Editing and Rewrites

Finishing Keeper of the Dragon Sword is not going to plan. If it did, I would have been finished by now. The cover design is getting there (looking great actually) and only a few tweaks here and there, and it will be done. I wish I could say the same of the contents.

The hold-up is me of course. The editing is more than just fixing a few spelling mistakes, and language errors. In chapter 4 there is a mating scene in the original text that never quite worked. The writing is fine and the scene is fine, but it did not fit the plot, not so early in the story at least. Moving it to a later time slot won't have the same impact on the story, so I needed to change it. Change the whole thing.

The two dragons did need to meet. The sexual tension needed to be established, but an actual mating did not quite fit. Not yet.

The editing will hopefully now proceed with more enthusiasm, as that scene is now sorted and my mind can move on to the next. It might need another edit, but in terms of the plot, it works much better now. There is another scene rewrite coming, and this one will be a touch more difficult. Writing a sex scene can be a challenge. Writing, or rather rewriting, the first sexual encounter between two people after they were involved in a violent sexual ritual, now that is not going to be easy.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Before I even can get to that problem scene, I need to finish editing chapters 5 to 8 first. Progress is on the cards this week.

Are eBooks the only choice now?

As a writer I love books. I love to read, collect and write books. I like the feel of the paper in my hands, and yet I also love my Kindle. It must sound strange, but each has it place. Relaxing in a hot bubble bath after a long day, does not quite feel the same holding a Kindle, and yet it is perfect with a book.

Once Géra's Gift was published it only felt real once I held the paper copy of it in my hand, but then again, I got the same thrill once the ebook versions became available too. Call it writer's insanity of you wish.

Is the future going to include only ebooks? I don't know, but I hope that printed books will be around for another few years. Otherwise my bath time will not be the same anymore.

Keeper of the Dragon Sword - a first peek

The cover design is not progressing as well as I had hoped, but that is entirely my own fault - not the designer's. I have been spending time on the final editing though, and here is a sneak preview of a part of the opening scene in Chapter 1.

Slowly she opened her eyes, and again the shock was almost too much. She must have imagined it. Probably too much stress. This time however, she managed not to faint.
“Hey,” the ghost of her past said softly.
She tried to sit up, but her arms and legs felt too weak to do as her brain commanded. She gave up and laid back down.
“Randall Storm?” she asked in a shaking voice.
“Hello, Elizabeth,” he said in that husky voice she used to love so much.
Elizabeth looked up at the man quietly watching her. Physically he was bigger than she remembered, his shoulders broad and the light jacket he wore could not hide the power in his arms and upper body. Quietness and maturity surrounded him, and she sensed a tremendous strength in him. She also sensed something more, but could not identify it. His blue eyes were his most potent physical asset, and she always felt that he could look into her soul when he looked at her, like now.
She moved to get up from the bed. “Why are you here? And why are we in ... this bedroom?”
“This is your mate's room?” It was decorated in shades of cream and brown, but it looked empty.
"Yes."
Once on her feet, she still felt dizzy. It's been hours since she last ate, no wonder her legs were weak. She stumbled, and he easily lifted her into his arms. Without thinking, she put her arms around his neck for support. They left the bedroom and he took her back to the main room where he gently put her back on the couch where she had been sitting when he arrived.
He sat down on the table in front of her and took her hands in his. The simple gesture filled her with dread.
“I have some bad news."