Author Bebe Moore Campbell Passes Away

Bebe Moore Campbell was one of my favorite authors. She will be missed.

Where's Mr. V?

Currently, I'm hanging out in the great metropolis of Waco, TX. Mrs. V and I were stuck in traffic (there was a horrible accident on IH-35). While making a bathroom break, the car decided to stop on us. Of course, no auto shops are open at 5:00 PM on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so Mrs. V, the two dogs, and I had to bed down here in Waco. I'm currently at the Ford Dealership. So far, I'm amassed at least $235 in auto costs...and they're still not done.

I haven't posted in quite a while, mainly because I've been slaving away at the edits on Rhombus. I'm done...almost. I had to do a total rewrite of one chapter; I'm curious what Super Cool Editor Guy will think of it. I've still got to tweak the ending (as I said in my last post) but that's easy compared to the trickle effect caused by the changes to Chapter 19.

I've also updated the blog to Blogger Beta. It looks like I still have all of my previous posts, but I've lost my old comments.

FYI - If anyone gets stuck at IH-35W exit 337, the only hotel in the area that accepts pets is the Knights Inn. It's not the most upscale motel in the world, but it's better than sleeping in a car.

Happily Ever After

Most YA authors will say that while a YA novel doesn't have to have a happy ending, it must give the reader a sense of hope. And I almost always agree with that...except in the case of Rhombus.

I got the edits on Rhombus last week, but I knew I had to change the ending before I received them. And I agree with my editor and everyone else that's read the novel - I tried to tie up too many loose strings at the end of the novel. It isn't realistic.

I think the reason I want things to end up happily is less about Rhonda (my MC) and more about the person that I want her to forgive. As much as I relate to Rhonda in the novel, there's someone else I relate to a lot more. And if I were that person, I would give anything to be forgiven in the way that Rhonda currently forgives him in the novel.

I really, really want things to end happily for Rhonda and for everyone else in the novel. And the characters will end up being happy...just not by the time the novel ends.