El Segundo Author Fair  

Well I started really pre-editing my third book. I eliminated some dialog, cleaned up some miscellaneous goofs and am about half way. I have an editor wating to tackle it.

I thought back on some of the criticisms posed by the last publisher and felt that some of it was true, but not all. They're looking at it from a selling perspective. This isn't Stephen King or Carolyn Hart where a dead body, or the suspense starts at the beginning. My characters finding past dead bodies is a little more plausable than being on an island for 20 years, introducing characters who have been there forever, that you've never heard of before, and then suddenly there are dead bodies all over the place.

Since each book is unique in regards to the family involved (Lydia is helping others to solve problems of the past) I can get away with it, they sort of can't. There is a famous line from Murder by Death where Lionel Twain chides the assembled guests on their writing style. "You introduce characters at the end who weren't even in the book until the end as your murderer..." (forgive me if the quote isn't quite right. If you know the movie you know what scene I mean!)

There is another author I dearly love reading, and she's worn her characters out. The murder happened 3/4 of the way through the book and she spent the rest of the time preaching about the economy and politics. And they thought my book was too narrow in focus. I have always finished this author's novels, but I came really close this time to putting it down and walking away.

So in a year A Case Study in Murder might be ready for print. I have heard nothing but positive response on the last two. One person even e-mailed and asked if there was a third coming out...for those faithful readers (although you may be small and dedicated...) yes - there will be a third and if God wills it a fourth.

So I finally got my rejection for book three and you know what??? YEEE HAW!!! It was sort of like a Monk moment. There was an episode at the end of the series where he got his badge back and he realized, that it wasn't what he really wanted after all those years. He didn't get to work the way he wanted to, solve the case the way he wanted to...he was unhappy. He found that he was at his best un-restricted and being creative in how he worked. He gave the badge back.

I had one of those moments the day I submitted my book to a small publishing firm. After I sent it, I was asked to defend it, and you know it was at that moment I remembered WHY I author originated my work. I got tired of being told that no one would be interested and it was too narrow in focus to make any publisher money. But I also realized that I'm not out to make money, and I haven't had the time to polish the third like I wanted (lets see I'm married, have 3 children, and work 40 hours a week...hmmm doesn't leave much time for creativity does it?)

So I got the rejection today. They added my chapters were too long, the conversation with the main characters was forced (spend the day sometime with Lorraine and I - like this last weekend - and re-evatuate that statement), and that it was too detailed. Hmmmm, it's genealogy, genealogy is sorta like law. It needs to be detailed in order to do it right.

It was at that moment I decided I would rather do it right and honor my genealogical methods than to short change my beliefs.

So am I crushed, sad, depressed...not in the least. I am relieved and glad that I didn't get my badge back. I like being me, and I like Lydia and crew being themselves. So there.