Critters at the Keyboard welcomes Emelle Gamble author of Secret Sister
Emelle will be awarding a $100 Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn commenter during this tour AND her Reviews Tour.
Critters asked Emelle to talk about the editing process the book went through.
Secret Sister has seen a long and
winding road into publication. I first conceptualized the book years ago with
the single thought of “What if everything about you changed in an instant,
would your true love still know you?” Wrapping a plot, structure,
characterization and ninety thousand words about it has been a long and
wonderful process.
It’s been edited by my critique group, twice. By me about fourteen times. I kid you not. And then, after
its acquisition by Char Chaffin at Soul Mate Publishing, another 5 or 6 times
by the two of us.
Every single time I’ve edited it, I’ve changed something
significant. Sometimes it was characterization…an alcoholic fell off the
wagon…then he didn’t. A woman had an affair…then she didn’t. A character told
someone the truth…then she recanted. I changed tones from sarcastic funny to
more serious. I changed hair color, eye color, the years of cars, what people
ate for dinner.
These changes, either to make changes I thought would make the
book stronger or more compelling, or because a trusted critique partner or
editor convinced me to cut or add an element, reminded me that we working
writers are always working on our craft. Like a boat builder or an artist or a
baker, we learn from the mistakes, take inspiration from a sudden new thought,
and try to always make our newest creation better than the last.
The editing process on Secret Sister with my new editor at
Soul Mate Publishing was very beneficial to me and the book. I’d rewritten it
so many times over the course of a couple of years that I couldn’t see mistakes
and weaknesses that were immediately clear to her. Her fresh eyes, and great
skills, helped me through those final rewrites to make it a stronger story.
So the editing process I went through with Secret Sister, while strenuous
and taxing, made me a stronger writer.
Writing is a craft, good writing is good craft, and good craft comes
from repetition and ‘seeing and correcting’ past mistakes. While I know my
readers reactions to my work will be varied, editing is the tool most helpful
to achieving my goal, which is to entertain and tell a story that touches, in
some small way, those generous enough with their time to read my work.
To
their friends, Nick and Cathy Chance have the perfect marriage. High school
sweethearts who’ve been together for ten years, they’ve weathered challenges
and are as committed as they were when they first fell in love. Cathy trusts
Nick, Nick’s world revolves around his wife, and the future looks golden.
To
everyone who knows them, Cathy Chance and Roxanne Ruiz have a perfect
friendship. They connected in grade school and since then have been each other’s
confident and trusted advisor. Cathy loves the gorgeous Roxanne like a sister,
Roxanne has fun-loving Cathy’s back in every situation, though lately there’s
been tension between these two best friends…
And
then, on a sunny summer morning, the unthinkable occurs, throwing into doubt
the truth of what each of these people really know about themselves and one
another.
Will
Roxanne’s sacrifice be too little, and too late? Should Nick’s love for his
wife be strong enough to risk trusting his heart more than logic? Can Cathy’s
devotion to Nick give her enough strength to convince him to see her for who
she really is?
Secret
Sister proves how strong, how stubborn, and how trustworthy love can be as Nick
and Cathy and Roxanne are challenged to overcome the secrets, the lies … and
one extraordinary twist of fate that turns their lives upside down.
Please enjoy this excerpt
“May I sit down, Nick?”
I nodded. Roxanne sat at the table in the kitchen. Despite
her appearance, she seemed in control. I felt her eyes on me as I poured myself
a glass of water.
The kitchen was a mess. For a second I was embarrassed by
the dirty dishes, the soured
I turned around. “Do you want something to drink?”
She shook her head.
I sat across from her. She was pinching the back of her
hand, like Cathy used to do.
“What’s going on? What do you want from me?” I sounded
angrier than I thought I was.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re fooling around with your hands exactly like Cathy
always did. You never had that habit. Why are you doing stuff like that?”
“What else am I doing?”
“You’re wearing your hair pulled back in a ribbon, and
clothes like my wife wore.” I pointed at her blouse. “And you’re acting weird
with the cat, like she’s your cat, among other things. It’s freaking my sister
out.”
Roxanne fidgeted. “That’s ridiculous,” she said, but her
face revealed I’d hit a nerve...
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Emelle Gamble
was a writer at an early age, bursting with the requisite childhood stories of
introspection which evolved into bad teen poetry and took her first stab at
full length fiction in an adult education writing class when her kids were in
bed. As M.L. Gamble, she published several romantic suspense novels with
Harlequin. She has contracted with Soul Mate Publishing for Secret Sister,
summer of 2013, and Dating Cary Grant, an early 2014 release.
Always
intrigued by the words ‘what if’, Emelle’s books feature an ordinary woman
confronted with an extraordinary situation.
She most enjoys reading stories that surprise and amaze her, and hopes
her readers will enjoy the challenging and exciting journeys her characters
take.
Emelle lives
in suburban Washington D.C. with her
husband, Phil, her hero of thirty years,
and two orange cats, Lucy and Bella. These girls, like all good
villains, have their reasons for misbehaving. Her daughter, Olivia, and son,
Allen, are happily launched on their own and contributing great things to
society, their mother’s fondest wish.
Email:
emellegamble@aol.com
Website: www.EmelleGamble.com
FaceBook: Author Emelle Gamble
Twitter:
@EmelleGamble
