Lessons from the proofs

I finished doing the corrections of The Gladiator's Honour's proofs. The next time I see the book, it should be bound with a cover.
It was my first direct expereince with M&B editing. And so what have I learnt? First and foremost -- there is no need to signal a scene change if the only change is the point of view. Second, make sure you read the proofs carefully to pick up all missing italics.

Did my editor cut a lot of my book? Not so I'd notice. I will admit to not going back and comparing. Either it would get me paranoid or depressed. The only thing that matters is does the current proof read well, and does it read the way I envisioned it reading. The answer to both questions is a resounding yes. So I was well pleased. There were parts I thought -- yes, this is quite good and very exciting.

Also I did mange to catch one small slip. The Romans played a board game called Laturnculi. It was an early form of chess. Chess as such wa not mention until Sanskrit writings in the 7th century CE There is a lovely website about Roman board games, in case anyone is interested.

My mother has left and is now winging her way across the Atlantic. The children are a bit upset as they get on very well with their grandmother. It will be interesting to see if I get more or less done with her gone. Certainly, I know how to ignore my children. Ignoring my mother proved more difficult.