Hooray! Today is a book birthday!
His Unforgettable Bride, the final book in Bride Ships: New Voyages is hitting shelves! As with the others in this series, the book is a stand-alone novel that highlights the real historical brides who left everything behind in England to sail halfway around the world to marry men in the Pacific Northwest.
This is the second book I’ve co-authored with the very talented Patti Stockdale (the first was His Treasured Bride). You might be wondering what does that co-writing look like? Who came up with the story ideas? How did we collaborate? How did the writing relationship work? How much did Patti write, and how much did I contribute?
Those are all good questions! Co-writing books will look different for everyone who does it. But since Patti and I were working together with Sunrise Publishing, we had more of a mentoring relationship (which has been a huge part of Sunrise Publishing’s premise). That meant that Patti and I worked very closely for almost every aspect of the book—initial story development, chapter-by-chapter plotting, brainstorming sessions, and even deciding upon the romance progression.
As we worked together to craft the first draft, Patti wrote each chapter and kept me apprised every step of the way. We talked through any issues that came up, and I felt as though I was right there in the story with her!
When she finished the first draft, I read the book (along with a Sunrise editor) and offered Patti more feedback for the first stage of editing (the rewrites). This macro edit usually involves deleting scenes and adding new ones along with revising character arcs, filling in plot holes, and changing an assortment of other things.
After Patti completed her rewrites (very superbly!), then it was my turn to go into the manuscript and add my flare. While trying to keep true to the story, I did some rewriting of my own, mostly pulling through plot threads that needed tightening.
After that, the book went back to Patti and additional Sunrise editors for more levels of editing. All that to say, the book was a huge labor of love for both Patti and me. And we’re so happy to be releasing it now to you! I hope that you’ll enjoy this concluding story of the bride ship series!
To find out more about His Unforgettable Bride visit my website at: https://jodyhedlund.com/books/his-unforgettable-bride/
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