15 More Days... Launch Parties, Revision Woes, and the need for Burned Flesh Factoids

So, I have a revision deadline for the latest version of EVERNEATH 2: It's Everneath-ier on Wednesday. 


This means I'm going through the draft right now, and coming across highlighted words. Stuff I didn't want to figure out right then, but needed to come back to later.


Sometimes I'd be in the middle of a really tense scene, or even worse, a romantic scene, and I'd turn the page only to find this:


blah blah blah... leading up to big kiss *smooch* 


Here are examples of my favorite highlighted reminders:


Blah blah blah... add description (Yeah, this one comes up about once a page)


------- word for hand thingee? -------(I don't know, could it be a glove?)


------ word for leather thing that can old a knife? ------ (Okay, obviously the word "sheath" wasn't coming to me)


------ do "concentric" circles go outward or inward?---------


what else can he do with his hand, besides run through hair?  (I ask myself this question every day. *she said as she ran her fingers through her hair)


-----need transition here: Aaaaaaannnnnnnndddddd... scene!-------------


--- note: what does burned hair smell like?-----


--- note: if you tear off sleeve, will burned flesh come with it? -------


And my personal favorite:


--- say it again, but better---


EVERNEATH comes out in 15 days. The launch party will be at The King's English bookshop in the 15th and 15th area of Salt Lake City. 


When: Tuesday, January 24th, 2012
Where: King's English 
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Treats?: Of course


Everyone is invited, so mark it down on your calendars so I don't look like an idiot up there at the microphone, speaking to an audience of Sam and my mom. 


I practiced my speech on Sam the other night. He had one thing to say:


"I'm not sure it's appropriate to talk about your hatred for faulty epidurals in your book launch speech. In fact, we could probably leave Kid C's birth story out."


Looks like it's back to the drawing board.


So, who's coming to the launch party? And who can answer the question about the burned skin? 

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World-Building: When You're Missing the Essential World-Building Bone in your Body

So, I'm under deadline. I know it seems like I was just under deadline, and that's because I was. 


For those of you who don't know, I'm revising EVERNEATH 2: It's Everneath-ier. This time around, we are focusing on world-building. 


And let me tell you something right now: I was born without the world-building bone in my elbow. Doctors were amazed; they would take my x-rays around and show other doctors, and remark, "This little baby is going to have a helluva time trying to build a world that's not exactly like the one we live on."


Most of my world-building looks like this:


Okay, so lets take a planet:

Now we have to ask ourselves, where will the people live?


Let's add some land:

Good. Now, how will life grow? What will the people drink?


Let's add some water. 

And... oh crap. I've made Earth. AGAIN! 


Then I crumble up the paper and throw it away and start over. 


I was supposed to world-build in the last round of edits, but instead I threw in some razzle-dazzle. I gave my editor the old flim-flam-flummox, then I dazed and dizzied her, because how could she see that I couldn't world build when she had sequins in her eyes?


As a final number, I threw in a tap dance. 

But the thing is, I can't tap dance, and my editor could see just fine with the sequins in her eyes, and she still said, "Hey, how about we world-build a little?"


Then I tried to explain to her about my unique anatomy:

But she was not impressed. Apparently, she thinks I can do this. 

So, yon bloggerville, I think I can do this too. 


But just in case, does anyone know what the Underworld looks like? Anyone at all? Geography and demography would be great. And for heaven's sake, do not let it resemble Earth!

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The EVERNEATH Good Guy and Bad Boy Quiz... and What Kid B did with my Sequel

Status: Watching "Through the Wormhole" with Morgan Freeman. My mind is blown. But I have to watch it because I believe the EVERNEATH is accessible through a wormhole. It's research. 


Hey y'all. Sorry for the blog silence on Monday, but every time I tried to blog I came across this:

Yep. That there is a looming deadline, and on Monday it was looming large. My first revision on the EVERNEATH sequel was due Monday. 


I celebrated turning in my revision by sleeping all day yesterday. And having a cold. Partay! I am upright today, though, so here I am. On the blog. 


A couple of things to share with you:

Thing #1: Have you ever wondered if you go for the Good Guy or the Bad Boy? Well, I have the solution for you. Take the EVERNEATH Good Guy or Bad Boy Quiz and your question will be answered. 


For your information, I got the "Good Guy". 


Sam got the "Bad Boy". 


I don't know what this means. But take the quiz, and then come on back here and tell me what you got. And for those of you who have read the book already, you may recognize some of the choices. But you can still make up your mind which thing you'd rather do. And as we all know, The EVERNEATH is all about choices... dun Dun DUN! 


Thing #2: Like any other parent, I've been hanging Kid B's artwork up on the fridge:

Well, the other day I printed out a hard copy of EVERNEATH the sequel, and left it in my kitchen. When I came back, I found various pages hanging up all around the kitchen, like this one on the fridge:

*I had to remove this first picture. Apparently hubby says you can read it, and it contains spoilers. Sorry!*


and these two on the cupboards:

Apparently Kid B is just as proud of my artwork as I am of his. 


So, how was everyone's Thanksgiving? I went to my family's ranch. I'll share pictures next blog. 

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Seven Easy Steps to Reading a Revision Letter

So, last Friday I got my revision letter for the sequel to Everneath (EVERNEATH 2: IT'S EVERNEATH-IER). This is always a scary time, I think for most writers. Unless you're Stephenie Meyer. She probably writes her own revision letters. Because she can do that. Because she's Stephenie Freakin' Meyer. 

When I know my revision letter is coming, I like to prepare myself. I look in the mirror and say:

"Your editor likes you. She likes your book. She likes your characters. It's not personal."

and

"Remember revision letters are just more writing. You like writing."

Then I get all existential:

"Remember your book is just a bunch of words. Made up of tiny letters. Which are really just blips on a computer screen. Why are you so attached to blips? What did they ever do for you?"

and then I get personal:

"Seriously, reflection, your hair is, like, white."

and then defensive:

"Shut up, mirror-me! The box told me I'd look like Sarah Jessica Parker!"

Then you get the actual letter. I have a process for this that involves seven easy steps. I'm not saying this will work for everyone. I'm just saying it works for me. 

Seven Steps to Reading a Revision Letter

1. The moment when you get the revision letter, spring back from the computer as if it is rabid. 

This will give you literal space between you and all of your mistakes.

2. Jog a few laps around the kitchen island, shouting old World War II phrases of battle, like: "Mayday Mayday!" and "Tora Tora Tora!" and "Vive l'Empereur !"

This will get your blood flowing, thus getting you ready for the next step, which is...

3. Reading the letter.  

Not you, though. You still stay away from the letter. Let someone more responsible, and less prone to hair dyeing mistakes, read the letter. In my case this person is Sam.

4. Have your more responsible half read all of the positive sentences from the letter, and skim over the rest. 

This will sound something like: "Blah blah blah... Oh, she really likes the ending. Blah blah blah blah... oh, she uses the word 'potential' a lot here. Blah blah blah."

5. Print the letter. 

While it is printing, stand next to the printer with your significant other, counting the pages as they print. Say things like, "It's probably going to be nineteen* pages long!" so that you can be pleasantly surprised when it is shorter.

*caution: Aim high because you really don't want to hit that number.

This time, it was seven pages long.

6. Go to dinner, and have your significant other mention briefly some of the highlights of the things your editor wants to change. 

This way, when you read the actual letter, you can already have some ideas as to how to fix things. You can even convince yourself that you were going to fix these things anyway, and her letter just confirms it.

7. Finally, blog about reading the editorial letter before you read the editorial letter. 

Um... check.

I just realized my "Seven Steps to Reading a Revision Letter" program doesn't involve actually reading the letter. So, I guess I should end this post and read it, since I got it three days ago. Unless you don't want me to go.

*eyes unread revision letter on kitchen table*

Cuz I could totally stay. And hang out for a bit. We could talk and stuff.

*imagines revision letter mocking me*

I mean, really. One more day of freedom won't hurt, right?

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