Copy edits on “The Devil’s Cold Dish ” have arrived. The finished manuscript is due back to Minotaur on January 5.

What are copy edits? Mainly spelling, grammar – those little things that slip through. It is also my last chance to review the finished manuscript. Line edits, which come first, detect problems with the plot or timeline. More substantive changes can be made during the line edit phase. Copy edits are not the creative part but they help make the manuscript a finished product. Everyone knows how annoying typos are and the copy edits are designed to prevent them as much as possible.

The timing proves something else: when one is a writer you are always on duty – even over the holidays.