Today 18th August I’m nearly at the end of my first edit of my current WIP The Boys of Summer, a contemporary romance set in North Cornwall. The new book has 37 chapters and I’m currently working my way through 31. The edits have thrown up a couple of rewrites on sections which need tidying up but other than that it’s going well. And when I’ve reached Chapter 37 (hopefully by Monday) I’ll be going over the whole thing again. Yes it’s tedious, but such a necessary part of the writing process.
The deadline for handover to my editor is 9th September and I’m currently on target. I have fought this book all the way. There were times when I honestly believed it would never be written. Two bouts of a very bad throat virus and moments when inspiration seemed to have deserted me were only two of the huge bumps in the road which I hit on the way to where I am today. This meant it’s taken far longer to get to this stage than normal. My original plan was to have everything ready for professional editing by end July/beginning August. The book thought otherwise. There were times when I was convinced this whole project was doomed; that it wasn’t meant to be. I tried to brush away the thought that my last book, Watercolours in the Rain, would be it; that there simply were no more stories in me.
For me the translation of the idea into scenes and dialogue is never easy and I do envy those authors who seem to produce books so 
effortlessly. In the beginning you have your storyline and your characters and off you go. But on the way there are dead ends and elephant pits a plenty and during this writing project I came across more than usual. Some of these really pulled me up and caused me to question whether I should continue. I think two bouts of a viral infection had really messed with my energy levels over the winter. Where I would usually simply ride out the negative moment, there were times when it caused real problems. Anyway I’m pleased to say I hung on, walking away and abandoning the whole thing when it got too much (sometimes for nearly a week) and coming back when ‘the force’ was with me once more. Of course as is usually the case there were solutions to each of the problems I encountered, but on this occasion sometimes they took longer than usual to come to me.
Now, I’m happy to say the story is complete and in another three weeks the MS will be leaving here for professional editing. And the most interesting thing of all? Far from this book being the end, I’m now working on a storyline and characters for my ninth book. My energy and inspiration have returned. Watch this space.
JO LAMBERT BOOKS 