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I'm going through edits...
- 12 April, 2025
- Emily Kimelman
From my Dad for Lone Spy right now. He was a journalist and editor for most of his career and catches stuff my other editors don't. He also is one of my biggest supporters and will note when he likes a particular turn of phrase. He commented "good one" on this line:
The cushions are an angry red—the color after you've been struck but before the bruise blooms.
It's funny, because I have almost no memory of writing so much of my prose. It’s not unusual to be surprised by my own writing. My brain even lays easter eggs for me and when details I put in the beginning of the book come back later, it gives me a thrill--like I'm working with a partner.
Then there are other parts of the book that I labor over. And the sentence above is one of them. I spent so long thinking about the color of those cushions. I could see them in my mind and they were the same color as thumbprints on a throat right after an escape. But that wasn't the right way to describe them in that paragraph. So I literally spent days mulling over that sentence.
The color is inconsequential to the plot. It never comes up again but, I believe, that description helps lay down the vibes of the story. The hit has come, but the consequences are unclear. It raises the question, even if only subconsciously, of what to do after the strike, before we fully understand the damage, how do we react?
Would the book be as good without it? Maybe. I could have just said they were red. But I spent days reworking that sentence.
When I saw my Dad's note, I knew it was worth it. Not that many people will notice those details but days spent on language, on teasing out meaning...well, that's a big part of why I became a novelist. And I believe, a big part of why people enjoy my books. Even if they don’t realize it.
Do you notice the language in the books you read? Or are you just there for the plot? There are NO wrong answers. We all read for different reasons and they are all VALID.
Same with how you read—whether through ebook, paperback, or audio. I swear, if anything tries to denigrate anyone else’s reading preference…😈
If you want to see how the rest of Lone Spy turned out, you can preorder it now. 😀
📚 Pay what you want for the first 8 Sydney Rye Mysteries in ebook or digital audiobook. Save 40% on paperbacks:
emilykimelman.com/SR18
📚 Continue the adventure with books 9-12:
emilykimelman.com/SR912
📚 Catch up with books 13-15:
emilykimelman.com/SR1315
📚 Catch up with books 16-18:
emilykimelman.com/SR1618
📖 Preorder Feral Vengeance, Sydney Rye Mysteries Book 19:
emilykimelman.com/FV
**This preorder is for late 2025, so please be aware it won’t arrive until then.**
📙 If you’re all caught up with Sydney Rye, read A Spy is Born, Starstruck Thrillers Book 1:
emilykimelman.com/SB
📖 If you read book 1, preorder Lone Spy, Starstruck Thrillers Book 2:
emilykimelman.com/LoS
**This preorder is for summer 2025, so please be aware it won’t arrive until then.**
☕️ If you’ve read all the Sydney Rye Mysteries and Starstruck Thrillers THANK YOU.
The best way to reward yourself for all of that reading is with your very own mug, tote, or wine tumbler with quotes from the books, check out my exclusive merchandise:
emilykimelman.com/Merch
I'm off to chase the perfect sentence...
Emily
Pet Shout Out
Sara's pug, Simon, is looking quite handsome on this walk, wouldn't you say?
**Have a picture you want to share of your favorite animal buddy? We'd love to see, and we just might include it in a newsletter.**
P.S. I promise the dog doesn’t die…but I make no assurances about anyone else. 😈
P.P.S. You should unfollow me now if you have issues with "strong" language, sex out of wedlock, or LGBTQ+ characters. 👈 Top 3 things my one-star reviews complain about.
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