Blog Archives

I have two editors now: Raven at Loose Id and Jen at MLR Press. Raven’s seen me through MY SUMMER OF WES and all the nervous, crazy, first-time-author stuff. I must not have made her too nuts because she’s stuck around for TAKE THE SHOT. Jen and I are still in that first-date stage as we work on KLT23, where she’s figuring me out, and I’m trying not to make her run for the door. I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to work with more than one editor both because of what they’re teaching me and because they’re both different.

Jen gives me notes encouraging me to expand here and do this thing better there. She’s concise and clear and business-like. She points, I put. We have commiserated about the stresses of families and weddings and how they make us forget to email our editors when we’re supposed to.

Raven’s notes might be a single number reminding me I’ve used “smile” for the 4th time in as many paragraphs, or she might write her own series of paragraphs to get across something she wants me to understand, consider, and act on. She sparks ideas in me and she makes me bounce in my chair when she praises me for being so clever. She’s talked me off a ledge at least once.

I’m thrilled with them both and have come to understand that being an editor is waaaaay more than I thought it was before I got a couple of them. I find myself thinking about what Raven’s going to squee about and whether Jen will freak when her “add a sentence” comes back as a paragraph…or two.

So thank you, Raven and Jen. You probably won’t read this because you’re both very busy ladies, but I appreciate you and look forward to entertaining you as best I can for a long time to come.