Horror 4/5

Seven children discover a monster who takes on the forms of their greatest fears, and that follows them throughout their lives, bringing them both fortune and tragedy. I quite enjoyed this book for the short-story-esque nature of the individual vignettes, though I found the work as a whole rambling, slow, and focussed on an unsatisfying ending.

Met two editing deadlines last week. One more to finish this week, then I get back to my novel. By then I should have my professional edit back to look at; as well, I have an expert read sitting on my desk (he checked the French, the German, and the historical facts!) and I have another edit back from a novel swap: this guy is really good, and also an expert on WWII. So I should have some really helpful feedback when I dive back in.

Thriller 4-/5

Sue, raised a thief in 1830s London, gets an opportunity to become wealthy by conning a young, housebound heiress into marrying a conspirator…until the tables turn. This novel is full of twists and changing allegiances, until the reader begins rooting for the most unlikely of characters, hoping against hope for an elusive happy ending.

This week: Finished a manuscript review for a client.

I was hired to write a biography of a mountain guide and got a rough draft done this week–it only has to be 10k words. However, I still have more research to do to fill in a pile of important details.