Hell’s Kitchen - and a few book details

I have to say, this season of “Hell’s Kitchen” was the first one I’d ever watched. I couldn’t see what the hype was with Gordon Ramsay, but now having followed it, I can say that it sucks you in like a chocolate addiction. It’s fascinating to see how a kitchen truly works (Okay, I know they dramatize it, but still….).

When Rock picked his team last week, I was a bit worried about him getting Josh. For whatever reason, Josh tends to flip out under pressure and starts burning things. And sure enough, the boy couldn’t make crab cakes to save his life. What I liked about Rock was his way of building up the team, of encouraging them to do their best. Bonnie, in contrast, was just bossing them around. Even in a crisis, Rock kept the team together.

He deserved to win. But in the end, I was worried that they would give it to Bonnie, simply for drama’s sake. She didn’t deserve to be head chef at a restaurant, whereas Rock really gave it 100%. I was so glad to see him take away the prize, and I’ll admit, I get a warm fuzzy feeling when I see a grown man crying and holding onto his wife and family, knowing that he’s changed their lives for the better.

I hit page 176 on the new book, and I’m feeling good about the progress. Right now it’s very bare bones, but I think the skeleton is strong. It will need a bit of fleshing out and development, but I usually do that a little later. I often write several chapters raw (maybe 80 pages worth) and then when I go back to fill them in, it sets me up for the next portion of the book. It’s an odd process, but it works for me. I think do I about six drafts on a book, all in all. Many of the “drafts” are done along the way, but I still have to do a massive revision pass at the end. That’s when I do some serious deleting (perhaps 40-50 pages of deleting), but then I also go back and add in the scenes that were missing, along with any emotional development that wasn’t there. Then a final proofreading pass, and I send it onto my editor. She does a wonderful job of finding “undercooked” scenes and areas that need more exploration.

Depending on when I’ve sent it, I have to fill out an Art Facts sheet so that the creative department can begin working on the cover. That’s the only input I have, and even then, they may not choose anything I suggested. My first cover, for example, had almost none of my ideas. Which is fine by me because I love what they came up with anyway. They did do a few things that I thought were interesting. Bevan MacEgan is a scarred hero, but I didn’t want them putting a hero on the cover who had a heavily scarred face. Their solution was to show only part of his face. For Connor’s book, they made a very subtle nod to the plotline. Connor’s hands are crushed in a fight, and a good deal of the story involves a hero who cannot touch the heroine or take care of himself without her help. The art department drew Connor with one hand on his sword, and the other hand isn’t in the picture. I like that.

I’m dying to see Patrick’s cover. So far I feel very blessed to have such wonderful book covers.

So, is there anything you ever wondered about the publishing process? I’d be happy to answer whatever I can.