Editors---we all need them. We want to please them, but
sometimes, we butt heads.
To help sort out this relationship, I've invited Laura
Garland, who suffered through several rounds of editing Becoming Lady Amherst,
to answer a few questions.
Celeste Jones:
Laura, please tell us a bit about yourself.
Laura Garland:
I’m a mom of three rambunctious boys who keep me on my toes 24/7/365. LOL I met
my husband in college. Turns out he was the love of my life, so I pulled out
all the stops to snag him. Ah, success! I taught middle school, high school,
and college math. (Yeah, don’t think I didn’t hear those groans out there,
people! Believe it or not, I hated math until college—when I finally got a
teacher who said, “Let me show you how easy it is.” Then everything changed for
me, and I found myself in front of classrooms saying the exact same words.) I
have a ton of hobbies from stained glass to cross stitching to flying
helicopters and shooting bows and assault rifles. Setting off fireworks is a
fav – pretty explosions. What’s not to like?
Celeste Jones:
Can you tell us what an editor does and what it's reasonable to expect an
editor to do? Are there different types of editors?
Laura Garland:
There are different type editors and they can vary from house to house. Most
publishing houses have a Content Editor (CE) who works on the content of your
story. Does it make sense, does it flow, are the characters consistent, does it
have a good opening hook, help with sentence variation (so the cadence of the
author’s words don’t get repetitive), etc.? A lot of CEs have also been line
editors, so some will also do punctuation, fix typos, etc. But not all CEs do
that. After the CE is finished, the story usually goes to a Line Editor (LE).
That’s the person who combs through the story and finds all the technical
issues, like punctuation and typos. Word usage (your and you’re, to and too,
compliment and complement, etc.) and repeated words or high usage of a
character’s name. As a second set of eyes on a story, some LEs mark other
things as well, like a change in eye/hair color or other things that pop up and
are out of place. Some houses have a Senior Editor (SE) who reads through the
story from start to finish and makes sure nothing has been missed.
Overall, working with a epub house or using an editing
service is good because you’ll have more people looking at your story, which
means more issues will be found and corrected. Whatever you write, you owe it
to your readers to always strive to make it the cleanest story possible. My
motto? More eyes on tales means better sales! <wg>
Celeste Jones: Has editing ruined reading for you? Are you
able to read without wanting to make corrections?
Laura Garland:
LOL Uhh…yes and no. If I come across glaring issues, then yes, it throws me out
of the story. But on the other hand, when I read something that is wonderful, I
appreciate all the work that went into it.
Celeste Jones:
What are some of your pet peeves as an editor?
Laura Garland:
Nit pick stuff would be like action tags used as dialogue tags. Lack of
sentence variation. Overuse of ‘said’ or ‘asked’. Boring/irrelevant dialogue.
Bigger stuff would be two-dimensional characters. Lack of setting. Authors who
are tied to their words and won’t make any changes -- makes the editor’s job
harder. Or opposite to that are authors who aren’t tied to their words but
don’t want to do the work.
Celeste Jones:
Please share your thoughts as an editor on the use of the following:
Exclamation marks:
Only when it’s needed. Sparingly. Otherwise, it loses its impact.
Was: Used
properly, I don’t have a problem with it. Used passively (was + -ing verb) uhhh
no.
-ing words:
Authors key on –ing words. Really, if they are used properly, they are fine.
Dialogue tags: Often
confused with action tags. Seems the industry is moving more toward action
tags.
Celeste Jones:
How has your work as an editor improved your writing?
Laura Garland: If
anything, it’s pointed out that I can never stop studying the craft.
Celeste Jones:
How do you tell someone their story stinks without stepping on their toes?
Laura Garland:
Honestly, sometimes it’s hard to tell if the story is the author’s first or
fortieth. Everyone is different and at different levels of the craft. I try to
put myself in their shoes and offer suggestions with the understanding that
they are exactly that – suggestions. I also ask questions with the idea that
maybe the author’s point for a particular scene or theme of a story is there
but just not brought out strongly enough.
Celeste Jones: If
you could only give one or two pieces
of advice to
writers, what would it be?
Laura Garland:
Never stop studying the craft. Writing is a two-part process – creative and
technical. One is very different from the other. Use both to the fullest. Of
course, then there’s promo, but that’s a whole other animal. LOL
The second piece of advice is Be Professional. At the
editing stage, don’t take every mark personally. However, you do need to
consider each one. Do the work. And last, get the manuscript back in a timely
manner. (Notice how earlier it was “story” and now it’s “manuscript”? J )
Celeste Jones:
Anything else you'd like to share?
Laura Garland:
I’ve been on both sides – editor and author. If your story comes back marked
up, that doesn’t mean s/he didn’t like it. Far from it. If you have questions,
ask. If you don’t agree with something, leave a comment. Editors are people,
too, with emotions, families, and lives. And if you divided out the amount they
are paid by the hours spent on your story, the wage is very, very low.
So, why do they do it if there’s no hope of retiring on a beach somewhere? The
reasons vary. Love of the job, the desire to give back, wanting to help budding
authors, etc. But overall, one thing is true: Editors are there to help make
your story the very best it can be – Clean, Clear, Consistent.
Laura Garland writes as L.J. Garland and can be found here:
Garland
& Gould Blog
Amazon
Author Page
Follow me on Twitter:
LJ_Garland1
Dead or Alive
A 1Night Stand Story
BLURB:
Rhykar
Evierse has been on the Most Wanted list for years. His attempts to expose the
evil deeds of Vast Innovations’ founder, Mertan Graiton, has landed him on the
wrong end of the law—and on the wrong end of a sexy bounty hunter’s pistol.
Now, Rhykar’s wanted for a murder he didn’t commit. Desperate to clear his
name, he contacts the one woman who can save him. He hopes she’ll give him one
night to prove himself.
When Selea Val’keer receives Rhykar’s call for help, anger and lust rip through
her. How can she be attracted to a criminal? Unable to resist, she accepts his
invitation to meet through Madame Evangeline’s 1Night Stand service. But what
will she do when she sees him again—kiss him or shoot him?
Genre: Sci-fi romance, adventure,
suspense/thriller
Heat level: 3
Word count – 15k
Cover art by LFD Designs
BUY:
EXCERPT:
“So, what’s the plan here, Rhykar?” She glanced from the huge window to the
door and back to him. “No way out.”
“I came to you for
help.” He allowed his gaze to wander over her, taking in her rumpled clothing,
disheveled hair. The package was more alluring than the daydreams of their
first kiss. Gods, he’d hoped for more than this. “I go out there, I’m dead. I
stay here, you’ll have to shoot me cause I’m not going in willfully. Seems
either way I’m finished.”
“So, what then?”
His attention landed
on her swollen, wet lips and his body answered for him. “Strip.”
Her eyes widened,
astonishment surfacing her face. “What?”
He brandished the
pistol. “Strip.”
She frowned, but with
a slight shrug, her long coat slipped from her shoulders and crumpled to the
floor. Beneath, dark pants hugged her hips and a tight, green shirt accentuated
delicious dips and curves. Rhykar stared. Gods, she was really going to do it.
Stepping toward him,
she gave him a sexy smile that sent his heart pounding and his body pulsing. He
could forgive that she wanted to take him in, that she’d bit him. At this
moment, he could forgive her anything.
Pivoting, she bent
her knees in an evocative pose. He watched, mesmerized as she licked her lips
and then slapped her hand against her rounded bottom. She smirked, and with a
quick twist, she spun around, her foot connecting with his wrist, sending the
pistol flying. Before he could react, she snagged the weapon midair and pointed
it at him, a cool smile on her mouth.
He tilted his head
and grimaced. “Now what, Selea?”
She arched a brow.
“Strip.”
Love & Curses
Cursed Ink Book 1
BLURB:
Calista Page always gives her heart to the wrong guy. The
latest one gives her a tattoo before she dumps him. As she falls apart from yet
another failed relationship, her sexy, steadfast neighbor holds her. Why can’t
she find a guy like him?
Successful
restaurant owner, Andy Mitchell pines for the girl next door. Tired of being
her go-to guy, he decides to tell her how he feels. But fresh off her latest
rejection, he wonders if he can convince her this time love will last.
“Death is
after you,” Calista’s crazy aunt warns. Gypsy mumbo-jumbo or not, Andy’s
instincts kick in. But with Death determined to take Calista’s life at every
turn, can he unravel the secret of Love and Curses before it’s too late?
Genre: Paranormal romance, suspense/thriller, erotic romance
Heat level: 3
Word count: 18k
Cover art: TygraPro Designs
BUY:
ARe
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-lovecurses-1036532-140.html
EXCERPT:
Unable to stop himself, he reached over and brushed
aside an ebony lock, tucking it behind her ear. He skimmed his knuckles along
her jaw line, and she turned toward him. Leaning forward, he slipped his
fingers beneath her chin, tilting her head up, and pressed his mouth to hers.
Oh yes, at last he’d kissed
her—and she hadn’t pulled away. Emboldened by her response, he drew the tip of
his tongue along the seam of her lips. She opened to him, and he took her
mouth, darting his tongue against hers and drinking in the sweetness that was
Calista. Heaven on Earth.
His body pulsed with fire,
need and longing finally met. He pulled her closer, wound his arm around her
waist. She was soft and pliant, and her heart pounded so hard he felt it
against his chest.
Andy broke the kiss. Easing
back, he stared down at her wet, swollen lips and wide eyes. Oh, shit.
“Calista, I’m…I don’t know
why I—”
She slammed her mouth to
his, threading her hand through his hair. She stroked his tongue with hers, the
erotic motions sending lust to careen along every nerve. Lacing his arm beneath
her knees, he scooped her onto his lap. As they dueled for dominance, a breeze
washed over them, the smell of lavender tickling his nose—not her normal scent,
but pleasant all the same. Leaving her lips, he trailed kisses along her jaw to
her neck.
“Oh,” she said on a breathy
moan. “Wait.”
“Calista,” he murmured
against the supple flesh of her throat. He slid one hand to cup her breast
taunting him from beneath her tight T-shirt. Grazing a thumb over the tip, he
found her nipple peaked, and groaned. She was so hot and delicious.
Lightning flashed over the
lake, and thunder rumbled the air.
Coral is a fugitive - hiding from herself, her true desires, and the sea witch to whom she owes a great debt. She fears showing real emotion and letting herself be free, but Jake Hill's dominating presence beckons her to yield to him - not just her body, but her heart, mind, and soul. When the sea witch demands retribution, though, she may lose the one man she has come to trust.
