I’m thrilled to share that my first foreign translation will be out later this year from MxM Bookmark. BREATHE will be released in French on December 13, 2017. It’s currently available for pre-order now at Amazon, Kobo, and 7switch. Check out the gorgeous cover.
I’m just about to get started with the last read-through of HOW TO HEAL A LIFE before it’s off to a couple of beta readers, then formal edits. As soon as it’s farther through the editing process we’ll set a release date and hopefully have it up for pre-sale. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter for more announcements on this release and other news. I can’t wait for you guys to come along on this journey with Seth and Vargas. And what a journey it is!
HOW TO HEAL A LIFE (The Haven Book 2) Coming this Fall 2017
Photo License: CC0 Public Domain
“That’s the magic of revisions – every cut is necessary, and every cut hurts, but something new always grows.” ― Kelly Barnhill
“The writer must have a good imagination to begin with, but the imagination has to be muscular, which means it must be exercised in a disciplined way, day in and day out, by writing, failing, succeeding and revising.” ― Stephen King
“The best advice I can give on this is, once it’s done, to put it away until you can read it with new eyes. When you’re ready, pick it up and read it, as if you’ve never read it before. If there are things you aren’t satisfied with as a reader, go in and fix them as a writer: that’s revision.” ― Neil Gaiman
I recently hit the point in revising HOW TO HEAL A LIFE where I’m even more connected to the story and the characters. I’m adding those extra little touches that allow for deeper meaning and emotional impact. I’m learning far more than I knew I was missing about who these characters are. At the same time, I’ve been strengthening their interactions, tweaking the overall story arc, and filling in any plot holes.
It feels really good to be at this point. I wanted to wrap this book up MONTHS ago, but I’m so very glad I stuck it out and kept on plugging away at the revision phase instead of calling it “quits” too early. I would’ve been seriously disappointed in myself. Especially when it came to this book. Seth’s journey is a difficult one, but I always hoped that would make the book all the more emotional and powerful for the reader. I wanted to give his story the attention it deserved.
Now it’s coming together to be what I’d always envisioned for his story, and I couldn’t be happier.
I have a bit more to go with the revisions, but for me, this is one of the most rewarding parts of the writing process. I can’t wait to do my next read-through and see the full effect.
From the unedited WIP of The Haven 2, HOW TO HEAL A LIFE…
With that simple touch, Seth awoke. He rolled his head to the side and just lay there, breathing heavily, staring at Vargas for several achingly long breaths, his eyes harboring a haunted expression Vargas almost couldn’t bear. But no way was he going to look away. Instead he ran the pad of his thumb over Seth’s skin in a comforting stroke.
Pictured above is the binder containing the rough draft of Seth and Vargas’s story, HOW TO HEAL A LIFE (The Haven Book 2). I’m currently reading through it, revising, and adding more emotional depth and substance to the manuscript, and it’s going really well. I’m surprisingly pleased with the opening of the story, and that’s usually where I do most of my reworking. Knowing I’ve got a good handle on the beginning has me even more excited about this one.
I’ll keep you posted on the progress! Watch my newsletter and works-in-progress page on my website for more updates on this and my other projects.