Tweaking Spaniards and Tracking down Sicilians

I have a Spaniard to tweak - poor guy. My editor loves him - apparently he's wonderfully commanding and deeply sexy but as always - always - there are tweaks.

I've said this before and I'll say it again as it bears repeating. Just because I'm a multipublished author it doesn't mean I never have to do any revisions on a book (I wish!) . That's the great thing about having an editor. An author gets too close to a book to see it perfectly clearly and in a short romance novel the concentration is so intense and the word count so short that a single sentence can have much more impact than you'd expect from the number of words in it - or the fact that a sentence is missing, that you've not written it, can throw a scene, a character, a book, out of balance. Plus authors always know what they meant to say, and because that's in their mind - because they know exactly what's going on and why - and they need a cool editorial eye to tell them if they've actually communicated it as clearly and perfectly as possible. This editor and I have been working together since I wrote my current book, Sicilian Husband Blackmailed Bride, and the reviews - okay most of the reviews - for that book indicate that we make a great team.

If you respect your editor then tweaks are easier to accept. My editor has a sure eye and a respect for what I do so if she says a tweak is needed, then I listen - and I grit my teeth and tweak. Of course I always wish there was never any need to revise anything but I value the fact that I have an editor I can work with - I value the fact that I have an editor at all.

And so I'm busy tweaking Raul so that he will totally please this most discerning of critics because, like The Editor ( I think she needs those capital letters somehow), I want to make this a 'real Kate Walker emotional rollercoaster.'

Besides, I don't really mind having Raul back for the weekend . He's a very sexy hero and one I can happily spend a bit more time with. And I wrote some bits of this book so fast I can't really remember what I did write! For one thing, I want to look back at the ending and find what sent shivers down The Editor's spine. You see - an author really can get too close to a book because that's one of the bits I wrote at white hot speed and I have only the haziest memory of it! It's going to be interesting reading it again.

PS To Karuna who posted in the Comments on New Look x2 - sorry, I don't know who the model for Vito is on the cover of The Sicilian's Red Hot Revenge but I've asked The Editor if she can find out - but I get my hands on him first!