In Her Own Words, Solstice Goes Country

Posted by Melina and Denise , Tuesday, April 9, 2013 9:59 PM


Solstice sits down with her mom,  and talks about her feelings about moving to the valley.  What her mom wants to know, will she go country?


'OMG, what do you want???' Solstice being obnoxious.


Mom: "Solstice, how do you think you'll adjust to life in the country?"

"What do you mean countries? I live in one, stupid" 

"Solstice, I mean moving into a rural area."

"Oh, it's still stupid. Who's going to see me in my Escalade? I have spinning rims for a reason, bitch."

Mom: "You don't have an Escalade honey, never mind one with spinning rims. Won't you have fun looking at birds and squirrels through the window?"

"What do I look like, a simpleton? I got calls to make, people to see. I'm not gonna look out the window like some loser. My stupid brothers do that shit"

'I do all the work around here!' Solstice pretends to write.


Mom: "Solstice, you are being terrible right now. This is an interview."

"I gotta go call my McGean's. She's can tell you this is bullshit. I'll go live with my bestie."

Mom: "Solstice, you can't live with McGean's. She's allergic to cats."

"She's not allergic to me, bitch."

Mom: "Solstice!"

"Yeah, well I don't have time for this crap, I'm leaving..."

  Solstice is not happy. 


~Melina  :D

An Editor Is a Terrible Thing to Waste

Posted by Melina and Denise , Tuesday, April 2, 2013 8:43 AM


I had no idea what to expect when I sent my novel off to an editor. I was scared. Really scared. Possibility of vomiting scared. Now, I don't know if all editorial experiences work out like mine did, but it was worth every barfy second.


I had been given the date when she was starting to work on my novel, and that morning I received a prompt email from the lovely Genevieve Graham. She outlined a little about how she would work, emailing questions as they came along. 

This was one of the greatest things about the process and Genevieve specifically: the constant contact. We communicated by email every day multiple times. She would always ask for clarification before making a change and explained her reasoning clearly. She was also open to any questions I had about the writing and publishing process. Trust me, some of these must have been annoying. I am a classic newbie.

I was completely unprepared for how stressful this process would be. I thought turning the piece over to a stranger would be the hardest part, but it went far beyond that. Writing means everything to me. The fear that I would be told I was wasting my time was paralyzing. I always thought I was fairly confident about my writing, instead each critique had the potential to break me. Luckily, Genevieve was so constructive and kind that these concerns were never realized.

I now have an edited novel to work with. Just a few tweaks here and there. I am SO happy with the result, I can't even tell you. And I have such an amazing feeling of accomplishment! 

Look, she even made up a mock cover to include on her own website!
Now on to the next step: publication!

~ Denise