Two weeks ago, I received a surprise phone call from my editor at Borealis Press. Would I be interested, asked Frank, in having The Belvedere at Stone Gate and The Dúns taken on by his publishing house?
Say whaaat??!! I was so caught off guard that I had to think it over – and discuss it with my husband. After all, I had gone the indie route with these books after a long and unsuccessful agent search.
Admittedly there was some rationale behind the editor’s interest. A year or so ago, I had mailed him copies of these books along with a mild query. (Mild because an author tends to tread warily when approaching a traditional publisher with self-published books.)
Then too, The Belvedere at Stone Gate has the same setting and some of the characters as Enigma Club, recently published by Borealis. Both are mysteries and both have autism as one of the underlying themes.
And The Dúns? Similar situation. It’s the sequel to The Shushan Citadel published by Borealis in 2007, both being speculative works set in the Great Lakes region, both with a monastery, castle, aboriginal people, espionage.
Once I resolved to proceed, I scurried to prepare the manuscripts before our trip to Alabama. You see, winters in the south provide me with the opportunity for undisturbed writing, and we’re leaving for Alabama this coming Tuesday.
Amazingly, the manuscripts are now in the hands of Janet, my favourite proof reader. Having a good proof reader is a tremendous gift for an author, and Janet is very good. I eagerly await her scrutiny.
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