Sunday 31 May 2020

One, Two, Three

It has been most enjoyable to finish the next editing stage (2) on the wonderful flash fiction collection I’m working on with the author. All when shielding in Covid-19 lockdown! Things are an extension of weekly lockdowns for me due to disability and medication. It makes it very weird and I miss socialising so much.

So, count to three and keep on editing!


Monday 18 May 2020

The Joy of the Edit 2

I've recently completed Edit 2 on a second book I'm editing for Bridge House and it has been most encouraging.

The author has put so much hard work into the book. What is nice at this stage is (a) seeing that and (b) as a result almost feeling how much the book has been strengthened as a result.


Beware, editor at work!  Pixabay


This is probably my favourite part of the editing process. The book is so nearly there and that's a great feeling for author, publisher, and editor alike.

One for the spelling fans maybe! Or there again....  Pixabay     






I'm also pleased to see the first book I edited is now out. I must admit, while I cannot be as pleased and thrilled with that as the author undoubtedly is, I do feel almost maternal, wanting the book to do well out there in the big, bad world!


A story well told and with the right amount of editing to make the maximum impact on a reader. Now that IS important. Pixabay.

Now I am looking forward to being on the other side of the fence again when I have my own Edit 2 back to work through in due course!


Saturday 16 May 2020

Publishing The Power of Love



 

 How we came to publish this one

We’re now only considering short story collections or children’s books by authors we already know. This was an exception as it came to us before we imposed that restriction. However, Phyllis has become one of our more regular writers as she is now on CafĂ©Lit.      

The title

Yes, this is a collection of love stories. There is romantic love, familial love, even the love of pets for their owners.   

The cover

That old clock at Waterloo station features a few times in the stories so it seemed a good idea to feature it on the cover. In any case, using a station implies going on a journey and entering new relationships or confirming the depth of them is always a type of journey.

Some notes about style

There is a lot of inner monologue in these stories. For the main part we’ve used that sort of indirect form, e.g. “Would he turn up? What if she didn’t recognise him? Was this a sensible thing to have done?” It’s always important at this point to do this in the voice of the character whose point of view we’re reading. We’ve mixed this with some quoted words and even characters talking out loud – both just to stop the style; becoming too monotonous.  

Who we think the reader is

These stories are ideal for a holiday read. They are for the most part heart-warming and life-affirming.