Interesting Plot Twists Should Stay in the Story, Not in the Publishing

Twisted pine tree - Photo by Anna Ryabenkaya from Pexels

It’s been an interesting two weeks. (In the words of the brilliant TV series Firefly_, canceled way too soon, “Define ‘interesting’.” “Oh god, oh god, we’re all gonna die!”)

I’ll try to be brief about these “interesting” times.

Last time I wrote about the release date for Chords of Deception, followed a couple of days later with an update about an Amazon snafu that pushed it back a few more days. Well, the intention was to also release the print version to other stores at the same time, so my lovely readers could order from Barnes & Noble, or Books A Million, or their favorite independent bookseller, or wherever else they wanted.

That ran into some snags as well. So it isn’t yet available. To say they were slow to send me a proof copy (that’s the one that goes out to the author and/or publisher before it’s approved to be added to the master catalog of available books for the aforementioned bookstores) is to say that molasses flows a little slowly. Uphill. In January. In Vermont.

As in, I still have not received it, although I’m assured it has now been sent.

Without seeing that proof copy first, I’m not going to approve it for distribution.

Once I receive it, I will review it immediately and as quickly as possible, and assuming it’s fine, I’ll sign the approval and then it should make it into the catalog pretty expeditiously after that.

Someone asked the other day what lessons I’ve learned from this process. That lesson is, build a much longer runway. Add another couple of months to the time needed between sending everything to the printer and final approval.

As soon as Chords of Deception is available through non-Amazon sources, I will let you know. I apologize for the wait, and for all of these hiccups in the process. In the meantime, if you do want to order from Amazon, here’s that link: https://amzn.to/4hbCcay. And it’s still available for free on Kindle Unlimited if you have a subscription.

---

What I’m Reading

Latter End by Patricia Wentworth

This is book 11 in the Miss Silver series, and I somehow never read it before.

Maud Silver is living a contented life, with far more independence and means to enjoy it than she ever imagined possible during her decades as an underpaid, under-appreciated governess.

What makes it possible is her ability to talk to people and figure out the most baffling of mysteries.

When Jimmy Latter visits to consult her about his wife, Lois, Miss Silver is perturbed. Lois is afraid she’s being poisoned, and it seems as though everyone in the household has a reason to want her gone. Then a few weeks later, Lois is found dead, poisoned. A very distressed Jimmy Latter begs Miss Silver to come to Latter End and see if she can identify the culprit.

Chief Inspector Lamb doesn’t welcome Miss Silver’s interference, but his assistant, Sgt. Frank Abbott, is thrilled.

As usual, Miss Silver is able to identify the essentials and strip away the fluff, pinpointing the surprising culprit with deadly, and unexpected, accuracy.

---

Notable Quotes

Hania moved through Miłosław the way a flagship moves through a harbor: with authority, without haste, and with absolute confidence that smaller vessels would get out of her way. I trailed behind her like a tugboat, still slightly dazed by jet lag and pierogi.

A Deadly Paczek by Marta Kowal

I really enjoyed the shipping analogies: Hania as a flagship, and the narrator like a following tugboat.

Buy Me a Chai

Some of the links I include in this email may be Amazon affiliate links. What does that mean? It means you pay the same — or in some cases a little less — if you click and purchase, and I get a small commission. It’s not a lot, but it helps me buy a few chai lattes here and there. . . If you’d rather support your local independent bookstore than the company Bezos built, please use this link: https://bookshop.org/lists/mystery-susanna-sullivan.

Or, if you’d like to support me without upgrading to a paid subscription, you can Buy Me a Chai right now. Thanks!