It's—Copyedit Time!

Just a few weeks ago I was in countdown mode to get The Great Revision (TGR) of The Gathering of the Lost (The Wall of Night Book Two) done and dusted—and now it is already copyedit time!  Can you believe it?

There is definitely no rest for the wicked and all I can say is that I must have been ve-ry wicked indeed in a past life! (Sadly, I haven't been at all wicked in this one …)

So here I am, in countdown mode again—and kinda hoping you will help me out like you did last time!

Because you see, my publisher would like Gathering back by 31 August. Which I reckon is pretty durned tight for a 200,000 word, 700 page manuscript, es-special-ly since because of all that snow, the courier hasn't actually arrived with the manuscript yet!

But hey, I'm a Kiwi gal—DIY and No. 8 wire and all that jazz!—and so of course I have managed to rustle up a hardcopy ms to work off, snow or no snow. (These days, the copyeditors get to work on electronic manuscripts, but the author still has to to do her/his notations by pencil-–can you believe it?—onto a hard copy. And have you tried to find a decent pencil sharpener these days? I tell, you, gentle readers, the beast does not exist—or if it does, please send my way now, at once, today! Believe me, your name will be LEGEND. )

So back to that deadline. Personally, given the size of the manuscript, I think 12 June is more realistic—but bearing in mind that whether 31st August or 12 June, this is the date the marked up hardcopy manuscript has to be back in the production department in New York. So I have to allow for courier time as well—and as I am around 10,000 miles / 14,000 kilometres and several time zones from the Big Apple, we're not talking overnight delivery: no, sirree!

So, dear readers, as aforesaid, I am now back into page and day countdown mode—and the jackpot questions. Will she do it? Or won't she? And when will she actually get it done by? Will she blow a gasket and expire in steam and smoke en route? Or will she come sailing through, all smiles and serenity?  (Serenity: now there was  a movie …)

Ladies and gentlemen, if there are bookies amongst you, I now invite you to take all bets—the 31st or the 12th, which will it be?  For those not of a gambling disposition, well, I'm pretty sure I'll be asking you to toot again for support!

So let the games begin—or alternatively, cry havoc and loose the dogs of war!