I seem to run out of day before I run out of jobs at the moment, and part of the problem is my new 'helper' - Harry vom Goldbachmoor. He's a Sheltie pup who, like all pups has two speed settings, flat out 'go' and 'slump.' Still, he's a fantastic little fellow, growing fast, endlessly amusing and absolutely devoted to us. But he doesn't 'help' when it comes to the task in hand - to revise the MS for my latest Harry Heron story.
The Outer Edge takes Harry and his friends into a new battle for the survival of humanity against an enemy of ancient origins. Unfortunately for all concerned, the human trait to adopt unshakeable positions at the extremes of belief between 'fight' or 'roll over and let it happen' bedevil the political and the military scene. The enemy is an ancient predator, one that will not show mercy, probably because it does not understand the concept. Harry and Co must win - or humanity itself may be destroyed, but, there are those at home who see Harry and the Fleet as the enemy of 'peace' and the cause of the enemy's aggression ...
OK, that's enough of a spoiler. Having had the entire MS professionally critiqued, I'm now working my way through it to address the several small issues raised by the editor. She 'liked' the story, but pointed out two weaknesses in the way the characters are portrayed. So I need to give Harry a slightly more 'rule breaker' edge and his chief foil needs to be less a victim of his own blindness and redeem himself (a little - he's modelled on a personality type I really can't stand!) at least in part by the end. I think, for me, the ten page critique has been a great booster, because it confirmed, in the main, that the story was more than just 'readable' and does have a real chance of being a success.
Now I'd best get back to work, while Harry snoozes off his latest burst of 'playtime' on my couch ...
