Review and Revise

Thank you for your submission.

Unfortunately, I did not connect with the submitted material enough to consider your project for representation . . .

No, no, no, a-no-no, a-no-no, NO no!

Three or four years ago, talking about writing with an old high school friend, he agreed that if I started writing a new book, he’d read over it and give me scathing feedback.  He further said that a mutual friend of ours would be ideal to assist.  A beta team was born, and the book that I’ve always really wanted to write, Blood of Heroes, began to take shape.

At this time, I wasn’t published.  Writing Blood of Heroes, and feeling its power, prompted me to seek out an agent and a publisher.  I had two other books already finished—Tears of Heaven and The Second Cut.  The timing was amazingly good.  I’d reconnected with another writing friend, who was now an editor for Wild Child Publishing.  She kindly read over Tears of Heaven, offered me some pointers prior to submission, and suggested I submit.

The author, at his desk.

I continued to work on Blood of Heroes, which wrapped up with amazing speed.  I also set it aside in favor of other projects.  A number of short stories, a new book series called Constable of Aqualinne, and a follow up to Tears of Heaven—Hell Becomes Her.

In short, I was swamped.

Yesterday afternoon, the above rejection came in.  I have enough of these that I could wallpaper my house, so it wasn’t much of a shock.  I did, however, take a hard look at the first chapter of my "opus".  I realized, like the agent, I didn't find it compelling.

I’m not pointing fingers.  Or, if I am, I’m pointing them at me.

It seemed like such a good beginning.

I was younger(er) when I wrote Blood of Heroes.  In terms of published authors, I was but a mere babe lost in the library stacks.  To say I’ve learned a lot over the past three years as a published author is to say Kali Gandaki Gorge is a bit deep.  This particular rejection didn’t catch me off-guard, but in looking over what I submitted it became clear that getting past the first chapter, even the first page, is drudgery.

That’s death, even for the most solid piece of writing.

All this means is that I need to take some of my own advice (previously applied to my published works) and revise Blood of Heroes.

ARRGHHH!