By Kait Carson

I’m fighting with myself right now. That title opens a lot of doors. So many possibilities. No, I’ll behave. Gotta grow up sometime. I can hear my blogmates laughing. Perhaps a better title would be The Seduction of Art.

As I write this, I’m hip-deep in edits for No Return, my first novel set in Maine. Wash, rinse, repeat. Yes, that book. Last July I took a deep breath and submitted the novel to several small presses. It was roundly rejected. Almost. One editor kindly responded that they were taking a pass–now. She suggested that the book, written in close third, wasn’t keeping with their editorial style and invited me to edit and resubmit. I popped the cork of the chilled champagne and set to work. Note to future writers. Grow the skin of a hippopotamus and celebrate every victory, even if you have to claw the cover off that cloud to get to the silver lining.

The editor did not suggest a deadline for the edits, nor would I have expected her to. I get to do that myself, and I’ve set January 31^st. Now we get to the seductive part of the blog. I love the editing process, and this is a juicy one. Turns out this publishing house prefers books written from the first-person point of view. No Return is undergoing a complete rewrite. And I love it. There’s a cadence to editing that doesn’t exist in the writing process. It’s a full brain activity and very satisfying. The deeper I get into the weeds, the more I like it, and the more I like it, the more that gets re-thought and rewritten. It’s like Christmas every day.

Full disclosure. I am an indie author, and I like the freedom that gives me. So why not pivot and indie publish No Return? That’s a fair question. While I intend to continue self-publishing the Hayden Kent Mysteries, the past five years have taught me something about myself. I need a deadline, and self-imposed ones don’t cut it. Not sure if it’s a hangover from life in the law biz—just try and miss a filing date—or a hangover from Sr. Rita Joseph and her ruler, but either way, I thrive under pressure. Seeking a publishing contract is my way of creating productive pressure.

The good news is that I’m satisfied with the story. The edits are more cosmetic than substantive. I’m two weeks from the deadline, and on track. I’m going to miss it when it’s out of my hands again. Updates will follow. Now, back to Kent 4.