Monday, June 29, 2015
We at VMP spend a lot of time writing, editing, social networking: all behind the computer screen! But we love going out and about too, especially if the outing involves our books. Check out these photos to see what we've been up to this spring...
Author Katie Rose Guest Pryal at ENTANGLEMENT launch party, Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill
Katie Rose Guest Pryal reads from ENTANGLEMENT at Flyleaf Books
Authors/publishers Adria J. Cimino and Vicki Lesage sign their books at WHSmith Paris
Vicki Lesage signing CONFESSIONS OF A PARIS PARTY GIRL at WHSmith Paris
Adria J. Cimino with novel PARIS, RUE DES MARTYRS at the Dîner en Blanc, Paris
(photo: Lindsey Kent, Pictours Paris)
THAT'S PARIS contributors Vicki Lesage and Stephen Clarke at the launch party, The Pure Malt, Paris
THAT'S PARIS contributor Frédérique Veysset and her companion
Alicia Barclay, president of the British & Commonwealth Women's Association, hosts Adria J. Cimino for a reading of PARIS, RUE DES MARTYRS
Adria J. Cimino and Vicki Lesage at the Paris Book Fair
OK, now let's get outside and enjoy this summer weather!
Monday, June 15, 2015
A while back, I shared some "behind the scenes" editing tips. You should definitely check those out if you're considering submitting your manuscript to VMP, or really if you're considering submitting it anywhere! You want your manuscript to be as polished as possible before someone else lays eyes on it. If you're submitting it for publishing, you'll increase your chances of getting accepted. If you're self-publishing, you'll make your editor's job a lot easier (and yes, even if you're self-pubbing you need to have someone else edit your work)!
Below are a few extra tips to add to my original article!
Ex. "There was a tiny chair in the corner of the living room" could be shortened to "A tiny chair sat in the corner of the living room."
guess, figure, decide, start, try, manage, proceed
Ex. "She started walking to the restaurant" can usually be shortened to "She walked to the restaurant"
Ex. "She managed to open the door" can usually be shortened to "She opened the door" unless there's a particular point to why the door was so hard to open.
just, only, all/all of, very, that
Try taking these words out of your sentence and see if you miss them. Sometimes you need them. Most of the time you don't.
some
something
get
put
pull
take
... and about a hundred more, but you get the idea!
Ex. "She heard her mother yelling" could be "'Stop hitting your sister!' her mother yelled."
Ex. "He felt the room grow hot" can usually be "The room grew hot" (or of course, even better, "The temperature of the room rose to a sweltering hundred degrees, as perspiration circles formed under his armpits.")
A lot of times people say their character "held it with their hands"... as opposed to holding it with your shoulder or your knee? 99% of the time you hold something with your hands so you can usually cut stuff like that, unless there's a particular reason you want to draw attention to their hands.
These examples are just to illustrate my personal pet peeves. The "befores" need help, but even some of the "afters" could be improved. The idea is to illustrate my point, and you can use your creativity from there!
Below are a few extra tips to add to my original article!
 |
| Photo credit: J. Paxon Reyes / Foter / CC BY-NC |
Remove excess words
there was, there were, it wasEx. "There was a tiny chair in the corner of the living room" could be shortened to "A tiny chair sat in the corner of the living room."
guess, figure, decide, start, try, manage, proceed
Ex. "She started walking to the restaurant" can usually be shortened to "She walked to the restaurant"
Ex. "She managed to open the door" can usually be shortened to "She opened the door" unless there's a particular point to why the door was so hard to open.
just, only, all/all of, very, that
Try taking these words out of your sentence and see if you miss them. Sometimes you need them. Most of the time you don't.
Replace weak words with stronger words
thingsome
something
get
put
pull
take
... and about a hundred more, but you get the idea!
Show, don't tell
heard, saw, feltEx. "She heard her mother yelling" could be "'Stop hitting your sister!' her mother yelled."
Ex. "He felt the room grow hot" can usually be "The room grew hot" (or of course, even better, "The temperature of the room rose to a sweltering hundred degrees, as perspiration circles formed under his armpits.")
Eliminate unnecessary detail
Ex. "She opened the car door with her right hand and carried the coffee cup with her left, and then ran into the house," could be "She hopped out of the car and dashed into the house, nearly splashing her coffee as she ran."A lot of times people say their character "held it with their hands"... as opposed to holding it with your shoulder or your knee? 99% of the time you hold something with your hands so you can usually cut stuff like that, unless there's a particular reason you want to draw attention to their hands.
These examples are just to illustrate my personal pet peeves. The "befores" need help, but even some of the "afters" could be improved. The idea is to illustrate my point, and you can use your creativity from there!
Monday, June 8, 2015
We at Velvet Morning Press are pleased to announce our latest release!
Entanglement by Katie Rose Guest Pryal, the story of a dangerous friendship, is now available in paperback and ebook. Check it out on Amazon!
Awkward, 21-year-old Greta Donovan, the fiercely intelligent daughter of a philandering physics professor, doesn’t relate to people nearly as well as she relates to facts and figures. While Greta gets quarks and string theory, she hasn’t a clue where men are concerned.
Which is exactly why she doesn’t see it coming when someone tries to kill her.
Newly transplanted in L.A. after being kicked out of her father's house, Greta moves in with her best friend Daphne Saito, a troubled girl with an abusive past. The charismatic Daphne teaches Greta how to wear stilettos, apply lip gloss, and navigate 1990s Hollywood nightlife. Daphne is determined to succeed, and she drags an unwilling Greta into the limelight with her.
When Greta walks out on her, Daphne tries to win her back. But Daphne’s desperate tactics just push Greta further away. Reeling, Daphne betrays her friend. Can Greta survive? Can she forgive?
Happy reading!
Thursday, June 4, 2015
A bit of magic for $0.99? Magical realism, that is. Check out Close to Destiny from Amazon best-selling author Adria J. Cimino... on sale from today through June 10 on Amazon (U.S. and U.K.)!
Does déjà vu have a deeper meaning? A puzzling gift from a stranger in a hat shop. Whisperings and footsteps in a dim luxury hotel. Dreams that transport to elegant parties where champagne flows like water. Kat is both frightened and intrigued by the events that have plagued her since she arrived in London, in a final effort to save herself from anorexia and recover from her latest suicide attempt.
Most disturbing is an encounter with a mysterious woman who introduces Kat to Will. And this lovely messenger has information she desperately wants to share with Kat: an incident from more than a century ago that could transform Kat’s future. But will Kat listen?
A story of the role of destiny in life... and of righting the wrongs of the past.
Happy Reading!
Monday, June 1, 2015
It's cover reveal time! We're happy to give you a first glimpse of ENTANGLEMENT by Katie Rose Guest Pryal. For the official ENTANGLEMENT cover reveal and an excerpt, please visit Traveling With T.
And for a taste of ENTANGLEMENT, check out the prequel, LOVE AND ENTROPY, free on Amazon!
ENTANGLEMENT is set for release in paperback and ebook formats June 15.
Awkward, 21-year-old Greta Donovan, the fiercely intelligent daughter of a philandering physics professor, doesn’t relate to people nearly as well as she relates to facts and figures. While Greta gets quarks and string theory, she hasn’t a clue where men are concerned.
Which is exactly why she doesn’t see it coming when someone tries to kill her.
Newly transplanted in L.A. after being kicked out of her father’s house, Greta moves in with her best friend Daphne Saito, a troubled girl with an abusive past. The charismatic Daphne teaches Greta how to wear stilettos, apply lip gloss, and navigate 1990s Hollywood nightlife. Daphne is determined to succeed, and she drags an unwilling Greta into the limelight with her.
When Greta walks out on her, Daphne tries to win her back. But Daphne’s desperate tactics just push Greta further away. Reeling, Daphne betrays her friend. Can Greta survive? Can she forgive?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
