I've been editing today. This is how Bruce and I work together right now, at least on the Mitzi Magee novels: we plot the chapters together, he writes in his study, I edit and rewrite in mine. We've written three Mitzi Magee novels this way in the last several months, and if you're wondering what happened to the first one, MITZI MAGEE: VAMPIRE POODLE, it disappeared from Amazon because I pulled it so that I could release it together with its two sequels, MITZI MAGEE: BLOOD SECRET and MITZI MAGEE: A NIP IN TIME this month. I'll be posting all three covers and links to the books when that happens. Not to worry.
How, you may ask, do you work with your husband every day without wanting to kill him?
I don't. The fact of the matter is, I do want to kill him about half the time. The other half I'm laughing at the insanity that turns up on the pages he's written, characters and events I could never have anticipated. The guy's got talent, I'll grant him that. It's great that we're finally sharing credit on something we've worked on together; we've been partners for thirty years and you won't see my name on most of the stuff we've turned out. Take for example the DC graphic novel: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS DARKLY, drawn by Sam Kieth (and I don't care what they're calling it in print, because I named it in the first place!) Apparently it showed up on the New York Times bestseller list at number two for graphic novels and although I believe Sam knew it at the time, I pretty much came up with that particular Batman story on my own, since I'm a big fan of Alice and Wonderland and the whole schmeer and I thought it might be fun to get poor Batman in over his head. But the cover says: by Bruce Jones and Sam Kieth. Well. Of course. Bruce was the one under exclusive contract to DC at the time it was written. Let's forget the fact that we've been working together since the Ka-zar days, which Brent Anderson, the artist on Ka-zar the Savage, kindly told the world in an interview a few years back. Without a doubt, as he's shown through his comics, his many published novels, and his screenplays, Bruce Jones is one of the most talented and unique writers out there.
I wouldn't be working with him if he weren't. Despite the fact I'm wild for the man personally.
But it's nice to see my name on MITZI. Actually makes me feel like a real writer...
