I’ve written enough over the years that even when a novel is
just an embryo idea, I know how long the finished book will be.
My idea for Boxed In, due out later in the year, was always a book of under 100,000 words, so when the first draft came in at 140,000, the serious editing hat had to come out.
The editing journey was a slash-and-burn fest – CLICK HERE for some more detail on nuances, twists and the ghost of a children’s book.
The end result of the initial charge through all 140k words,
wielding the newly sharpened editing pen, was an uncannily accurate match to my
original prediction – a book of exactly 99,999 words.
Boxed In is the latest book in Penny Grubb's Annie Raymond series,
following on from Falling into Crime,
Where There’s Smoke,
Buried Deep and Syrup Trap City.