Rewriting and Reviewing

The rewrites have begun!

But, wait, Bree, you're saying, I thought you've been rewriting this whole time! Have you been lying to us? Are you just a big, fat phony?

Well, first of all, rude. Second of all, I have been rewriting, but not really. I changed the story into a PDF, loaded it onto my Kindle, and went through all the spelling/grammar mistakes (yes, I fixed those even though I knew I would be rewriting it all. This is what I do for a living). Then I read through it again and made notes of what I wanted to change, what I thought needed to be added, what I thought needed to be taken out. Then I went through it YET AGAIN and came up with a whole different ending than what I originally planned. Now that I have all my notes, all my spelling/grammar mistakes taken care of, and all my characters lined up like neat little ducks in a row, I can finally sit down, rewrite this story, and even tell you about it.

In 1936, Valerie Henshaw was three years old and had just lost her mother. She doesn't remember much about her, though: Rita Henshaw had been in an asylum for the better part of Valerie's life. She had claimed to see ghosts, just like most of her female ancestors. As Valerie turns seventeen, life couldn't be better. The second World War is over, the economy is picking up again, William Covington is madly in love with her, and from her place at the top in Boston society, Valerie can do no wrong. 

Until one moment changes all that. 

She unexpectedly finds herself in the same asylum as her mother, with the same doctor that treated Rita. Valerie is on a mission to discover why her family is plagued by these visions, but not everyone wants to same for her. When she gets too close to the truth, she finds out that some things just won't die.

(This was - honestly - the blurb I wrote two years ago in a notebook I keep at the side of my bed. I wrote it at about two in the morning, and I've cleaned up a good bit of it. You know, just so that it makes sense and whatnot.)

So. There it is. A paranormal YA set in 1940s Boston. Three things which I know nothing about. I know every author out there is always, Write what you know! And trust me, I have stories where it hits way too close to home. But I have been interested in asylums and the way they treated their patients for most of my life. The 1940s seemed like a good time to set this story because most institutions were "overhauling" their entire system and hospitals. World War II had just ended, things were picking up, and I just really like this era's fashion. Also, Boston. Ugh, Boston. I know next to nothing about that city, but when I finally developed this idea, it had to be Boston. I tried several different places, and none of them made as much sense as Boston. If that's giving something away, so be it. If not, haha!

I've already written a couple of pages, and that doesn't sound like a lot, but it's something. I'm hoping to get more down this weekend. First, though, I have to finish reading the book that I'm going to review on Monday! It's going to be The Infinite by Lori M. Lee. It's the sequel to Gates of Thread and Stone, and you can find my review for that particular book right here! So, I'll see you all Monday and have a fun weekend!