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Archive for the ‘editing’ Category

I’m not sure how the garden is going to do this year. The weather has been so crazy, I’m sure the garden can’t keep up with the changes. When I planted the tomatoes, it was up near 90 degrees and had been pretty dry. A week later, it was back down in the 60’s and raining. And it has been doing this whole seesaw thing for a month. And today, once again, the temperatures peaked in the high 60’s after last week’s 90 degree weather.

Someone find Mother Nature and send her back to Gambler’s Folly with Fate. Maybe they can find another couple of shifters to torture.

So, I’m still editing Scotch and Soulmates. They are a fun couple, our Paul and Sophia. He’s an English lord, doctorate in psychology, and works as a profiler in the London office of Interpol. He’s also an expert on expensive Scotch, which is the reason he’s on Gambler’s Folly.

Sophia is from the Bronx and had a tough time growing up. She’s an agent with Interpol’s Spaggia Sole’s office on Gambler’s Folly and is known as the she-wolf. Having to fight her way up in a world of alpha males, she is radically feminist. And she takes exception to Paul’s high-brow upbringing.

How about a little excerpt?

Morning came early after a few too many drinks the night before. Paul wouldn’t have been as tempted by the Scotch if it hadn’t been for thoughts of Sophia. She was a beautiful woman, especially with her auburn hair down and caressing her shoulders. The green gown–chiffon over some satiny material–smoothed enticingly over her curves. Some men might have found her a little overly curvaceous, but not Paul. He preferred substantial women, especially in bed.

“Dream on,” he told the reflection in the mirror. “Get the job done and get back to London. Plenty of appreciative women there.”

Nagi was at the office when he arrived, so after grabbing some coffee, they sat down to discuss the case.

“I had assumed we’d wait and discuss things together,” he heard behind him.

“Just tossing around some ideas until you arrived. Get some coffee while it’s fresh.”

With a toss of her head, she put her things on the table and went over to the coffee maker. When she returned, Paul stood to hold her chair, out of habit.

“As I’ve told you before, I’m quite capable of seating myself.”

“Of course you are,” Paul answered. “Such a pity you’re incapable of being a lady.”

Had he said that out loud? Must be the headache speaking.

“If you’re talking about those simpering little, hand-wringing, wilting flowers, who need a man to lean on, count me out, “ she snarled.

“No. I’m talking about an intelligent woman, with a strong personality, who has a good sense of self and focus, who has enough confidence to accept social courtesies with ease and grace, without jumping to erroneous conclusions about the intentions of her colleagues.”

So, which one will tame the other? You’ll have to wait and find out! I know… I’m working on it!

Have fun, stay dry, and I’ll write more later.

As always,

Don’t Forget…\

…to Share the Romance…

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Can you help me? I need a little advice from someone on the other side of the reader/writer line.

As an indie author, I do everything myself, not just the writing. The writing is the easy part. Afterwards comes the editing, and it takes time and effort. I am sometimes able to have someone help me with the editing after I’ve been through a book several times myself. And there is a program I sometimes use which helps point out words I over use, or which tone down the emotion of the book.

Now let’s talk about book cover art. I can’t afford to pay someone to put together the cover art. And the few times I’ve tried, I didn’t like the results. So I use an online program, sometimes with AI assist, to create a book cover I feel portrays the story I’m telling inside.

After all the editing is as finished as it can be, and I have the cover art, there is the formatting so I can publish it through Amazon or Draft2Digital–which links all my books to retailers through Books2Read. All the keywords to come up with to help place it correctly for people to locate it. I’m not necessarily the best person to decide this. People who read the books and offer suggestions come up with categories and tropes I would never have dreamed existed in those pages.

And once I get to Amazon or Draft2Digital, I have to decide what price I want to ask for. What is my book worth? There are suggestions in the documentation for each site, which I use to gauge my list price. I don’t want to charge so much people are afraid to take a chance on the book. But at the same time, I don’t want to give it all away for free. I do have sales several times a year. During some of those, I do list a book or two for free, and generally I give away quite a few. While I’m happy when people want to read my books, it is disappointing when they only want them for nothing.

With my last book–Old Flame–I paid several people to help with the promotion and marketing aspects and got absolutely nothing in return. I did just as well by myself. Now with Sultonna Nadine’s new release, Lady Calloway, I am besieged by promoters and marketers wanting to help me get my book out to readers. For anywhere from $200 on up.

I’m not made of money. Never have been. And if throwing money at it worked, you would think Old Flame would have sold like hotcakes.

You might ask why I don’t hire some of this work out. And the answer would be the expense of it. For an editor to do a final editing for me would be over $1000 per book, minimum. Cover art? Anywhere from $150 on up to as much as I want to spend. Formatting? Several hundred dollars. And then there are the book trailers and all the social media posts to put together. Trailers start at around $200 and go up from there. By the time I paid for all that, I would have several thousand dollars invested with no guaranteed return.

So tell me, what am I doing wrong? I get great reviews, when I get them. Most are 5 star reviews. Everyone says the writing is excellent, the tropes are popular, the categories are popular as well. And I’ve reworked the keywords and categories on all the outlets to take advantage of them.

What am I missing? I’m not complaining about the work, except the editing… It’s doing all the work with nothing to show for it, while getting all kinds of emails and reviews with people who love it, but apparently love it only if it’s free.

Go take a look at my author pages and books. And then come back and give me your opinion. Why would you buy or not buy my books? What turns you away?

Amazon Author page for Mellie Miller

Books2Read for Mellie Miller

Amazon for Sultonna

Books2Read for Sultonna

Anyway, enough rant. It has just been a disappointing year. If you’ve read any of my work, please at least rate it for me. A review would be great.

Have a wonderful weekend.

And as always,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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Yes, here in the Southeast, Summer has rushed in with heat more reminiscent of late July or August. It’s only June, but I’m already looking forward to winter. Our little dog, Lugnut, isn’t sure about all this heat either. He went out into the yard with my husband for a few minutes and, when they came back in, he lay down on the cold tile.

On a sad note, our sweet kitty, Miss Kitty, crossed over early Sunday morning with little warning that anything was wrong. I’m still recovering from the suddenness of her passing. Rest In Peace sweet lady.

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In other news, we now have several black snakes stealing our chicken eggs. We’ve built new nest boxes, bricked up any places where they could get in, but they are still in there stealing eggs. Anyone got an ideas?

But for writing…

I’m still working on the edits for Old Flame, for the Gambler’s Folly series. Editing is so slow going at times, but it does make for a better book. And my editor is nearly finished with Ben of Blackstone’s Forge, for Esperance. One book for each series! I haven’t forgotten you. It has just been a little chaotic around here, between physical therapy, chiropractic, vet visits, and summer weather. But I’ll try to get back to a more regular schedule.

In the meantime, which books are your favorites?

Drop me a line in the comments and share with me!

And as always,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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I’ve been getting the next book from Gambler’s Folly edited–hopefully for the last time–so I thought I should give you a few snippets. I also have a book coming later this year from Esperance!

So who wants an excerpt?

OLD FLAME

Gambler’s Folly Book 4

They hadn’t spoken or met since their university days 30 years ago, but here they were on their way to Houston to board the shuttle for Gambler’s Folly. What mischief does Mother Nature have up her sleeve this time?

The landing went well, but he noticed her fingers clutching at the armrest of her seat.

“All right?” he asked.

“Landing always makes me nervous. It’s too close to crashing.”

“Any landing you walk away from is a good one,” Kort said, quoting the old saying. “Let’s go eat some lunch. We can’t check in for another two hours.”

Lunch was good. Another thing he’d always liked about Liz was that she wasn’t afraid to eat. She’d managed to stay at a good weight even after all these years. She had a little extra padding, but he didn’t like stick figure women anyway. With his size, they always seemed so fragile. Liz, on the other hand, might be a lot of fun.

What was he thinking? Get your mind out of the gutter, Kort told himself. Why would she be interested in him? This was Liz, who might be intimidated by his social position, but would never let it dazzle her.

“Kort? Where have you gone?” Liz asked.

“Somewhere a long way away,” he admitted. “How is your lunch?”

“Fantastic! I’d forgotten how much I love Thai food. Thank you, Kort.”

“Well, I couldn’t let you starve, could I?” he teased.

“Are you saying I need to watch my weight?”

“Not at all. I like a woman I can get hold of and wrestle to the ground.” 

Where in hell had that come from? Wrestle to the ground? Good lord, what must she think?

Liz doubled over in laughter, partially easing his embarrassment. Apparently she wasn’t offended.

Ben of Blackstone’s Forge

Esperance Book 5

Everyone had assumed that Ben and Deborah would marry once they were old enough. But when Ben went away to finish his apprenticeship, someting happened and nobody knew what. Suddenly Deborah was distant, cold, and at times, downright hostile. As the oldest daughter, tradition said her sisters couldn’t marry before she did and she wasn’t ready. Ben’s father was urging Ben to find a wife, but he couldn’t think of anyone but the Deborah he knew before his apprenticeship journey. What does the future hold for them?

“Thanks, Mr. Blackstone,” she said. “And see if you can teach Ben some manners.”

With a sway in her hips that heated Ben more than the forge, she turned and disappeared down the walk toward the town square.

“Why don’t the two of you get together?” Seth asked his son. “She’s good-looking, from a good family, and can cook with the best of them.”

“Yes, and her tongue is sharper than a carbon steel blade,” Ben added.

“All she needs is a firm hand and a good seeing to,” the elder Blackstone said with a laugh.

“It would take a brave man to bed Deborah Wills,” Ben said, picking up a pair of tongs. “A man could wake up and find himself neutered.”

“Now, Ben, she’s not as bad as all that.”

“No? I think she hates all things male,” Ben said. “She rides a mare, her dog is a bitch, and the cat has been cautioned to have only female kits in her litters.”

His father’s hearty laugh filled the forge, finally bringing a smile to Ben’s face.

“I thought you two were an item there for a while,” Seth said.

“Yeah, I thought so, too. I don’t know what happened after I left to work with Bellamy Forge. We were good when I left, but when I came back she wouldn’t give me the time of day.”

“I haven’t seen her with anyone else,” Seth answered. “Why don’t you ask her out for the Gather dance?”

“She won’t come. I’ve asked her out to the last three dances and she’s refused. I’ve asked her out to dinner and been turned down. Same with coffee and sandwiches. She’s not interested.”

“Are you asking anyone to the dance? A man your age should be thinking about a wife.”

“I was going to ask Moire. She will at least speak to me.”

Watch for these two books later this year. I’ll keep you posted on progress and release dates.

In the meantime, have a lovely holiday weekend.

And as always,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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I know I’ve been quiet for a while, but between my husband’s surgery, my surgery, follow up appointments and physical therapy, it has been hectic around here. But I’m back today to say Happy Sunday.

I’m still plugging away at the editing for Old Flame. I’m trying out a program called AutoCrit to see if it can help make the process easier for my editor. I figure if it can catch all those words I repeat ad nauseam at least a little of her work will be done for her.

So far, I’m liking the program. It checks for a lot of things, not just repeated words, and I’ve found quite a few areas I need to work on. All in all I feel it will help me out in this final editing phase.

Not much else happening around here at the moment. I hope to be finished with Old Flame soon and get back to writing on Tiger’s Tempest. I also have to work on the editing for Gregor and Lady Calloway

Looking for my work?

Go over to AllAuthor. You’ll find links to all my books there and links for sample pages to preview!

Take care, enjoy the spring weather, and have a lovely evening.

And as always,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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Good afternoon and happy Friday to everyone out there today! I missed last week due to surgery, but seem to be recovering well enough, even if I am about to go crazy with sitting around.

I had hoped to do some editing while I recovered, but sitting up at the desk wasn’t working well, and neither was the lap top.

But I’m about to begin again on Old Flame. I figure if I can make it through a chapter a day it shouldn’t take long. Of course what it shouldn’t and what it will may be different. You know how that goes, I’m sure.

So if this isn’t too long, or I miss another week, don’t despair. I’ll be back when I’m fully functional again. In the meantime, catch up on the Gambler’s Folly series while you wait for Old Flame. This time we have bear shifters!

Ciao for now everyone!

And as always,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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Everything out here is beginning to green up in preparation for springtime. The trees have new buds and a few have tiny leaves showing. I just hope they know what they’re doing. Last year we had a late freeze which killed quite a lot of the fruit around here. We had no mulberries at all due to the late freeze.

So what else is happening around here?

I’m about two-thirds of the way through the final edit of Old Flame, the next book in the Gambler’s Folly series. And my editor is nearly finished with Ben of Blackstone’s Forge, the next in line for Esperance. I’ll keep you posted on release dates!

So what are they about?

Old Flame features Kort Behrens and Elizabeth Murphy, bear shifters from the USA. Thirty years ago they were friends at university, but hadn’t met since, until are both on their way to Gambler’s Folly. Kort is now a billionaire, twice divorced, and giving up on love. With his single status and his wealth, he’s a target for women hoping to hook up with a rich playboy and is tired of the hassle. Liz is a widow who lost her husband four years ago and is content by herself with her energy healing practice. They had never really dated in their younger days, but each considered the other a good friend.

But on the way to Gambler’s Folly, a spark begins to grow and these two old friends find there is much more attraction than they had counted on.

Maybe they’ll have a a second chance at love.

Ben of Blackstone’s Forge tells the story of Ben Blackstone and Deborah Wills. They’d grown up together and each had always figured they would marry when the time came. But something happened while Ben was away on his apprenticeship which changed everything. When he returned, Deborah was cold, nearly hostile, towards him and nobody could tell him why.

On top of that, his father was insisting he find a wife. He hoped to retire in a few years and wanted to see Ben settled. Unfortunately, the only woman Ben had ever loved was Deb.

Deborah’s father was pushing her to get married as well. She had younger sisters with beaus, and tradition dictated the eldest marry first. But she couldn’t marry the only man she’d ever loved for reasons only she knew. And she would not marry anyone else.

And then their fathers get together and draw up a contract for an arranged marriage for the two of them, to take place in a month’s time.

Watch for Old Flame and Ben of Blackstone’s Forge!

You can help me out by picking your favorite cover art for Old Flame!

In the meantime,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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Yes, summer is beginning to think about winding down for the year. While the evenings have been a little cooler, the days are still hot and humid, thanks to the sporadic rain showers. Of course, the 2 1/2 inches of rain we got a couple nights ago really boosted that humidity. We’re getting ready for my husband’s shoulder surgery later this week, so we’ve had appointments with surgeons, the hospital, you name it, which is why I’ve been absent recently.

So, what have I been up to lately?

Editing. Not my most favorite thing, but it has to be done. At least if I take some time wit it, my editor won’t have a heart attack.

I’ve been through Gregor Thayne, another book from Esperance. This was the first read through and while it had some issues, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. Now, I’ll ;ut it aside for a while before coming back to it. Kind of let my mind take a break.

Next up is my final edit of Lady Calloway, from Sultonna Nadine. I’m still trying to decide on the final title for the book. I’m several edits into this book, so now it’s just finding all the loose ends and spelling errors I missed the first few times. What usually happens is I rewrite something and delete the old version. But once in a while, at 2 am, I don’t get all of something deleted, which leaves it sounding rather strange.

In the meantime, Ben of Blackstone’s Forge is coming along. It will be the fifth book from Esperance, featuring the son of a blacksmith with a unique family Talent. He has iron under his control. His love life on the other hand needs some help.

Have a wonderful week. Stay cool. And pick up something to read this evening.

And as always,,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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There are weeks, and then there are weeks.

Monday started with an appointment with the eye doctor, which wasn’t bad, but takes at least half the day with the drive time. And since my husband had a business trip the next day, once we got home we were packing all his stuff so he could leave early the next morning. By early, I mean 4 am. Yeah, he’s one of those.

Wednesday our 12 year old kitty, Magellan crossed the rainbow bridge, so I had to deal with that, so all the stuff I was going to do was postponed until the next day.

That night, one of our other kitties, Monster, started sneezing. Afraid she might have caught what Magellan had, Thursday was a rush to the veterinary hospital to check her out. Fortunately, it seems she has seasonal allergies. And I will admit, the pollen this week has been terrible. Once again, things got pushed back to take care of the kitties.

So that brings us to Friday. I was finally able to get in and order new glasses and do some shopping. And after a couple weeks of nice cool temperatures–like in the 50’s and low 60’s F–the day turned hot. Like 85 F hot. And I’m not a fan of heat to begin with.

So my blogging has been put on hold while I dealt with life in general.

Never fear! I am writing, although I may not have done as much as planned.

Tiger’s Tempest is moving right along. I’ll keep you posted.

But in the meantime, how about a peek at Ben of Blackstone’s Forge–next in the Esperance Series?

Excerpt:

Moire had accepted his invitation to the Gather dance eagerly. After a nice dinner, she took his arm as they walked to the dance. At least she wasn’t awkward and could follow his lead. Not as well as Deborah, but well enough for the experience to be enjoyable.

After dancing for quite a while, he suggested a break for refreshments. Weaving between the tables, they carried tall glasses of lemonade to a free table and sat down to relax while they enjoyed their drinks.

He knew it couldn’t last. Something always came up when he began to enjoy himself too much.

“Ben Blackstone! What are you doing with her?”

It was Deborah, of course. She wouldn’t come out with him, but resented it when he dated anyone else.

“Drinking lemonade. Good evening, Deborah. Yes, I’m fine and enjoying my evening. Kind of you to ask.”

“Ben, I’m sorry. Do I need to leave?” Moire asked nervously.

“No. You don’t. Could you sit here and wait for me? I’ll be right back. Let me take care of this.”

Rising to his feet, he stretched to his full height and glared down at the source of his irritation.

“Shall we?” he asked, motioning her toward the open ground outside the refreshment area.

With a swish of fabric from her ankle-length skirt, Deborah turned and stormed away in front of him. Once they were away from the crowd, she whirled, hands on her hips, and fire in her eyes.

“How dare you ask Moire to the dance?” she demanded.

“Why is it any business of yours?” he demanded in turn.

“But Moire, of all the women you could have asked.”

“Look, I know you two are rivals. But since I figured you wouldn’t come out with me, I chose to ask her.”

“Why do you think I wouldn’t have come?”

“Let me see,” he stated. “It could be something to do with the fact that you’ve turned me down three dances in a row, and won’t even accept an invitation for coffee. What do you think?”

“I think… I hate you, Ben Blackstone!” she shouted.

Her wrist smacked into his palm as he prevented her from slapping him. He caught the second one, too, and smiled at her, as her eyes flashed angrily.

“Now, Deb,” he began. “You know better than to slap me.”

“Let me go, you bastard.”

“I’ll let you go when I figure you won’t try it again,” he answered.

“Fine! Can I have my hands back?”

“First, let me explain something to you,” he said softly. “I will see anyone I care to see. You do not have a say in the matter. If you won’t accept my invitations, you cannot dictate who I may ask. Are we clear on this?”

“Let me go,” she answered just as quietly, temper seething beneath the surface.

Releasing her wrists, Ben stepped back a pace.

“Good evening, Miss Wills. It was nice talking with you.”

Deborah turned, nose in the air, and strode away from him. Ben hurried back to the table he’d left and found it empty.

“Sir?” the owner of the stand said.

“Yes? What is it?”

“The young lady who was sitting here said to tell you she was sorry, she’d had a nice time, but she was leaving early. She didn’t mean to cause you any trouble.”

“Damn it all to hell,” Ben growled. “Why does she always do this to me?”

“I’m sorry?” the man asked.

“Not the lady at the table. The one who came bursting in shouting accusations.”

“Oh. Yes, sir. She is a bit forceful, shall we say.”

“She’s a gold-plated bitch,” he replied, startling the man.

Watch for Ben of Blackstone’s Forge!

And in the meantime,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance

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I know it probably seems like it takes me a long time to get a new book to you. But the writing is just the beginning. Actually, the first draft is the easiest bit. It’s what comes after that gives me a headache.

Editing.

Yep. That one word right there is the bane of my existence.

Why?

As an independent, self-published author, I can’t afford all the rounds of editing with a professional editor a lot of traditionally published authors enjoy. So after I get done with the first draft — which anyone will tell you is far from a good read– I set it aside, work on something else for a while, and let my mind change gears.

As the author of a manuscript, I am too close to the story to view it objectively, especially immediately after it’s finished. I know the back story for the characters, so I don’t catch some of the holes in the fabric of the story. I know how they got to where they are.

But you might not.

And I see what I know should be written, not necessarily what is written. So I miss little mistakes like missing words or transitions. I know they should be there, so I gloss over them.

So once I finish the manuscript, set it aside for a bit, and come back to it, I generally go over it several times.

The first time I’m checking for obvious errors, like misspelled words, missing words, strange punctuation, and any huge chunks of missing information.

Then I check for story flow in the next round.

Third, I go over everything carefully, changing the wording so I’m showing you what I want you to see, not telling you about it. I want you to walk with my character through the woods, smelling the earthy scent of the leaf mold, hearing the birds in the trees. I want you to experience it, not just hear about it.

And then I read through it again, for all of the above. I find I do better with this if I transfer it to my tablet, so I can read it as a book. Mistakes stand out begtter than they do on my desktop or my laptop.

Finally, when I’ve driven myself crazy with it, I send it to our daughter, who is my proofreader and editor. She has a good eye for detail and isn’t afraid to call me up and say, “Mom, what on earth are you talking about here? Where did you pull this information from? Uh-huh… Your backstory. You might have let us in on this a bit earlier.”

So it’s a process. It would be nice if I could write a perfect first draft, but I don’t think anyone can pull off such a magic trick.

So what is in the works?

The very next thing coming up for Mellie Miller is Ben of Blackstone’s Forge, another book from Esperance. Like Morgan, Ben is an inset into the Esperance story. While it brings information to us about what’s happening between the clans, it is mainly about the love story between Ben and Deborah.

From Gambler’s Folly, next up is Old Flame. Kort and Elizabeth went to university together, as friends, though they never dated. Now thirty years later, they meet unexpectedly on a trip to Gambler’s Folly. He is now the billionaire catch of the universe. She, a humble energy healer from a small Appalachian town. Join them for the fun and games which follow, Gambler’s Folly style.

I have one more book written in the Esperance series, not ready for the editor yet, and two others written for Gambler’s Folly–with another one in the writing process.

As for Sultonna Nadine, check out my other site for news on what my alter-ego is up to.

In the meantime,

Don’t Forget…

…to Share the Romance…

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