Good morning!.
I'm excited to report good news about Defining Raven: To Gain By Force. The story was one of my first
completed full length novels and by researching the 'search' option in old emails, it looks as if the original manuscript may have been started in 2004/2005 and finally picked up for publication in April 2007. It was only on the market for a couple of weeks with an Australian-based publisher before I pulled the manuscript because of the publisher's change in ownership. After that, Defining Raven was pitched again and again to more US publishers and no one would touch it..
During that time, I received statements like, "I
don't think we can publish it due to the content and the predictions
involved" or "Susan, I didn't even want this manuscript on my
computer because of the political elements...."
To say I was dumbfounded is an understatement. As far as I
was concerned, Defining Raven was fiction. In any event, I cut out a lot of elements that
might have been considered more controversial matters but a lot remains, too, because without those elements we wouldn’t have a story.
I'm not involved in politics or conspiracy-type theories so
the plot wasn't/isn't based on predictions. However, as I read over the manuscript for round two, I
started to see where some readers might have formed a different opinion. Still,
it is/was fiction.
In the end, the majority of the 'rewriting' involved focuses
around changing one huge player to Alpha 13 and assigning code names to other
foreign countries which works out rather well since the President in this story
is only in office due to.....well, you'll have to read the book. In a dystopian novel, anything can happen.
The second thing I want to mention about Defining Raven: ToGain by Force is this—the first edition was horrible. The first one shouldn’t
have been published at all and while it wasn’t the worst I’ve seen, it was
indeed full of ‘flowery’ language where this writer was apparently trying to
sound like…well, a writer.
I had to laugh, most of the way through it actually, because
I can't really stand 'flowery language' in manuscripts or anywhere else so it was sort of the hot kettle calling one steamy.
In the first edition, the POV shifts were obvious and in
abundance. Hopefully that's all fixed now. If readers read this one way
back when, I have to wonder if they're still with me. Let's hope so.
The biggest thing I noticed is a huge change in my writing
style. With the aforementioned, I’ve always heard writers can change their ‘style’
but not their voice. In my opinion that’s wrong. A writer’s voice can
absolutely change which is what made reworking this novel so difficult. In
fact, I would dare say it’s been the greatest writing challenge I’ve faced in
recent years.
In any event, because of so many different reasons and the fact
that Defining Raven is a second edition and was an original first novel for this writer, the price of Defining
Raven: To Gain by Force is $.99.
I still want to warn my regular readers: You may be
disappointed by the quick and very different 'sex' scenes. In fact, while reading the original scenes in the book I found myself asking if I'd ever had sex prior to writing that mess. *Smiles* The
scenes were not hot and there wasn't a lot I could do to fix them without
gutting the whole manuscript so I want to be upfront about that. Still, there are
several there and they have been tweaked.
A wise publisher once told me: "It is easier to write a
new manuscript than it is to fix an old one" and now I'm a believer. About
30 hours went into editing and reworking this one as time permitted. Still,
there were so many other things I could’ve done to improve the manuscript but I ran out of time. Eventually, I had to step away from it because it
is a second edition book and there’s only so much you can do with a dated
manuscript.
I hope those of you who like dystopian romances will enjoy this one
but again, it’s different than most of my current works. My voice has changed quite
a bit over the years. In fact, I always tell readers, if you’re new to my work, start with the
most recent series and titles and work your way back. There’s a reason for
that.
This morning, I want to thank Lili Booth for editing the second edition
and Patty Foltz at Way2Kool Designs for creating a beautiful cover. They both
worked hard on this project. A team effort, Defining
Raven: To Gain by Force
is a futuristic dystopian novel with a little suspense, too.
While I wish I’d written this novel from scratch (and it
might have been easier), I’m still proud of the plot and the ideas that went into
this particular work. Yes, the plot has changed somewhat thanks to our world’s
current events, but overall the nuts and bolts are still there. The end result
was kind of neat, too. It looks more like a collaboration between two writers than a
book written by one. In fact, I couldn’t remember anything at all about the
story when I first jumped in and started editing and rewriting portions of the
second edition so it was a real treat of sorts.
Readers, if you paid more than $.99 for this title during
pre-orders, Amazon
should adjust the price but if not, let me know. Now that I’ve written a book here, I’ll direct
you to the book mentioned above and below. Defining Raven: To Gain by Force is
available for pre-orders at Amazon and is coming soon to all third party retail
sites on release date which is January 19th.
Happy 2015! Hope your year is off to a fabulous start!
Destiny Blaine
Book Details:
The year is 2088 and The
United States of America is under siege by its own government. President Lee is
in power returning to regal formalities in an era inappropriate for a ruthless
tyrant. The power he holds over his country is overwhelming and he is the most
feared man in the world using an iron fist to maintain his laws and proposed
order.
When the new man in
power discovers a beautiful woman working in The White House, he decides it is
time for a First Lady. He offers her ‘an opportunity’ to become his bride.
Refusing the President isn’t an option.
Facing a technology war
and threats from outside forces, Lee marries Raven as a strategic chess move. He
can distract his enemies if he marries. When Raven becomes a target, he is free to make his first political move.
After President Lee places
Raven in protective custody, a talk, dark, and handsome agent is assigned to
her security detail. The two form a mutual attraction almost from the start and
while they fight the lust burning out of control, the chemistry is more than
either of them can deny.
President Lee focuses on
a looming war and calls a press conference to address those who are attacking the
country. In front of the world, he kills a well connected journalist, a
journalist who is coveted by the countries behind the looming war. Still, Lee's message
is clear. He is his country. He answers to no one. More importantly, he will not relinquish control over
technology and electronic communications to anyone.
Lee's ruthless ways and
cruelty generate whispers about a nation desperately in need of a savior.
Instead, the President becomes more unreasonable. Soon, the world is at Raven’s
mercy. And an enemy uses her lover against her in hopes she will stop a
madman from remaining in the most coveted political seat in the world.
