Killer of Killers - August 26th

And the days are counting. August 26th is the big day. That's when Nancy at Melange has said it will be released. And I'm looking forward to the second round of edits that Sherry said will arrive this week. That could be today. Or tomorrow. And when they do, I'll pounce on them, and get them back to Sherry within a week. And that just might be it. It will be Sherry's call, but I won't be surprised if she sends the manuscipt to Nancy at that point as being ready for publication.

If she wants a third round, that's okay, too. I'm game. Keep improving it until the last minute. But I'm glad I went through it again, even after applying the edits from the first round. I found stuff to improve and I did.

So the second round will actually be a third round for me. But still it will technically be the second round, and it's further than I got with the other two publishers in regards to THE VASE.

And speaking of THE VASE, I'm even going over that one again. Like for the umpteenth time, even though it's been twice professionally edited. But like I said, it didn't reach the second round by either of its two prior editors.

But hey, I know plenty enough about edits by now. And I am applying them to THE VASE. Specifically, the use of italics, em dashes, and exclamation points. You gotta use them sparingly. I mean very sparingly. Editors don't like those things. They say that they slow down the reader. I, myself, don't see it. They don't slow me down. But I guess other readers are slowed by them. Well, they're the editors, so you just go with it. You go with the flow.

And get rid of the all caps thing. I used to use all caps to denote yelling or screaming. But for that, italics will do. I did use italics for emphasis, and they work for screaming, too. My editor said that using all caps is a thing of the past. You know, the days of typewriters. But in today's computer age, italics is preferred, and I agree.

So keep revising everyone. That is if you've got a book you wrote. Don't let it sit. If I could ever give any advice, it's keep revising. Your writing will get better, and that's what you want. It's why KILLER OF KILLERS is so good now. And THE VASE, too.