It’s hard to believe, but my sophomore novel, Away to Me, came out a year ago today. The last twelve months have almost flown by, and the book still feels like a “new release” in some ways, yet in others, it feels almost as old as Stricken (which came out in March 2017). It was never meant to be published after its first – and only – rejection.
However, we all
know how that turned out. Here’s how
this little story went from “practice run” to a recipient of the Editor’s
Choice Seal of Excellence and Enjoyable Reading at my beloved publisher, eXtasy Books…
Behind the Writing:
Away to Me
By V.J. Allison
Away to Me was written in 2014 over three months of Fridays. It was originally 75K in length, and was written after I had gotten the final rejection for what eventually became Stricken. Thanks to a kind editor at a publishing house that closed its doors in the last year giving me a few tips, I was able to pinpoint a few things wrong with my style of writing – like repetitive words and plenty of passive scenes for example – and began writing a practice story that eliminated all the editor mentioned. (I have the emails from her saved, as a reminder that I’m as good as she said) That manuscript was set aside when the idea for Away to Me hit the brain and would not leave me alone (the practice story was finished, it became Under Your Scars!).
I did send it out after it was edited, checked over by betas and critiqued by a few people. All it took was the same kind editor telling me the “story was good” and my writing was “fantastic”, but they had to turn it down because it was a “general fiction story” with “some romance” for me to put it in mothballs and focus on something else – which turned out to be the rewrite of what is now Stricken.
Around May of 2019, I was trying my hand at other stories, including a possible sequel to Stricken as well as finishing the story that is now called Under Your Scars, when there was a submission call at my publisher.
The new line was called “Noted” and it would feature stories that started with someone finding a note or letter, and went on a journey – to find love, go on an adventure, or something else (the possibilities are endless). I thought it over and realized Away to Me may fit the bill, if I could get it cleaned up to eX’s high standards for submission drafts. After getting Stricken accepted and published two years before that, and reading the ultra-high quality of the writing eXtasy Books demands in its other authors, I could see what was going on with Away to Me.
First of all, it was loaded with way too many scenes where the damn dog just took over. It seemed that Punky the Corgi was always scheming to cause trouble for the humans – notably Kelsey and Neil – and was constantly getting in the way. All but one of the scenes where he caused trouble were immediately eliminated, including a scene where Neil talks to Punky, and tells him that eating a sleeve off Kelsey’s favorite leather coat was wrong – for starters. I left one in, where he meets two cats that Kelsey adopts from the local shelter (SHAID, not mentioned by name), but wasn’t sure how it would go over with the editors at eXtasy.
There was also a scene where Kelsey asks Neil how they came to adopt the dog, and he tells her about the breeder, etc. That was the first thing I removed. It was passive, and dragged the story down so much, even I was yawning when I read it. Plus it just seemed to be way too focused on that damn dog – AGAIN.
Secondly, it had been written that Rikki and Neil just find what they realize is her adoption papers before looking for her birth parents. In order for it to be submitted to the Noted line, I had to include a note that would start either Kelsey or Neil on a journey toward the other one. Including a note from Rikki’s adopted father, Brandon Hunter, was the answer. It fit in so smoothly, it was like it had always been there, and was the perfect addition to the story. It made sense to add it because it encouraged Rikki to go looking for her birth family, which takes them back to Neil’s past and Kelsey.
eXtasy Books took a chance on me in 2016, and I was determined to once again show that I was capable of writing to their high standards. After a few runs of edits on my own, I decided it was time to send it.
Our Acquisitions Editor got back to me two days later with the acceptance. She had read it that fast, and liked it.
Of course, yours truly signed the contract as soon as it arrived.
Less than 2 weeks later, I got the gorgeous cover from Martine, one of our amazing cover artists at eXtasy Books/Devine Destinies. I swear that woman reads minds, because she gave the cover for it a Nova Scotian feel by including the town of Lunenburg in its background. I loved it so much, it made me cry!
Edits with Trish began later that month. It took a while because I had to remove that last scene with the corgi causing trouble, and then at Trish’s suggestion, I added an extra love scene to up the heat level in the story. The scene was done on a spur of the moment. I just let the characters do whatever they felt like, and it turned out a lot better than I had hoped.
Originally, eXtasy’s site said it would be published on August 16, 2019… I just about fainted when I saw it. The Proofer hadn’t contacted me yet, and it was early August by that time. It was not ready by a long shot! Thankfully, higher ups let me know it was a tentative date, and we’d probably see it out in October.
Thanks to things going smoothly with the Proofer, and edits going quickly once things were straightened out, Away to Me had a publication date of September 20, 2019 scheduled – my husband’s birthday.
It hit the virtual shelves at eXtasy Books without a hitch – which was a relief considering the final galley for Stricken decided it hated my computer less than 24 hours before its release! – and people started downloading it.
I wasn’t getting a lot of feedback at first, but I knew it would be a while. Even though it’s short – just over 53K in its published form – some people may not read it right away. I decided to start trying to write a new story for Tri-Town 2 and work on the possible sequel to Stricken that had been set aside. I wasn’t expecting any reviews or feedback for a few weeks.
Then I got the shock of my life.
I was tagged in a post in Book Carousel, which is the open group for readers to interact and chat with their favorite eXtasy Books and Devine Destinies authors… Away to Me had received the Editor’s Choice Seal, which meant it was a well-written story that was highly enjoyed by the editors.
"This story blew me away from the get-go. Released as part of the new Noted category, the plot encapsulates all the drama that one note can create. Well written, interesting characters and snappy dialogue. What more can you ask for?" ~ Editor
That is exactly
what is shown on the Blog page
for it on eXtasy’s site.
It was never meant to be published after that first rejection, yet it went out, and received the highest honor at eXtasy Books/Devine Destinies.
I guess it goes to show that sometimes that one story you don’t think is “good enough” may just be “awesome” and get you some recognition after all. Never in my wildest dreams did I think my little practice run would be published, let alone do so well.
Away to Me is proof of that.
As for other news, so far so good with the schools reopening here. Son is adjusting so far, and he’s making new friends. Hubby is working long hours at the store, but it’s helping a lot, we can use the money right now. I’m still plugging along in the Feathered Tartan Series Novel 2/Story 3. It’s slow going because I’m still trying to adjust to being home alone all day most days again but I’m easing back into it. Hopefully I can finish fast drafting this one ASAP so I can finish the series sometime in the next few years.
Take care and stay
safe everyone! I leave you with an unusual choice for music. I’m not one for
Christian music, but I love this particular song by Stryper. It’s been one of
my favorites since my teen years. Enjoy!
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