I was doing a
search on Amazon for copies of an older book whose copyright has recently
reverted when I was surprised to find a used copy of Assassin’s Kiss, with
“slight highlighting and underlining marks” available from a bookseller.
I have to admit
that I was curious and ended up buying the copy. What was marked and why?
My former editor
(Pamela Campbell) was underlined, once in the publication notification and once
on the dedication page where I acknowledged all of her hard work. Okay, I’ve
checked out publishers and editors before. That’s not too alarming.
The next thing I
noticed was that all of the erotic scenes were bracketed (I assume this was
what the seller was referring to as highlighting). At this point I’m a little worried
that this person was studying just the erotic bits. I do not want to find my
love scenes in another person’s work, who would? Yes, I jumped to that
conclusion.
Then I
remembered my early days in RWA, when I was trying to figure out pacing and
just where to put what, when plotting my book. I studied the genre I was
interested in, which at the time was the very popular, category romance. I took
those books apart, but I took the entire book apart, not just the love scenes. I
looked for the “magic formula” because I was convinced that there was one. At
the time, the heroes and heroines were for the most part, all perfect and the
hero rescued the damsel in distress in the nick of time and everyone lived
happily ever after.
Sounds simple
but there’s much more to creating a good story whether it’s a sweet or
scorching romance, category or single title. It took years to figure out what
worked and what didn’t, find my voice, create a story that I was proud of.
Along the way, I studied books that I liked and ones that I didn’t.
Even bad books
can teach you something and as authors I think we are always studying, whether
we realize it or not. In the end, I can’t know what was in the person’s mind
that studied Assassin’s Kiss. Maybe, they were searching for an editor and
trying to determine what that editor might like. I hope they found studying my
book worthwhile.
It feels odd
that someone “studied” a book that I created but in a way, I’m a little
flattered and hope they learned what they needed to know, whether it was
something they liked or disliked. I wish them well.
Whatever is on
your agenda as we pass the half-way mark for the year, I wish you all well.
Until next
month, happy reading!
Paris Brandon
No Holds Barred
