I’m lost in Jane Austen’s world of “Sense and Sensibility” with Edward and Elinor, Marianne and Brandon. I love the poetry of the language, the comedy of manners, the intricacy of characters.
To think Jane Austen was the sole editor of her work boggles my mind.
Many critique partners and editors would testify they have edited my work. Some more than others.
Editing is not my forte although I am working hard at improving this. I am also starting to find joy in making books shine and in bringing them to life in the reworks.
Perhaps it’s my ADHD that kept me from enjoying editing. I was always eager to move onto the next project, to stop the new set of voices in my head from tormenting me.
But it’s so very important.
Editors and publishing houses will not wish to work with authors who submit inferior work. Critique partners may grow tired of sloppy writing. And if it reaches readers and reviewers? An author could be ruined.
Still, few authors have reached the stature of Jane Austen. Few novels have remained so popular so long, not that you need me to tell you.
I thank God for my critique partners and editors. Each has taught me something new about the craft. Each has helped polish my stories, has supported me through so many things in the writing world and even things that have nothing to do with writing.
This week I look forward to seeing my one of my critique partners in person at Lori Foster’s Readers’ and Writer’s events in Cincinnati. She has plans to bring her work on CD to me. And of course, I hope to have a lot of fun with her.
I’ve kept my critique partners and editors busy. To date, I have ten unique works published or that are soon to be released this year. That boils down to a lot of editing.
Here’s a snippet from “Charity’s Auction”, my most recently released story, this week in fact.
Although head nurse Char Reynolds is desperately head over heels for bad boy Dr. Dexter Graham, he's moved on. Still she gets caught up in bidding for him at the hospital's auction for the new children's wing and wins. His smug expression drives her to also bid on and win the very hunky Dr. Ben Price, Dexter's nemesis and to plan a very naughty, very sexy night with both men.
Excerpt From: Charity's Auction
Charity “Char” Reynolds stared at Dr. Dexter Graham, her eyes narrowed, her heart doing the cha-cha while mathematical calculations flew around in her head. He was gorgeous with his dark, five o’clock shadow, the sexy glint in his eyes, and his broad, powerful shoulders. If it weren’t for that smirk on his lips, he’d be perfect. But he was far from it. He only looked perfect.
The good doctor was a bad boy through and through. It was a tossup whether he mended or broke more hearts. His record on the operating room table was stellar. Off, however, was horrendous. He’d broken so many hearts with that killer smile and huge dimples he should be thrown into solitary confinement for the rest of his miserable life.
Amy Koch, the hospital’s chief administrator, adjusted the microphone with her only hand. Then she tapped the instrument and blew into it. “Can you hear me?”
When the sound from the mic blasted through Char’s head, she clapped her hands over her ears in self-preservation. “Have mercy, woman.”
Once her brain stopped spinning and she was able to see again, she looked over a sea of other people holding their ears. Tentatively, she removed one hand, keeping it close just in case the mic went crazy again.
So far so good. Slowly, she lowered her other hand but kept it at the ready as she warily kept her eye on Amy.
Although, she felt sorry for Amy since the car wreck that had amputated the administrator’s left arm that she couldn’t find anything to like about her caused her to war with feelings of guilt and distrust. Even before the accident, Amy had only been out for number one, stepping on anybody in her way, claiming it was for the greater good. Now people overlooked her mean tempered whining—until they came into her sights. Char had been dead centre in Amy’s far too often. As head surgical nurse, she and Amy butted heads daily.
“Welcome to our first annual charity auction.” Amy beamed at the audience and batted her fake lashes. When she moved, the spotlight made her rhinestones shoot laser beams around the room.
Amy clapped her hand against the mic and shot a grin as fake as her lashes at the audience. “I hope your cheque books are fat and happy and your fingers are itching to write outrageous amounts for the new children’s wing. Let’s get this thing off the ground tonight!”
Cheering anew deafened Char, and her lips stretched so tightly over her teeth they ached.
Her best friend, Beth, another surgical nurse, elbowed her. She rubbed her hands together, and there was a hungry gleam in her eyes. “My cheque book’s ready, willing and able. I moved money from savings to bid on Dr. Hottie.”
It was all Char could do to hold her smile in place and not growl at the sweet strawberry blonde. Since she’d never breathed a word about her brief fling with Dr. Hottie, she couldn’t accuse her friend of trying to steal her ex-boyfriend, yet her claws extended and her skin crawled. When her throat stopped constricting, she said as airily as possible, “Oh, really? Great minds think alike. Me, too.”
Their third musketeer, Jody, a surgical intern jumped up and down and waved her psychedelic-coloured cheque book in their faces. “Me three! Let’s do a ménage à trois with him and have our wicked way.”
Beth scrunched her nose at the perky child. With a duh hanging in her voice, she said, “Ew. I don’t want to see your naked tits. Besides a ménage à trois is three and there would be four of us.”
The three of them would be much too good for the louse. What she wanted to do to him involved whips, chains and video. He’d be so sorry he’d ever broken her heart…
“Aw shucks.” Jody scrunched her nose and pouted. “You two make three times as much as me. I’ll be lucky if I can buy Dr. Rob. I might as well go home since you two party poopers won’t share. It’s way too smoky in here anyway.” She covered her mouth with her hand and coughed as if to add emphasis.
Char’s gaze landed on Dr. Hunky, aka Ben Price, plastic surgeon to the rich and ritzy Boca Babes. “What about Dr. Hunky? He’s mighty cute.”
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Ashley can be found at:
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Thank you for hosting me today, Rebecca.
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