I write this blog for information purposes only. It concerns April (Jane Hetherington's Adventures in Detection: 4). Be warned – there are two editions of this novel out there (the First Edition [October 2012] and the Second Edition [August 2013]), and they're different.
The Second Edition is only available for sale as a new book (e-book and paperback) but both the First Edition and the Second Edition are for sale on the second hand book markets, such as the Amazon Marketplace. Hence this blog.
Let me begin with a quote from my favourite literary character – Adrienne Oliver1:
Rhoda: ‘It must be wonderful to be able to think of things.’
Adrienne Oliver: ‘I can always think of things. What is so tiring is writing them down. I always think I've finished, and then when I count up I find I've only written 30,000 words instead of 60,000, and so then I have to throw in another murder and get the heroine kidnapped again. It's all very boring.’
When I first wrote April, I thought I'd written a whole book. But when I typed it up, I discovered I'd actually only written half a book. I scribbled furiously, wrote the other half, sent it to my editor, and eventually published it in October 2012.
Sometime afterwards, I re-read and realised I’d actually written two novels squeezed into one. My editor's suggestions that April might have too many storylines and characters, were correct. The storylines cannibalised each other. It was a bit crowded in there!
This might be an occupational hazard of penning a series whose protagonist receives a number of new cases to investigate every month but, nonetheless, there was nothing for it but to rip that novel in half.
Thus in August 2013 came forth April [ Second Edition ].
A tale of two novels has been a salutary lesson for me in less is more and editor knows best.
Personally, I don't believe the first edition is a bad novel, but I do believe the second edition is better.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Nina
1 Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie
April (2nd edition) is available from all Amazon sites (e-book & paperback).
To read inside or link through:
https://www.amazon.com/author/ninajonbooks
http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B007N33HUC
The Second Edition is only available for sale as a new book (e-book and paperback) but both the First Edition and the Second Edition are for sale on the second hand book markets, such as the Amazon Marketplace. Hence this blog.
Let me begin with a quote from my favourite literary character – Adrienne Oliver1:
Rhoda: ‘It must be wonderful to be able to think of things.’
Adrienne Oliver: ‘I can always think of things. What is so tiring is writing them down. I always think I've finished, and then when I count up I find I've only written 30,000 words instead of 60,000, and so then I have to throw in another murder and get the heroine kidnapped again. It's all very boring.’
When I first wrote April, I thought I'd written a whole book. But when I typed it up, I discovered I'd actually only written half a book. I scribbled furiously, wrote the other half, sent it to my editor, and eventually published it in October 2012.
Sometime afterwards, I re-read and realised I’d actually written two novels squeezed into one. My editor's suggestions that April might have too many storylines and characters, were correct. The storylines cannibalised each other. It was a bit crowded in there!
This might be an occupational hazard of penning a series whose protagonist receives a number of new cases to investigate every month but, nonetheless, there was nothing for it but to rip that novel in half.
Thus in August 2013 came forth April [ Second Edition ].
A tale of two novels has been a salutary lesson for me in less is more and editor knows best.
Personally, I don't believe the first edition is a bad novel, but I do believe the second edition is better.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Nina
1 Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie
April (2nd edition) is available from all Amazon sites (e-book & paperback).
To read inside or link through:
https://www.amazon.com/author/ninajonbooks
http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B007N33HUC
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