I received my editorial letter for Not Dead Yet from my editor at St. Martin’s Press yesterday. Amazingly, he had no content changes for me, which I have to admit is quite gratifying after having spent two years making sure the plot’s many moving pieces fit together properly. The letter contained only a few line edits and a request to go over the manuscript again with a fine tooth comb to make sure I’m not cramming too much information into my sentences, which is a terrible habit I picked up…well, I don’t know where, but I blame them anyway. All in all, the editorial letter could have been much worse, and I’ll admit I was worried my editor would want to cut entire subplots and characters. Worrying over little things is a terrible habit I picked up…well, from being raised by a Jewish mother.
In other news, international bestselling author Peter James also has a book coming out from St. Martin’s next fall called Not Dead Yet, so I’ve been asked to change the title of mine to avoid confusion among the sales reps and store buyers. It makes sense, and I was only grumpy about it for a few short hours — mainly because the phrase “not dead yet” is repeated thematically throughout the novel — before I started brainstorming some good alternate titles. I’ll be sure to announce the new title once it’s finalized. Until then, with a hat tip to Twenty Palaces author Harry Connolly, I’m considering referring to it as Epic Fantasy With Cars and Guns Instead Of Horses and Swords, Although There Are Horses and Swords In It Too.
Hmmm. Maybe I’ll run that title by my editor too. Okay, maybe not.
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