Mist O'er the Voyageur by Naomi Dawn Musch

Was this something I was willing to do for the book to be published? Or, should I take my chances with a different publisher or different line? Thankfully, she gave me time to consider and pray. “Yes, because…” She went on to explain her reasoning. When the acquiring editor expressed her interest in my novel and willingness to present it to the publishing board, she said, “I’d really like to see the story end here,” meaning about a third of the way in from the original lengthy ending. Occasionally they must be made in order to fit the publisher’s line as was the case with my new novel, Mist O’er the Voyageur. Other times, we wag our heads and whine to the cat, “What? What? Whyyyy?”Ĭhanges are often negotiable, but frequently they are not. We see how their suggestion will make the book tighter, stronger.

How shocked we are when our editor has slashed our lovely lines or marked up an entire section of the book with the flippant request (or so our wounded hearts think) to “Rewrite (or cut) this section.” Sometimes it’s not a big deal. Ultimately, if the manuscript is accepted, we get our copy back from the editor with changes to make. We self-edit and rewrite until our works shine, and then we send them off prayerfully for publication. It must have been thirty years ago when I first heard the century old quote by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, “Murder your darlings.” Nowadays we settle for killing them softly. Naomi knows how to tell a tale! But she also knows how to explain what goes on behind the scenes when getting a book ready for publication~~~ I was one of the ones who got to read Naomi’s newest release, Mist O’ver the Voyageur, and let me tell you–I was totally engrossed.

Mist O'er the Voyageur by Naomi Dawn Musch