Scribal Love Welcomes Jean Watkins
So tell us a little about yourself.
How long have you been an editor?
I’m just me. Lol I am a mother of two
who wears many caps. I began editing in 2006 when Pam and Stuart
decided to give me a chance to try it.
What do you like about your job?
I love helping authors tell their story
better. It has to be pretty well told on their own, I just tweak it
to help the flow. It is my number one priority for the author’s
voice to shine.
Do you recall how your interest in
writing originated?
Me personally, I’m not interested in
writing. I love reading stories spun by others. I enjoy “traveling”
to new places and “meeting” new people. What really irks me is
when the details don’t match, people switching “then” for
“than”, stuff like that…it’s like nails on a chalkboard and
jerks me out of a story. When Pam was starting DCL, she asked a
mutual friend of ours on a loop if she would be willing to edit for
them. I got nosy and emailed Pam off on the side to ask what exactly
an editor did. She told, we talked, Stuart sent a pamphlet he was
working on for me to try out and been here ever since.
What do you and DCL look for in a
manuscript?
First of all, it has to be a story; it
has to flow like a movie in my mind. If it has a few stops and
stutters, I can deal with that because I usually have a suggestion or
two to make to the author to help it flow better. If it is just a
bunch of random scenes chunked together (and yes I have seen some
like this unfortunately), then I can’t do anything with it. I have
seen synopses that sound pretty good, but the stories fell flat. But
then I have seen where the synopses aren’t all that, but the story
telling is great. I try to be fair and I look at the overall picture
with what the authors submit to us and not judge them based on one or
the other.
How would you describe the house style
at DCL? (i.e. is it face paced, sweet and romantic or just depends?)
On my side of the window, it’s fast
paced…I’m always doing something. From other’s pov that are not
behind the scenes like I am, they may not see us that way.
Do you have any favorite genres?
I grew up reading the Hardy Boys
series, a few Nancy Drew, but the boys were always more exciting to
me. Lol I love my mysteries, horror, romance, sci-fi, erotica,
comedy, young adult, inspirational…I have a wide range and it just
depends on my mood.
What are some of your latest projects?
Currently, I’m working on getting our
older books cleaned up and converted for Kindle, trying to keep up
with edits, do new releases. Then I will begin learning to do EPUB
files so I can tackle Nook next.
Are there any hints or tips you could
give a prospective author looking to submit with DCL?
First and foremost, if you don’t have
someone reading your work like a critique partner, read it out loud!
This will help you to notice that your complete thought didn’t make
it to the page or that you missed a crucial bit of information that
will make everything tie in.
And…keep trying! Keep working on your
craft no matter how the rejections pile up. You may be “ahead of
your time” or you may just simply need a few books under your belt
to perfect your story telling. None of us started the race running;
we all had to crawl first.
Is there anything you'd like to plug or
promote today?
I think DCL has a little something for
everyone. We have Vampires, Mysteries, Sweet Romance, Regency,
Contemporary, Native Americans, Steamy Romances, Sci-Fi, eclectic
stories, Time Travel and so many others currently available with
several new authors on the way.
(I would name drop, but I don’t want
to leave anyone out!)
Thanks for dropping by!
Thanks for inviting me, Claire!
