CRIME ON MY MIND

And we're off!

Erika Chase is sending book #2 in the Ashton Corners Mystery Book Club series off to the publisher today! Yay! Finally!

Erika & I say 'finally', because the final polishing round can be endless. All writers know what I'm talking about. You go into a section to insert something and suddenly you're re-writing that entire page, then the next. Every time you read the thing, your editing pencil comes out and we know what that leads to. There's never a time when a writer is totally satisfied with her/his work. You just have to say to yourself, "Enough. It's time. Send it off!"

Besides, when the editor returns it for re-writes, you can then go through the same process all over again.

It's a relief to be packaging it up for emailing off. There were a few slow months, round about March, April when I wondered if I'd ever be able to pull it off. Could I actually finish the thing? Would it make sense? Would I have to send back my advance? I went through the same process with the first book. And, there's that famous story about Harlen Coben, I think...his rant and his wife asking if he was at chapter so-and-so, because that's where this always happened. Sorry, my brain is in neutral today. I'm sure someone will correct me with the right name, if this is the wrong one.

I's also a sad day because it's been so much fun. Really it has, even with those two horrid months. I've enjoyed my time in Ashton Corners, Alabama...getting to know Lizzie Turner and the other book club members even better. They're old friends now, you know. And it's hard to leave old friends. Even with that feeling of accomplishment vying for top emotion.

But I won't be away from them for long. Book #3 has to be started because it's due in 9 months. And this is all before Book #1 is even published. Are you still with me? That's right, A Killer Read, the first in the series, is due out in April, 2012.

However, even #3 has to wait awhile -- for two weeks as I'm taking a Blog-oliday! I'll be touring France with my choir and I'm not taking my computer!

So, it's a holiday for readers, too. All guest bloggers have been given a break, with many thanks for all their wise & witty words. But we'll all be back on Monday, Aug. 29th (starting with Mary Jane Maffini). I'm hoping you'll remember to come back to Mystery Maven Canada on that date, also.

We'll start a new season of blogs; I'll start a new manuscript; and Canadian crime writers will all have an amazing year of sales! Thank you readers & commenters. Where have your summer travels taken you?

Linda Wiken/Erika Chase
A Killer Read coming April, 2012
from Berkley Prime Crime