Life, Interrupted

I hate it when copy editors change the names of minor characters. I didn't have immediate plans for this one, but now I have to double-check that she changed him everywhere...and that the name she chose was period.

The second copy editor asked: Is it "wer" or "were" curse? Sometimes you remember these things off the top of your head, and sometimes you go...that was a long time ago and have to double check.

It's "wer" as in man.

There are things I can catch and change, like "monstrous" carpetbags, or corn "stooks" instead of stocks. But I just realized something that was lost from the original manuscript that will have to remain lost, unless there is ever a special edition of Night Calls and Kindred Rites. Marta is a language chameleon--she changes her voice patterns to help her connect with the people she's currently speaking with. Allie even notices this at the beginning of the third book.

But the copy editor, thinking this was an adult, smoothed out those times when she did it with someone who was less educated, or who needed the comfort of a dialect.

The original files exist, but I can't stop to look for that now--I am officially late for the first time in my career, but grateful to still be editing....

Still. It seemed small or inconsistent to the editor, so she didn't ask, she just changed it and turned it in.

I find that my subconscious usually has a reason for something it does.

I'm going through and editing the manuscript for Night Calls to match the HarperCollins release of the book. Most of the time this is fine; I had a very good copy editor, who paid attention and caught the spirit of the book. Allie was still learning tenses in my original idea of her, and the copy editor wasn't having any of that nonsense. She was firmer about it than Allie's father. But today I hit a change she made that was period, but not right for the fantasy. (I half left it as she changed it.)

Then I hit things such as the copy editor wanted an enormous carpetbag instead of a monstrous carpetbag.

And I can hear Allie thinking: "But it was monstrous."

Still, some people have read this so often they will notice changes, so it will remain enormous in the new version.

(But we'll know it was also a monstrous carpetbag. Perhaps I will describe it more fully in the third book, so you understand how a candelabra can be pulled from it.)

So I am doing a last minute copy-editing on the formatting of an e-book. I fear I'm nailed to the wall -- the structure of the novels is not fond of e-book. I think Vonda and I have it figured out, and Vonda is not only a great writer and fine person, but she's possibly a saint. It's been that big a pain in the butt to deal with this book. Without her, next year, maybe, this book would have hit the Internet. And not looked as good. Copies are needed soon for Library Thing reviewers, so I hope all goes smoothly from the short list I sent her.

I've discovered in the flurry of the past month that I do not have the energy to work a normal shift on anything. Discouraging. I am healing...not healed. So, doubt the Facebook gets started tonight because my eyes have looked at a computer screen too long.

So...for now, pass along that the FIRES OF NUALA sampler is located here. If we get a Facebook group page by Thursday, you'll be the first to know!

And...anyone who read the Nuala books and remembers that they liked them? Now is a good time to post a review at Amazon saying "Good stuff. Recommended." Or whatever your version thereof.

If you hated it, I appreciate your continuing silence!