Welcome to “They say everyone has a Story” Beth.  Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us while I am visiting over   at:  http://nettantjsreviewspot.blogspot.com

Writing MY Second Novel

In September of 2010 my first novel, Crush
at Thomas Hall, was released. When I wrote the book, I wrote it for myself
never knowing it would someday end up in print. But there it was, in print and
e-book form. Then the thought crossed my mind, “Now what?” Was I able to do
this again? Most people who had read Crush
at Thomas Hall had loved it and asked about a sequel. Could I write another
book that was worth publishing, or was I a one-book author?

Luckily,
the characters from my first novel still had a lot to say. The problem was they
had too much to say. The first draft of Divorcing
a Dead Man flew out of my fingers in four months. I loved everything about
it, but honestly, it was a mess. I had too much happening in one book. Some
chapters were quick and confusing, others long and rambling with no real
purpose. So I edited, rewrote, and cut.

I took out three subplots, rewrote the first six chapters of Divorcing a Dead Man, and cut over forty-thousand words. This was
nothing like my experience writing the first novel, which practically wrote
itself. The difficulty in refining the manuscript poured more doubt into my
mind. Maybe I wasn’t meant to do this. After consulting with my publisher, I decided
to hire an independent editor to help fix the pacing, and went through Divorcing a Dead Man with a fine tooth
comb. It was perfect. My editor and publisher were happy with it. There was
only one problem. I wasn’t sure about it at all. Had I made the right decisions
with my characters? Would my readers be happy with what I had written?

September
1, 2011, Divorcing a Dead Man was
released. And I held my breath and waited. I waited with a lot of doubt in my
own work. But the most interesting thing happened. People liked it. And not
only did they like it but those who had read it said the same thing over and
over. “It was better than the first.”

There is no doubt that publishing the second novel was
harder to write than the first. And I fully expect the third to be just as
hard. I know I’ll doubt every decision I make. However, this time I’m certain
the end results will be worth more than any doubt.

*Please show Beth some comment love for a chance to win a signed copy of her first novel “Crush at Thomas Hall”

“Divorcing a Dead Man”….Back of the Book:

Cassandra Martin’s life is bordering on perfection. She has settled down in the Northern
Neck of Virginia and has an amazing job running a winery. In addition, she
plans to marry the man of her dreams, sexy billionaire Edward Baker.

However, in Cassandra’s world, perfection usually means the earth is about to drop out
from under her and this time is no exception. What starts as a series of prank
calls, soon reveals her abusive, late husband, Tony Martin is very much alive
and looking for her, three weeks before she plans to remarry. Now she must do
the unthinkable as a devout Catholic, divorce Tony.

When secrets alienate her from her fiancé, Cassandra begins to question the advances
of a man that wants more than her friendship. And when she wakes up after having
been drugged and kidnapped, Cassandra begins to wonder if she’ll live long
enough to decide whether or not she wants to walk down the aisle.

For more information on Beth and her work visit her at : http://bethsorensen.com