Back from our trip to London and so inspired! The jet lag is finally lifting and now I get to wake up at 1:30 in the morning again to edit and revise, back to normal (uh-huh)… 😉 I have been so blessed to have received some great early feedback on book 3, but now, it’s major crunch time!
Despite the crunch of getting the new book released, I’m very fortunate to have had some time to do a little new reading, listening and reviewing—I am really enjoying reading (and listening) to the works of my fellow authors I follow on Twitter. These are really talented writers, so inspiring! It’s Wednesday, time for #DearDiary:
#AmWriting , Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
As I mentioned last week, I took some time away from my darling book 3 to give my brain some time to refresh and re-boot. I received some positive feedback from my beta readers (Thank you all so much!) that has been very helpful. These folks have read my previous books in the series so they are very vocal about what they like or don’t like when it comes to Gemma and crew, nothing held back! 🙂 All kidding aside, these folks are avid readers—and I value their inputs very much. It means a great deal to me that folks take their valuable time to read and critique my stories, I’m very grateful!
Speaking of being grateful—I’d like to give a HUGE shoutout to Author and Editor Theresa Snyder!
I follow Theresa on Twitter ( @TheresaSnyder19 ), and over the course of the past few months I’ve learned that Theresa not only is a prolific writer with 30 titles in 4 genres (that’s a big Wow!)—she also offers editing and proofreading services to writers. I was fortunate enough to be able to engage her services for Book 3, and I have to say she is the best! I don’t think there’s anything more nerve racking for a writer than to turn over a manuscript for editing and then getting the results back, yikes! Theresa has made the process flow very smoothly and I appreciate her edits, comments and suggestions immensely! I’m still working through the manuscript for the first round, and will be going through a second round with her in the next few weeks. There’s always something to find!
Details and content matter folks, whether it’s punctuation, quotation marks, or if I use the word ‘Well’ fifty gillion times in the start of every dialogue line for each character (Well no, I didn’t catch it…). Theresa is a great professional and getting her comments/suggestions has been invaluable to me and have greatly improved the quality of the manuscript. Her website link is below, her services are HIGHLY recommended! (Gemma, Ma-ma, Kyle, the queen, Henry, Evan, Aunt Margaret et al very much approve 😉 )
Need your suggestions please: I used Createspace ebook and print on demand services for the previous 2 books, and am looking at other service providers for book 3. I would appreciate any feedback/suggestions you might have for ebook/print-on-demand service providers that you’d recommend—Thank You!
On the reading (and listening)/reviewing front…
Author H.E. Wilburson’s audio book, The Martian Diaries Vol. 1; The Day of the Martians 5 STARS
A suspenseful tale as earth prepares for another Martian invasion. I love the details and descriptions that transport you back in time, feeling the emotions and panic that grip the characters as they prepare for the worst. Author H.E. Wilburson weaves a fine tale filled with many twists. I enjoyed the narration very much and look forward to more tales!
Next in the reading queue:
Okay I may have gone a bit overboard with the castle souvenirs…
Him: “Um–any reason you had to buy more than one crown?” (and I had to pack everything in my suitcase btw)
Me: “Well, I thought they might make a great Christmas gift, and we do put up more than one tree…” (he had lots more room in his bag, I should have bought a few more)
Him: “And the Anne Boleyn ornament?” (Nothing to lose a head over, #JustSayin)
Me: “It is the letter ‘B’ with pearls, you know B for Barton, B for Boleyn. It matches my Anne Boleyn cosmetic bag.” (I should have bought the Hampton Court Palace ornament too…)
Him: (Pick and choose your battles men, pick and choose…and next time take a smaller suitcase)
And in #Royal news…A Double Whammy!
I knew I should have bought the #RoyalBaby ornaments displayed next to this one! Guess I’ll just have to go back to London again (this time I’m bringing the bigger bag, I heard you, Him…ha-ha!) 🙂
#RoyalWedding (video clip from TLC coverage)
Once again I was up at 1am pacific to watch yet another #RoyalWedding at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel. Jet lagged as I was, there was no way I’d miss this one since we had just been at Windsor the Tuesday before the wedding. I do love the interior of the chapel–just stunning (we were not allowed in the chapel when we were there–it was being decorated) ! I thought the princess looked wonderful too, loved her dress and the tiara—best wishes to the happy couple!
Missing my pubs already…
Our California weather is pretty much like what we experienced in London and how I miss my hard apple cider on draft! With all the walking we did it was nice to grab a pint and put your feet up for a bit. Of course ordering a helping of sticky toffee pudding with ice cream wasn’t bad either 🙂 #Sigh
Churchill War Rooms…
Just wanted to mention the tour we took of the Churchill War Rooms museum while we were in London. We were hooked on the movie Darkest Hour, that we watched last year, and this museum gave us a first hand view of the rooms featured in the movie. It makes you think of the efforts of all the people who worked there during WWII. Amazing museum and well worth your time to take a walk through a time capsule of history!
Welcome to my world this week–hope you enjoy the rest of your week and weekend!
Crowns and Kisses,
Veronica
P.S. Feature pic is sunrise over La Ronge, Canada from 39,999 ft. on the flight back from London. Gemma would approve 🙂
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