Date: 2022 August 22
APOK News:
REVISION #8 was completed yesterday 2022 August 21. I am happy to say, it’s coming together. With each run through, it’s getting tighter, stronger and faster. From the start of Revision 8 to completion was approximately 2 weeks. When I can get through it in a weekend, it will be ready for editor eyes to change things up and make sure I haven’t missed anything.
I’m often asked, why so many revisions. I must admit the initial few revisions can be painful, but it’s the classic, no pain, no gain. It’s not like I enjoy torturing myself… but I do see the value and benefit from a little bit of pain to prepare the story to hold its own. It’s the world we live in sink or swim.
With that said, each novel that I have written, the process is the same. The initial draft gets the idea on paper. The follow up revisions tease out the details… much like a child growing from conception, each stage is significant. The skeleton, the first layer of tissues, and so on. With each process, it develops strength to be independent. At that point, I work with editors to sharpen the story and make sure it does what it’s supposed to. It needs to be as perfect as possible before going out, into the world.
For an example of how the story grows over revisions; the reporter Carrie Warren within the first draft was barely in the book. She made few appearances, however over the course of the revisions her role naturally grew by leaps and bounds, becoming a main character.
If you’re anything like me, I truly love giving and getting surprises. As a thriller writer, I get to do just that, and I get to wrap those moments within black ribbon on crisp pages. Without giving away any surprises, APOK III (APOK – CrossFire) definitely has a lot to offer. Typical novel word count seventy thousand words and up, while APOK – CrossFire is sitting easily above 150,000.
BIRTHDAY ALERT: The original APOK is turning 10 years old on April 29th, 2013. In preparation for celebrating the significant milestone, monthly giveaways will be starting up. There will be lots of different prizes up for grabs, be sure to follow along for chances to win.
ADVERTISING NEWS: The APOK book trailer commercial is being well received… no hate messages registered… so far. Lol. Depending on the platform, it has been views tens of thousands of times.
20,000 plus views on Facebook
1,000 plus views on Instagram
7,000 plus views on Youtube
Help APOK escape, be sure to share the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgSosDxCDHo
Thanks, till next time,
Mike