Loose, Wild, and Free

Guest Post by Cheryl Low

Detox in Letters is published! It’s out in the world—loose, wild, and free! Okay, not literally free -- metaphorically free.
 
The second book in the Crowns & Ash series, this was an incredible delight to write, edit, and see published.
 
When I signed the contract with World Weaver Press for Vanity in Dust, the first book in the series, I had already written first drafts for books one, two, and three. Thank goodness I stopped there! So many little changes have been made and subplots hacked away from the first book that the alterations rippled into the second. Every change was for the better, of course, but the repercussions were still a surprise. For the first time in my life I needed to make a storyboard with all the scenes on note cards to get a real look at the plot. I pulled whole chunks out, rearranged and rewrote like never before. I made so many changes to the second book in revisions that by the time I sent it to my editor, I couldn’t see it clearly anymore. Which is one of the many reasons why editors are magical beings never to be trifled with and always to be appreciated.
 
I am sure there are writers out there who churn out near-perfect manuscripts, but I am not one of them. I need my beta readers and my editor like trees need water.
 
I have the incredible fortune to work with Laura Harvey on this series, and she never shies away from telling me when a scene isn’t working or a plot device is missing. She sees the vision I have in mind, knows what I’m trying to reach, and gets almost as excited about flesh-eating pixies, fight scenes, and dragons as I do.
 
The only thing that surprised me more than the revisions of Detox in Letters, was just how incredibly excited I am to have it published. I thought the rush, the raw giddy feeling of putting a book into the world, would be less each time. If possible, I am even more thrilled with this book than the last. I don’t know if that will hold true for the whole series, or my whole career, but I certainly hope so.
 
Detox in Letters was, so far, my favorite book to write. I truly love this series and am so happy to get to share it with others. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

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Cheryl Low might be a dragon with a habit of destroying heroes, lounging in piles of shiny treasure, and abducting royals—a job she fell into after a short, failed attempt at being a mermaid. She can’t swim and eventually the other mermaids figured it out. She can, though, breathe fire and crush bones, so being a dragon suited her just fine.
 
…Or she might be a woman with a very active imagination, no desire to be outdoors, and more notebooks than she’ll ever know what to do with.
 
Find out by following her on social media @cherylwlow or check her webpage, CherylLow.com. The answer might surprise you! But it probably won’t.

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