Saturday, January 26, 2013

Skeletons and typos


I finished the final proofing of my novel Murder in Paris due out in April this morning at 6:38. This has been the ninth proofing by five people. I still found six errors, albeit some small such as " marks before a non quote.

Another was a little worse. One character had two names in the same chapter. How did everyone, including myself, miss that? Or did someone else pick it up and I miss their correction?

I'm in love with the cover, especially the skeleton under the Paris street (no story spoiler of why) but that photo is the work of my talented housemate. The skeleton was one of many found, along with others, under the under-under-floor of the the 13th century church in our little commune.

Archeologists guess it was a seventh-century cemetery. What intrigued me about this skeleton, was that it was huge, probably almost seven-feet tall. That person lived in the days when people were small and basketball players did not exist. Because of the size, I assume it was a man just like the small skeleton with a baby found at the same time was a mother and child. I also wondered how sad the people were who laid that person to rest sometime in the 600s.

When walking around Corsier, I realise that I'm only the latest of centuries of people to enjoy the views of the Alps, Jura and lake. Others lived, laughed, cried and died here long before and if we don't destroy ourselves, long after me. Most probably never worried about typos.



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