No Makeup, No Hair Product, No Problem

As I went through edits on this last book (Just Right, March, Samhain Publishing) it occurred to me that a relationship with an editor is much like a relationship with a good friend in a very specific way. She’s someone who will like you even on the “bad hair days” of writing.

Because my editor, Lindsey, has seen me in a situation that no one else gets to: unedited.

Now, just like those bad hair days are never intentional, I don’t purposefully misplace commas or make my hero’s motivation unclear. And it’s not like no one else ever reads my stuff, but Lindsey’s job is to point out the weak points, the overuse of the word “actually” (one of my favorites!) and the fact that sometimes my characters do things that don’t make sense. She is supposed to pull things apart so that when they’re put back together they really shine. Much like that friend you take along shopping because you honestly do want to know which pants look best.

For me seeing my work unedited is much like seeing me without makeup :). Not too many people get to see me that way, I’ll tell you! I have to trust that they are people who will see under that outward appearance to what’s really there, and—in the case of a sister or good friend—offer constructive comments that will make things look even better (only when those opinions are solicited of course! :)).

This is exactly what a good editor does. They look beneath the not-quite-perfect wording or phrasing or punctuation and recognize there’s a good thing—a good story, good characters— underneath. Then they help polish the words around and in that story and characters to truly make it all shine and get noticed.

So, I do love Lindsey and I take her comments seriously, just not as a reflection on me personally. She is simply saying, “oh, let’s try this shade of lipstick instead”!

Do you have someone in your life you can honestly and constructively offer you advice? Or someone who absolutely sucks at giving this “loving advice”? I have both. Tell me about yours!

And you can find an excerpt from Just Right, the most recent book that Lindsey helped spruce up, on my website http://www.erinnicholas.com/. See if you love the highlights and blush we put on it as much as I do!


Just Right

To be a good bad boy you have to find just the right girl…

ER nurse Jessica Bradford is a good girl. Okay, more like a reformed bad girl. She’s determined to be the woman her late father wanted her to be. And she knows she should be with someone like Dr. Ben Torres-- in charge, dedicated, selfless. The tall, dark and handsome part is just a bonus.

So Jessica agrees to keep Ben out of trouble after he’s suspended from the hospital for punching a belligerent, drunk patient in the emergency room. She’ll get the needed recommendation from the Chief of Staff for the promotion she wants and she’ll have a great reason to spend more time with Dr. Perfect. But suddenly she’s got a problem. Outside of work Ben’s not so dependable, or perfect after all…and he’s even more tempting than before.

Ben’s done being everybody’s hero. What’s being a trauma surgeon ever gotten him but horrible hours and a bunch of responsibilities that make his life complicated? His sudden time off from the hospital is not only overdue, it’s a blessing. Which he intends to enjoy fully.

Jessica can’t believe Ben is acting more like a kid in a candy store than a man who’s about to throw his career away. Even more, she can’t believe that she still wants him like ice cream wants hot fudge. She tries her best to keep him out of trouble—except “trouble” is all Ben’s interested in.

And suddenly Jessica’s having trouble remembering why that’s a bad thing…

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