One Book Down, One to Go
title change + excerpt included
It’s been an eventful couple of months—and by eventful, I really just mean that I’ve been glued to my computer for a few months now. And I can finally report success! Rianna and Oscar’s story is drafted and submitted to my editors at Chrism Press, thanks in no small part to the amazing Nancy Bechel who has been my alpha reader, book coach, and cheerleader through the whole process.
Writing this book was so different than Love in the Eternal City or The Sapphire Crown (read to the end for more about that one.) For one thing, I had to make sure of my continuity with LEC, while setting up the reader for book three, Love in the Buried City. Before copy edits I’ll need to do a deep read of LEC to make sure I haven’t missed anything.
For another, in the past I’ve bounced between chapters and scenes sort of as I feel like it, then gone back and pieced everything together into a whole draft. This book just refused to do that for me. I had to write start-to-finish, and if something wasn’t working, I stalled out until I could fix the problem. Nancy constantly reminded me to focus less on how I felt the story “had” to go, and more on what the natural reactions and inclinations of the characters would be in the situations I was putting them in. Every time, that was the solution to what I was perceiving as a pacing or plot issue.
I feel as if I’ve learned so much working on this manuscript. I’m fairly confident it’s a much better draft than what I turned in for LEC, so I’m actually excited to hone it now during the editorial process.
A change in title
The original title for this book, Love in the Glass City, has never quite sat right with me despite the fact that it was mostly my idea. I had multiple people ask what the Glass City was, and in the US, the answer that pops up on Google is Toledo, Ohio. Great city, but not the vibe I was going for. Also, the glassworks in Venice are all actually on the island of Murano, relegated there by a Doge who wanted to protect the main city from the risk of fire. It’s worked out to Murano’s advantage, allowing incredible techniques for mosaic and blown glass to be developed and preserved through the generations. (Rianna does go to and spend time in Murano.)
So, after conferring with the internet and my editors, we’ve switched the title to Love in the Floating City. That’s a much clearer reference to Venice for readers, and “the Floating City” is a real-life nickname for Venice.
How about a quick excerpt from Oscar’s POV?
In the warm summer evening, with street lights glinting off the water, Rianna and I stroll slowly along the canal. Gianni has become my new favorite person, delivering the two of us to a quiet gem of authentic Venetian cuisine—though, despite the skills of the chef, exotic sea creatures are not high on my list of favorite foods. But the opportunity to gaze at Rianna across a table for two? That’s worth any amount of indiscernible lumps of things that didn’t eat grass.
She’d taken my breath away when she stepped out of her hotel room for dinner, wearing a pale yellow knee-length dress and white denim jacket that highlighted her sun-kissed olive skin. Her hair falls loose in glossy waves down her back, though after an hour of meandering, the sea breeze has tangled the lighter strands. We’ve stayed a few inches apart since that first hug, but she’s drawn closer to me as we walk. We’ve talked of everything and nothing, solving the problems of the world but ignoring our own.
We emerge from a side-street onto the Piazza San Marco, and look down between the grand arches of the Palazzo Ducale to the lagoon beyond. Like every popular destination in Italy, it’s still bustling with tourists and street artists, and will be for hours yet.
“I always wondered if Venice was as beautiful as the guide books made it.” But really, I’m looking down at the woman who is more lovely than any building could be.
“La Serenissima, Queen of the Adriatic. She really is magnificent.”
I lead Ri to a bench looking out over the water and the faint starlight above. “You should see the stars at home. In Breilles, I mean. With nothing but fields and mountains, the sky is thick with stars at night.”
“It sounds beautiful.” Rianna’s reply comes so softly I almost don’t catch it. But when I glance over at her, she smiles at me and my breath catches. “Beni always talks about how much he loves your family and visiting the farm.”
“They’re not so bad.” Gopferteli, it’s becoming harder and harder to focus on friendship when all I want to do is kiss the girl.
What’s Next?
While I wait for the first round of edits on Love in the Floating City (still getting used to the new title but gosh that feels better), I’m heading hell-for-leather into the next book I need to submit: The Sapphire Crown, my Edwardian-inspired fantasy romance for WhiteCrown Publishing. It’s time to switch from turboprop planes, wedding planning, and Vatican City, to a world of sparkling blue magic, political intrigue, and, yes, ocelots. The book is very roughly drafted but needs a lot of work before I turn it in to my editors on August 15. (Eek. Send help and chocolate.)
In the meantime, I’m planning my friends’ wedding, working hard at the new job, and doing my best to stay cool in the summer heat.
Let me know what y’all think of the new title and excerpt. :)
Love,
Rebecca
Love it! Can't wait to read!