I’m also continuing to make progress on the second book of my Collie Chronicles. The characters and situations continue to surprise me as they unfold, so I’m very pleased with that!

So nice to hear of progress others are making and appreciate the sharing of your processes!

Here’s the link to the announcement:

https://catherinehaustein.com/2017/12/01/what-ever-happened-to-that-actress-and-the-prince/

I decided to send RPP an avatar instead of an author photo. I have author photos but never made an avatar. At first I wondered if it made sense–an historical novel and a modern image. But it does. Wolves and Deer takes place a few decade before photography. What did people do for passports? They relied on descriptions added by passport agents. Talk about unflattering!

I made some suggestions for the cover but am relying on someone with talent to come up with an image tempting to readers yet true to the novel.

That was my week. Thanks for asking!

Great advice.

Remember that masterpiece that dropped between the cracks somehow and you never went back to finish? A family saga, a children’s fantasy, a whodunit, or something or other that you began building. Only it got so big and so intricate that you put it on the back burner when a life situation came up or you ran out of ideas. Now you’re trying to upgrade it but it’s TOO BI-I-IG! You forgot how the story was developing, or what the middle game was coming to, or even who some of the integral characters were. It’s like a half-painted mansion that you wonder how you got onto in the first place.

There’s your answer. Pull it up on the PC, draw up a big cup of coffee (or whatever) and start on Page One. Read it with your fresh pair of eyes. See if it pulls you in, if your characters are speaking realistically, if it’s moving along quickly enough and if the plot is unraveling smoothly. If it is, then you should be ready to contribute as soon as the last page leaves you hanging. If not, then it needs fixing. What’s with the dialogue? Are there too many characters? Where are the speed bumps? Is there a scene you don’t need or one that needs to be inserted? You’re the architect, but keep the bulldozer on hold. What was it that compelled you to put all that time and effort into it?

When you’ve found all the answers, you may start considering the end-end game. You’ve got all the reasons why this is a great book and it’s going to sell. So keep them on a separate page and remain true to them. For this is how you’ll solicit the work and convince a publisher or agent that this is the next big thing. And, most important of all, you’re re-sold it to yourself. And you should be your biggest fan.