Liquid Assets: Wetter, Better

I wanted to wait until I had a cover to show off before talking about the changes in Liquid Assets (re-releases at Loose Id on September 25, 2007). But I can't! I'm excited.

Liquid Assets v1.5 includes the following:

- additional material
- superior editing
- pinker prose
- more depth
- "aha!" moments
- and more liquid lovin'

When I packed my bags and left my first publishing home on a dark January night, I was overcome by emotion. Frankly, I had no idea where I or my stories would end up. For a brief time, I wondered if I'd been correct the previous year--that I should stick to nonfiction and articles and get the hell out of this crazy storytelling business. But the more I tried to suppress the voices of the characters who spoke to me, the unhappier I became.

Then something miraculous happened: writers, friends and readers began whispering in my ear. I'm pretty shy, so realizing that so many people cared about my predicament really touched me. I was awed. I was tickled. So I listened to them. I listened to my heart. I put sassy Cassie on my back and went shopping for her new digs. Turns out, the first stop I made was the right one. With my fetish for "Ls," Loose Id seemed a perfect fit. And I was delighted when they thought so too.

My Loose Id editor's first name begins with an L. We hit it off straightaway. She's a loving taskmaster whose every suggestion and change enhanced the beauty of my story. She understands the characters--something very helpful to me. Not once did she ask me to sympathize, homogenize or de-ball anyone. In fact, when she did request changes, she asked for more depth.

I once told her that editing depresses me. I liken the process to handing over your child to someone only to have them tell you she's homely. But being paired with an editor who sees the beauty in my child -- despite my kid's scabby knees, temper tantrums and flights of delusion -- has humbled me. She gets me. She understands the stories I write.

One weekend after some intense correspondence, I bawled my eyes out with happiness. Yeah, I cry. So what? I cry a lot! I cry because I bleed for my characters. I cry because my creations come alive when they bleed. And while I'm aware that my brand of storytelling isn't for everyone, (I giggled one night when I read a post from a reader who says she doesn't "do tough love") I know that I can't stop writing about these often troubled, tough-talking people. The few times I tried...well, it was a disaster.

So no going gently into that good night for me. If I go, it'll be kicking and screaming as loudly as any of my heroines. And when cornered, they kick pretty hard.