Do You Want the Good News or the Bad News?
Well, I want the good news. Only the good news. Sadly, my inbox was not asking my opinion this morning and decided to deliver both. *shakes fist at inbox*
So first…
I have some word about The Russian! It’s being released in a 3-in-1 anthology in the UK called The Cinderella Brides and the official title for the book within the antho is THE PETROV PROPOSAL. Aleksei Petrov is thrilled to have his name in the title, but to tell you the truth…I don’t know that his ego needed the boost!
I positively love the title though, and can’t wait for the book to go out. I’m fortunate enough to be sharing the anthology with Harlequin Romance writer Barbara Wallace and brand new Modern Heat author Aimee Carson! (fun fact, Aimee and I sat across from each other on the flight from Denver to Orlando, and while we suspected we were both RWA bound, we were both too awkward to say anything…but she caught up to me at the Orlando airport and asked if I was Maisey…how did she recognize me? My iPad. :D)
The Cinderella Brides will release in the UK in August, 2011.
Now, onto the bad news…okay, I exaggerate. Onto the news that made me make this face —> :S
Revisions. *dum dum DUMMMM*
I haz them. For the Frenchman. But no, I cried. It’s perfect! It’s brilliant!! It’s literary art emblazoned on a canvas of .doc and slathered in win!!
Oh, on second thought…she has a point. Oh, and there too…and there.
Crap. And for good measure…*ANGST*
And for better measure…*delete* *delete* *delete*
I could tell you all that I don’t get revisions, I could just announce sales, but the reason I still blog about this part of the process is that it’s a part of the process we need. It’s one that doesn’t go away just because you sell. It’s important. It’s necessary. It always feels like blerg.
But here’s the thing…there are some books that I’m just not a good enough writer to pull off. The Inherited Bride was like that. I had to get better to write that book, if that makes sense. That meant revisions. It meant stepping out of my comfort zone. It meant seeing things differently, growing, stretching and all the pain that goes with it.
This is going to be one of those books. This step was necessary, I truly believe it.
So it’s not bad news, really. (Well, it’s bad cuz now I want to get buried in my In Construction office and it’s still…In Construction and Thanksgiving is on Thursday…at least there will be pie) But this is good news. This is an opportunity. To learn, to grow, to make it further in my journey as a writer, because I’m still on a journey. I have a feeling I always will be, but that makes it all the more interesting.
I will keep you all posted from my In Construction Revision Bunker…
Maisey
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Loving the Russian. He’s slathered in win. And as for B&E, they will slathered in win too once you’ve finished with it. It’s going to be a FABULOUS book. The hard ones always are. 🙂
Jackie, what would my ego…I mean I…do without you? 😀
Here’s hoping the office is done by Monday so I can make a good start!
As someone firmly stationed in the “Maisey rocks” camp, it makes me feel immensely better to hear you still get revisions. I have two sets of them from two different publishers right now, along with a book that just doesn’t want to be ended, LOL. So it’s a big boost to know other authors sometimes have to slog through it too. 🙂
Can’t wait to read all your upcoming books!
O hai, Cari…*clings* thank you for being in my camp. *big dewy eyes*
Yep, I like to believe I still wear the revision crown…it’s made of duct tape and stickers, and it gets stuck to my hair and is not that cool to wear…but you know, I am glad to have revisions. Because after revisions, a book is better. And I want the book to be better!
Wow you on two sets of revisions! Good luck with them! I hope both pubs really like what you do! If you need to whine about them, you can take to twitter and moan at me. 😛
Hi Maisey, good luck with you revisions and have a happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you, Nas. I shall overeat to fortify myself for the challenge ahead… 😉
Well, Maisey, you know you can do ’em. And make the book better, stronger and even more unputdownable as a result! The BEST authors know they need to go from strength to strength, digging deeper, turning solid silver into precious gold.
It’s challenging, but so worth it! Looking forward to reading both!! Have a lovely thanksgiving too!
I’m always meh about revisions too, and luckily don’t get huge amounts, but what you say about the comfort zone is right. My husband said to me yesterday that I ought to have been more widely published years ago, but all I could think was that you get better with every book and the stuff I’m writing NOW, I couldn’t have written back THEN. So you’re right, some books, some stories, are just more than you can comfortably handle at certain stages of your career. But you learn as you go along, and as you revise, and slowly get better at writing ‘big’ books with big themes.
Still pretty meh though to face revisions. Good luck!
Jx
Thanks so much for being frank about your process. I am nearly done with the book I’m working on and I just about hate it now. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing I can fix all these flaws in editing!
Sally, that’s lovely. And it’s certainly what I hope to accomplish! Solid gold MS here we go…
Jane, meh indeed. I trust my editor completely and I still feel blech when I see those letters. A combo of things, the work, feel like I let her down, missing the check that will now be delayed. But ultimately, I agree that it can be better. How can I not make it better then? *sigh*
Julia, congrats on being so close to The End! Sometimes you just have to get a book down and worry about the rest later.