What I'm Writing by Susan Elia MacNeal (and Why I'm Late with This Post)

As it turns out, I'm not writing right now, but editing — Maggie Hope book #4, titled The Prime Minister's Secret Agent. It's scheduled to be published in June 2014.

Here's the official description from Random House:

For fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Charles Todd, and Anne Perry, The Prime Minister’s Secret Agent is a gripping new mystery featuring intrepid spy and code breaker Maggie Hope. And this time, the fallout of a deadly plot comes straight to her own front door.
 
World War II rages on across Europe, but Maggie Hope has finally found a moment of rest on the pastoral coast of western Scotland. Home from an undercover mission in Berlin, she settles down to teach at her old spy training camp, and to heal from scars on both her body and heart. Yet instead of enjoying the quieter pace of life, Maggie is quickly drawn into another web of danger and intrigue. When three ballerinas fall strangely ill in Glasgow—including one of Maggie’s dearest friends—Maggie partners with MI-5 to uncover the truth behind their unusual symptoms. What she finds points to a series of poisonings that may expose shocking government secrets and put countless British lives at stake. But it’s the fight brewing in the Pacific that will forever change the course of the war—and indelibly shape Maggie’s fate.

But as of now it's still in manuscript form and there's a lot of work to do…. I thought it would be fun to describe some of the ups and downs of the editing/copy editing experience, from an author's point of view. Here we go!

First, I turned in the manuscript of The Prime Minister's Secret Agent to my editor, the great Kate Miciak at Random House (who also edits Lee Childs, Alan Bradley, and Melanie Benjamin, to name just a few — NO PRESSURE THERE!) on October 1. It had already been read and commented on by my agent, Victoria Skurnick at the Levine Greenberg Agency, two novel-writing friends, and the hubby. Still, it's terrifying to send in your manuscript to your editor. What if she hates it? What if she rejects it? What if they cancel my contract and I have to give the money back? (Ah, what you think of at three in the morning…) So I'm waiting with white knuckles for the manuscript to come back, with both her comments and also the copy edits.

For anyone following the story of my crazy life, my recovering mother-in-law has just moved in with us after a hospital stay. The family is my husband, me, our eight-year-old son, and "Grandmama" as well as two insane cats — in a "cozy" New York City apartment. So I booked a week at a time share (using eBay!) and cashed in some points for a plane ticket. For one week, I would have peace, I would have quiet, I would have privacy!

However, when I was ensconced in the hotel room, one thing was clear — I didn't have the right manuscript.

No, I'd been sent Sunshine on Scotland Street (which I can sort of understand, because The Prime Minister's Secret Agent also takes place in Scotland). And my computer died. Yes, it was the universe saying, hey, you need a day off. Even Kate told me to go to the pool! (I did and took Sunshine on Scotland Street with me — excellent book!)

The next day, I received the right manuscript via overnight delivery and opened it.

It's (sort of) a book! A baby book! Here's the first page — Kate's notes are in red and the copy editor's in green.

And here are some typical comments:

Those are from my editor. Here are some from the copy editor:

Of course, these are the ones I like to see!

And then, thank goodness, at the end:

It was a long week, reading, writing, considering, rewriting. A lot of it it accepting (or not (the editor and copy editor's changes. But it's also looking things up, making sure the date line checks out, making sure the time changes (Edinburgh, London, Washington D.C., and Pearl Harbor) all work. Tightening the mystery. And, alas, I couldn't post about it on Jungle Reds because of the broken computer.

That week, I worked with Kate and the copy editor's marks. Now I'm back home and incorporating the notes from several experts. For this book it's a World War II historian, a Londoner and Blitz survivor, a retired Scottish police officer, and a medical doctor.

And the irony? For someone who's constantly complaining about not having an office, or even a desk, I didn't work at the desk, but on the hotel's bed…. (That's Diet Coke on the desk — I know, Not Healthy….)

On December 9, I'll send back the manuscript with all my comments added. They will (somehow? with magic?) decipher and enter all the changes. That's the version the galley, or the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC), will be made from. (Again, NO PRESSURE!)

And all I can say is I hope that, when it comes out, you like The Prime Minister's Secret Agent! It's been an adventure!