Name of fiction work? And were there other names you considered that you would like to share with us? THE RANCHER’S SUMMER SECRET. The title was chosen by my publisher Harlequin.
Can you describe the editing and publishing process of THE RANCHER’S SUMMER SECRET? This work is part of what we call a continuity. Editors develop the basics of an over-arching multi-book series and a different author writes each book. Best case scenario, the author brings a lot of her own signature style and sensibility to the stories, molding the story to make it “hers” while still adhering to the overarching plan set by the editors. Authors submit cover and title ideas, but the publishing house has the final say.
https://www.harlequin.com/shop/index.html
https://www.facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
A continuity is a series books written by authors for hire. We are given certain elements to fit in no matter what to push forward the overarching stories in the series. We’re also given main points to hit in each story, as well. For these books, we earn royalties and advances equal to that for books we own outright—and there is more in-house push/publicity for a book the publisher owns and controls. Plus, it’s fun to work with others now and then in a mostly solitary profession like writing. For a continuity, my own editor, Gail Chasan, will offer and negotiate the contract. And then another editor will oversee the project and give notes on the finished product—and then usually yet another editor will do the actual line edit.
https://www.facebook.com/gail.chasan
The editor I work with most often for continuities is Susan Litman, editor with Special Edition. I love working with Susan almost as much as I love working with Gail. For all my books there are multiple stages of edits (I have never had to actually rewrite a book, so that would be a first stage if my manuscript needed work before I could get approval and the final payment of my advance—but so far, that hasn’t happened for me in 120-plus books). All that to say, these are the steps I take in the editing process. First, the line edit—for this book, the line edit was done by two editors: Susan Litman and Debbie Mattucci (a longtime editor with Harlequin.) Then the final edit, which we call the AAs or Author’s Alterations, is done by the copyeditor, who will be a different editor every time and I don’t know if those editors are freelance or actual Harlequin employees. After that, there are still a couple more edits, just checking for little things like punctuation and proper formatting—and for any lingering inconsistencies in the story. If there are inconsistences, I will get queries to clear up the problem.
https://www.facebook.com/susan.litman.5
What is the date you began writing this piece of fiction and the date when you completely finished the piece of fiction? I began the actual writing of the manuscript on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 and completed the manuscript—including my own first round of edits—on Friday, December 11, 2020. In January of this year, I did two rounds of edits after input from my editor for the project and the copyeditor—these two rounds are called Copyedit and Authors Alteration rounds. They take me about two days of work each.
But no, that’s not all. I write a synopsis that is approved by my Harlequin editor before I write the book. And before I write the synopsis, I take the material sent me by the editors of this in-house continuity, make notes of what I want to do with the material and then plot the story with a close author friend—we do this for each other, help each other plot our books. Plotting sessions last from an hour minimum to two hours; they always include plot points, characters arcs, what each character wants, what their issues are—all the questions a conscientious author needs to answer for herself. I record my plotting sessions on my phone and also on a digital recorder then transcribe the recording and create the synopsis from the transcription. This process, the pre-writing process, takes about a month. So all told, this book took about fourteen weeks to write.
Where did you do most of your writing for this fiction work? And please describe in detail. And can you please include a photo? I wrote this book—as I do all my books—in my home office on my PC using Word. I have an extra-large monitor and I love it. I set my 12-point font to 200%, so the words are big. I do nothing on paper anymore except scribble notes and to-do lists. Everything is done on the computer. I like all my stuff around me—I like wall calendars. I have a four-mouth dry-erase calendar and a monthly paper calendar hung below it. I have bulletin boards to tack up random stuff to do with my current WIP, scheduling, appointments, travel, whatever. I have a built-in desk for my PC with cabinets and bookshelves above. On the bookshelves I keep one copy of each of my more than 100 published books. I have a large 4-drawer upright file cabinet and a giant low one with two drawers that hold three rows each of file folders. Why do I keep all this paper? I wonder that on occasion. Under the floor-to-ceiling windows on the other side of the room from my computer desk is another desk that I use for random stuff like packing up books to mail or whatever. I like to frame milestone cover images and put them on my office walls. I also have prints and paintings by various artists I admire on the walls around me.
What were your writing habits while writing this work- did you drink something as you wrote, listen to music, write in pen and paper, directly on laptop; specific time of day? I write directly to my PC. No paper to speak of in my writing process anymore. I drink ice water; a lot of it. I’m like a banker, working from 8 to 4 every day, at least five days a week. Mostly, I like quiet. But I might stop and play a video on VEVO or YouTube of a song that inspires me for this particular story. For this book, the main song in my playlist was Jon Pardi’s “Ain’t Always the Cowboy”. In western fiction, it’s always the cowboy riding away—but not in this song. Or in THE RANCHER’S SUMMER SECRET.
Please include just one excerpt and include page numbers as reference. This one excerpt can be as short or as long as you prefer.
Bottom page 23-bottom page 26 (Mass Market Paperback format):
Before he could wrap her in those big arms, she stepped back. “I have something I need to say.”
He lifted a hand and touched the side of her face. The simple caress thrilled her, sent a tingle rushing through her just from that small, brushing contact. “Tell me, then.”
She suddenly felt awkward and silly and…too young. But she said her piece anyway. “I just need to lay out the ground rules, so we both know where we stand.”
One side of his sinfully sexy mouth quirked up in amusement. “There are ground rules?”
She gave him a firm nod. “Yes, there are. This, tonight, is a special circumstance.”
“Very special,” he agreed, those beautiful eyes gleaming at her, promising all manner of heavenly delights.
“Well, that may be. But I meant special as in a onetime deal. Tomorrow, I head home to Billings.”
“You mentioned that already.”
“And it bears repeating. I live in Billings, and your life is here. And in future, when I come back again to visit my family and you and I happen to see each other somehow in passing, we will not stop. We will not give each other more than a nod and a simple hello. We will never discuss what happened here tonight. No digits will be exchanged. Neither of us will try to contact the other. This is ‘The Night That Never Happened’—” Yes, she actually air-quoted it for emphasis. “—and we need to agree that it is.”
His burnished eyebrows drew together in a doubtful sort of frown.
She barreled on. “Which, er, won’t be a problem for you because you don’t do relationships.”
“Vanessa, I never said—”
“Wait.” She put up a hand. “I won’t get in touch again because that would make you think I want a relationship, which I don’t. As for you, well, you won’t contact me because, um, you’re Jameson John and you don’t do commitment.”
His frown had deepened. “Hey, now. Hold on a minute. I do plan to have a relationship that lasts. I want a family, children.”
“Sure you do,” she teased. “Someday, right?”
“That’s not fair.” He really seemed troubled, somehow, by this subject.
“I’m sorry,” she said, and meant it. “Sometimes I get a little carried away trying to make a point. I didn’t mean to insult you, Jameson.”
“You didn’t. It’s just, well, yeah. Maybe I was that guy you’re describing. But I’m not anymore. You like players and, back at Wild Willa’s, I wanted to be whatever you needed tonight. But I’m not that guy Vanessa, not the thoughtless boy you remember from high school. I’ve been married and divorced. I’m settled down now, a grown-ass man. I’m ready for something more than just one night.”
Her heart kind of melted—but come on. She’d just been dumped. A new relationship wasn’t even on the table right now and she needed to make that crystal clear. She gazed up at him defiantly. “Well, I’m not ready for anything but tonight.”
He stared down at her long and hard. Was this it, then? Would he walk her back out to her car and say goodnight? She braced herself for that.
But then he shook his head. “I do want you, Vanessa. A lot. And if tonight is all I’m getting, so be it.”
She drilled her point home. “After this, there will be no contact. You and me, we won’t be happening again.”
He caught her hand and pulled her close. “Fair enough.”
“Jameson,” she whispered, pressing her palms to his hard chest as his mouth touched hers.
Oh, he was perfect. Exactly what she needed. This beautiful man to ring in a whole new year, to make her feel gorgeous and wanted for one perfect night. She slid her hungry hands up to encircle his neck.
When he lifted his head, she opened her eyes. They gazed at each other. “Agreed?” she asked again.
His eyes spoke of reluctance to go along with her terms. She shouldn’t allow herself to feel thrilled at the idea that he might hope for more. Yet she did feel thrilled. Just a little.
Finally, he acquiesced. “I agree. Tonight and that’s all.”
Gathering her close again, he shut the door to the hallway with the heel of his boot.
Why is this excerpt so emotional for you as a writer to write? And can you describe your own emotional experience of writing this specific excerpt? I just love how completely she misreads him. And I love that it hints of how deeply she’s been hurt in her life. She refuses to take another chance on a man right here, refuses to see him as he’s trying to show himself to her.
Were there any deletions from this excerpt that you can share with us? And can you please include a photo of your marked up rough drafts of this excerpt. I have no idea what I changed in the process of the final draft here. When I edit, what I had before is gone because I don’t use paper anymore. Truth is when I started out, I wrote poetry and plays—on an actual typewriter. At first, I saved every revision, had reams of paper for each work (well, the plays anyway) showing rounds and rounds of edits, trying to get it right. I’m still trying to get it right. I just let it go when I edit. I figure if I’m throwing away what works, I’ll find my way back to it again anyway.
Thanks for inviting me to visit your blog. Happy reading—and writing, everyone!
A NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author, Christine Rimmer has written more than one hundred contemporary romances for Harlequin Books. She consistently writes emotional, humorous, sensual stories that keep her readers coming back for more. Christine has won Romantic Times BOOKreview’s Reviewer’s Choice Award for best Silhouette Special Edition. She has been nominated six times for the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award and also five times for Romantic Times Series Storyteller of the Year.
A California native who first longed to be an actress, Christine Rimmer earned her theater degree from California State, Sacramento and then went to New York to study acting. Later, she moved to Southern California, where she began her writing career with short stories, plays, and poems. Her poems and short stories were published in a number of small literary journals. Her plays were produced at The Back Alley and Group Theaters in Southern California and have been published by Dramatists Play Service and West Coast Plays.
Christine lives in Oregon with her family.
Click On the Link to find the List of all of the Books Christine Rimmer has written and published.
All of the Inside The Emotion of Fiction LIVE LINKS can be found at the very end of the below feature:
http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2021/03/stephenson-holts-arranged-marriage-is.html
The images in this specific piece are granted copyright: Public Domain, GNU Free Documentation Licenses, Fair Use Under The United States Copyright Law.
The other images are granted copyright permission by the copyright holder, which is identified beneath each photo.
Some of the links will have to be copied and then posted in your search engine in order to pull up properly
Feel free to contact CRC Blog via email at caccoop@aol.com or personal Facebook messaging at https://www.facebook.com/car.cooper.7