A-Z Blog Challenge: K

K is for Kinks.

Ironing out the Kinks can really be a job!  When revising, I try to read through my book soley to make sure the story flows and doesn’t have big boo-boos.  It would be bad to have a character showing up when they should be in another town or someone who broke their leg run down the street at full speed. 

When I was reading through my galley proof of Cornerstone Deep (the final read through before it goes to the printer) I came across a tiny word that totally didn’t fit.  Husband.  Elaina and her sister were talking.  In the dialogue, Linda stated that Elaina’s husband couldn’t be only twenty-four years old.  The problem?  They hadn’t gotten married yet.  That happens in the next book.  I don’t know how long ago I had made that change, but that sentence evaded me until the last possible read through.

A friend of mine who’d just finished reading my book turned to a page and told me to read a line she pointed out.  I quickly scanned it and read…

A cold chill ran down his back.

She closed the book and reopened it, pointing it out again.  “Okay, read it again.”

I looked closer.

A cold chill ran up is back.

She closed the book again and held it out to me.  “Read it again.”

I read it word for word.

A cold child ran up his back.

I busted out laughing as I envisioned Cole in a major tense show down with Lord Dressen and the pitter patter of little bare feet ran up his back.

Of course, all books have errors, whether punctuation, spelling or word.  We’re all human and are prone to mistakes.  As many times as I read Cornerstone Deep and as many editors the manuscript went through, we all missed several little things. 

Have you run across things in your own books that once they’ve been to print just make you shake your head and think, “How could I have missed that!”

.