I had a bit of an epiphany a few weeks ago regarding my previous novel, The Autographs. One of the sticking points for those who’ve read it had to do with the romance between Izzy and Jonathan. Given that Isabel was married to Stephen, who dies early on in the book, any thought of a relationship just felt “distasteful.” And it would be, too.
Unless Izzy wasn’t married to Stephen. Or in love with him that way at all. I finally realized that Isabel is Stephen’s sister, not wife. Thus, Jon going after Stephen’s integrity while they were in college together still calls upon Isabel’s loyalty for her brother, but as the truth comes out, she is able to soften her stand and still have room in her heart for Jon.
This done, there may be one or two edits left (like giving a few lines to Anthony about how he thinks the Autographs would disprove Jon’s belief in the reliability of scripture), but I think I’m ready to seriously start marketing this to agents.
Oh, and I’ve retitled it as well. It’s now called The Lost Scrolls. I’ve worked up some potential cover art for the book, in case I decide to self-pub or go the e-book route. Here is what it looks like now.
I’ll keep you posted as to how it goes.