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| Dorothy Distefano, Editor Tom Reitze's PEJITO DATE WITH A CHAIR BERNICE'S BONES DEKLYN |
Tom Reitze has pulled yet another “fast one” on us – he sent his
editor to let us know that he’s released PEJITO, the third story in his "Stories of
a Different Nature." But we are privileged to have her, because as an editor Dorothy Distefano gives us insight into how he tells his stories. As you might imagine from my
previous two interviews of Tom (Interview 1 and Interview 2), he doesn’t do
editing in a manner similar to most, and Distefano, an experienced and
hard-working editor--and so much more--, manages to overcome his “quirkiness,” for which we learn
she is well suited!
PEJITO is a short story—again
in the paranormal fiction genre—about a marionette with “an air of evil around
it.” It joins the first two short stories, DATE WITH A CHAIR (1) “not a story
to produce joy and happiness” and BERNICE’S BONES (2)—“If it doesn’t make you laugh, that’ll make me cry.”
And I’ve heard that Tom has written a novella with supernatural tendencies called DEKLYN, that is available for pre-order.
And I’ve heard that Tom has written a novella with supernatural tendencies called DEKLYN, that is available for pre-order.
An Editor’s Story
Or, How Tom Reitze’s Quirky Plots Become Quirkier
By Dorothy Distefano, the one
who gets them there
I feel very privileged to be Tom
Reitze’s proofreader, editor, and pain in the neck. Just ask him. He will
definitely agree with the pain part.
Every writer has a different
process, and Tom’s differs greatly from my other clients. He doesn’t want to
send me a manuscript and receive it back with suggestions and changes. We tried
this. He was quite unhappy and autocorrect added words like hatchet and
decapitation into his emails. At least I hope it was autocorrect. Tom wants to
know WHY something doesn’t work. He wants to understand the reasoning behind
every suggestion or change. This is why we meet every week and go through each
manuscript line-by-line. I add comments where we agree things need to change,
including my favorite, “This sucks.” He looks forward to those (not).
Along the way, as we meander
down the path of each story, I call him out on plots that develop too quickly
or too slowly, characters that change hastily, or things that just need
clarification. His upcoming novella, DEKLYN,
which is available for preorder, was a very short story until my
brain revved up and I said, “I have an idea,” which makes all of my clients
cringe, but ultimately ends up in some interesting ideas.
Tom’s plots are already quirky
when we begin and probably more quirky when we finish. He has no interest in
split infinitives or any other grammar conventions. If he likes the way it
sounds, who am I to argue? I only insist on changes that clarify sentences and
story structure. He has his style, he likes it, and I go with the flow… to an
extent. There will be no omissions of the Oxford Comma. Ever.
Stories of a Different Nature all contain supernatural
phenomena, as does DEKLYN, but the
next book series may be more of a tasting menu of stories. A smorgasbord, if
you will. They will still be unconventional, but not all supernaturally based
or revolving around paranormal happenings. There are some single holiday
stories ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas, a new set of books that are as
yet unnamed, and then we plan to tackle Tom’s greatest work, Simon. It is a
novel he has worked on for several years and is bound to delight readers. In my
mind, this means we will come around and bind them with duct tape and read it
to them until they are delighted. But that’s just me.
I enjoy working with Tom because
he allows me to make suggestions and feels comfortable either accepting or
rejecting my ideas. Often, my suggestions require extra work on his part, but
he does it, and he does it well. We are a good team.
Our cover designer, who happens
to be my son, has done a great job of taking the disturbing nature of the
current series and putting the covers together to complement each story. We
will be giving away special edition wallpapers with the symbols for each novel
in Stories of a Different Nature for
everyone who retweets or shares our posts about the DEKLYN presale. Warning: this wallpaper is pretty spooky.
About Dorothy Distefano by Dorothy Distefano
I am the
Writer on the Verge.
In
addition to working with Tom Reitze, author of Stories of a
Different Nature, I am (in no particular order) a wife and mother,
freelance writer, team leader, reader, LOST fanatic in mourning, nerd,
tech lover, and drumline costumer. I put words in the correct order with
appropriate punctuation in a way that seems pleasing or at
least agreeable. I love the Oxford comma, regardless of what AP style
says.
My work
history includes psychiatric nurse, teaching assistant, PTA Prez, volunteer,
and family book club creator. To sum it up: I wasn’t afraid; I tried new
things and if I didn’t know how, I learned; I spoke my mind; I helped; I
loved; I did my best. I still do all of these things in whatever tiara I am
wearing, whether editor, writer, or mother. My dream is to publish my own
novel.
If this
was an extended bio, I would tell you about teaching my cat to jump through a rolling
hula hoop when I was 5.
About
Tom Reitze by Tom Reitze
“I am a
very opinionated individual and was sure I knew what was wrong with society and
how to fix it. I planned to write a series of editorials and bind them
into a book. Before I started, I realized no one in the world would give a
damn about what this unknown writer had to say. I decided to expose my
feelings in the form of fictional stories, something people would be
more likely to read.
"My 22 lb.
cat, Horus agrees. He is very opinionated as well. I am contradictory. I will
present one idea at one time, and then write another story that presents
the opposite concepts. I like to believe I am a person willing to listen
to and consider both sides of an issue. Some of my writing is serious,
some of it is supernatural in nature, and some of it is humorous (I hope).”
On a shelf, amidst the clutter of tchotchkes from mundane to
fascinating hangs a marionette. It appears to be a relic of an earlier age with
the face of clown. Why, of all of the tokens in the room does this one have an
air of evil around it?
About DEKLYN
About DEKLYN
This
"between the Stories of a Different Nature" novella started as just another story. DEKLYN demanded that there was more than those few words to his
tale. An escape from a life of beatings; a journey in a desolate desert;
unimaginable powers; and forces beyond all understanding await you. Deklyn
would like you to read it. At one time, he could have made you read it, but now
it is your choice.
Links for Tom Reitze
Amazon link for PEJITO - available now
Amazon link for DEKLYN - available for pre-order
Amazon link for BERNICE'S BONES
Amazon link for DATE WITH A CHAIR
Amazon link for DEKLYN - available for pre-order
Amazon link for BERNICE'S BONES
Amazon link for DATE WITH A CHAIR
Links for Dorothy Distefano
wotv@wotverge.com
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