Out to Editor & Beta Readers

I finished my end of the work on Saturday, September 7, and sent the book to my editor extraordinaire and three beta readers.  Four pairs of eyes are now reading it and seeing the things I can no longer pick up after reading it twenty times myself.

After it went out the door, I sighed.  I am exhausted.  The next three weeks it's out of my hands in the hands of others.  When it comes back, I'll do the final editing and hopefully have it up the first week in October for Kindle sale.

It's coming.

Vicki

Tease Time

I'm in editing hell.  Nevertheless, I can at least take a break and share with you the subheadings to the chapters.  Let your imagination go wild!  

Prologue - Confession is Good for the Soul
Chapter 1    - A Buried Past   
Chapter 2    - No Patience and Deja Vu   
Chapter 3    - Like Father Like Son   
Chapter 4    - A Blessing or Thorn   
Chapter 5    - Right or Left
Chapter 6    - Convergence of Strangers
Chapter 7    - Season of Matchmaking
Chapter 8    - Prudent Caution
Chapter 9    - What is Truth?
Chapter 10  - More Than Tea and Coffee
Chapter 11  - Thwarted Plans
Chapter 12  - The Power of the Tongue
Chapter 13  - Tea for Five
Chapter 14  - Off With Your Head!
Chapter 15  - An Invitation
Chapter 16  - Brandy, Cigars and Secrets
Chapter 17  - Winner Takes All
Chapter 18  - The City of Light and Love
Chapter 19  - Family Heirlooms
Chapter 20  - A Graveyard of Bones
Chapter 21  - A Forgotten Man
Chapter 22  - A Smoke Screen
Chapter 23  - The Pleasures of the Flesh
Chapter 24  - A Sibling Tussle
Chapter 25  - An Emotional Guillotine   
Chapter 26  - No Time to Spare
Chapter 27  - The Day of Reckoning
Chapter 28  - The Aftermath of Truth
Chapter 29  - Intentional Harm
Chapter 30  - A Fork in the Road
Chapter 31  - A Final Pardon
Chapter 32  - Season of Change
Chapter 33  - Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Another Update on The Price of Love

This morning I drove to Office Depot and had the book printed off (340 pages) for a grand total of $26.91.  Geesh!  That was expensive. My Epson printer at home would have gone through two ink cartridges, no doubt, costing me $48.  I guess I saved a few bucks.

To top it off, I had no highlighters around, so I went tromping off to look for one highlighter. How hard could that be since all the school supplies are out?  Purchasing one highlighter is an impossibility at this time of the year. They are bundled up for school in multi-highlighter packages. I ended up with a six-pack for $5.99.  Highway robbery.  Why can't I just buy one for a buck?  Well, I suppose I could look at this way, I have six highlighters I can use on six more books.

Next week, I'll be reading through the text on the printed page. I've stared too long at the book in MS Word format on a computer screen and can no longer see my typos.  There is something about looking at it in print that gives you another view.

Things are progressing, though I have this feeling it's not going fast enough.  October 1st is still my deadline for release of the eBook.  Print will come later, because I need to reformat it entirely and design the interior and back cover.

When I get bored, I keep fooling around with the cover.  Yes, I know I have one already, but I'm a Photoshop junkie of the worse kind.  I downloaded a new font today that's really curly-swirly.  I'm like a kid playing with a new toy.  I've even got stand-by covers that are totally different, too.  

Well, back to work!  I have five more chapters to run through Grammarly, and then I'm reading and holding in my hand six brand new multi-colored highlighters as I read 340 pages.  

Pray for me.

Fondly,

Vicki

Komtesse Angelique Jolene von Lamberg

As an author, I've been accused of writing characters that irritate people. Reviewers are probably right.  I think it is quite obvious, from those who have read my books, that I do not sugar coat reality or emotions when I create stories.  

My characters are created with both good and bad qualities for a purpose.  It sets the theme of the book, gives them conflict and challenges to face, and ends with resolutions that often border on forgiveness, restoration, or love. I'm not the cookie-cutter romance author.  It's the reason I remain an independent author, so I can step away from the expectations of agents and publishers as to what is acceptable and create something unique.

The Price of Love is no exception.

Let me preface this post by letting my readers know ahead of time that there is no romance in this book.  Zero. Zip. Nada. Nothing. There is one stolen kiss in a scene and that's it.  The temptation to fall in love exists. The book will be categorized as family saga/general fiction.  Is there any love in it?  Yes, but a different kind.  It's the love of family. 

As I read through the text again for the third time, I think readers will find some enduring qualities about Angelique and also some irksome qualities that ruffle feathers.  Listen folks, no one is perfect.  Neither are the people I create.  She is on a journey in this book to discover her heritage.  For the past eighteen years she has been reared by an Austrian count and instilled with morals, rigid views, and responsibility.  She is confident, unyielding, judgmental, and opinionated (almost like her biological father she doesn't know). Angelique (who goes by the name of Jolene throughout the book) does have endearing qualities, too, which may not always be evident until the final chapters of the story.

The Duke, Suzette, and their son Robert will also come back, along with Marguerite (the Duke's sister, her husband and son).  They are really secondary characters in this story, as it heavily relies on Jolene who drives the entire novel to its conclusion.

I have this urge to take off the book's cover Legacy's Conclusion, because the ending is a doorway into another story that could turn into romance for one of three people.  Why do I think this family saga will continue?  Perhaps it's because my imaginary characters are poking at me while I work on book three.  I'm not promising anything, but it's a possibility.

Well, back to editing.  It's coming.  Eventually.

All my best,

Vicki

Update on The Price of Love

The Price of Love is consuming my life. This is my third round of re-reading the text and making changes. Each day I'm working on it to correct, enhance, and make it a better read. In addition, I've been running it through Grammarly (a nifty online program you should try out). 

Hopefully, by September 9th, I will have it in the hands of my beta readers and real editor extraordinaire. I am aiming at an October 1st release in eBook and October 15th release in print (or no later than 10/30). 

Editing, at this point, really takes patience. In return, I hope you will continue to be patient as I work to deliver to you a good story that will make you shed a tear at the end. I'm hoping this one won't get thrown against the wall. 

All my best, 

Vicki

Finished Second Draft

I wanted to go to Cannon Beach, Oregon, and walk the shore this weekend.  But, alas, I worked on The Price of Love instead.  Finally, I finished reviewing the first draft.  And again, I came to the end and cried.

After 93,000 plus words, you really get involved in your make-believe characters and their struggles. The ending, of course, is extremely emotional.  The first three quarters of the book is merely a journey--a search for truth and identity, if you will.  The last quarter is revelation. It tells the story of lives coming back together in one colliding reunion.  It's called the climax of the novel, you know.

How do you think everyone will react with the return of Angelique?  Will hatred between the Duke and Philippe still exist? Will Philippe ever be able to forgive Suzette for her adultery?  Will Robert, find Angelique's pardon for shoving over her bassinet?  (Of course, I had to throw some humor in the mix.)

Needless to say, after a long weekend, I am a bit burned out.  Next week, I'll start running the 93,000 words through Grammarly.com and make further revisions.  After that, I'll post again and let you know what my next steps will be.  There will probably be a third run-through before I hand it over to beta readers and editing.

Since the story concludes in Paris where it all began, I'll leave you with a quote that I found by accident. It was purely coincidental that I chose a book for Robert to read that contained the words below.

“For love is like a tree; it grows of itself; it sends its roots deep into our being, and often continues to grow green over a heart in ruins." (Victor Hugo - "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"

There are in The Price of Love, many hearts in ruin.  But it's love in the end that grows green and covers the past. 

Vicki