Russian News
I am a happy camper, because a couple of days ago, my editor got back to me about the full MS of The Russian. (it took her one week, people…Highlander? I think so.)
Anyway, she really loved it, and there were just a few tweaks, mostly pertaining to timelines and me putting gondolas in Milan. (hey, they have canals!)
So I worked on the tweaks all day Wednesday and turned it back in, and now I’m hoping I’ve tweaked enough to get the final good news on it!
Oh…and guess what made a guest appearance? The Train. YES!! I got the train back in without it being a wicked, tricksy, plot device! Private rail car, ahoy! 
This was an interesting one to write in so many ways. My heroine has a past. One she doesn’t like to talk about. Oh, it’s not a secret…if you google her, you’d know her biggest regret. She carries a lot of guilt, and has built up a lot of layers of armor to try and shield herself from ever being hurt, or manipulated, like that again.
Because of my heroine’s past being what it was, because she had spent so many years enduring condemnation and heaping it on herself, I found my hero becoming her biggest champion. It was the one thing she’d never had in her life: someone she could open up to, someone who would support her no matter what.
In that moment, when she was baring all to him, I knew he had to accept her as she was. It was such a joy to write that moment.
Of course, even then they were a long way from happily ever after. Aleksei believes in love, but never wants to face the pain it can bring again. And he feels his heart still belongs to the wife he lost in a tragic accident. Madeline believes that loving someone enables them to manipulate you.
They both face an uphill battle, not only to give love, but to receive it. Ultimately, they’re both afraid.
I always get a little theme in my mind as I write, and this one hit me near the end: Perfect love casts out all fear.
In order to truly love, they both had to let go of the weight of fear that was holding them down.
I have two proposals into my editor now awaiting approval, and I’m hoping she likes what I’ve sent her. *fingers crossed* Until then, I’m fiddling around with Mr. Frenchman, even though he’s not 100% approved yet. I just can’t help myself. He’s too pretty!! 
And, just a note, for those of you who don’t know…you can follow me on twitter! My super sekrit handle is maiseyyates. 😉
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That’s my favorite verse in the Bible, and the underlying theme of most of my books 🙂 Congratulations, Maisey. Sounds like another wonderful & gripping read. I have HVA on my Kindle now, but I’m waiting until I’m done with my current ms (which feels like never right now!!) to read it.
Okay, so I read this – “My heroine has a past. One she doesn’t like to talk about. Oh, it’s not a secret…if you google her, you’d know her biggest regret.” – and for like five seconds I thought about googling her. Then, “wait she’s talking about in the book’s world.”
One of us has a problem, and I’m not sure which of us it is! 😀
So thrilled for you over Maddy and Aleks. I LOVED their story!! And you worked so hard on it. Yay for the rail car (cos I loved that part too!). Fear and overcoming it is what it’s all about huh?
Well done super-sekrit Ms Yates.
Right! If you get to keep the train…..I get to keep the penthouse. Here I was feeling like a proper writer because I was being stern with myself (just like Maisey) and identifying extraneous self-indulgent elements in my writing (just like Maisey did) and then removing them with only a tiny twinge of regret but feeling all the better for it (just like Maisey said I would) and NOW after I cleaned that penthouse from top to bottom, put it on the market and am resigned to selling it, I find out you get to keep the train!! You lucky thing, I’m happy for you. I’m happy for me too – you ARE helping me to become a better writer (you and all my regular blog mentors are adding to my cache of knowledge with every post).
I’m about halfway through HVA – three kids with conjunctivitis (blurrchh) make for little to no mummy time but what I’ve read is wonderful (we’ve just arrived in Hawaii). Congrats on The Russian.
Ooh…on Kindle, Kate? I didn’t know it was out in the States yet! Thanks for picking it up! And we share many common themes. 😉 But that verse was just on repeat in my head as I wrote my heroine’s big revelation. 🙂
Mary K…hehe…I can see myself doing that!! It all gets so real to me…I almost believe I could google her and fine her scandal. But you know what’s really weird? When you googls His Virgin Acquisition, you find actual listings for Marco De Luca and Elaine Chapman. Uber strange.
Yeah, Jackie, that’s true of everything! Fear is crippling and there’s just no place for it! And yes, yay for the rail car!! It was Mr. Yates idea and I really liked it.
Go Maisey!
Go Carlton!
So glad you have brought him back, that is def the best happy dance on earth, :o)
Looking forward to getting my hands on the Russian!
Jo
x
I don’t think it’s on Kindle in the States, but I bought it from M&B… somehow my Kindle was registered in the UK!
Joni, argh! Kids still sick?? 🙁 Glad you’re enjoying HVA…things do start to heat up in Hawaii…and yes, I kept my train. But the big difference was that The Train was no longer its own character. And it wasn’t driving my story!!
Joanne, yes, no one dances happier than Carlton. Loves him. And you naughty thing! My heroine does not want your hands on her Russian!
Kate, that’s a trick! From the M&B site? Or Amazon? I have to know this.
LOL I love the movie dance clip! Congrats Maisey! That’s fabulous news! I don’t suppose could borrow Maddy and Aleksei’s first chapter…?
Lacey, *whispers* my editor might recognize it. She’s read it LOTS of times.
I think your editor needs to go on vacation from now until about 30 October… ;).
Hey while I’ve got you what say you about your the query letter that travelled with your partial for His Virgin Acquisition? What points did you put in that baby?
Lacey, I think she’d probably take you up on that vaycay.
Okay, I went looking for the original query letter…and couldn’t find it. *snap* But what I remember…I gave a business intro of myself in the first paragraph. (they want publication history, contests, rejections, submissions…nothing personal) and then did two or three lines about the MS. ‘Elaine Chapman is willing to do anything to get what she feels is rightfully hers…even propose marriage to playboy businessman Marco De Luca. Elaine is all business, but the attraction that simmers between them is most definitely not!” (do better than that though…LOL)
Then I thanked them for their time. 🙂
Oh you didn’t have to go looking! Thanks so much! So you do put rejections in there as well? Just how many or details lol? What a happy topic 😉
Um…you might go with number of submissions? HVA was my *coughfirstsubmissioncough* so that was what I put in the letter.
LOL!! Yeah don’t say that first submission thing too loud ;).
I try not to…
So humble. Gloat a little it’s good for the skin 😉
I don’t have time to gloat…I have to keep writing books. 😉 Although, the lack of gloating may explain the pimples…meh.
Congrats Maisey on another book. You are quite the writing beast! Carole Mortimer better watch out. 😉
Maurine, *vbg* Carole is quite safe for now. 😉 But I absolutely love what I write and so I just *want* to do it. All the time.
Thank you!!
I don’t blame you. When you get to spend time with such hunky men, why not? 😀
My website ate *my* comment. How rude!!
Ahem…yes, it’s a wonder I get anything else done at all. And best of luck with your NV entry!!
Yeah Carlton is back! Well done you, and LOVE the name Madeline, in fact, I have have a Maddy at home, although today she has been Madeline very often…
Madeline is Maddy for the most of the book…but LOL on your Madeline being Madeline today. 🙂 When Drama Baby is in a snit we call him Lou. Don’t ask. His name is Aidric.