Process of Writing - The Second Draft

Second Draft:

It was a steamy, Texas summer day. [D1] I was shopping on my lunch break at HEB and came across a bright green box with a sexy lady silhouette on it that read[D2] , “Chinese Super Dieters Tea.” I’ve always struggled with my weight and the idea of a[D3]  tea that would help me shed pounds was enticing. I bought it and went back to work.

It was a busy day at the office, as usual[D4] . At the time[D5]  I worked for an optometrist running the front desk.[D6]  I followed the instructions on the box: steep one tea bag in a covered cup filed with [D7] boiling water for no more than two minutes.

I added some sweet n low[D8]  and took it to the front desk with me. The rush hit. The waiting room was full of people either [D9] waiting to be seen by the doctor or picking out glasses. The phone was ringing off the hook. That was pretty typical for the afternoons.

Suddenly I began to feel terrible pains in my bowels. Cramps seized me, followed by the gut gurgles. A cold sweat broke out on my face and forehead. Every muscle strained with the effort of not exploding diarrhea out of my butt in front of all those people. There was no one to relieve me so that I could run to the toilet[D10] . To make things worse, the only restroom in the whole office was a shared one right there in the waiting room.

It was a rather intimate setup. [D11] My coworker would listen to make sure people washed their hands before they came out. You could hear everything people did in there! It didn’t matter. I wouldn’t make it if I tried to go [D12] somewhere else. I had to go, and I had to go RIGHT NOW![D13] 

The moment the rush settled and the waiting room cleared,[D14]  I bolted to the bathroom.

Hollering, “You cover the front!” to nobody in particular, I closed and locked the door.[D15] 

I turned on both the hot and cold water at full strength just to try and mask some of the noise that was sure to come. I was cold-[D16] sweating and doubling over with cramps. [D17] 

I’ll stop there and spare you the comparison between my butt and hot lava spraying out of my anus like Mount Vesuvius into the toilet of Pompeii. Suffice to say, I never took the “diet tea” at work again. I named it “poo tea” because that’s really what it was. That’s all it did. That wasn’t exactly the type of weight loss I was hoping for. Take it from me; you don’t want to try it![D18] 

---

 [D1]added

 [D2]changed from said

 [D3]added

 [D4]added

 [D5]added

 [D6]cut “at the time”

 [D7]added, cut “of”

 [D8]changed

 [D9]added

 [D10]added

 [D11]added

 [D12]added

 [D13]changed from “immediately.”

 [D14]added

 [D15]added

 [D16]hyphonated

 [D17]moved here

 [D18]added

Writing Process - Idea through First Draft

Here's a brief example of the process from the idea to the first draft. I word vomited the story out. I haven't re-read it or edited it in any way. Next time we'll do the second draft revision. You'll get to see the story develop from draft to draft.

The idea:

That time I drank Chinese Super Dieters Tea not knowing what it was. It was at work on a busy day.

The characters:

Me and patients

Me – chubby, short blonde hair, brown eyes, wearing scrubs as a receptionist.

Outline:

I spotted the tea at HEB and grabbed it thinking it was just a weight loss aid. I brought it to work and brewed up a batch, not knowing what it would do. The rush hit. All of a sudden I have to go to the bathroom really bad but can’t because I’m running the front desk.

Calendar: No need. All takes place on the same day.

First Draft:

I was shopping on my lunch break at HEB and came across a bright green box with a sexy lady silhouette on it that said “Chinese Super Dieters Tea.” I’ve always struggled with my weight and the idea of tea that would help me shed pounds was enticing. I bought it and went back to work.

It was a busy day at the office. I worked for an optometrist running the front desk at the time. I followed the instructions on the box: steep one tea bag in a covered cup of boiling water for no more than two minutes.

I added some sugar and took it to the front desk with me. The rush hit. The waiting room was full of people waiting to be seen by the doctor or picking out glasses. The phone was ringing off the hook. That was pretty typical for the afternoons.

Suddenly I began to feel terrible pains in my bowels. Cramps seized me, followed by the gut gurgles. A cold sweat broke out on my face and forehead. Every muscle strained with the effort of not exploding diarrhea out of my butt in front of all those people. There was no one to relieve me. To make things worse, the only restroom in the whole office was a shared one right there in the waiting room.

My coworker would listen to make sure people washed their hands before they came out. You could hear everything people did in there! It didn't matter. I wouldn't make it somewhere else. I had to go, and I had to go immediately.

The moment the rush settled I bolted to the bathroom. I was cold sweating and doubling over with cramps. I turned on both the hot and cold water at full strength just to try and mask some of the noise that was sure to come.

I’ll stop there and spare you the comparison between my butt and hot lava spraying out of my anus like Mount Vesuvius into the toilet of Pompeii. Suffice to say, I never took the “diet tea” at work again. I named it “poo tea” because that’s really what it was. That’s all it did. That wasn't exactly the type of weight loss I was hoping for.

Interview with PH Solomon

Thank you so much for taking a break from your website and blog, Archer’s Aim, and gracing us with your presence. I’m excited to have you here, so let’s jump right in!

Can you tell us a little about The Black Bag? It's a paranormal fantasy short story I wrote over a decade ago. The main character gets tangled with, not one, but three highly vindictive witches in an ill-conceived contest. The original story appeared in the Webzine, Mindflights in 2010 and was re-printed in OtherSheep in 2011. In 2012, it won first prize for best published short story at the SCWC conference. I decided to self-publish it again this year as an e-book with some editing tweaks.

What was the inspiration for The Black Bag? Honestly, not much. I suppose I had a concept of a black bag that came to mind and I began to build a plot from such a kernel idea and then one thing led to another. As an author, I look for ideas in anything I see, read or experience as inspiration. I once saw an old car missing a lock in the trunk which triggered the idea of a short story. I think if you're looking for ideas you will find them all around you.

Why did you choose to write a short story as opposed to a full-length novel?  At the time I wrote this I was learning more about writing through short stories so those were the kinds of ideas I was generating. I was - and still am - pursuing short fiction publication.

Where does your story take place and when? As far as when, the timing is its own since it occurs in a secondary world, in a place called Canderlin Valley. I intended to write a set of short stories set in this venue. Canderlin Valley is a remote area dotted with wilderness, farms, villages and small towns where wild magic can prove dangerous and old stories find their way into the lives of the characters.

What are you working on now? I'm working predominately on the first book of The Bow of Hart Saga entitled, The Bow of Destiny. It's an epic fantasy series set in a secondary world. My intention is to self-publish the book no later than the spring of 2015. The rough draft of the second book, An Arrow Against the Wind, is almost finished so I hope to have it ready for publication by the end of 2015. I also have a parallel series in the works with most of books one and two in rough draft. Lastly, I'm working on a variety of short stories for submission to fantasy markets.

Why did you choose independent publishing over main-stream? My writing lay dormant for a number of years for many reasons but with the amazing growth of independent publishing the last few years I wanted to jump into the water. There is so much more information and opportunity available with digital publishing than ever before. I'm not disinterested in traditional publishing and, in fact, I'm rather inclined to become a hybrid author much like Michael J. Sullivan. But I think independent publishing gives an author a chance to show "proof of concept" for their work. I'm targeting e-books only in hopes of re-releasing with hard copy one way or the other.

When I worked with you to edit The Black Bag, what was your favorite part of the process and your least favorite? My least was the idea of editing again. My favorite was discovering the variety of issues the piece still had and correcting them.

How do you feel The Black Bag benefited from the editorial process? I think that the story is much better - it reads more tightly and the confusing points have been eliminated.

How long have you been writing? Off and on for thirty years. I first completed my original book for The Bow of Hart Saga in the early 1990's and was even offered a contract with a small publisher at the time. The contract was not what I wanted so I shelved it at the time around other unfortunate events and it stayed mostly dormant for over a decade with a few failed re-boots during that time.

What advice would you give to other writers? Take your time and be diligent with writing. There's so much to learn and apply that you need to time for your writing to age. Explore different styles of writing. Also, build your following over the web well in advance of publication.

Thanks again, PH. Happy writing!

Be sure to follow PH Solomon on twitter, Goodreads, and facebook.

20 Steps to Writing a Novel

There are books written on this subject – I read one. It helped me immensely! If you want answers now, though, I aim to give you a brief overview of the process of writing a novel.

This is how I do it. Feel free to find your own groove but this is great place to start.

1. The idea. You mull this around for a while after writing it down just in case you forget. Let it simmer. Think of your main characters, think of the setting, think of the plot arc and the twists you could put in. Once that simmers in your brain meat for a while and you think it’s still a great idea, get your characters written.

2. The characters. Write the names and descriptions/attributes of each character down as you decide on them. Believe me, it helps. I usually do this in a notebook the old fashioned way.

3. The outline. You may think you don’t need an outline. You’re wrong. Everyone needs some form of outline. It can just be scribbled on the back of a napkin with lines connecting single words as long as it means something to you. I just run through the scenarios I've already hashed out in my mind and put it in a Word doc in a somewhat chapter by chapter form. Anything from a sentence to a paragraph, just so I can keep on track. You can always change the outline. I almost always do.

4. The calendar. Make a calendar in excel. This is optional but I find it very helpful. I just figure out when my story begins and for every day that passes in the story I make a brief note on the appropriate day. This keeps my timelines accurate as I write without having to go back later and fix things.

5. The first draft. Just take a glance at your outline, find where you begin and start writing. I highlight the bits of the outline that have been written already to keep me on track. It’s best to block out the world and write in solitude. As Stephen King said in On Writing: a Memoir of the Craft: “Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.”

6. The draft tracker. I keep a notebook, the same one I use for character profiles, with a page for keeping track of the developing book. I write the draft number at the top, chapter 1 on the first line, and what page it begins next to it. I do this for every chapter. When I go and do my second draft I put the same info in a column next to it so I can compare. I like to keep track of total word counts of the final drafts too. It keeps me organized. If you don’t want to do this, you don’t have to.

7. The resistance. Resist the urge to go back and edit the chapters you've already written. They will suck, guaranteed. Just follow the outline, making changes where appropriate, and plug away.

8. The 100 page flashback. At about 100 pages into your first draft, or at a similar point where it seems logical, go ahead and start at the beginning and loosely edit your first draft. This isn’t another draft; it’s just where you’re hashing out errors in the overall story or things that don’t work. You’re also becoming acquainted with your story as a whole. It’s during this point that you will probably change your outline.

9. The first finish. After going through the first 100 pages, continue to write your first draft as you were before. At 200 pages you could edit the last 100 but I usually don’t.

10. The break. Take a break. Two weeks should do it. Do anything but work on this story. Start something new if you must. Reconnect with your family and friends because they probably feel neglected.

11. The second draft. Save the finished first draft as a second draft so you have 2 separate documents. Begin editing the second draft. In this round you want to just try and read the story as a whole from start to finish without rewriting. It’s best if you print out the first draft and just make notes with a pen or pencil in the margins as you go. When your notes are finished, make the necessary changes.

12. The break, take 2. Take another break. Two weeks or more. Don’t rush it. Do consider your work during this time and try to find ways to entice and surprise your readers.

13. The third draft. Save as a new draft. The focus here is on polishing. You want to take it line by line, paragraph by paragraph, chapter by chapter. Does it work? Make sure your dialogue creates tension and/or imparts information other characters need to know. Cut what isn't relevant. Make sure you leave your reader desperate for more at the end of every chapter. If you’re bored reading it, your reader will be too! The third draft focuses on plot arc, believability, continuity, tension, dialogue, and character development. I do this one totally in Word, making notes in my notebook if I need to.

14. The break, take 3. A month. You are very familiar with every aspect of your story now. Take a month off. Don’t even think about it anymore. You want as much distance between your work and the 4th draft as you can possibly get. It matters.

15. The forth draft. Save this as a new draft. I do this revision all in Word too, but this time I read it out loud to myself. You’ll be very surprised what you’ll catch when you do this. You could print it out if you want. It’s up to you. Scrutinize everything. Scour it for errors. Tighten up loose ends and cut stuff that doesn't fit.

16. The beta read. Send your finished 4th draft to at least 2 different beta readers. Wait.

17. The application. Consider the changes the beta readers suggest. Apply their suggestions if appropriate. Really consider what they say before rejecting what you don’t like. Save it as the final draft.

18. The editor/critique. Send that final draft to an editor. Wait.

19. The final application. Apply changes. Save.

20. The final finish. You’re done! It’s only at this point that you would query agents or begin the self-publishing process. Congrats! You've written a novel!

In the following days and weeks I will take each one of these and expand on them. You’ll see the process first-hand through a lame short-story I’m going to make up on the fly. For now I’m going to think of what I’ll write about and let that stew in my brain meat.

Until then, happy writing! Be sure to subscribe to follow the steps in more detail.

Red Plus Zone by Andy Ritchie - A Review

Red Plus Zone takes place in England in a world where time has shattered. This "Shattering" takes place in the near-future of Sam McCall's world. All over the world lay pockets of varying time zones. In a few places, time runs at normal speed. In others, time can be at a dead stop or speeding by, years ticking past in a single standard second.

Very few people would approach a Red Plus Zone, an area where time is greatly accelerated, unless they have a death wish. DCI (Detective Chief Inspector) Sam McCall finds himself doing just that when he's called to the scene of a brutal murder.

It's not enough that the body is half-out and half-in a Red Plus Zone, leaving one side freshly dead and the other a weather-worn skeleton. It's not enough that PTSD hits Sam with nightmares so violent and disturbing that he wakes in a pool of sweat. It's not enough that he's supposed to solve this murder on very little sleep. It's not enough that his precious pills - a highly prized commodity due to the Shattering - have finally run out. This body just had to belong to one of the richest men in the UK.

**I had the privilege of editing this manuscript. If you like sci-fi, if you like expert world building, if you like a good crime drama, if you like unpredictable plots and prickly characters, you will love Red Plus Zone.**

5 Reasons Why You Should Bother With Professional Editing

Whether you're mainstream or indie, this post is for you.

I’m not talking about proof-reading here. I’m talking comprehensive editing/manuscript critique that examines your work from all angles. 

So, why should you bother paying someone like me to edit your novel?

I chose 5 of the most compelling reasons to share with you and we’ll get into them in a moment.

Here’s the deal. EVERYBODY needs some form of outside editing. This should always be done when you've gone over the manuscript so many times that you feel satisfied that it’s finished. Problem is — it isn't finished.

Perhaps you’re skeptical. Perhaps you’re thinking, “But what if the editor rapes my story and tries to change it completely?” or “What if the editor is mean?” or “I think I've got it under control and don’t need help,” or “I’m too cheap.”

Just to address those thoughts real quick:

Editors don’t mess with your voice or try and make your story something it isn't. They simply work WITH you to make it the very best it can be. If you story is crap to begin with, it will be much more attractive crap after the editor gets through with it. If your story is a masterpiece that would make angels weep, the editor will simply polish it up and work WITH you to make your great story an even better possible best-seller.

I can only speak for myself and I am not mean. I will push your comfort zone. I will shell out tough love if you need it. I will NEVER belittle your talent or the amount of work it has taken to get your manuscript to the point at which I begin working on it. I’m an indie author myself and I am passionate about supporting other indie authors.

If you think you've got it covered and don’t want to get professional feedback on your work, then at least get 2 or 3 good beta readers to critique it. Honestly, if you’re not willing to do even this, you have no business publishing.

Now, if you’re too cheap to spring for editing even at my super-low prices, then all I can say is “best of luck” and advise you to make use of any and all free avenues available to you. At the very least you must use 2 or 3 different beta readers. A Goodreads search can find you dozens.

So, now that your concerns are addressed, let’s move on to why you need professional editing:

1. It’s hard to separate yourself from the process and the finished product. What do I mean by that? Well, you've toiled for months or years to produce your shining manuscript. You've read all the books on self-editing, revised, revised, revised again, and you’re proud of the finished product. It’s like parents thinking their kid is the cutest ever. You’re biased. Your reader isn't. Your reader does not care how many hours you've bled soul-juice, typed until you have calluses, or thought so intensely that you gave yourself a headache. You may not see the loose plot threads, the character inconsistencies, the unrealistic dialogue – but your reader will.

"I am a writer and I don't want to hire somebody to tell me that my work is "good" or "bad." I want somebody to grapple with my writing, to see what it does or professes to do and what it fails to do. I want someone to tell me how to make it a heck of a lot better. April does that. She is a unique hybrid of super-reader and writing coach. I never understood the mythical magic of editing and revising that authors referred to until I began working with her." – Davey R Jones, client.

2. You respect self-publishing and are tired of seeing unfinished crap clutter up the virtual bookshelves. I’d say 6 out of 10 indie books I've read were finished, professional quality. I’m part of Rave Reviews Book Club and that’s the source of my indie reads. Just because an author joins an association or club does not mean that their book is ready for print. I've read some amazing indie books through RRBC and I've read some stinkers. In every single case the ones that weren't good were that way only due to lack of professional editing. The stories were creative and original but not well-told. It doesn't matter how amazing/exciting your plot is or how innovative and elegant your prose – if you can’t get the reader through the plot arc or interested in your characters, you’re sunk. A professional editor can save you from this embarrassing situation. As self-publishers, we are pigeon-holed by the mainstream as “unfit for professional publication,” as if our work wasn't good enough to get picked up by the major publishing houses so we settled for indie and unfinished works add to that misconception. That brings me to my next point.

3. You’re going up against big names out there! Every mainstream author’s name you see gleaming back at you in the library or bookstore has an editor. That is a huge competitive edge and one of the reasons I believe self-publishing hasn't become more accepted. As indies we get a percentage of every book sold without a lot of overhead. If you went mainstream you’d get a possible cash advance and a much, much lower percentage of sales – but you’d have a dedicated editor and PR rep. That sounds so attractive and involves so much less work on the author’s part than indie publishing. There’s no right or wrong way to go. With that in mind…

4. Say you’re not interested in indie publishing. You want to be a main-streamer. You still need an editor. Trends today are not in favor of the big publishing houses. Some of them are even requiring authors to pay for their own editing! They've cut cash advances on new authors, slashed royalties and advertising budgets. In the slush piles on every literary agent’s desk there are queries getting rejected every day. Some get accepted. If you can state right there in the query that your manuscript has undergone professional editing, that gives you an edge. It shows that you’re willing to do what it takes to succeed and aren't relying on the publishing houses to carry you like in the old days. Technology has changed everything. That’s great news for you because there are literally thousands of editors freelancing online. Do a Google search and you’ll see… or you could just hire me.

5. Spell checker is NOT FOOLPROOF! Spell check does not know the difference between pray and prey, or from and form. Grammar check is almost completely useless. It suggests that I change the “make angels weep” to “make angels weeps.” WTF? Spell/Grammar check is, at best, flimsy water wings barely keeping your head above water in the vast ocean of novel-writing.

“April was spot-on addressing my editing needs, catching everything from vague miscommunications to missed errors.” – PH Solomon, client

For comprehensive editing I charge $20 per chapter currently. That means that for a 30 chapter book you’ll only pay $600! At 1 cent per word for a 100k word novel you’d pay $1000, and I've never seen prices that low with other editors. That’s a HUGE savings!

I believe the chapter-by-chapter way of doing things is revolutionary and accessible for everyone at any level of their journey. If you can only spare $20 per month that’s fine! I’ll edit one chapter per month. If your chapter is one page long we’ll discuss and negotiate a fair value. If your chapter is 30 pages long, same deal. Most chapters range from 5 to 15 single-spaced finished pages or 10 to 30 double-spaced industry standard manuscript pages.

If you’re a member of RRBC I will do one chapter – any chapter, not just the first one – for free. So if you’re having trouble with one chapter more than any other you can send it my way. Obviously, it’s better if I can view the whole manuscript in order but I believe I will be able to give you valuable feedback nonetheless.

Click here to get started! I look forward to working with you!

The Religion, Rage & w(R)iting Blog Tour

Hi, and welcome to The Religion, Rage & w(R)iting Blog Tour for Authors, Shirley-Harris Slaughter, Rhani D’Chae and Harmony Kent. (Click on each author’s name to be taken directly to their Author Page at 4WillsPublishing, where you can learn more about them).

Shirley Harris-Slaughter

Rhani D’Chae

Harmony Kent

These three authors are wonderful clients of 4WillsPublishing, a publishing House dedicated to helping authors put out the best written, and marketing products for their literary work, possible.

This tour is a surprise tour, which means the authors knew nothing about it until it started!  This is our gift to them to show our appreciation of their work, their dedication to putting out the great written word, and also a big THANK YOU for allowing us to showcase and promote them.

This is a 3 Author/7 Day/40 Blog Tour!  Yes, for 7 days, The Religion, Rage & w(R)iting Blog Tour will sit on 40 blogs!  And for 7 days, on 40 blogs, you will get a tiny tid-bit of something related to Religion, so that you never forget OUR LADY OF VICTORY, the rage of people, such as that displayed in SHADOW OF THE DRILL, and w(R)iting tips to help you POLISH YOUR PROSE! (Click on each book title to find out more about it)

This will be a fun tour, an inspirational tour, a delightful tour which has been designed to enlighten you, entertain you and help you overcome those feelings which bind us daily and keeps us from growing from point A to point B.  Each day as you stop by each blog to find out what bit of inspiration is being shared, we ask that you take the time to leave a comment for the authors, visit their blogs, Follow them on Twitter and FB, and last but not least, please PICK UP A COPY OF THEIR BOOKS!  They are all 5 star reads!  And this tour wouldn't be complete, if you didn't check out The Religion, Rage & w(R)iting Book Trailer (Please note:  these bits and quotes were not taken from the author’s books). 

Before we forget, we've included another of our authors, Nonnie Jules.  Although she’s a partner in our firm, she is STILL one of our clients!  Her books, THE GOOD MOMMIES’ GUIDE TORAISING (ALMOST) PERFECT DAUGHTERS, Daydream’s Daughter, Nightmare’s Friend and Sugarcoatin’ Is For Candy & Pacifyin’ Is For Kids! are also very interesting and entertaining reads!

On this stop, we want you to dwell on this:

"

​Cheat your landlord if you can and must, but do not try to shortchange the Muse.  It cannot be done.  You can't fake quality any more than you can fake a good meal." ~ William S. Burroughs​

Thank you for joining us on this stop of our tour.  We are grateful to our host for allowing us to share with this audience and we hope that we have left you wanting more!  To follow this tour, please visit the 4WillsPublishing EVENTS page for the complete tour line-up and to also register to win a SURPRISE pack of books as well as a stint on WHO’S ON THE SHELF WITH NONNIE JULES!  Now, on to the next stop!!!!

What is Comprehensive Editing?

There are a few different levels of the editing investment an author can choose from, ranging from free to the need to put a second mortgage on your home. 

Here they are in that order:

• Beta Reading – This is usually free and a simple plea put out on Goodreads can accomplish this for you. Make sure you get someone who knows their stuff, though. If they just like to read free books this option may not be worth your time. Some beta readers charge a small fee. Free or not, this is absolutely 100% necessary for all authors everywhere, at the very least. 

Why? Because even though you’re awesome, your prose are tight and beautiful, your grammar is spot-on and your plot kicks ass – you’ve missed something. You’re too intimate with your work. Even taking the recommended 2 week break between draft revisions doesn’t put enough distance between you and your work. A second set of eyes will invariably find something you would swear wasn't an issue. Keep in mind though; you get what you pay for.

• Copy Editing – This cost varies wildly. Some charge per hour, some charge per page, some charge per word. Basic edits, not a lot of rewriting suggested. Pretty much just proofreading. 

• Line Editing – Basically just copy editing with closer scrutiny to word usage and story flow. Cost varies wildly here as well, with some confusion over whether this is included in copy editing or not. 

• Content Editing – “Fine-toothed comb” editing. This is examining aspects such as style, character believability and consistency, dialogue, plot arc. If you’re going to pay for editing, I think it’s wisest to choose this option at the very least. Books don’t fail because of typos, they fail for a variety of reasons and this editing option has a good chance of helping identify if those issues exist in your manuscript.

• Comprehensive Editing – Everything above rolled into one and, generally speaking, this option breaks the bank. Kirkus charges $99 + 6.5 cents per word. For the standard 100k word manuscript that’s $6,599. If that figure seems daunting, you’re not alone. I think it’s worth every penny but because it’s so prohibitively expensive, most indie authors never get the opportunity to put their manuscript through such a high level of professional editing. I aim to change that. This level of editing is my specialty and I’m nowhere near that price. 

My comprehensive editing package will perfect your manuscript and the work it entails is extensive. We will discuss tone, voice, dialogue, cover copy, formatting, in-depth plot analysis, in-depth character analysis, missing elements, accuracy, and an overall review. In addition, when your edited book is published I will purchase your book and review it on Goodreads and Amazon as well as my blog for free.

My current price for the comprehensive editing package is $20 per chapter. If your book is 30 chapters, that’s only $600! The best part is that you can pay as you go instead of shelling it all out at once. 

I hope you’ll give me the opportunity to work with you soon! Just click here to choose your editing package.

Harmony Kent - Polish Your Prose - Blog Tour

Hi there! Thanks for joining me on my awesome fourteen-day blog tour with 4Wills Publishing and my fantastic host for today, April Adams! You can find details of my other stops here: 4Wills Author Page.

I published my first book, THE BATTLE FOR BRISINGAMEN, in May 2013. I soon followed this up with the award winning mystery/thriller THE GLADE in November 2013, and my first Young Adult fiction book, ELEMENTAL EARTH, in July 2014.

Today, am promoting my latest work, POLISH YOUR PROSE. This is my first non-fiction book, and is a powerful new guide that gives essential editing tips for authors.

Lots of books have been written on the art of writing, and here—at last—is a guide that will teach you the essential techniques of editing your own book. This will help you turn a promising manuscript into a published novel. And, it does this without the jargon. You don’t need to know all the grammatical terms in order to make use of this book. You don’t need to know the definition of a split infinitive, a comma splice, or a ‘to be’ verb, as this manual explains these in detail in easy to understand terms, and a lively and engaging style.

Chapters on Passive Writing, Tense, Point of View, Dialogue, and other techniques take you through the same processes an editor would go through to polish and perfect your manuscript. Good writing is nothing without good editing. Learn the secrets of good editing and writing with this essential author reference, which offers so much more for so much less.

As well as being an award-winning author, I am an accomplished editor and proofreader. My passion is helping Indie Authors to successfully achieve their goals and dreams.

Excerpt from Chapter Nineteen: Proof It …

“Proofreading your book is essential. You must not EVER rely solely on your spellchecker. As it will lead you astray.  One of the more amusing things I came across recently was while reading a local newsletter:

While proofreading this newsletter we were struck by how many please for help there have been.

It might be worth noting that my spellchecker didn't catch that when I typed up this book. The word, of course, wants to be ‘pleas’.

It is also a good idea to put your book away for a week or two, minimum, if you intend to proof it yourself. This way, your brain will come at it fresh and not insert what it ‘knows’ should be there.

When we proofread, we don’t just read in the normal way. …”

Link to Youtube book trailer movie.

You can pick up your copy of POLISH YOUR PROSE here:

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Links for my other books:

The Glade

Elemental Earth

The Battle for Brisingamen

You will also find me in the soon-to-be-released Rave Reviews Book Club Anthology: RAVE SOUP FOR THE WRITER’S SOUL, and the All Authors Magazine Anthology: CONCORDANT VIBRANCY.

My website is http://harmonykent.co.uk

I’m also on twitter: @harmony_kent

My 4Wills Author Page.

Thanks for stopping by!

This tour sponsored by 4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com

Aoife Sheridan and her book - Hunters

Hunters – Taken From Chapter Four – Memories (Abigail)

***

That night, I dreamt of before.

My mother had been always sad. That’s how I remembered her. I didn’t have one memory or a photo of my mum happy. My memories start from the age of four, people say it’s not possible, but I have them and my mum has been always sick. I remember sitting on the stairs and the doctors talking to my father. I wasn’t sure at the time what they were discussing, but later I learned it was because my mother wasn’t getting better.

Dad had to work, there was no two ways about it so mom took care of us. The first day, my dad was worried when he left me and my brother, who was only three at the time, in my mother’s hands. That first day, I was five. I stayed in my room and kept my brother with me, playing a tea party with Mr. Bear and Diana, my rag doll. Hunger was one reason for leaving the room. I would pass the sitting room door where my mother sat, staring out the window. Her brown eyes darted to me, freezing me to the spot. I was afraid to move, but I didn’t know why.  I just felt afraid of her. I would make a peanut butter sandwich for myself and some Ready brek for Sam; I had seen dad make it before so I was careful. It took me a while as I pulled the chair around the kitchen, reaching the presses and the microwave. I turned to go back upstairs, but my mother blocked the door. I stood still, hoping she wouldn’t see me.

She was always so quiet, but on this day, she spoke, “If your dad thinks that I don’t mind you and Sam, he will send you away and you’ll never see us again.”

She knelt down, taking the food from my hands and placing it on the floor. Her face softened and she hugged me. I didn’t hug her back. She cried, saying she was sorry for everything. She pulled back and handed me my food and returned to her seat in the sitting room. I raced up to Sam. His food was cold, but he ate it. He was quiet for a child, well, I realized later on that three year olds are not always as good. We would play up there for the rest of the day until Dad got home from work. I would race into his arms and hug him tightly, knowing everything would be okay.

“Did you have fun with your mum, today?” Dad asked.

 I thought of what mommy had said to me; I didn’t want to go away from Daddy or Sam. So I nodded, smiled and went back to playing with Mr. Bear. This became our routine for the next month.

Memories flashed through my mind, snippets of talking to Sam, playing games, saying goodbye as Dad left for work and greeting him when he got home. My mother’s empty eyes, and then the memories stopped, slowing down to another one.

“Sam, I’m going to the toilet, you stay here with Mr. Bear.”

 Sam nodded and continued to pour tea for us all. I closed the bedroom door behind me so he would stay in. He was too small to reach the handle. I raced down to the bathroom. The door was open. My mother was lying on the white tile floor. The tiles were red. She looked so white and the knife Daddy always told us not to touch lay in her hand. I noticed that her arm was cut real badly. I didn’t run to her or cry as I was too afraid of what stood in the corner of the bathroom.

A dark figure, like a big man, with a cloak over him stared down at my mum. He scared me. My breath came out in small puffs of cold air. I could see the water that dripped from the tap was frozen solid, held in midair. I looked back at the man, frost was starting to grow on his cloak. He wasn’t the bad man that was always around Mommy. He was different, but still he felt wrong.

 I ran back to Sam and closed the door, pulling him into the corner of the room. It was getting so cold that our breaths were visible in front of us. Sam started to cry, but I pulled him beside me while crossing my legs so I wouldn’t pee, but it was so cold and it took Daddy a long time to get home and I didn’t want to go into the bathroom where mommy and the man were.

I could hear my daddy’s scream before he burst into the room, gathering me and Sam in his arms. He was crying. I had never seen daddy cry before.

“I’m sorry, Daddy. I wet myself,” I said.

 My dress was ruined. I loved this dress. It made me feel like a princess.

“Did you go into the bathroom?” Dad asked, his voice sounded scared, maybe he’d seen the bad man, but then I remembered all the times he said that it wasn’t real, and that I shouldn’t make up stories, so I didn’t say anything about the man. I didn’t want daddy to lock me in my room again.

“Mommy’s hurt and she was near the toilet I couldn’t go”

He held me tightly and, at the moment, I thought everything would be okay, but I was so wrong.

***

Author Bio

Aoife Marie Sheridan has loved reading from a very young age, starting off with mills and boon's books, given to by her grandmother her love for romances grew, by the age of 14 she had read hundreds of them.
Aoife had a passion for writing poetry or in her eyes her journal entries. It was something she did throughout her teens and into her twenties. Aoife won first place for two of her poems and had them published at a young age of just nineteen. Realising she needed to get a real job (What writing isn't) she studied accountancy and qualified working in that field for many years, until her passion for reading returned and she found Maria V Snyder. Poison study one of her favourite books has been read and re-read countless times.

Aoife's first book Eden Forest (Part one of the Saskia Trilogy) came to be after a dream of a man and woman on a black horse jumping through a wall of fire and the idea of Saskia was born. Now with her first novel published and taking first place for Eden Forest with Writers Got Talent 2013, Aoife continues to write tales of fantasy and is currently working on her third book for the Saskia Trilogy amongst other new works.

***

Purchase Links:

Amazon.com -   http://www.amazon.com/Hunters-Demon-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00NLRMJ5S/ref=sr_1_7?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1411466472&sr=1-7&keywords=hunters

Amazon.co.uk - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hunters-Demon-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00NLRMJ5S/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1411466580&sr=1-1

Createspace: https://www.createspace.com/4652900

To contact Aoife you can email her at aoifesheridan101@gmail.com 

Website: www.aoifemariesheridan.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Aoifemariesheri

Blog:  aoifesheri.wordpress.com

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6551996.Aoife_Marie_Sheridan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aoifesheri

Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/+AoifeMarieSheridan

Linkedin: http://ie.linkedin.com/pub/aoife-marie-sheridan/66/760/942

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/aoifesheri/

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?_encoding=UTF8&field-author=Aoife%20Marie%20Sheridan&search-alias=digital-text&sort=relevancerank

This tour sponsored by 4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com