Well, friends it’s been a while. Did you miss me? I missed you all.

I have been busy writing Book 3 of the Lake Surrender series and finally finished the rough draft. People have asked me what comes next after the first draft. Let’s just say it’s a bit of a journey.

 My next project after finishing the first draft is re-reading the previous books, because believe it or not, a writer can’t remember all that they have written. (Remembering little details are important to keep facts straight).

After perusing my literary memory lane, I will go through the manuscript several times and edit it. I actually enjoy this process as I can add jewelry and accessories to the outfit (to coin a metaphor), and let it shine as I strengthen characters, sharpen dialogue, and insert more setting descriptions.

My next step is to send the manuscript to a paid independent editor who will comb through the story and rip it apart (Cue voluminous tears and an author meltdown -just ask my husband).

The next phase comes where I send my story out to beta readers. These are not editors but readers who will tell me if they like the characters and if the story works. While I am waiting for their response, I will be writing a multi-page book proposal to send to my editor.

And finally, if my publisher likes the story, he will offer a contract. At that point I will collapse on the floor with sheer exuberance and exhaustion as I sing the Hallelujah chorus.

And, that’s the path to publication. It’s a long go, but oh so worth it when you hold that baby book in your hand for the first time!

Note: For the month of November I will be on Celebration Lit’s blog tour.  It’s a fun way to get one’s book in front of more readers. Now the cool thing I wanted to share is that for those who leave comments on the blog have a possibility of winning a $50.00 Amazon gift card just in time for Christmas.  You can’t beat that.  Here’s the link to the tour:
https://www.celebratelit.com/deep-end-of-the-lake-celebration-tour/

I’m crossing my fingers one of you wins!