Mistakes

The Writer's Evolution blog is talking about mistakes, so I thought I'd chime in today. Kenzie's take on the subject can be found here.

Word Count: Managed 1,048 yesterday! And finally got her to the airport! Now to get her back to Boise and decide if she's going to keep her job or take the new offer. I may have to interview my favorite pharmacist for this part!

P. 73 of Love Is Sober: (title in itself is a mistake; I should have gone with my gut and titled it Love On The Rocks!

Blurb:
"My first year of college...I can start fresh..." Elicia Keller begins her first day on the Arbor University campus with the desire to fit in, meet the right people, and finally be away from her overbearing parents. She enters the world of fraternity parties, underage drinking, and learns first hand what happens when poor choices are made. One night, after final exams, Elicia and her boyfriend Brent become the victims of a drunk driver. Elicia's roommates stick by her during a heartbreaking discovery, and she learns several hard lessons about herself. Finally, a stranger named Eric, who knows the dangers of alcohol, breaks through her defenses, and shows her the meaning of true love.

To set the scene: Elicia and Brent are discussing her grades in January 1985, and how her father will react.

..."And you're having a good time, aren't you?"

"Yes, until report card time," she retorted, sliding off the bed. "I'll be able to bluff my way about this month, because all I'll have to say is I was upset about the space shuttle exploding, but that's all the slack he'll let me get away with." "...upset about the Dolphins losing the Super Bowl. Dad will understand; he's a Dan Marino fan."

My correction is in bold type. Why the editorial board didn't understand my correction, I'll never know.

And then on P. 141:
Transitional paragraph, discussing events in January 1986:

Elicia was so tired of being treated like an alcoholic, she recklessly went on a mild binge the end of January, justifying it as a reaction to tragedy. The space shuttle Challenger had exploded, killing everyone on board, including Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space.

Hmmm...okay...you're reading along and you come to the first example. Head scratch time: Why the two dialogues? Which explanation is right? Was she upset about the space shuttle or the Super Bowl outcome? And wait...you remember the incident! You check the date: No, the author's wrong; it happened in 1986, not '85! But you're caught up in the storyline (hopefully!) and keep reading. And suddenly you find yourself on P. 141.

Hold it...here's another reference to the space shuttle! What the hell...? Okay...so the author corrected it after all! So why the double reference? Hopefully, you care enough to either email the author or see her at another signing. She gladly informs you of the communication error between herself and the publishing company: She corrected her mistake, but for whatever reason, the editorial board didn't understand. And when the Author Rep tried to get in touch with the author in order to clear up any misunderstandings, the author was keeping a round-the-clock vigil at the hospital on her husband, who was having complications from heart surgery, and no cell phone or internet access to conduct business within the publisher's office hours.

Rest assured, there is only minor issues with book #2; a scene break in the wrong place, and one misspelled word.

Hopefully book #3 won't have any issues? I'll have an actual editor and proofreader to catch any mistakes! But first, I have to submit it...no, not found the courage yet...I'm still not entirely convinced it's ready.