Elle is a thirty-something author who teaches English and regularly travels to new worlds through he...
Hey, kids.
Progress on The Seclusion is happening on all ends!
At some point in the next week or so, my editor will submit the first three beautifully-polished chapters of the book to Ingram - a book distribution company that major retailers, and most indie bookstores, use to stock their shelves.
In other exciting news, the book is starting to pop up on major online retail sites for preorder! 
The goal, as of now, is to shift from developmental-edit to copy-edit by April 1st. I’ll be hard at work every day until then to make sure we stay on schedule for a fall release, so that we can get this book in your hands!
I’ve been spending any and all free time over the last couple of weeks combing through the manuscript with two primary goals in mind - 1) Add to the inner voice of the protagonist, Patch 2) Flesh out additional world-building details. I regularly have at least one reference book open next to me as I work to sneak up on each scene from a new angle. My favorite as of late is The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface, by Donald Maass.
Last week, in an effort to soak up new world building inspiration, I used random photos found online and my favorite quick-marketing toy (Canva) to throw together a few concept images. Lately, I have these open as I hammer out my descriptive imagery for any given scene. Below are a few if you would like to take a look:
CHILDREN’S CLASSROOM
CITY CENTER
COMPLIANCE OFFICERS (COMPOS) AND PACIFIER (DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPON)
I am guessing that over the next month I will hear from the Inkshares marketing team, and that cover design will kick off soon.
Back to edits! Until next time.
-Jacqui
Dear friends and followers,
Things continue apace, and I think we’re on track for publication before summer. It’s a lot more work than I bargained for! The big news, though, is that we’re changing the title of the book. The story will now be published as "A Gentleman’s Murder". Well, if a gentlemen’s club, then of course a gentleman’s murder, right? And one has to admit it rolls off the tongue more easily.
It does mean I’m going to need a new header for these news bulletins....
The other big news is that we’ve also got a new cover!
It’s not quite final yet, I’m told, but I gather that this is a pretty good taste of what’s in store.
And now, I had better get back to those edits. Before somebody murders me....
