75. Book Talk: The Quicksilver Conundrum – Editor’s Eye, Reader’s Heart

Ever wonder what makes a massive novel like Callie Hart's Quicksilver tick … or maybe a struggle?

Join Erin P.T. Canning for a fascinating dual review, breaking down this popular book from both a writer/editor's analytical perspective and a reader's honest opinion.

In this episode of Embracing the Fiction Author Journey, Erin dives deep into Quicksilver. You'll hear insights on plot structure, character arcs, industry guidelines, and Erin's personal reading experience with this captivating, yet challenging, book.

What you'll discover:
  • The Anatomy of a Massive Book: Insights into Quicksilver's number of chapters and total word count, and thoughts on the placement of pronunciation guides and the surprising absence of specific pages.
  • Word Count & Industry Standards: A breakdown of Quicksilver's estimated word count and how it compares to the typical book length recommendation for new fantasy/romantasy authors.
  • Inciting Incidents & Character Goals: Analysis of how Quicksilver handles the inciting incident and character motivation within the crucial first few chapters.
  • The Reader's Journey: Erin's honest struggles with the protagonist Saeris's anger and the male lead, Kingfisher, in the first half of the book, and why she continued reading.
  • The Impact of Book Size on Pacing: How the book's length might affect the "enemies to lovers" trope and overall reader engagement.
  • World-Building & Comic Relief: Highlights of the phenomenal world-building and the essential comic relief provided by secondary characters.
  • The Value of Persisting: Why, despite initial struggles, Erin’s glad she finished reading the book, leading to excitement for the sequel.
Mentioned in this episode:
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ABOUT ME

Erin P.T. Canning has worked for 20 years as an editor, encouraging each writer’s individual voice and strengthening their writing goals.

She always planned to write a book, but life had a tendency to distract her. After dedicating six years of her life to motherhood and discovering her ADHD, she started writing again, even though she feared her writing skills had atrophied.

After letting go of her perfectionism, Erin finally finished her own shitty first draft and released her fantasy romance novel, Ruins and Redemption, in 2023. Her current role as a podcaster and book coach enables her to help writers pursue their author dreams.