On Monday, I discovered I was the recipient of a Superior Scribbler Award, which was awarded to me by Elizabeth Spann Craig. Thanks, Elizabeth.
There are conditions, of course. These are the rules which I have to post here:
1. Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
2. Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
3. Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
4. Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit this post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we’ll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
5. Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.
My 5 recipients:
Lee Lofland, The Graveyard Shift
Susan Wiggs, The View From here
Nancy J. Cohen, Notes From Florida
Jenyfer Matthews, Writing News and Disconnected Thoughts
Murder, She Writes
Linda Faulkner, Author Exchange Blog
So, the rules having been followed, what else is going on?
Keep Reading...
My publisher has requested the manuscript for the sequel to When Danger Calls, working title: Where Danger Hides. It's been many months since I've looked at it. The first requirement was to re-format according to their guidelines. They prefer a different font size, have specific requirements for chapter headings and scene breaks. Just the little things that meant I couldn't merely attach the file which was formatted the way my agent had wanted it.
And, of course, wanting to put one's best foot forward, it meant reading the whole thing again. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed reading it. Normally, by the time you send it off, you've been polishing and tweaking it until you don't want to see it again. But I've written two other full manuscripts since then, two short stories, and am working on another, so it was almost a fresh read.
The next requirement was to fill out a "Tip Sheet" which is pretty much a CYA form for their legal department. Any real people, places, or things have to be listed. I don't use anything real in a negative manner, but I do mention specific products by name -- things like the Glock my hero carries, or the iPod the heroine listens to. They eat Ben & Jerry's ice cream in a scene. I hadn't given them any thought when I was writing, but having to go through the manuscript and note them made me realize how I prefer to use real, recognizable products if it helps define a character, or delineate a setting.
Whether the publisher accepts it or not is yet to be seen. But I really liked Dalton after his appearance in When Danger Calls, so when he demanded his own story be told, I readily agreed.
This means I haven't been writing much new stuff on my manuscript, but I should be back with Gordon, Justin, and Megan shortly.
2 comments:
You've been busy. Got to love that Ben and Jerry's. But it was interesting reading this today since I was noticing how many real products were mentioned in a book I was reading yesterday - wondered if there were any problems with that, so you've sort of answered my question.
I seem to recall Ian Fleming being a pioneer in identifying things by brand names.
There are times when it can be too much, and times when it's just the most effective way to get a point across.
And then there are all the trademarked names that have become household words, but they still need to be recognized: Jell-O, thermos, Kleenex, etc.
Depends a lot on the publisher as to what they permit and what they'd rather avoid. Says a lot about our litigous society.
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