I’m typing this on Judy’s computer here in Lincoln, Nebraska. My connections with the Internet here will be a little sporadic, so expect some delays in my posts, but no matter. I’m sure you’re all ensconced somewhere, either enjoying the company of your family, or taking advantage of Boxing Week sales madness. Me, I’ll be resting and relaxing and taking full advantage of this holiday to recharge my batteries.
Today, Erin, her father and I went out for a walk. Normally, this would not be newsworthy, except that the temperatures were in the mid teens, Celsius. This after the area was blanketed with Fahrenheit zero weather earlier this week. All of the snow has abruptly melted, and Erin and I were out in our shirt sleeves, breathing deep the warm air that smelt so much like spring. Hopefully, my family will be getting this weather in a couple of days, so they can melt some of their snow. And hopefully it will be bright and sunny as it has been here, so they can properly enjoy it. It is a great relief to have a day like this after all of the snow and grey skies that we’ve had up until now.
We’ve been to a bevy of Christmas parties and have had a lot of Christmas cheer. Vivian and Nora are enjoying themselves, with Vivian in particular bonding with cousins she never knew she had.
In terms of writing, I’ve put in the revisions to The Dream King’s Daughter as suggested by my reader from Saskatchewan. As for the question about what restaurant would Aurora’s mother go to in Winnipeg, I chose Branigan’s over Earls. A look at the menu suggests that they may be too pricey for casual take-out.
Now that I’m done with The Dream King’s Daughter, it’s back to The Night Girl. Some of you may have heard that I’m now being represented by Margaret Hart of the Humber School of Writers’ Literary Agency. She negotiated a good contract between myself and the Dundurn group for The Young City, and is currently at work on considering The Night Girl. This work included sending it out to an editor she knows (and pays) who has experience in the field to read over the manuscript and give her thoughts.
I received the reading report a couple of days ago, and it’s listed a number of suggestions for changes and improvements that I’ll be taking up. Indeed, what’s likely to happen is a complete rewrite of The Night Girl from the bottom up. I won’t be ditching the original manuscript whole hog; instead, I’ll have a printed copy by my side as I write the story anew from the very beginning, taking into consideration all of the suggestions as I proceed. This is the way I worked on The Dream King’s Daughter after my mother gave her thorough report on the first draft, and the result was a much improved (and 10000 word longer) second draft that, with further revisions, is closing in on submittable.
Anyway, it’s good to know that I know what I’ll be working on when I get home. I’m looking forward to getting reacquainted with Perpetua, Fergus and Earthenhouse and all the rest in the New Year.