“No one burn their skin to save someone else’s these days. Bravery, my dear, is a sentiment long forgotten, even by the heroes.”
—Heir of Doom (The Roxanne Fosch Files 02)
After an entire month of proofread – over and over and over – until I could no longer stomach the words, Heir of Doom, the second installment of The Roxanne Fosch Files was finally submitted to the publisher.
I’d have done it a lot faster if I didn’t keep falling asleep, or my mind didn’t wonder off to surf on the waves, or my kids didn’t go on winter vacation. But I did fall asleep a lot like an old nanny deprived of sleep, my mind kept wondering off and the kids were all home, bound inside from the cold and rain.
Now I’m biting my nails waiting for the publisher to finish reviewing the manuscript and start prepublication procedures.
While I wait, I’ll be posting snippets and scenes from Heir of Doom, and hopping around in the blogosphere. I can’t promise my Houdini days are over, but I’ll try to make a presence with more frequency.
For this first post of 2019, I chose a scene without much adventure, but one I hope makes an impression.
The throne room was empty of milling courtiers, save for the queen, Lee, Oberon and, of course, their guest of honor, Zantry, sitting beside a smug-looking Lee. They were all seated on colorful thick cushions on an alcove beside the dais. Brightly-hued tapestries fluttered in a breeze I again couldn’t feel, and the scent of lemon verbena was fresh in the air.
With the satin shoes on, my approach was silent, though my presence didn’t go unnoticed. The moment I entered the room through a side door, escorted by Drozelle and Crozelle, everyone stopped talking and glanced at me.
My stomach, already jittery, flipped and flopped and fell with a gurgling moan.
Zantry’s eyes met mine with interest, but there was no recognition there. For a moment I feared he had forgotten all about me and our deal, that arriving in this land had a sudden bolt of amnesia going over him. And then I met Queen Titania’s unforgiving eyes, just for a brief second, and I forgot all about him, my steps faltered, my legs almost buckling beneath my weight.
And we hadn’t even started anything.
That’s it for today, hope you enjoyed.
Ps: Thanks to Tyler Colins for pointing out all the grammar mistakes, bad punctuation, and all the typos. I swear my inner demon was just playing tricks with me, just to make me look illiterate. I did slap my forehead every time I found one I missed – I do have a red face to prove it.
You must be excited and nervous at the same time now Jina! I can’t wait to get my hands on the second book 😊 will need to brush up on the first book soon!! Hehe
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I’m both. I can’t wait to see it out there on the shelf! and i have a copy with your name ready.
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Awwwwww there should be an excited eyes smiley emoji here heheh
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What an exciting time. Hope it’s as fun as it is tension inducing.
You’ve given us a tantalising extract: so many questions raised.
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It’s both and more. And i’m glad i the extract raised questions – it was the intent.
Hope you have a nice day and thanks for the visit.
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Good for you, Gina! It gets to be a slog there at the end, but you did it! Even sleep-deprived with a home full of kids. That’s quite a feat. I’m looking forward to the book. Love your writing!
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Thank you, Diana. It’s quite a feeling of accomplishment and for that, i pushed on forward. In a week or so, I’ll pick up that third draft and start rinsing and repeating.
Thanks for the visit!
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It doesn’t seem to end, does it? But all the work will be worth it in the end. 🙂
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Amen!
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Kudos on this milestone, Jina. Proof reading our own work really is exhausting. Looking forward to the release of the new book. Hugs!
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Thank you, Teagan. Proofreading is the worse part, but totally worth it.
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Gina I hope it goes well for you and there is nothing wrong with getting some rest. You said, “I met Queen Titania’s unforgiving eyes, just for a brief second, and I forgot all about him” and if Titania is the queen shouldn’t you have said I forgot all about “her”?
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Hi Jim, thanks for dropping by and for the comment. Titania is a she, but in this part, him is meant for Zantry.
“For a moment I feared he had forgotten all about me and our deal, that arriving in this land had a sudden bolt of amnesia going over him. And then I met Queen Titania’s unforgiving eyes, just for a brief second, and I forgot all about him, ”
Does it make sense now?
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I am sorry for thinking that you might have made a mistake. It makes perfect sense and this sounds like a great story.
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nah, Jim, don’t apologize. I encourage criticism – it helps me improve my writing…. i’ve even developed thick skin these past coupl years!
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Huge congrats on the milestone, Jina! That’s super exciting!
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Thank you!!
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An significant point to reach and the extract is compelling. All the best with the next step.
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Thanks a lot!
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How exciting!!! Congrats! 🙂 (And what an intriguing tidbit you’ve shared with us here!)
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Thanks!
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The trouble with proof reading your own writing is that you see/read what you meant to write/spell, not what’s actually written down. Always good to get someone else to do it when possible.
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oh, that’s so true. But i wasn’t the sole editor for the book. I had betas and an editor go through the manuscript. Still, i must’ve gone over the story over 20 times.
Definitely not the best part about being an author.
Thanks for the visit.
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Pronouns like he, she, it, they, that, this, these and those can get confusing at times, as they are words that refers back to a noun, or takes the place of a noun, so it might be better to just use the noun Zantry instead of saying him.
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I’ll take a look and see which sounds better. Thanks for the suggestion, Jim.
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Kudos on this milestone, Jina! ❤
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Thank you!!
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That’s exciting!
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Thank you!
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I swear proofing can make you go cross-eyed – especially with kids running around. But you got it done!
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heh, if i were a little taller, i could have tied up my hands and legs in knots trying to do multiple things at once too.
Thanks for the visit and have a nice day.
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So exciting, Jina! Your first book is coming up on my to-read list quickly – and I can’t wait to then get your second book too. Wishing you all the best with your future discussions with the publisher!
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Thank you!
On a side note, i hope you have the polished – post publisher copy? The one with a girl on the cover?
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Hmmm I’m not sure. I’ll have to check!
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I think it’s not, i only got the contract at around late october. I’ll send you the polished version to your e-mail.
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Oh thank you so much, Jina!
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oops, i forgot. sending it now….
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Hope you have good news from your publisher soon!
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I do. Thanks.
I’ll be posting the cover soon too.
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Jina, congratulations!! A huge achievement and an exciting time for you. Writing is never easy, even less so when sleep-deprived and surrounded by busy family. You give us a colourful and tantalising snippet of your book, ending on a perfect cliff-hanger. Great writing and a good idea to introduce the book to us through shorter excerpts. Good luck on the final push to publication.
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Thank you, Annika. I just got the cover back and will be posting a synopsis soon.
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I really look forward to reading it, Jina!
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I wish you great success with it all.
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Thank you!
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