Author Guest Post: Mary Lindsey - Shattered Souls Blog Tour

Please welcome Mary Lindsey to the blog!

Purposeful, Deliberate Waffling

When I sold my book to Penguin, my editor, Jill Santopolo made it clear there would be significant revisions. I got my first revision letter, which had several requested changes and dug right in. No biggy, I thought.

Then the second letter came. It was a request for a complete revision and partial rewrite. It took me a few weeks to get my head around the scope and scale of it. Over those weeks, I didn’t work on the manuscript, but I read the letter several times a day, committing it to memory.

Within the 5,000 words of doom, there was a jewel. At the time, I didn't know my editor had a great sense of humor, so on first read, I took it seriously. Now, it is serious in its message, and she was absolutely right, but the delivery is priceless. Hilarious, actually, if you look at in in the context of the terrifying, life and manuscript-altering atom bomb in which it was nestled.

On page 4 of the letter, under Act 3, Plot point 10, wonder editor writes:

Plot Point 10 – The New Reality

· Is there a way to have a scene where she gets peace about her dad? (NEW?)

· Beach scene (EXISTING, but tweak ending)

Basically, the 60% of your story is working pretty well—there are a few new scenes and a few things that need to be retooled, but the momentum is moving in the right direction and things are building on one another. The beginning, though, seems to be a bit muddled. You need a clear direction, and after a few chapters of it, Lenzi’s waffling has to stop. She needs to make a decision and then go with it (around plot point five). And even when she is waffling at the beginning, it needs to be purposeful, deliberate waffling that has its own little waffling arc. Once you have Lenzi making decisions, I think your plot is going to move itself forward in a much clearer way.

Look at that! A quirky little gem right in the middle of the scariest revision letter ever. My favorite part:

And even when she is waffling at the beginning, it needs to be purposeful, deliberate waffling that has its own little waffling arc.

Tee hee! Here’s to purposeful, deliberate waffling. Pass the syrup, please!

Thanks, Christie, for having me on your blog today.

*****

My pleasure, Mary!


Mary Lindsey on the web:
Website | Twitter

Mary's super fabulous debut novel, Shattered Souls, 
releases December 8th!


Isn't it pretty?

Read my review of Shattered Souls here.

Add Shattered Souls on Goodreads

Pre-order Shattered Souls from Amazon

ARC Review: Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

Title: Shattered Souls

Author: Mary Lindsey

Available: 12/8/11

Reading Level: YA

Genre: Paranormal

Source: Teen Book Scene

Description from Goodreads:

A thrilling debut story of death, love, destiny and danger

Lenzi hears voices and has visions - gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can't help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she's a reincarnated Speaker - someone who can talk to and help lost souls - and that he has been her Protector for centuries.

Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn't make a decision soon.

My thoughts:

I hadn't had the best of luck with books involving reincarnation prior to reading Shattered Souls, but I do love a good ghost story so I knew I had to read this. Thankfully, I enjoyed reading this story immensely. What a relief right? Mary Lindsey wrote a book that I think has the ability to knock readers socks off. It has the paranormal elements and romance that is so hot in YA right now, but she delivers it with a genuinely unique premise.


Shattered Souls is such a perfectly executed tale of ghost stories and past lives. It is a combination guaranteed to please. I find the subject of reincarnation so intriguing, but up until this point I'd found most attempts to explore it in fiction to be a huge let down. Mary Lindsey takes this intriguing topic and really creates something special with it. She has such a great voice, and the plot's pace flowed so wonderfully. 


I loved Lenzi, and her relationship with Alden wasn't typical of what we expect to see in YA, but it was still 100% swoon worthy. Then there is Zak. He is seriously troubled, and the interactions between him and Lenzi really give the book an edge. Things do get a little dark and intense between the two, but it only adds depth and emotion to an all ready well-constructed story. Be warned the suspense in this one is killer. I couldn't bring myself to put it down once I started reading. 


I highly recommend giving this fabulous debut novel a chance to wow you! I don't think you'll be disappointed. I also wanted to add that I think this is a standalone novel, but I would love to read more about the characters I met in Shattered Souls.

My Rating:

Mary Lindsey on the web:

Website | Blog | Twitter

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