One of the big questions about republishing Chasing Prince Charming, our first novel together, and the start of the Love By The Book universe, is, “are you going to change the original story?” Originally, our answer would have been, “no,’ and, essentially, it still is…with a small “yes.”
The first difference between the original version from The Wild Rose Press, and the reissue from Melva and myself, is the cover. Both of us love the original version by Rae Monet, and agree that all books in a series need to have the same feel when it comes to cover art. Part of independent publishing is doing all of the jobs, in this case also coming up with cover art concepts and series branding. We also agree that people on the cover should reflect the characters in the book. We’ve both been thrown by the “who’s that person cozying up to one of the leads?” type of covers. More conceptual covers can avoid that issue. Please note, we are not saying, “never again” to people covers, so stay tuned.
The other change is more structural. When Melva and I were first writing Chasing Prince Charming, we didn’t know the bigger picture and made a choice for a supporting character’s backstory before we knew they would eventually be a lead in another book. During out chat last week, we discussed our plans for the CPC re-release, and I mentioned that this was our chance to make a retcon. I made the suggestion, and Melva immediately agreed. It doesn’t affect the main plot, and it does fit the character in question better.
Getting to know a character better after three books than in a discovery draft makes a lot of sense. We are excited about it. Now for the next question: do you need to read both versions? The answer is no. While a supporting character in CPC has a few different details going forward, it doesn’t change anything about Meg and Dominic’s romance. Can you read both versions? Sure. We certainly hope so. If you are a completionist, you’ll want the covers to agree, and if you are fond of this character, you’ll want to meet them as their truest self. Call it a director’s cut.
At any rate, we will be focusing on Drama King, the story of Meg’s cunning agent, Kelly, and Jack, the grumpy British actor who never saw her coming. That is the second book in Love By The Book. Three books in, both Melva and I are looking forward to bringing you the whole Love By The Book experience, so stay tuned for the latest updates. Since I (Anna) write on my desktop that doesn’t have Facebook on it (a conscious decision) the best way to make sure you get all updates for this blog and Typing With Wet Nails (and Paws) is to click the subscription link, and new entries will come right to you.
Melva And Anna 