Doing the work.

A quick reminder — this is the last week that the first books in both of my series are on deep e-discount.

THE TAKEN, $2.99 – B&N and Amazon.

THE SCENT OF SHADOWS, $.99 - here.

After that, they’ll be $10 and $7, respectively. So, go.

Latest news: I received arguably the best review of my career from B&N’s Paul Goat Allen HERE. Read it in full to see why it put me on the verge of tears, but for now here’s a snippet:

Vicki Pettersson is well known in the genre fiction world as the author of the Signs of the Zodiac saga (The Scent of Shadows, The Taste of Night, The Touch of Twilight, et. al.) featuring otherworldly avenger Joanna Archer. But that’s about to change – in a big way.

Pettersson’s latest release, The Taken, is the first installment in a new series called Celestial Blues, a stunningly stylish storyline that blends together elements of noir fiction, urban fantasy, and romance. It’s not only Pettersson’s best work to date; it’s also a clear indicator to where urban fantasy is headed. With the Signs of the Zodiac series, Pettersson’s audience was essentially paranormal fantasy readers. The Taken, however, is much more mainstream – ie: appealing to fans of mystery, fantasy, romance and conventional fiction – and should find a much larger audience…

Bottom line: Vicki Pettersson can no longer be called an urban fantasy novelist. This novel transcends genre categorization – yes, paranormal fantasy readers will LOVE The Taken but so too will hardcore mystery and romance fans and, most importantly of all, mainstream fiction fans.

This is Vicki Pettersson’s coming out party – and we’re all invited.

See what I mean?

Just awesome.

Meanwhile, I’m finishing rewrites for the second book in the Celestial Blues trilogy, THE LOST – at least at the meta-level. The overarching supernatural thread needed to be addressed, and I’ve done that and it’s much stronger now. Messy, mind you, but I have something with which to work.

I’m also able to hunker down and marathon it this week, which is rare and a relief. I’ve learned that I don’t need a large block of time in which to write, and I’ve learned to be zen about embracing life’s natural chaos around me (comes with being a mother, I think) but it sure is nice when the big blocks of hours DO come, so I’m embracing them now.

Next up: the third act and climax. Visually, what I’ve done is the equivalent of brushing a woman’s hair, top to bottom. The roots and crown and midsection are smooth and shiny, but now I have to do something about these snarled ends.

Then another draft to fill holes.

Then another for line editing and tightening language.

Then formatting.

I’d like one more pass for language after that, but I don’t think I’ll have time on this draft. That’s okay, though. I’ll probably be brain-dead and cross-eyed. It’d be a situation of diminishing returns. I’ll see the book again for copyedits and page proofs, so I can address anything I missed then.

Off to do eet.

Oh, and since I’m in edit mode, below is an proofreading sheet containing symbols like the one my editor uses on me. You’re welcome.