Mornings look like this…

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Summer days are racing by and I’m spending more and more time in the library working on the ending of Carry Me Away, book 2 in the Blue Wren Shallows series.

Lots of new reader friends have popped in to pick up their copy of Carry Me Home (book 1). They sit in that chair while I sign their book, but most of my days I spend in the library, all alone… working on this new manuscript. (Don’t be fooled. I’m not complaining. Alone = bliss for this homebound author)

Here’s a peek at my view one morning this week ~ surrounded by my words, my tea, and a little angel watching over me to make sure I’m on task. I’m in the thick of making life miserable for my characters. Really bad. Tissue box bad.

During a coffee catch up with a dear writing friend, we brainstormed a further ‘misery twist’ … and even I flinched. Thankfully there’s a giddy, full blown romantic thread to wrap around this story before it’s delivered to YOU, my dear reader.

If you haven’t signed up for the Ink Dots newsletter, now is the time to get on that list. You will be among the first to receive news about upcoming book releases, the first to glimpse cover reveals, and in the month of February, anyone who subscribes to the Ink Dots newsletter is in the running to win an autographed copy of Carry Me Home.

You can do that by filling in the field at the bottom of any page on this website. There’s two books up for grabs this month!

Good luck, dear friends!
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Happy Summer Days

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Happy New Year and welcome back to Ink Dots.

It’s been a crazy summer for me, with my book launch, (see Facebook author page for all the pics) beach trips to Phillip Island, a family Christmas at home, and a breathtaking stop in Fiji to soak up the sun and recharge my author batteries.

December and January have certainly delivered above and beyond anything I expected as a debut author. On December 18th I took receipt of the first print run of Carry Me Home and within 3 weeks, you wonderful people had bought Every. Single. Copy.

Pinch me, hard!

I did not anticipate I’d SELL OUT so soon and I’m still giddy to have shared the story with so many readers.

To those who bought those first print copies… I offer my heartfelt THANKS!!!

It’s because of loyal readers like you I could order the second print run and look into the face of 2016 with great anticipation.

I’ll be disappearing into my library to work on book two in the Blue Wren Shallows series this month. But before I do…I want to honour those who’ve taken the time to message me their reader feedback.

You really know how to bless an author in the early days of her writing career. I could not have wished or dared for more. But that’s exactly what you returned to me! Much more than my giddy heart could have imagined.

You might recognise the part you played in my delight in the following photos. Bless you for sending them to me and posting them on social media. If only every author had such faithful readers. You guys are the best.

Now, take your bow!

(And if I’ve missed your pic… message me and it will be my pleasure to add it ASAP)

***** For my Australian AND international readers… To celebrate the second print run of Carry Me Home, I’m offering all new mailing lists subscribers the chance to win one of two autographed copies. No matter where you live, this contest is open to you. Just sign up for the Ink Dots Newsletter in the month of February (scroll to the bottom of this page) and you could be that winner. Good luck!

 

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Delivery ~ Carry Me Home

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There’s IMG_4073much I can say about the book publishing process, which added grey hairs to my head and wrinkles around my weary eyes.

But I forgot most of it the day I ripped open this package to reveal the first ever print copy of Carry Me Home.

Fast-tracked via Amazon, it arrived one sunny November morning, like any other delivery which barrels into the driveway on the back of some regular looking truck.

Only, this truck had been listened for all morning.

 

I’d pottered around the front garden, half interested in the new summer roses, but really, head tilted to every noise and rumble from the other side of the hedge.

The cardboard packaging fell apart easy enough under the pull of my knife, and there it was. Velvety cover, cream pages, everything I’d imagined for years. Beside the lemon bowl on my kitchen bench.

In. My. House.

A proof copy for me to examine from every angle, before I pressed the publish for all the world to read button.

But first, I had to hold it. And smell it. And rub the soft cover against my cheek. And when my breathing allowed… hold the book at arm’s length to make sure it was real. And squeal a little.

Giddy, giddy gooseflesh, all my prayers had been answered…and my book had come home.

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editing, proofreading, and formatting

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In August, Carry Me Home received it’s final, full, deep editing.

This came after three weeks with the wonderful Margie Lawson from Denver, and her dear husband, Tom, who visited with us to run two Deep Editing Immersions and attend the RWAust conference in Melbourne.

Armed with the trusty Margie Lawson highlighting arsenal, I took my manuscript apart, page by page.

 

Each scene, each sentence, each word went through the refining fire of ruthless editing. A process which took close to a month to complete.

When I was done, I didn’t want to see a fluro marker or the story again. (Yes, this happens. It’s an author thing. We do recover but there are times we never want to look at the multi-highlighted pages EVER AGAIN.)

Thankfully, the fabulous Rel Mollet was on on hand to proofread one last time before Carry Me Home went off to the experts in Bangkok for print version and digital formatting.

 

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The editing process…delete, swap, add.

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One week into the final editing and the sticky notes were stacking up!

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Two weeks into editing… and I was running out of sticky notes.

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Week three… and that could possibly be blood on the title page.

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Done! Highlighted, annotated… now to apply to the version on my laptop!

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Printed… ready for Rel Mollet to proofread once last time.

carry me home ~ pinterest board

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For years I’ve collected reference materials to feed my addiction to all things yesteryear ~ thrift shops being the best hunting ground.

I’ve brought home the inspiration for many stories, still to be written, but the delicious details remain on my shelf for that day when I’ll spin that tale.

In recent times, I’ve added pictures to my collection of words.

Pictures which capture mood, flavour, anticipation, and, most importantly for a novel set in Australia, setting.

I keep these pictures on a Pinterest board, aptly named… Carry Me Home.

It’s my little stash of how I imagine this story might look.

You’ll see, Shadrach, Finella, Molly, and their home.

Parts of Phillip Island. Their farm and belongings.

The tokens which meant something to them.

This visual representation of my story came together after I’d written it. A helpful aid in the editing process when I wanted to sink deeper into my story.

Now it’s your turn.

Come see what I added to the Carry Me Home ~ Pinterest Board.

Which picture catches your eye?

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Dotti 

 

Local History Checks ~ Carry Me Home

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Details mean everything to the historical author.

It’s the life threads of another time which draw us and that’s what we want to share with our readers.

So it’s paramount this deliciousness is woven alongside the imagined in a way which keeps the reader believing.

Much of my historical inspiration has come from journals, old letters, newspaper archives, cookbooks, and historical records of island life in it’s infancy.

I thought I had the details sorted when I finished writing Carry Me Home. But I knew I couldn’t trust my information gathering alone.

So I reached out to the good people at the Phillip Island Historical Society. Two of their members agreed to read my manuscript for historical and local accuracy.

This was the first time I’d seen my story on paper. It had survived many rounds with critique partners and editors, but now it headed off, printed and all cosy in polka dot boxes, for those who cherished island history more than I ever could ~ the descendants of Phillip Island’s pioneers and early settlers.

I thoroughly enjoyed receiving their feedback. Who knew the marram grass I thought belonged on the island in 1874, had not been planted until 1910? I learned the better option was spinifex, and so I went with that. Cool word. Spinifex.

On all local matters, I deferred to the experts. Where there was a general issue with historical accuracy, I returned to my desk to research further.

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While the use of mum might sound too modern for the 1870s, I found it commonly used as early as 1835, and the word pester appears in literature dating back to 1588. And did you know the phrase, if the shoe fits, wear it… dates back to 1705, and the very modern sounding, I guess, was used by Shakespeare and Charels Dickens?

Double checking to keep a word or phrase, or delete it, brings some satisfaction. I know I’ll never get it all right, but I won’t leave any questions marks unanswered, either. It must be in the nature of a history nerd. I need to know for myself if my word choices fit the time. Anachronisms bother me as a reader, so the writer in me works extra hard to make sure there are none to trouble my audience.

I’m so grateful I had the assistance of the Historical Society members on this manuscript. Their fresh eyes picked up typos and simple errors, too.

And when I collected my polka dot boxes, minus the chocolate reward I’d stuffed in there, I was ready for another round of edits and revisions. This time, armed with something solid. This was not just a love story, anymore. The historical scaffolding on which it draped had been checked by those who knew best. And I reclaimed my absolute favourite combination, the wonderful weight of history and romance… and took it home where I could polish it some more.

“We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiralling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies.” Shirley Abbot