Let me introduce you . . .

Say hello to my thriller, titled Beholder's Eye.

As you may notice on the left-hand site of the blog is a status update on my editing process for this novel.  Beholder's Eye is the fourth novel I've ever written--and completed.  I won't go into a synopsis for the story right now, but rest assured I will in the near future when the editing process is near completion and I'm ready to start contacting literary agents again.

Beholder's Eye is based in Minnesota.  The main character is an investigator for the Minneapolis PD.  Much of the story is in Minneapolis, with the exception of the last hundred pages.  Here, it draws the character into a small rural community, where he witnesses a horror synonymous with those from another small town in Wisconsin--Ed Gein, anyone?

That's all I'm going to say about Beholder's Eye.  Keep an eye on the status update as it nears the 100% mark.

How do I calculate this status, Mark?

I'd show you the spreadsheet--thanks, Microsoft, for giving us Excel--but I'll summarize here.  I have a total of six columns, each with a different task for each chapter that I X off when it's completed.  There are sixty-two chapters and each column is as follows:
1) Edit hard copy - this is where I edit the hard copy of each chapter, done typically away from the computer.
2) Making corrections to each chapter - self-explanatory, in a way.  I go through and make the corrections from the hard copy to each file.
3) Re-read the changes out-loud, noting any discrepancies - the longest part of the process, for this involves reading and reading each chapter until it is, for lack of a better term, in a publishable form.
4) Updating the word count - another self-explanatory process, so I can keep track of how many words are in this novel.
5) Print finalized copy - I like to keep a hard copy of each novel, just in case.
6) Backup each file - another ones that needs little explanation.

I also keep tabs on which chapters I've shared with the Permanent Ink writers' group.  One of the members has also agreed to read the entire novel - which I am very grateful for, as she's noted discrepancies in some of the first chapters that slipped my mind.  I've given her ten chapters at a time and right now she's reading chapters 21-30.  Thanks, Amanda!