I'll have you all know that I will be a quivering, paranoid, impossible-to-live-with plate of gelatin until the first of the feedback comes in.

Someone may want to warn Kristen.

Heard back from lovely CP-- she caught a few nits, but otherwise says the new scene works well, so YAY for me and the first completely new scene I've written on this manuscript since MARCH.

You know, I hadn't really realized it had been that long since I wrote new material on this manuscript, but it had. I wrote the last new scene just prior to my surgery, then had to wait on agent response which took close to seven weeks, then did the new agent search, then set this aside in order to revise the Carmen manuscript and get it ready for submission.

I suppose it's not an accident that the first new words on this manuscript came literally the day after Carmen went out on wide submission?

::glares at subconscious for being a pissy git::

If for some bizarre reason you want to hear Audrey reading one of my chapters.

Chapter 14

There are several places I wince, but hey, it's almost a rough draft considering the amount that changed from the original version. If you listen to it, obviously there will be a few context problems since there are 13 chapters before.

I've enjoyed listening to Sam's adventure while commuting.

I have a question. I have a beta exchange person who writes well and certainly has more experience than I do. In 7800 words of two chapters (though divided into sections), there are 6 POVs. I feel a little red flag of too many POVs, is that a legit concern? She has an eye toward trying to sell this, so it isn't a purely subjective evaluation.

I wouldn't have a problem with it as long as it was clear whose eyes I was looking through. I love books that have multiple POVs but I hate it when I'm halfway through a page before I realize I've got the wrong character's voice in my head.

New writing ritual: I tend to start my writing time every day with Jane's Addiction's "Superhero" AKA the Entourage theme...that doesn't mean I'm gonna do that lame Stephenie Meyer thing and give them space in my Acknowledgements does it?(I think they'd hate it) But I hate when I get superstitious like that...what if I get an idea when I'm far from "Superhero?" Not to mention that it undermines my "craft, not voodoo," argument and makes me feel like a jock who doesn't change his socks all season(or, you know, something grosser, like Stephenie Meyer. Or Billy Walsh.) No wonder she makes the teenyboppers happy...it helps to be one.

Somebody thanked Paul Simon for "One Trick Pony" in their dedication but now I can't remember who it was.

I sent it off and didn't say anything about the POVs. I felt a bit bad because my critique seemed a bit harsh, so I made sure to include all the stuff I liked. I don't like to be negative, but I feel like it would be worse to not mention real concerns.

Totally unrelated, Emaryn tore through "Sam" in one sitting. Her comments were too vague to be of any use, but she did say it was good. So there is the opinion of a 10 year old, a fully qualified kid.

Please pass my thanks on to Emaryn, Gud! I love my young beta readers. Vague comments are very useful. At ten, she might be a little too old for Sam, I think my target is 2nd grade readers (though, honestly, I'm unsure what that really means).

Whoot!

I'm reading away, Allyson. Will tonight be too late?