So yesterday, my formatters sent me all my electronic files for SAVAGED DEVOTION, and I checked each one and approved them. My formatter uploaded the Apple file to publish in a few days (I can’t as I don’t have a Mac), and the remaining files are in my book folder waiting for me to upload to the other retailers. So far so good.

Then today, I began checking the draft of the print version and right there on the copyright pages was a Big Ugly Obvious Mistake. It had the wrong year.  This is entirely my fault. I sent the wrong information and I missed the error in every file I checked until the very last one. But hey, at least I caught it…eventually.

I hate making mistakes, and worse, I hate causing others extra work to fix it. So it’s not a great feeling, but it’s rarely fatal. It’s just a mistake. In fact, I can guarantee that despite two different editors who worked on this book, some errors will get through in the published versions. Typos and other things slip through all our best efforts.

I want a perfect book, but that’s an impossible standard. And it’s exactly the kind of thinking that freezes me creatively. The truth is readers don’t usually love books for their error free perfection, but they adore them for their characters and story. Readers are wonderfully forgiving of authors being fallible if they write a compelling story.

Mistakes are Rarely Fatal.

What I try to do when I make a mistake is this:

1. First, own the mistake. All mistakes in the books are mine. All of them.
2. When it causes my team extra work, I try to always claim the mistake, ask them to fix it and to charge me. My editors, formatter and cover artists are valuable professionals and work as hard as I do. And they deserve to make a living as much as I do.
3. Let it go. It’s okay to be fallible.
4. Believe in myself and my ability to create imperfectly wonderful stories

So that’s my thought for the day. Happy Wednesday!

This weekend blew by in a blur. After a hot week; cold, wind and rain arrived to confuse us here in Southern California. On Saturday, we went out to see Middle Son, and we must have passed four different accidents–one looked really bad–on the way. Rain and So Cal traffic is not a good mix. But we had a great time at Middle Son’s, and I got to see my two grandpuppies, Jett and Hazel. I played with them while Maggie convinced Middle Son and his wife that she need all their attention.

Sunday Turbo and his parents came over for another marathon day of fun. Maggie is worn out from two days of visiting and playing. It’s really cute when Turbo plays food truck, and he brings Maggie snacks like pretend tacos and ice cream. Maggie actually plays along eating it. You’d have to see it to believe it. Turbo loves playing food truck with her.

Family time was great, but work time was scarce. There’s so many things I’m trying to do, I’m pretty sure I’m throwing way too many balls in the air then running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to catch them But I’m energized and trying! I wrote some tag lines, designed some promo graphics, got half way through setting up ARC’s (copies for reviewers) on Bookfunnel, had my son and daughter-in-law teach me a little about Zoom, and tell me what I’m going to need for better quality video and audio…a whole list of stuff.

Then my supercharged, marketing savvy Middle Son suggested I start a podcast, and CPA boy thought it was a great idea too. At least they believe I can figure it out and do it as opposed to thinking I can’t???? LOLOL! I’ve put that idea in the research and ponder file to wait its turn.

In addition to the flurry of energy going into SAVAGED DEVOTION’S publication, I reached out to my friend and sometimes critique partner, Marianne, to help me work out some backstory and plot issues in PRIMAL MAGIC. She’s awesome at this, and I’m excited to have our phone session on Wednesday. For a long time I didn’t reach out and ask for help because I felt I had to prove to myself that I could write a finish a book again first. Now it’s time to get off my self imposed island. We all need to remember to ask for help when we need it.

So that was my weekend, how was yours?

Sorry for being late, I had my website updated yesterday, then my link to get into the dashboard errored out. Long story short, all I had to do was delete my bookmark and redo it, and here I am!

A quick message here from me to you: I know times are stressful right now. Emotions are running high here in the U.S.. I’m asking that each of you remember to take care of yourselves. Stress like this makes us ill, and can ruin valued relationships. Please, because no matter what your political leanings, I care about each of you. Your health and happiness are important to me.  You. Matter. These days, Wizard and I look at each other and say, “The sun will rise tomorrow.” We do what we can control, and try to let go of the rest that we can’t control.

So let’s jump right into Friday Five!

1. SAVAGED DEVOTION is at the formatters and I should get the files back to review this weekend. Man, I’m desperately trying to get back up to speed on everything, and worried like usual. But I’m also excited, I love this trilogy. I took some risks to give the characters the story they wanted.
2. I have the first chapter excerpt of SAVAGED DEVOTION on my website now here
3. Today is Wizard and my actual anniversary. We went out to another dinner last night at Flemmings Prime Steakhouse. We had planned to do that before our son invited us to dinner last weekend, so I thought we’d just do something at home. But Wizard surprised me and made the reservations for last night (easier to get in on a Thursday night than a Friday). It was a wonderful night sitting outside in a balmy evening talking and sharing a meal, good wine and a molten chocolate lava cake for dessert.
4. Eli and Savi from Primal Magic are bugging me even though I can’t work on them this week. I blame Savi, if she had just been the sweet, somewhat angelic witch I originally planned, things would be moving along. But I wrote her scene and was like, Holy Crap, now what? Eli is even less happy and off sulking somewhere. On the other hand, this is how I alway work, LOL.
5. Sunday, Wizard is going out to middle son’s house in the morning to give him a hand with something. Turbo and his parents are coming out a bit later and staying until Turbo’s ready for bed. It will be a marathon day, LOL.

So that’s my five, now I’d love to hear yours. I hope everyone has a good weekend.

The struggle has been real for Maggie this week

Happy Wednesday!

Happy November!

Let’s kick things off with a snake in the pool. Wizard caught sight of it swimming around. Both of us were surprised it’d survived any length of time since Wizard had just put acid in the pool. Silly snake. He was small, and I kept my freak out small in response Wizard removed the snake to another location and warned him to stay away.

Saturday, I got my copy edits back for SAVAGED DEVOTION, the final book in The Savaged Illusions Trilogy. They were light edits, so I got those done pretty quick. Now I’m doing a final proofread (after two rounds of editing with two different professional editors), and I’m trying to do it slowly enough to catch things that has slipped by us. Then I must send this book to formatting and let it go. This is my last pass, no matter what the perfectionist in my head says

Saturday night was Halloween. It’s Maggie’s favorite night. After the first group of kids, she was so happy, she was deer-hopping. She doesn’t bark, just runs to the door and wiggles all over as if she can’t contain all her joy. If it’s one of the neighbor kids she knows, she’s even more thrilled, and usually manages to get them to pet her and tell her she’s cute. But this, the Year of Covid Misery That Won’t End, we only had three groups of kids, less than ten in total. Maggie was so bummed. Of course, I totally get why parents are being cautious.

I’m writing this blog before we go to dinner with CPA Boy and Special K to the steakhouse so I haven’t found out how Turbo’s Halloween went yet. But I know he had a little party with his cousins, so I’m sure he had a blast.

So how was your Halloween? Are you adjusting to the time change? And did you have a good weekend?