I have finally finished the structural edit of The FitzOsbornes at War, and have sent it off to my publishers, and now I feel like this:
(Except I’m not really feeling decadent, just exhausted.)
For those who aren’t sure what a structural edit is, the nice people at Alien Onion have provided a helpful explanation here. In the case of The FitzOsbornes at War, my editors (two of them, one in Australia and one in the United States) sent me a long letter full of questions and suggestions, such as:
Could you explain in more detail about Toby’s plan to do [mysterious thing]?
and
It would be good if there was a scene that actually showed Sophie doing [important thing], instead of her merely talking about it, three months later.
and
It’s great that Toby tells Sophie all about [shockingly awful thing], but how come she never mentions it in her journal ever again?
and
It would be nice if that Big Declaration of Love scene was even more romantic and soppy.
And, because my editors are very efficient, they also pointed out some smaller issues that usually fall into the area of copy-editing. For example, Toby’s birthday suddenly moved from March to February, and Sophie’s favourite dress became mysteriously longer over the course of a year. Oops! All fixed now.
The manuscript now goes off to the copy-editors, who will pore over it with their magnifying glasses and identify all my narrative inconsistencies, historical errors and convoluted sentences, so that I can fix those, too. Then the whole thing goes off to the typesetters, who print out proofs, which are then proof-read by everyone, including me. So, as you can see, the book is practically done!
I’ve also had a look at three potential covers for the Australian paperback edition of The FitzOsbornes at War. They are all beautiful, and I have sent off my feedback on each one. I thought the first was a tiny bit too modern, the second was a little too similar to the first two Montmaray Journals books, but the third was just right. Well, with a few tiny tweaks . . . Anyway, we shall see.
I’ve also just heard back from my American editor, who has already read the revised final chapter of the new draft and it made her cry! (Because it was so emotionally-involving and heart-rending, not because the writing was so bad that she regretted having ever signed up the book in the first place.) Yes! My job is done!
I am so excited for you! What a long journey with such a motley crew (the characters…not your editors). Terribly excited to read the last chapter of the Montmaray journals 🙂
Yay you!
Aw, thank you, Adele!
Also, my spies (ie Zoe) told me you said lots of nice things about The FitzOsbornes in Exile earlier this year, at that Sydney CBCA event. So, thank you very much for that, too!
Of course I had lovely things to say, I love Montmaray. I like reading about Montamaray and saying Montmaray….over and over again 🙂 And I am positive #3 will be a real kicker.
This is my most awaited book at the moment. When is it out? When? When? When? WHEN?
Thanks, Penni! Um . . . I don’t know when it’s out. Some time next year? I guess I should ask Zoe, shouldn’t I? Yes, I will do that! And report back.
How exciting! I can’t wait until it comes out. Actually, I can, because when it comes out you will be perfectly happy with it!
I hope that last suggestion was a joke. Even a smidgeon of romance will be satisfying enough! (Can now daydream about the probably people involved! hee!)
Yours,
Mina
Thanks, Mina! There is a LOT of romance in this one! With kissing! (And possibly a bit more than kissing.) And weddings, too! Several weddings!
Also, it is The Longest Book In The World – about twice the length of Book One. So, there’s lots of reading for you to look forward to.
The news that there will be kisses and several weddings makes me very happy. Much like the Harry Potter characters, I want the FitzOsbornes to come through alive and relatively happy.
Yes, I know there’s a death but I’m going to live with the fantasy that it’s the dog who doesn’t see 1945.
Well, Carlos is quite an old dog . . .
Can’r wait until its here!!!! VERY EXCITED about the length and of course the DECLARATION OF LOVE!!! *Hoping that its the couple I like*. I will be checking this blog EVERY DAY for the big announcement of release date for the book 🙂
Hmm, not sure which couple you like, Chelsea, but I can safely say that one of the people in the couple is Sophie! This probably doesn’t help much . . .
(Will ask my Australian publisher about publication dates as soon as she’s got back to me about this new draft!)
I am so excited for the third book..can’t wait until it comes out! I hope you’ll keep us posted as to when it comes out, and once again, thank you for writing such amazing stories 🙂
Thank YOU, Cassy, for reading the books! And for saying nice things about them!
Dear Ms. Cooper,
I adore your books. They are just the right mixture of entertainment and learning…where you sometimes need to keep thinking in order to make sense of everything. I love books that keep you thinking! I am completely excited for the release of Book 3. And, even though I’m in America, I think I’ll be ordering the Australian edition online if it is released first!
Very excited to hear how the FitzOsbournes complete their story 🙂
Thank you, Elizabeth! Yes, I’m fairly sure the Australian edition will come out first – and it looks as though it will have a very pretty cover, too!
Just finished reading the first two books over the past month, and I adore them… Normally I have the good luck of discovering trilogies when the third book is already out or about to come out, so I am going to have a hard time waiting! But I know it will be well worth the wait, and I’m so glad it’s going to be a long book 🙂
Very glad you enjoyed the first two books, Valerie, and sorry about the wait for Book Three!
Is Simon in the “Sophie” couple?
No comment, Maia! It would be a big spoilery spoiler if I said anything!
Will there ever be a guide to Kernetin? I would love to learn it.
Hmm . . . there probably won’t be a guide, because I have only the vaguest notion of what Kernetin looks like. It would be kind of handy to know, though, wouldn’t it? For when you want to pass secret notes to people . . .
Oh I would absolutely love a guide to kernetin!! Espessially the abriviated kernetin. I would learn it and use it in my journal just like Sophie, writing in English takes so very long…
I just finished the first and second and am beginning the third! This is honestly one of my favorite book universes I have ever become emerssed in. I absolutely love every bit of it!!!
Thanks, Leah! I’m really glad you’ve enjoyed it so far and I hope you like the third book.