A date and an update
It's editing time!
Dear reader,
Happy Easter!
I’m having a Sunday lunch with T’s family and plan on bringing a couple fresh batches of hot cross buns.
Last Tuesday, I had such a wonderful little afternoon & evening with T. We watched Wim Wenders' film "Perfect Days" at the cinema - which I absolutely adored. Afterwards, we went to a secondhand bookstore, then we grabbed some delicious burgers and had an impromptu picnic at the park by the sea. It was my kind of date.
On the writing front, I've officially embarked on self-editing. This process begins with a full read-through on my Kindle, taking notes in Scrivener as I go. Then I take those notes and develop a master plan for the big changes - new scenes to write, existing scenes to axe, and others that need an overhaul. Once that's all mapped out, I dive in and make those revisions. Finally, another read-through, editing as I go to smooth out any remaining wrinkles in the prose. After all that, it's off to a fresh pair of eyes - a professional editor.
The good news is that this first read-through has me feeling cautiously optimistic that my manuscript is already in pretty good shape. Not too many big changes on the horizon, thank goodness. I'm still confident I can hit all my deadlines. I'm so excited to finally have a new release coming after a few years! In the meantime, check out a new fun little excerpt below 👀
-Sara
Previous excerpts: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Clashing with the CEO excerpt #6
“Would you mind taking a photo of me?” I asked Neil. “I want something as a memento of this trip.”
“Of course.”
I passed him my phone, then I posed in front of the statue with a cheesy grin plastered on my face. Neil watched on with clear amusement that made me smile even harder. As he took the photo, a passing elderly couple saw us and approached, speaking an unfamiliar language between themselves. The man tapped Neil on the shoulder. In a mixture of broken English and miming, he offered to take a picture of us as a couple. Neil was shaking his head, but the man was insistent. He grabbed my phone and herded a slightly bewildered Neil next to me. The woman motioned for us to stand closer together. No longer having the will to fight the friendly old couple’s instructions, we obliged, moving closer to each other. The woman wasn’t satisfied until we had fully closed the gap between us, the sides of our bodies touching all the way down.
Snap, snap, snap.
At last, the couple returned my phone and went on their way.
“Thank you!” I called as they left.
The man turned back to give me a thumbs up before they disappeared down the winding path into the trees.
“That’s the second time tonight we’ve been mistaken for a couple,” I said, grimacing.
Neil smirked. “We must look good together.”
His flirty remark rendered me gobsmacked. He was full of surprises tonight. I tried to gather myself to think of something equally flirty, or at least vaguely witty, to say in return, but the moment slipped away.
Link roundup
📚Book world news and views from around the web
Jacqueline Wilson has a new Girls book coming out for adults! [Cosmopolitan]
Jacqueline Wilson girlies, you're not ready for this *breaking! book! news!* The author just revealed a new book in her Girls series, and this time it's aimed at adults.
Pick a Path to Romance: The Forgotten D&D Romance Novels [Reactor Mag]
Seeking a way to get more young women involved in the roleplaying game (despite the fact that girls have been playing since the beginning, but that’s another story entirely), Dungeons & Dragons also branched out and commissioned a series of Choose Your Own Adventure-style romance novels.
For Book Recommendations, People Are Always Better Than Algorithms [Lit Hub]
The best kinds of books are the ones with attributes that are unquantifiable, which is a big reason why people are so much better at recommendations than algorithms are.