What it takes to edit a fantasy book

Happy February. It is hard to write those words, with the state of the world (by the way, abolish and prosecute ICE).

It’s line editing month for me. For those not familiar, that’s the process where I go line by line of my next book, Pirate Princess (real title to be announced soon), and make sure it sounds how I want it to sound.

And what does it take? Probably 30 cups of coffee, near constant cat snuggles, at least a month, and my entire brain. So, doing this after my full-time job some days is near impossible. But I’ve gotten this far, right?

This is the part of my process where I question everything I know and everything I think I know. For example, did you know that most people don’t bite their lips when they’re nervous? Really, think about it. You do other things: wring your hands, twist or purse your lips. Your heart beats faster, hands sweat, etc. etc. etc. I was overusing that phrase in my last book, and my husband (my alpha/first reader) pointed it out.

He also made a good point: “People bite their lips when they’re being seductive, not anxious.” I suppose.

Also, overused words/phrases for me:

• Nodding (EVERYONE in my first book was a bobblehead before I searched for the word and changed many of them)

• Quirked a small smile (you’re still going to see this a couple of times in my books, because I like it) (in fact, this phrase probably isn’t overused. But damn, my characters do smile a lot) (the books ARE cozy-ish so they are often happy and falling in love. That’s what I tell myself)

• Wide eyes (Whoops, I still use it a lot. I’m getting better)

A couple of years ago, I bought The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi and that helps a lot. I recommend it to all the creative writers I know. When I’m editing and don’t have the book around, I highlight a phrase and say “wide eyes EMOTION DICTIONARY” or “ED” to remind my future self that I have, indeed, already decided to change this sentence, hopefully for the better.

So, with my cat, my thesaurus, and my laptop, I shall attempt to climb the mountain that is editing (and bringing down) the 95k word manuscript that is my second book. Wish me luck?

-My first signing ever at Barnes and Noble got snowed out (and goddess, was it a lot of snow)! So, we moved it to Sunday, February 8 from 1-4 (Easton Barnes and Noble in PA). Then, I found out that’s Super Bowl Sunday, which I literally always forget about😬… but it’s way before the game, so hopefully I’ll get to talk to a bunch of people about fantasy! If you’re local, I would LOVE to see you!

I just tabled at a local arts festival hosted by Partially Shy Magazine in Flemington, NJ. The event was small, but we had so many conversations about writing and publishing, and I sold a few books! All in all, an excellent day. Then, I collapsed in the coffee shop with my friend.

Since I get this question pretty often, all the links to buy THE GREAT TREE OF IRIS in eBook or paperback are here! If you want a signed edition with goodies, I hope you’ll come to one of my events. 🙂 

Watching: You know how sometimes you just need to rewatch something to feel some joy? I did that recently with Ted Lasso (episode title: “Rainbow”) when Roy takes control of his future. That whole episode, right down to all the romcom jokes, is my favorite of the whole show.

Now I’m watching Shrinking season 3 and Bridgerton. I swear, Shrinking keeps getting better and I know my non-watching friends are tired of me talking about it.

ALSO, my friend M was shocked that I didn’t mention Heated Rivalry in the last newsletter so I’m mentioning it because it deserves it. There you go, M!

Listening: Lately, it’s been a truly wild mix of Hazbin Hotel, Wicked, AJR, and “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” Honestly, looking back at that list—this just feels like “theater kid/adult” and it all makes sense now.

Crafting: I started quilting more again! I try to spend 45 minutes to 1 hour most days after work in my sewing room. I think it’s helping me manage the winter doldrums. That being said… not as much work on Pirate Princess is getting done. But it will. I’ve done it before (written a book). I will do it again.

Reading: I just read Hekate by Nikita Gill, and absolutely loved it, mostly because it was written in verse and I am a poet. I mean, I eat that up. Now there’s me wondering when and how I’m going to write a novel in verse because… I think I have to.

I started Oblivion’s Hymn by A.J. Peterson, an author friend of mine, and I’m excited to see where it goes. I love the premise of two women who are long lost best friends going on an adventure together.

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