Calloo callay!

[rj_anderson]

Semagic has suddenly taken it upon myself to remind me of birthdays for a change -- how useful! -- so best wishes of the day to jblum, always one of my favorite Doctor Who writers and an all-around charming fellow. As it happens, you share a birthday with my oldest brother, so that will be easy for me to remember in future.

And to all the other people whose birthdays I have missed recently by virtue of using Semagic instead of the LJ Portal, please accept my apologies and belated congratulations. Congratulations also to lydaclunas and rose_in_shadow, both of whom will be graduating from university soon.

Now, for the big news...

KNIFE IS FINALLY FINISHED!!!

The really major edits, anyway. In response to the editor's recommendations and some excellent critical feedback from first-round betas yahtzee63 and shoebox2, I've rewritten large chunks of the text, rearranged others, and added about 15,000 words to the story in total.

Now I'm throwing it out to the second-round betas (the ones who've read the book in earlier drafts) in hopes of catching and fixing any remaining gaffes. But comments from folks like cesario and rose_in_shadow, who are reading the re-edited version as their first experience of the book, have been on the whole quite positive, so it seems unlikely that the next round of changes will take very long. All of which means that I should be able to send the ms. out by no later than the end of May, Lord willing -- the thought of which makes me very happy.

I shall end with what has to be one of my favorite reviews of Knife ever, from cesario's comments on Chapter Sixteen:

It's more than a love story with wings now, it's like creepy conspiracy spy thriller anarchist stuff. It's the bomb.

This pleased me enormously, which probably says something about my deep inner weirdness, but as Eeyore would say, there it is.

Comments

Woo Hoo!!

[sannalim.livejournal.com]

That's fantastic news, RJ!

Re: Woo Hoo!!

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Sannali! And that reminds me, I have your delightful "Friendship Is Love" valentine from February sitting right here beside my computer -- I never thanked you for it until now, but I've had it stuck up on my fridge for months and have looked at it often. Only one question I meant to ask -- who are the girls in the purple block, between the Trio and Woody & Buzz?

Re: Woo Hoo!!

[sannalim.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it! It was a lot of fun putting it together.

who are the girls in the purple block

L-R, they are Catherine, Laura, Kathy, Cicely, and Becky, the OCs who have lived inside my head for the past 15 years.
I've written a few rather simple and silly stories about their adventures in high-school and university and have all kinds of notes about their families, the history of their friendship, their majors at college, their boyfriends, and stuff like that. Their main role, however, is as clothes-horses--I have many, many drawings of them which existed initially soley for the purpose of playing with fashion design and only later had stories written to explain what was happening.
When I started making my own Christmas cards in 2001, I needed something to put on them and the girls were a natural choice. They've been on my Christmas card every year since. They are sort of mascots for me; when I need original characters to be doing something, they're the ones I call on first.

[pameladean]

Whoo-hoo!

I have to tell you, when one reads a promising manuscript and then things get stalled out in one of the many ways that things can when people are trying to live their lives and write fiction, the sensation I have is exactly like that of being stuck partway through a long meandering story that is appearing in installments in a magazine, and being unable to find the next issue. This is, of course, nothing to the sensation of having such a manuscript of one's own, but I'm just so delighted that a book I always had a soft spot for is being all polished up.

P.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much, Pamela. Your encouragement and advice, right from the beginning, really helped me to feel much more positive and determined about whipping this book into marketable shape than I think I would have felt otherwise. It's really meant a lot to know that you enjoyed the story, even way back when it had just climbed out of the primordial creative ooze and very few other people seemed to think well of it. I've got a lot of emotional mileage out of the comments you sent me then. Thanks again.

[pameladean]

That's really good to hear; you are very welcome indeed.

I think I really really like your authorial voice, but it wasn't just that, not at all.

P.

[malabud.livejournal.com]

Oh frabjous day! (Sorry, couldn't resist the Jabberwocky reference *g*.)

That's such great news! I am eagerly anticipating the day I can walk into a bookstore and see your name (unless you're using a nom de plume?) on the cover of a book.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I haven't yet figured out what I'll do about the name. I'd like to use "R.J. Anderson" if I can, though.

[reveilles.livejournal.com]

I've been waiting for that day since the first R.J. Anderson story that I read. :)

Can't wait!

[(Anonymous)]

I've enjoyed your fanfic for years now, even those written in fandoms I don't follow, and I can't wait to see how your gifts for strong plots & characters will shine!
Naomi (hugs the rewritten D&L)

Re: Can't wait!

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :)

[sollersuk.livejournal.com]

Wonderful! (and I'm taking it as an omen; "Unicorn Evils" had been heading into "this year, next year, some time, never" territory but I finally seem to be getting it together)

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I must say, "Unicorn Evils" is a great title.

And thank you!

[lesserstorm.livejournal.com]

Congratulations

It's more than a love story with wings now, it's like creepy conspiracy spy thriller anarchist stuff. It's the bomb.


It sounds fantastic and I hope to be able to buy it and read it one day.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

*grins* Thanks so much!

[sabrinanymph.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!!!!

That's so absolutely exciting!!! I know you've been working on it for a long time, so I know you're glad to be done with the reedits.

[infiniteviking]

Wow! Felicidades, etc! Are you considering markets yet?

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Thanks! As it happens, I have an editor who is already interested in the book and has given me quite a bit of specific and helpful advice on it, so I'll try her first and see what she thinks of the rewrite...

[cesario.livejournal.com]

*grins broadly*

[erinbow.livejournal.com]

Such amazing hews! I am sending you virtual champagne. Congratulations.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much, Erin!

[alirae.livejournal.com]

ooh ooh- when do i get to read it?!

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

:) Hopefully soon!

[kerravonsen]

Yippee!

You sound like you've got ten million betas, but if you'd like someone with a fresh eye who hasn't seen it at all, now that you've actually got the whole thing there, I'd love to beta.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I'd love to take you up on it, but if I take on any more betas at this point, a) I will never stop editing until I die and b) there will be no one left to buy the book if/when it comes out. But if I do suddenly decide that I need just one more opinion, you can bet I'll keep you in mind!

[kerravonsen]

Okey-dokey. 8-)

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

Woo! *dance of joy* Finishing something like this is one of the best feelings on earth. Now I'm reaaaallly looking forward to reading the whole novel (because it will be published, and I will advance-order myself a copy). Blessings on the mini-tweakings still to come.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much!

[reveilles.livejournal.com]

Congratulations on making it past the next milestone!! :)