More Progress on Manuscript and Recent Reads

 I've made more progress on my manuscript while approaching an end-of-the-month deadline.

For those who read my last post, you know that I printed out the novel-to-be for a hard read with red-ink changes, corrections, deletions, and revisions. For those who didn't read my last post, now you know (you can follow my blog by clicking on "follow" button in the lower right column). The next order of writing will be to make the changes to the manuscript. And then it's probably on to my editor at Wings ePress unless I decide to give it one more read (and I most likely will).

Marked-up manuscript

It's probably because of my background in newspapers in the pre-computer era (we used typewriters) as well as my years in high school and college that editing on paper seems more natural. It's akin to those folks who prefer reading a book in print, to where they can hold a book, turn and feel the pages, etc., then reading a book on a tablet, Kindle, Nook, or another electronic reader. I worked on the manuscript at the kitchen table to give myself a fresh view; the book in the right-hand corner is The Random House Thesaurus. 

Since my last post, I've learned the publication for this book will be Oct. 1, rather than Nov. 1. It will be the fifth book in the John Ross Boomer Lit series. 

Recent reads:

Toni Kief's Mildred in Disguise: With Diamonds could probably fall under the boomer-lit banner since the protagonist is 71-year-old Mildred Petrie. Rather than enjoy retirement, Mildred has to return to work after her husband's death. She takes a position as an undercover detective because of her previous police experience as a parking cop. Her observations and investigations after a robbery lead to some wild times for the wily septuagenarian. Kief has crafted a clever read with snappy dialogue, colorful characters, and a compelling storyline.

Susie Kelley's La Vie En Rose: Notes From Rural France is a fun read by a British ex-pat. Kelly shares anecdotes about her life in France and adjustments she and her husband had to make. I found myself laughing out loud at some of her entries. She writes about rude salespeople, quirky neighbors, different customs, gardening, contacts with animals and insects, and a few recipes you may or may not want to try. Kelly has a cute sense of humor who doesn't hesitate to laugh at herself. I found that refreshing. It's only about 100 pages and a quick read. 

Until the next time . . .