Five Manuscripts.

To my dearest friends and followers,

I am so excited to begin working on my book again (I have been working on a few other things since November, while my book was in the hands of my beta readers).
Today I am happy to say that ALL FIVE OF MY BETA READERS have returned my manuscripts to me (with the latest one arriving only earlier this week)!!! 
I have yet to begin going through them (I was finishing up the book I was reading), but I am ready to start now!

I have decided to go through each copy of the manuscript together, to compare each beta reader's notes. So I'll read through chapter one (from each copy) and then make the necessary changes to the document on my computer, then read through each version of chapter two and so on.

Once I have finished editing my book, I might write out a list of the main characters (as one of my beta readers pointed out), and explain some of the folklore behind them (sprites, pixies, pillywiggens, dryads, hobgoblins, banshees, etc.). I thought this was a good point and would allow the reader a better understanding of the world I created and the creatures who inhabit it. 

Another thing that I still need to work on is a cover for my book. I have played with several ideas and created a few potential book cover possibilities, but I still haven't found quite the right thing.
I have thought of hiring someone, but I'm not sure who and I'm not sure what style I want, etc. A few months back I discovered artist Toni Burt. I was so captivated by her work that I reached out to her and asked if she would be interested in doing the cover for me. She kindly declined to my disappointment. 

My husband and I have spent some time looking at other artists and illustrators, I have made a list of a few potential people. None of them grabbed me the way Toni Burt's art did, but I was willing to look into other people. Recently, I discovered another artist by the name of Jane Davenport whilst going through the clearance bin at Michaels. Her work really grabbed me in the same way Toni Burt's did, since their styles are so similar. I believe it was the next day that I reached out to Jane Davenport and, like Toni Burt, she also kindly declined.

I was inspired by Toni Burt's style and tried my hand at it a few months ago. I thought I could keep trying to create something I like for the cover, so in the past two weeks, I have gotten my pencils and charcoal pencils together, my watercolor set together, I got a Jane Davenport art journal with watercolor paper, a Drawing and Painting Beautiful Faces art workbook by Jane Davenport, and I am going to play around with that style and see what I can come up with.

Things might take longer than I hope them to, but ideally I would like to be able to begin the publishing process by March 31st. 
I'm really looking forward to having my book out in the world!!
As always, thank you for reading.

Yours truly,
Me

Additional:
Toni Burt 
Jane Davenport 
Drawing and Painting Beautiful Faces by Jane Davenport

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