A week ago I got the “final interior” of SUSPECT. My editor let me know that this would be my last chance to make any comments. Another attachment held the last few comments from the copy editor along with some impressions from a proofreader who had never seen any of it before. This was helpful. I couldn’t be objective about what was on the page. I had to approve each change that wasn’t a misspelled word or missing bit of punctuation.
Naturally, part of my process is to read every word out loud. This is probably my fourth or fifth time to do this. But there is no better way to keep the eyes from skimming over a mistake. I found eight to ten little problems with this. For me, this was time well spent. DEFENDING IRENE had two or three mistakes; SAVING THE GRIFFIN, only one.
I still might get an email from my editor today if one or more of the changes Lisa and I made doesn’t work with the copy editor.
But otherwise, I will be done with the writing of SUSPECT. That’s a very odd feeling.
Kristin Wolden Nitz 