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A Tale of Two Covers

I have long been aware of the difference of covers in different countries, based on their own tastes and sensibilities.  So, it was no surprise to have two different covers designed for my first novel, Amity & Sorrow, but I wasn’t prepared for just how different – and how beautiful – they both would be.  First up is the gorgeous Tinder Press cover, designed here in the UK:

Below is a screen shot from the US catalogue for Little, Brown.  Amity & Sorrow is there in all its glory, and I am wild with joy at the both of them.

Endings and Beginnings

The proofed proofs that were sent back to the States were then compared alongside the proof marked by the proofreader.  The copy editor then had a couple sets of questions and notes, which we’ve been going through together.  Today, all issues have been resolved and the typeset pages are done and dusted; the writing and proofing of Amity & Sorrow is well and truly finished.  I am so grateful for the care and attention by everyone at Little, Brown and, particularly, to copy editor Jayne Yaffe Kemp.

In the midst of proofing notes, my trusty printer gasped its last.  Now, a newer, larger beast has taken its place. A mono laser printer, it spits out pages with wild abandon.  Its first job was to print out the new draft of my second book. Here it is, all 500 pages of it.  Looking forward to settling down for a big read, armed with red pens and scissors, and the beginning of the next rewriting and editing process.  Every ending is a beginning and this is one heady day for a happy writer.

Proof of Proofed Proofs

The proofs have been proofed and are taped up in a pouch, so I can’t get inside and try to move any more words around.  I have looked so hard at each word I’m not sure what they mean anymore.  Yet this morning, I found I’d dropped a bit of plot.  It must have fallen out of a draft and I’d not noticed – not because I wasn’t paying attention, but because it gets really hard to see a book after this many drafts, let alone to read one.  Still, I must have been reading it for I was able to catch a few things, here and there.  Off it wings now to Boston, and off I wing for a little break.