What's Your Writer's Bane? / Guest Post by Sandra Cox / Gwen Slade Bounty Hunter

I am happy to welcome Sandra Cox to my blog. She's introducing us to one of her heroines of steel...Gwen Slade, who is a bounty hunter. I love that!

Welcome Sandra!

Writer’s Bane

I Got It

by Sandra Cox

 

Most folks have a bane, writers in particular. Mine—editing/proofing.

Let me share my schedule with you and you’ll see what I mean.

After I finish a rough draft, I comb through it two or three times looking for typos, word usage, awkward sentences. In other words, editing and proofing.

From there I send it to my five-star, best ever, beta readers and proofreader. They return it with suggestions that always improve the story and typos that have jumped out at them.

I incorporate the changes then put it on my Kindle for a reread. Interestingly, changing the reading device often gives a different perspective. And things that I might not have picked up on the computer pop on the Kindle.

While, I have it on the Kindle, I do two or three read throughs and inevitably make more corrections.

Now it’s time to upload my spotless copy for publication. (A spotless copy is my enduring fantasy.) 

I upload, now I’m locked and loaded. While I’m waiting for the release date to roll around, I re-read my manuscript one more time and horror of horrors, there is still a couple of typos to correct and sentences to smooth out.

I trudge back to the keyboard, make my corrections and reload. This time I’m close enough to my release date to set up my paperback. I save as draft and order a proof copy. Not that I need it because this time I’ve found all my errors. Cough. Cough. Choke. Choke.

For me, depending on font size, paper is the easiest and smoothest editing medium. As far as finding errors, I like it even better than the Kindle.

I ready my paper copy and find a missing period and rewrite an awkward sentence.

Finally. I’m ready and resubmit. I am done!

While I’m once again waiting for release day, I go back and incorporate the changes I made on my paper copy back into my original manuscript. And that’s when I see it: loan rider.

With a heavy sigh, I start the process again.

 

QUESTION: What about you? What’s your Writer’s Bane?

 

Gwen Slade, Bounty Hunter is available at Amazon.

Blurb:

Bounty hunter Gwen Slade always gets her man. Until she meets charming outlaw Jordie Kidd.

After Jordie saves her family, she finds she can’t in good conscience turn him in, even if he is worth a thousand dollars dead or alive. Instead she sets her sights on the meanest, most-wanted gang in Kansas. Gwen always works alone until she goes after the gang then finds herself partnering with an unlikely source.

This time around, not only her life, but her heart is on the line.

Excerpt:

Her horse Buckshot thundered into the yard. Reins in one hand, she unholstered and cocked her gun with the other, pulling the stallion into a rearing halt. Powerful gray hooves pawed the air.

“Get your hands up, mister.”

Warm brown eyes twinkled into hers. “Yes, ma’am.”

He raised his hands, but didn’t seem nearly as concerned as he should, she thought, irritation rising in her gullet.

“Sis, it’s all right.” Jimmy, her carrot-haired, eleven-year-old brother, hopped off the porch and trotted toward her, Chen their friend and cook right behind him.

Relief washed through her.

“It’s that dead sidewinder on the ground that tried to rob us.”

“Rob us?” She laughed incredulously. “This hardly looks like a bank.”

Without waiting permission, the stranger dropped his hands. “No offense, but what it looks like is easy pickings.”

Both Chen and Jimmy bristled, and guilt surged through Gwen. They were a mile from Dodge City. Maybe they should move to town.  Though, she wasn’t convinced Dodge was one whit safer.

Guilt burst into anger. She drilled the stranger with a hot stare. “You killed a man because he was trying to rob us?”

“I killed him because he drew on me.”

Heat flamed in her face along with the discomfort of feeling foolish. “Well then.” The sun glinted on her gun as she holstered it.

“I’ll be damned. Gwen Slade, bounty hunter.” He motioned toward her gun. “And the famous Betsy sidearm.” A smile flashed across his features as his gaze slid over her in a long, lazy glide that made her stomach flutter. “Just my luck.”

 

About Sandra Cox:

Sandra is a vegetarian, animal lover and avid gardener. She lives with her husband, their dog and cats in sunny North Carolina.

Her stories consist of all things western and more.

She can be found at http://www.sandracoxwriter.com .   If you’d like to stay abreast of what’s going on in her world and any new releases you can send a note in her comment form while you are there.  Or simply sign up on the follow by email request form. Her twitter handle is: Sandra_Cox and her Amazon page is http://tinyurl.com/SandraAtAmz 

Please leave a comment for Sandra!