for Hardcover Readers
One of the most slippery issues in writing is knowing when a book is finished. Sometimes the answer is self-evident: one reads the final draft and is filled with a sense that the work has reached its ultimate form. When every word is in its rightful place and there is not another thing to be done, one can release the story into the world with a smile and a wave. But often the decision to let a story go is more complicated. After five years of writing and rewriting, it seemed that I had taken Wickett’s Remedy as far as I could. As I prepared the hardcover edition I wondered how it would read to me in a few years or how I might have approached the project as an older, more experienced writer—but the fact of the matter was that after five years it was time to move on. Then, a year later, the chance arose to take a second look.
Usually the paperback edition of a book can be made from the hardcover edition without any complications, but because the format of Wickett’s is unusual, the type for the paperback edition needed to be reset, which presented the unique opportunity to make a certain number of revisions. The spirit of the book and its storyline remain unchanged, but certain threads are developed a little further. Scenes on Gallups Island that had been implied in the hardcover edition are played out for the reader in the paperback; other scenes that had been curtailed are extended. The revised material deepens Lydia’s experience on Gallup’s Island, as well as her relationships with Percival Cole and Frank Bentley. It also clarifies the subtle interplay of forces that bring Quentin Driscoll’s story to its conclusion.
So that hardcover readers can get a sense of these changes, I have provided the new material as a free text download. Revision one replaces pages 216-221 in the hardcover; revision two replaces pages 236-237; revision three replaces pages 256-257; revision four replaces page 270; revision five replaces pages 285-286; revision six replaces page 294; revision seven replaces pages 298-299; revision eight replaces pages 308-309; and revision nine replaces pages 322-323.
The best thing a book can do is provide an accurate portrait of the writer’s intentions, abilities, and intent at the time of its writing. The above revisions complete the portrait I was aiming for. Thank you for taking a look.
