4.9 stars; the score would have been higher, except for the small handful of spelling errors, I stumbled upon.
See Mark’s and my Q&A: https://www.wordrefiner.com/book-reviews/the-crown-for-castlewood-manor-by-veronica-cline-barton#comments
Killer shoes…
Him: “Um, there’s a package from Amazon for you.” (Might as well give Amazon a key, they’re here every day…)
Me: “Oh look, it’s my sparkly rock studs!” (OMG, look at those sparkles, Gemma is so approving these heels…)
Him: “Those studs look pretty lethal…” (Better not go barefoot around them, worse than stepping on a Lego…)
Me: “They have a small role in my manuscript…” (Gemma will be annihilating anyone who tries to take these shoes from her)
Him: “Um, are you taking them to London? I haven’t really booked anything that fancy…” (Better order more pounds from the bank…)
Me: “Wear them? Outside? Oh no, these babies are staying in…” (I need a Mega Closet built, I wonder what Kyle is doing?)
Him: “Um—” (Remember, they do not serve chardonnay in the tower. Pick and choose your battles men, pick and choose…)
Cats: “Oh look, Maw’s brought us another Amazon box, yippie!”
Back to the grindstone…
Edit/revise, edit/revise, Daisy’s expression says it all…
Welcome to my world friends. Have a great week and weekend!
Crowns and Kisses,
Veronica
P.S. Please remember to leave a review, they’re an author’s best friend. Gemma would approve 🙂
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