editing – Page 8

As an author, there are two occasions when I feel particularly happy regarding my craft. The first, is a sense of personal achievement when reaching ‘The End’ with a novel. The second time, is a when I start to revise a new Work in Progress and find myself catapulted into creating the new story.

Two days ago, I completed Codename: Foxglove. Apart from working on various other projects it took me two years to produce what I believe is a satisfactory tale. It is now with four beta readers, and if all goes well, by mid-December will hit the virtual shelves as an eBook. Hopefully, by late December it will also be available as a paperback. This will see the end of the Beyond The Law series of stories.

For anyone interested, the first chapter is Giving Your Word.

A considerable weight had been lifted, so I revisited Selena: Sea Nymph, my first attempt at a modern paranormal fantasy. I read my first two chapters, made a few notes, and enjoyed a coffee before reading them again. From that point it took me a ‘working day’ to rehash what was previously written. The first chapter has seen a considerable reworking. Half of the original first chapter has been replaced, and the half I removed has become the new second chapter. Mysterious or what?

As this is a new venture for me with regard to genre, I’d appreciate any feedback. The refreshed blurb is available on the book’s page, and the first chapter, Realisation, is available for reading and comments.

I have no fixed target set for publication of Selena: Sea Nymph, but a rough estimate is Spring 2022. It will be interesting to see how closely matched my guess is with the reality.

In the meantime, as always, thank you for reading my blog and any comments or suggestions.

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In mid-September I spent a week up in Scotland—in the picturesque Highland village of Pitlochry. It was an appropriate place to finish off the first full editing session of Codename: Foxglove. Dominique (Foxglove), went there to visit her mentor, Rachel (Codename: Nightshade).

The Foxglove story will rest until mid-October, and from then it will undergo at least three further sessions with two-week breaks between. If it feels ready, I aim to send it out to beta readers in late November. When published, this tale will bring the Beyond The Law stories to a close, so, as might be expected, it will be done with a heavy heart, but by the same token, some series’ run their course. I’d like the final story to be a worthy conclusion to the tales which started life as a single experimental poem about a man who was compelled to end his military career.

Pitlochry saw several scenes from Codename: Nightshade which involved the Mental Riders Motor Cycle Club among others. Characters from both sides of the line came unstuck in a big way in the village. Locations like the filling station, a (renamed) bar on the main road, a large hotel, a car park, and the railway station all held a special significance for me. I travelled along the road which was used in a car and motorbike chase and felt justified in having used the route in the scenes.

While in Scotland, I visited Braemar which featured in Beyond the Law: Retribution. As the author of action scenes, death and mayhem, it creates a peculiar feeling to be on site and imagine what took place in my imaginary world.

Apart from those places I also spent a day at Aviemore and on several of the countryside routes in the area. Here, of course, I was reminded of the characters from my Light at The End trilogy, and in particular my heroine from the spinoff, Sylvia.

In visits to Glasgow, my home town, I’ve enjoyed the ‘sense of place’ when thinking back to the Beyond The Law trilogy, and in recent visits to Edinburgh I sensed the presence of Bryce, and several other characters from Czech Mate.

A knowledge of the locations used in stories complements the imagery and to a certain extent, the action. Returning to ‘real’ places after the job is done is a surreal experience and provides a healthy dose of satisfaction—I’d recommend it to fellow authors.

Thank you for indulging me with your time and comments.

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