See What Happens When You Rush?

That was my mom. Or sometimes my dad. Running through the backyard, running at the beach, on the playground. And what happened? A skinned knee, a banged-up elbow, and me, crying. "See what happens when you rush, Martha? Now slow down! Here, have a cookie."That was my teacher, after I was first to finish an assignment. Sure of myself, positive I'd see a "100" or an "A+" at the top of the paper, I was shocked to find I'd missed an easy question. "See what happens when you try to finish first, Martha? Now I know you're capable. Next time, take your time. It's not a contest to see who can finish first."That was me, today. After setting my own deadline for publication of my third novel, I rushed. I didn't do what I counsel new writers to do - take your time. Read. Re-read. Read it out loud, slowly. And today, I read my ebook and found errors. And no one hates errors more than I do. Yep, a couple of typos, a couple of punctuation errors, one or two words that didn't belong. Hey, maybe you'll find them, maybe you won't. I still believe it's a good story, and some readers aren't troubled by a few small(ish) errors. But I am. My name is on the book, and it's supposed to be the best it can be.I fixed the digital file, and I corrected the print version. But for all of you who were so kind to purchase the book this past weekend, in either version, thank you and I'm sorry. Next time - no deadline. It's done when it's done.