Tuesday 27 May 2008

Dark Enchantment listed on Amazon


Hell's bells ...

Dark Enchantment, my upcoming collection of short fantasy stories, has now been listed on Amazon - due out in January 2009. (As has Lust at First Bite, the multi-author vampire anthology- November this year - in which I will have a short story The Blood of the Martyrs.) Black Lace have been busy!

Now you've gotta realise for the full impact that I haven't actually received the contract for this book yet. Nor has the editor seen the manuscript - only a copy of two of the stories. So in theory it could all go arse-up yet. He might decide that M/M/M/f/M/M/M is a bit much for Black Lace. Or that my bestiality-free Minotaur story is just too damn dark. But Marketing waits for no man: blurbs have to be written and catalogues sent out to booksellers...

Anyway, I'm in a state of nerves at the moment. In theory I've got another month till my hand-in date, and at the moment I'm going through the ms making corrections. But I'll probably break and hand in early just to get it over with (at which point when it is too late I will then have an epiphany and realise in a blinding flash what I should have written).

My routine for tidying a book goes:
  • Transfer from laptop to PC. PC version now becomes prime.
  • Spellcheck.
  • Print. I'm one of those people who spot typos much easier on printed paper: on a screen they are invisible to me.
  • Go through with a blue pen marking changes. Force myself to read slowly.
  • Go through again. SLOWER.
  • Make changes on PC version.
  • Print.
  • Reread.
  • Send to editor.
  • Panic.
Changes so far from the first draft? Well, The Lady in the Green has been retitled The Scent of Hawthorn. I decided I had one too many deflowerings (one is enough frankly) so a couple of characters have now been messing about with dildos. A kiss has been emphasised by special request. Raihn is now 18 instead of 17 yrs old. And Kitten got even harder. No major changes of plot though: I tend to alter things as I go along instead of in a big rush after the first draft.

Fingers crossed.

Three hours after posting this ... the contract arrived!

3 comments:

Janine Ashbless said...

The phishing link above should not be followed.

Nikki Magennis said...

Oh, and I was so tempted to find out about the 'thing'.

Good luck with the last edit, Janine! I know it'll be *amazing*.

xx

Janine Ashbless said...

I think my "thing" is minotaurs. But I can't see there being much money in it!
;-)