Friday Frenzy - peek at The Reckoning!

Well, I found out this week that I had Bronchitis. I'm one of those people who avoid going to the doctor as much as possible. I believe in natural medicine, herbs and oils, and of course healthy eating, and try to steer away from all the medicines they want to force down your throat these days. But, alas, I had this weird cold and cough for over 2 weeks and my mother convinced me to go. Thank God! I've never had Bronchitis before or anything like that, so I was shocked. Now, much to my regret, I'm on antibiotics.  Unfortunately I couldn't watch my granddaughter this week because I'm contagious.  So I really miss her!

Writing news
I'm nearing the 80,000 word mark on the first draft of The Reckoning. Most of my books are 100K or more so I've probably got another 30,000 words, but the story is coming together and the end is in sight!  As a teaser, I put together this quick blurb. Hope you enjoy it!


When Morgan Shaw crept into the hold of an old pirate ship replica at San Diego’s Annual Tall Ship Festival, her only intention was to avoid the guy who had just dumped her and who was now boarding the ship with two women on his arm. What she didn’t expect was to wake up aboard a real pirate ship three-hundred years in the past. But of course, it wasn’t real. Her wealthy father had obviously staged it all in an effort to get her mind off her upcoming chemo. Or had he?

Rowan Dutton seeks enough treasure to repay a debt to his sister and reinstate the Dutton name among British Jamaican Society. He is but one major haul away from accomplishing his goal when a strange woman appears on his ship and causes him to lose his prey. Despite his anger, he is enthralled with the little minx: her strange clothing, odd speech, and her insistence that they are all actors playing a charade paid for by her father.

Yet when the brazen little lady divulges Rowan’s secret treasure map to a longtime nemesis, events are triggered that could cost them both their lives and change the course of history forever.




Friday Writing Tip

This is a very important tip, especially if you're a new writer or you've never been published by a traditional publisher.
Hire a professional editor to go over your book when it's done.   
Last week I mentioned studying the craft of writing and reading tons of great writing books. You must do that too. But after you write "The End" on your story, I urge you, I plead with you to hire an editor. A good one who comes highly recommended, to do a deep, substantive edit on your book.  People often ask me what steps I took to get published and I tell them that first, I studied the craft of writing, Second, I did my research on the history of the time, third I wrote the book, (actually finished it - so many writers never do this)  and lastly I hired an editor.  I will honestly tell you that I learned more from that editor than any book could teach me. She or he will go through your book line by line and tell you what works and what doesn't, whether your characters are deep enough and likeable, whether your secondary characters add to the story, whether your plot stinks and is boring and needs spicing up, how to increase the tension on every page... etc.

The problem is a good editor is expensive. But well worth it. So save your pennies and do it. Here's a good place to start your search for an editor.  

Have a great Weekend!


,