6/18/2013

Breathless Press Round Robin Blog Share_ Welcome Guest Raven McAllan

Raven is rambling again.
Getting to be a habit, but a very nice one.
This writing lark is exciting you know. From a tiny idea that springs up from goodness knows where; to finding I have (or don't) a title, and writing the first line, the adrenaline rush begins. Then it's a case of trying to keep my hands hitting the keys as fast as my mind is sharing the story.
As I'm still a two—well okay very occasionally three—fingered typist, and have fibromyalgia, which can make my fingers take on a mind of their own at times, this can make for some unusual words to say the least. I've discovered the best way for me to get things down in a m/s is to type like crazy and edit each paragraph that has the dreaded red this-is-not-a-proper-word underline straight away. Otherwise, half the time I have no idea what I mean. I've lost many an hour, and several hundreds of words because I thought I'd just type on and sort out the typos later. Nope, not a good idea. I spend ages staring at vutrhfsy, or vsn to realize (or not) I meant birthday, and van. I say I have dyslexic fingers, as I do tend to put the letters in the wrong order, when I'm hitting the keys.
It's a bit like my texting. Evidently my kids say that they'd know a text was from me because, of the incorrect words. I'm not the most techno savvy person in the world, and autocorrect is frequently not my friend.
All that apart (see I said I was rambling), eventually, the story's finished, and I read it over, get a friend to redit it. No, that's not a typo, it's our word for nitpicking and finding everything and anything we can that's wrong, and highlighting it, before it's submitted to wherever it's going.
If I'm lucky to have the story accepted, it gets even more exciting, because as well as edits, and at Breathless Press we're very lucky to get several round of edits before the book sees the light of day, we get cover art.
Yet again, we get a chance to have an input in how we would like the cover to look, and a preview before it goes out into the big wide world. When I see the email from the cover artist, it's very much heart speeding up time. Then I open it up and gaze in awe at the way my book will look. That thrill never goes away. Not only is it a wow that's my name on there moment, but it's one step closer to publication.
Finally, it's the day and I get goose bumps of the best kind. The book is published, and I'm all over the place like a rash shouting about it, and hoping someone will buy it.
That's sounds all so easy eh, but believe me it's not. I love every second of it, but I'm very conscious that I want to do the very best I can. That a lot of people have put in many hours, on my behalf, to help me produce the best work I can, so anyone who parts with their hard earned cash isn't shortchanged. It wasn't until I started writing I realized just how many hours it does take to get a book to the reader.
And on that note, I better get back to Regency England and find out what my latest heroine is up to. I left her begging for help in learning how to attract a certain tall dark and handsome hero…
Oh my next book to come out from Breathless Press, is called A Matter of Faith…


Blurb…

Leonora knew she'd wait for Justin to come home. She hadn't expected it to be so long or so fraught.

When Justin joined his regiment, and was sent to the continent, Leonora promised to wait for him to return. She didn't think it would take so long, or she'd have so many difficulties to face.
Strong willed and determined, her life changes, as she struggles to cope without Justin, and keep his estate running.
With someone out to destroy all she holds dear, Leonora has to fight for her beliefs and her family, and hope they get the happy ever after they deserve.

If you want to find out more, keep checking at www.breathlesspress.com, and look for me. It will be up there once we have a publication date.

Nosy links…

Raven lives in Scotland, along with her husband and their two cats—their children having flown the nest—surrounded by beautiful scenery, which inspires a lot of the settings in her books.
She is used to sharing her life with the occasional deer, red squirrel, and lost tourist, to say nothing of the scourge of Scotland—the midge.
A lover of reading, she appreciates the history inside a book, and the chance to peek into the lives of those from years ago. Raven admits that she enjoys the research for her books almost as much as the writing; so much so, that sometimes she realizes she's strayed way past the information she needs to know, and not a paragraph has been added to her WIP.
Her lovely long-suffering husband is learning to love the dust bunnies, work the Aga, and be on stand-by with a glass of wine.

You can find out more about Raven here…


https://www.facebook.com/rmcallan        (my page)
https://www.facebook.com/ravenmcallan            (author page)




2 comments:

  1. Great post Raven :)

    I have dodgy typing skills too lol so I know exactly how you feel! Auto correct on my phone is hilarious sometimes! :D

    ReplyDelete

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To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. ~e.e. cummings, 1955
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