The Payoff

I’ve worked hard for three years to say this—ECW Press is going to publish Family Matters! They’re an independent Canadian publisher working out of Toronto. I couldn’t be more pleased to join fellow Saskatchewan writers Gail Bowen and Anne Lazurko as one of their novelists.

The process of publication will take 12 to 18 months. During that time my manuscript will pass through the hands of a substantive editor, a copy editor, and a proofreader. My substantive editor is a freelancer from Kingston. She will be look at—and propose changes to—the structure of the novel and other big picture issues. Once we have agreed on revisions, the copy editor will critique the quality of the writing. Then a proofreader will check for mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Between the three of them, I expect to be kept busy for a matter of months.

In the meantime, I may need a new title. Family Matters is taken. There are at least three published novels with that name. Grounds for Murder was my back-up choice. Two coffee-lovers have already used it. Next choice will have to be something both brilliant and original.

The substantive editor will start work in early September. That gives me the summer to tend my vegetable garden. And to make progress on A Clear-Cut Case before winter sets in.