My upcoming novel, Henderson House, is the May 2021 Break the Bechdel with Strong Female Characters Syndicate pick at Inkshares. This group celebrates female characters who are well-crafted and multi-dimensional. I’m thrilled for Bessie, Florence, and Mrs. Henderson to be recognized! There’s a wonderful new badge on my Inkshares page.

I read the entire novel as an e-book, making no notes whatsoever. I read it like a reader. Trust me, it’s hard to turn off your writer brain AND your editor brain and just read the darn story! The good news is, I really liked it!

After the read through, I wrote notes like I would if I had read someone else’s book. Notes about weaknesses in the plot, character development, and pacing.

Next, I printed out the entire manuscript and divided it by Point of View. I read all of Bessie’s chapters as if they were one story. Then Florence’s and then Mrs. Henderson’s. What a wonderful editing technique! This time through, I made and editing marks in the printed document and marked sections that need work.

This week, I will begin making changes to the manuscript. Inkshares has said they won’t have time to get started on my project until the end of the summer, but my goal is to get my revised manuscript to them by the end of June. I’d love to be first in line when their work load eases up.

I started the sequel to Henderson House! I shared the first chapter of the next book with my writers’ group last week, so Book Two is underway.

Thank you again for all of your support. Here’s hoping we’re reading Henderson House on the beach next summer.

All the best,

Caren Simpson McVicker