Summer is here?

I think so many years in school can do a number on your sense of time.  When I was in school, summer started on June 1 and fall didn’t start until after Labor Day weekend, which was also when school started back for me.  Sure, it’s not what the calendar says with its equinoxes, but it’s what has stuck in my brain.  So with the start of June, it is officially summer for me, but it certainly doesn’t look or feel like summer.

After the mild winter we had, I was expecting blazing hot temperatures under a bright blue sky.  Today, I look out my window to see rain and gray skies.  The temperature is trying to rise to the low 70s.  It’s not exactly the start of summer I was looking for, but it will pass and I’ll get my blazing hot temperatures.  Besides, we can always use the rain.

In the meantime, I’m working on my Halloween short story, which I’m hoping to finish up this weekend.  I am also waiting on my revision letter and book 2 manuscript.  Yes, my lovely editor has read the second book in the Asylum Tales series and SHE LIKES IT!  My editor is a tough critic, which is why I absolutely adore her.  When she’s excited, it means I have done something right.  Of course, the book needs work.  I don’t want to meet the writer who doesn’t have to revise a book after it’s been handed in once.  Heck, there are a number of writers who have to revise a book several times before an editor accepts it.  The revision stage is where a writer rolls up his/her sleeves and gets dirty.  The story is dissected, motivations get tweaked, and the world gets a lot harder for the hero.

I both love and hate the revision stage.  I hate it because I lose my ability to see the big picture.  I start weighing each word and I can no longer see it from a reader’s perspective.  That always makes me sad because it’s like losing the soul of the book.   On the other hand, I love it because it’s when big things start clicking and you see the book grow into its full potential.  Having that second set of eyes on the story means a fresh viewpoint, someone who can see what the story is missing.    

My current schedule is finish the short story, spend about a month revising the second book and hand it in, revise the short story and hand it in, and then celebrate the release of The Asylum Interviews: Bronx! Yep, we’re down to about a month until the first story from the Asylum Tales is released (out on July 3).  I’m planning a mini-blog tour during that week of the release where I interview several of the characters from the series.  Let’s just say that it was an interesting experience.  Usually, I send in a nameless, faceless reporter to handle the interviews for me.  This time, I actually head into Low Town to talk to Gage and the crew.   The blog tour will run from July 2 – 6 and I will probably be giving away some free copies of the story here and there.  More details to come as we get closer.