Happy June 24! Otherwise known in my world as 2 months until the release of YOUR LIFE HAS BEEN DELAYED! Is anyone else getting as excited as I am? I hope so!

Today I’m digging into a topic that makes most writers cringe even as we nod along in resignation–killing our darlings. If you aren’t a writer, that phrase might have made you cringe as well, but in a looking-around-nervously sort of way. Don’t worry. Not killing any live darlings over here! Just words.

For writers, we must “kill darlings” when there’s something in our manuscript that we truly love, but it isn’t working and we need to get rid of it.

In the case of Your Life Has Been Delayed, one of those darlings that had to go was the chapter titles. In the book, Jenny is an aspiring journalist, and I originally included News Flashes at the beginning of every chapter. But my editor wisely pointed out that they weren’t pulling their weight. I loved them at the time, but she was so right!

So, for this month’s behind-the-scenes feature, here’s a glimpse into the deleted chapter headings. Feel free to speculate on what they may mean!

There are still news flashes in the final version of Your Life Has Been Delayed. They just aren’t chapter titles like I originally conceived. Instead, as I worked through revisions with my editor, we came up with a compromise for them that is much stronger. There are only a half dozen, and they’re sprinkled throughout the story as part of Jenny’s internal narrative, usually directed toward another character.

I hope you enjoyed this inside look at how the book took shape–and also these teasers of what you will find inside the story.

In case you missed any of the previous release countdown features, they included:

• 9 Months to Release: Playlist
• 8 Months to Release: The Title Story (plus tips on titling your manuscript!)
• 7 Months to Release: Watch List
• 6 Months to Release: Research
• 5 Months to Release: Why 1995?
• 4 Months to Release: Book Inspiration
• 3 Months to Release: Character Names

If you’re ready to pre-order the book, you can do so on my books page. If you pre-order from The Novel Neighbor, the books will be signed and include a bookmark and two stickers! Click on the pre-order campaign image to visit The Novel Neighbor. If you’d like your book personalized, be sure to note that in the comments.

Stay tuned for information about launch events.

Thank you for supporting my publishing journey!!