Today author Heather Lin joins me to talk about writing and editing Westridge, her new romance novel. Read to the end for an insightful excerpt comparing the original opening of chapter one against the edited intro. What a difference small changes can make!

Before we jump into our interview, though, meet Gabby and Jason, the stars of the book:

Gabby Jones and Jason Dawson were born only months apart in the small town of Westridge. For the next eighteen years, they were inseparable, but after their high school graduation, Gabby got on a bus to the city, leaving Jason with a weak explanation and a broken heart. After five years of making it a point to avoid her old flame, Gabby comes home for a funeral and, thanks to meddling parents and circumstance, she and Jason are thrown together again.

But now Jason is an auto mechanic with an ex-wife and a daughter, and Gabby owns a successful flower shop in the city. Even if Gabby is able to admit she still loves Jason, and even if Jason is able to convince her to tell him the real reason she left, will they be able to get past the changes and broken pieces in time to start over?


Please note that Heather Lin is a blog guest and not a Romance Refined client.

 
Rachel: Thanks so much for stopping by, Heather. Let’s start by talking about your writing process. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Heather: I am a proud pantser. The one time I tried to work with a detailed outline, the story came out just awful. I get an idea, I write down the bare bones, and then I get to work.

Rachel: That’s what I love about interviewing authors: for all the advice out there, I think writers need to be reminded that there is no right or wrong way to write a book. Study, ask questions, try new methods, but ultimately each author must do what works for them.

Do you have a critique partner or beta reader that you consult before submitting to agents or editors?

I enjoy reading YA in my spare time but had never had the pleasure of editing a YA novel until Christina Courtenay's New England Rocks landed on my desk. I'm so glad it did! Not only is the story fun, but it was a particular thrill for me since it centers on a British teen girl going to an American high school. (If you've missed it elsewhere, I'm an American who lived in England for four years, albeit as an adult, and moved back to the US just last month.) Christina and I had many good laughs about the idiosyncrasies of American vs. British English! I'm delighted to have Christina here today to talk about editing.

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EDITS – that is a word that can strike fear into most authors, I think! At least it does to me. And yet, they’re hardly ever as bad as I think they’re going to be.

I’ve had critique partners for years and although I greatly value their comments and input, I’ve learned not to take every single thing they say as gospel. Instead, I look at what they tell me and decide whether I agree that they have a valid point or not. If they do, I rewrite, if not, I don’t. Easy, right? Except, what if I’m wrong?

My favourite type of book is one where a romance supports a wider plot, where the growing relationship is interwoven naturally with the characters’ situation rather than the purpose for it, and The Elephant Girl delivers just that. A whodunit chock full of red herrings and a list of suspects that would make Agatha Christie proud, the romance is the perfect addition to this tightly woven mystery. I was so excited to work on this manuscript and couldn’t be happier that publication day has arrived for my author Henriette Gyland, who’s here today to talk about writing and editing this story.

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Rachel: Welcome, Henri. Can you tell us about how this story came to be published?

Henri: I wrote the first draft a few years ago during the month of November, taking part in the international challenge National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) where the aim is to write at least 50,000 words in one month. After I’d finished it I sent it to my writing buddy and started the first revision following her input. Then it went to the New Writers’ Scheme run by the Romantic Novelists’ Association, received a good reader’s report, but there was still work to do on the manuscript so I revised it one more time before sending it to about six agents. None of them took it although two of them requested the whole manuscript.

Happy Publication Day to my author Jane Lovering! Hubble Bubble is peppered with laughs throughout in true Jane fashion; her characters are real, with relatable issues and emotions; and the romance sizzles. I’m happy to welcome Jane here today to talk about the writing and editing that lead to this happy day. 

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Hi Rachel, thanks very much for having me here! Your blog is very tidy, isn’t it? I’m used to places full of biscuit crumbs and dog hair, but it’s very clean and neat in here. You didn’t tidy up just for me, did you? Because I’ve brought two cream slices to eat while we chat, and you know how those things just go everywhere once you bite into them … Perhaps I ought to have a plate? Oh, and while you’re up, I’ll have a cup of tea, please. Splash of milk, no sugar and strong enough to bend a spoon.

Where were we? Oh, yes, I remember, I came over to talk about Hubble Bubble, didn’t I, and the writing and editing process? I’ll try to concentrate then … oh, look, there’s the cream … sorry about the mat. It’ll be fine, sponges off a treat.