Aboard Providence Book Trailer

During the past weeks weeks, while preparing for the upcoming launch of Aboard Providence, I've been overwhelmed by encouragement and support from readers, friends, relatives, and writing allies.

Check out the book trailer the brilliant (and newly signed author!) Claribel Ortega made for Aboard Providence. The music was made by my talented hubby John Martin Keith.

Pre-order paperback here.

Pre-order ebook here.

Add to your Goodreads shelf.

How To Know When Your Manuscript Is Ready: an interview with editor Megan Easley-Walsh plus giveaway

Today, I’m interviewing Megan Easley-Walsh, writing consultant with Extra Ink Edits. Megan’s specialty is content editing, and I can tell you from personal experience, she is amazing. Not only have Megan and I been writing friends for years, she has whispered magical insight into two of my stories. Last I heard, every client she’s worked with in the past year is now signed with an agent or reputable publisher.

Last year Megan was here on my blog sharing fabulous query tips. She’s back with a few pointers for getting your completed manuscript ready for submission.

Thanks for joining us, Megan!

Thanks so much for having me, Keely and for your kind words! It's always fun being on the blog with you. 

Sometimes the hardest thing for a writer is to know when a manuscript is ready. What should a writer do between writing “The End” and hitting “send” on that submission?
Many writers dread revisions and the editing process, but I always say that it's an incredibly exciting time. You get to be the first person in the entire world to read the book. That's a thrilling thought! I wrote a detailed article on the editing process very recently and so I will refer you to I Need to Edit My Novel! for the sake of brevity here.

Yeah, that was a huge question. Let's see if I can narrow it down... What are a few of the key elements you look for in manuscripts when critiquing?
What a great question! Part of what you look for when critiquing a manuscript is the same thing that you want as a reader in general for books—an engaging story, interesting characters, a well-paced plot without plot holes, a logical beginning, an intriguing middle and a satisfying end. With experience, the elements of the story are able to be sensed. It's almost like how a food critic can tell