Things They Never Said - First Week in the Big Bad World

 

Well, my debut novel Things They Never Said has been out in the real world for nearly a week now and I'm pleased to say that it seems to be doing well. Yesterday it even managed to make it into the Kindle Contemporary Romance top 100, although by the time I found out, it had already been knocked off its spot.

I've had some wonderful reviews too, so thanks to everyone who has taken the time to post. 

Some which stand out are:

"Entertaining with great characters"

"Good storyline and it deals really well with themes of love and loss"

"A lovely heartfelt read"

"A page turner at its very best that will pull your emotions in every direction"

But I think my favourite has to be:

'A great read with unexpected turns and revelations - this story will make you smile, exasperated and cry."

I always think that if a book makes you cry then its done its job, and I'm over the moon that the words I have written have inspired these reviews. I really do think that letting your book into the outside world is very like watching a child move away from home.  I'm just glad that my first book baby is surviving! Its available on Amazon Kindle (currently at 99p) audible and paperback.

This week I was also hosted on someone else's blog for the very first time.  The lovely Anni Rose, invited me on to her blog and asked me some very interesting and thought provoking questions. You can read the post here Thanks so much Anni for hosting me.

So all in all its been a very exciting week, and I can't wait to see what comes next. 

Today's The Day!

 Yey! Finally, it’s arrived! Today is the publication day for my debut novel.

 

I’ve been writing for many years now as long term readers of this blog will know, and although I’ve had some success with short stories, that elusive book deal has always been, well, elusive.

 

When I sent Things They Never Said to Choc Lit, I felt as though it was my last chance. I’d decided that if Choc Lit didn’t want it, then I would publish it myself. I had faith in my book and I was determined to see it published one way or another.

 

But to my delight, Choc Lit offered me a 3 book deal and the time in between has been a roller-coaster ride. 

 

First came the edits which initially scared the heebie-jeebies out of me. The extent of work required was staggering especially as it was suggested that a suitable turnaround time would be two weeks. At the time I was due to go on holiday in two weeks’ time, and what with work and family commitments, I wondered if I would be able to do it time. But I did and as I worked through the edits I felt I was making it into a much better book.

 

Two more rounds of edits, each one easier than the last and the book was finally finished. 

 

The next excitement was receiving the book cover which I was delighted with. 

 

The book became available on Amazon on pre-order and I began to grow increasingly nervous as people I know said they couldn’t wait to read it. Was it any good? Would they enjoy it?

 

And then last Friday I received the audio files for the audible version. I downloaded them and with both eagerness and trepidation began to listen. I couldn’t believe my ears. The actress had brought my book completely to life. For the first time the characters who had been living in my head for some many years sounded like real people. And as I listened, I realised that all that time spent editing had been well worth the work. I won’t deny I shed a tear or two then.

Yesterday I received this.

 

 

 

And today is publication day. It's a moment I've bee waiting for, for years. I can't believe it's actually happening.

Things They Never Said is available on Amazon on Kindle, Audible and paperback. At the moment it's on offer on Kindle at an introductory price of 99 pence,

The Geek Within Me

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which challenges authors to write 50,000 words in the month of November.

During November many people use the online forum and local events where people congregate to write in sprints to spur them on. 

 

When I first took the challenge having a full time job and young children, I didn’t really have the time to indulge in the social aspect of the challenge though, I just concentrated on the word count.

 

In order to achieve the 50,000 words at the end of the month you have to achieve a daily word count of around 1,700 words. It was this target that I worked towards, knowing that if I did the words every day I would be assured of reaching the end target. If I got behind I would then be playing catch-up so it made me write, consistently.

 

What I loved most of all was uploading the word count on the progress chart. Seeing my achievement in graphic form was incredibly encouraging especially if I had over achieved the daily amount.

 

I haven’t done NaNoWriMo for the last few years, mainly because during November I’ve been concentrating on editing, but I have really missed it.

 

At the moment I’m in the middle of writing Book 2. For a long time I’ve been at the 50,000 word mark. I haven’t been able to move forward on this because I’ve had massive plot problems and I’ve had to go back and cut a lot of text. Spending time working out not only what needs to be cut but also what needs to been done to drive the plot and the characters forward has taken up a lot of my time.

 

Doing this, though, gave me a sense of purpose and finally I could see the way forward. I’m aiming for at least 80,000 words so that’s another 30,000 to go and  I decided that I wanted to achieve this by the end of March. 

 

And that’s when the breakthrough came. I was skimming through some old writing magazines when I came across a recommendation for ‘Pacemaker’. Part of the website is free. (You can pay for an upgrade for all the bells and whistles). But to chart your progress and add in a daily word count, you can utilise the free version of this.

 

I set up my project with the word count I wanted to achieve in the time I wanted to achieve it and, hey presto, I had my own personal NaNoWriMo in February.

 

On the first day, after a hard day at work, I didn’t really feel like writing, but the thought of needing to update my progress on the app pushed me on. And there you go, my inner geek was ignited. The need to watch that target being achieved, and often over achieved is really spurring me on. I love it when I go over and the amount of words I need to write daily, decreases. I've missed a few days here and there, but not many as I don't want to see the white spaces between the green progress bar.

 

And, if I carry on like this, I know I will have an 80,000 word completed draft by the end of the month.

 

What spurs you on?

Finally - It Happened to Me!

If you are long term readers of this blog, you will know that for many, many years, I have been trying to become a published author.

I've had a lot of rejections along the way but for some strange reason (insanity maybe?) I refused to give up. 

I have been thinking and learning about self-publishing for a long time because I'd decided that if no one wanted to publish me then I would do it myself. 

But something inside me wouldn't give up the dream.

I'd been working on what I will call here, for now, Book 1, for a very long time. In fact in a very different format it was one of the first longer pieces of work I ever wrote. Over the years, I worked to improve it (in fact I wouldn't recognise it now from the original). I came across the rejection letter from Mills and Boon from that very first attempt, and I have to say I whole-heartedly agree with them. 

Book 1 has been through 2 critiques through the RNA's New Writers Scheme, and my online writer friends have also been kind enough to comment on it on numerous occasions.

After finally getting Book 1 to be the best I thought it could be I decided to submit it to Choc Lit.

And, I'm delighted to say that this is the result

To say I'm chuffed to bits is the understatement of the year.

I'm so looking forward to working with the Choc Lit team who seem a very friendly bunch.

The other Choc Lit authors seem lovely too, and I've already have lots of encouragement from them.

So, now the hard work really begins, but I'm looking forward to getting my teeth stuck into it and can't wait for the day when I can say I'm a published novelist.

Its been a long time coming!

My Top Crime Authors of 2022

Like most writers I do love a good read. Last year I read 55 books which I think is pretty good going. I write romance and I read a lot of romance but I do like a good bit of crime too.

Here are my favourite crime authors of the books I read in 2022.

Biba Pearce

 

This is a crime series based on a detective Rob Miller.  I read the first three novels last year, which began with the Thames Path Killer.  In each novel the detective has to track down a serial killer and the novel concentrates on both the detection of the crime and the personal life of Rob Miller. I have thoroughly enjoyed each novel and actively look to when she publishes the next novel.

 

This year I read books 4 and 5 in the series which were:

These were both page turning books, and I look forward to reading the next one.

 

Lynda La Plante

 

I’ve loved the many TV series written by Lynda La Plante but this year I started to read her books which I absolutely love.

 

I started with the Widows series reading the three books: Widows, She’s Out and Widow’s Revenge.

And then I moved on the series which follows on from this featuring Detective Jack War, the series starts with Buried which re-investigates the robbery which was committed in Widows revenge.

Then I went back in time to Detective Jane Tennison.  I loved the Prime Suspect series on TV and reading about Jane Tennison from the beginning of her career has provided me with many happy reading hours.

 

 

Who were your favourite authors in 2022?

Thoughts on 2022

At this time of year, I always to take a moment to reviews the highs and lows of the year, and to assess what I’ve actually achieved over the year.  I must say I’m glad to see the back of 2022, as it’s not been an easy one. But then when is life ever easy these days? It started badly, attending the funeral of my youngest son’s friend on my son’s 18^thbirthday. Two other more elderly friends died and I spent a lot of time supporting the bereaved at the beginning of the year. 

I was looking forward to February as I had planned a weekend in London with my husband for his birthday. Unfortunately, a hurricane stopped all train travel and we had to postpone at the last minute.  We did get to go in March though, and the weather was so much nicer so perhaps it was a blessing in disguise. 

 

In February my eldest son left home to join the army. I was sad to see my first born fly the nest. I wasn’t one hundred percent behind his decision but it’s what he wanted to do so I supported him. Ten weeks later he was back home after having decided it wasn’t for him after all. I’m glad he tried it though and made that decision himself. He’s since found himself a good job and seems much happier so that’s something to be grateful for. 

 

In April we were supposed to be going to Ireland to visit my husband’s relatives but after two years of dodging the bullet, we both got COVID. I’d been worried about catching the virus as the medication I take for my Psoriatic Arthritis means I have low immunity. Thankfully the vaccinations protected me and the illness wasn’t as bad as I had feared. We finally got to Ireland in May.

 

 

The first half of the year was tricky for my youngest son. I spent a lot of time helping him learn to drive and supporting him through three driving tests. When he did pass I spent several months biting my nails whenever he went out int he car. And then were the A-Level exams which were also stressful. He's now at university studying history.He was really looking forward to going but has ended up more homesick than he expected, but I'm hoping in settle in more next term. 

On the plus side my husband and I had two happy holidays in Spain at our apartment, so the year has had its up-sides too.

 

 

And through all this I have been trying to keep my writing going. 

 

In 2022 I completed Book 1 sent it to several agents, either heard nothing or got rejected, edited it again and sent it to the publisher, ChocLit. Its currently going through assessment via their reader panel, the result of which I’m hoping to hear from soon. 

 

I’ve been learning as much as I can about self-publishing. If Book 1 doesn’t get taken up by ChocLit I’m going to bite the bullet and publish it myself. I’ve spent many years submitting things and either getting rejected or being ignored so maybe it’s time to take control of my writing destiny.

 

I’ve done some serious editing and redrafting of Book 2. This came into being during NaNoWriMo so was a very rough 50,000 words. I got more or less to the end of this, deleting and creating so that it was 70,000 words, then I got a bit depressed because it still wasn’t quite working. So, I went back to square one, did a lot more plotting and planning and am halfway through the process of re-writing. Hopefully by the end of this draft I will have much deeper characterisation and a sound structure and my next edit will be more a case of fine tuning.

 

I’ve dipped my toe into the world of Twitter and done some extensive research on how to develop my own website. I’ve also been reviewing and editing some short stories as I have decided to self-publish a couple of short story anthologies as a way to introduce myself into the world of independent publishing. 

 

After a slow start to the writing year, I’ve ended on a positive note and am fully motivated to make sure that 2023 will be the year I finally get published (one way or another).

 

What were your best bits of 2022 and what are you looking forward to in 2023?

Happy New Year!!

Well, it’s here, 2023. It’s hard to believe that another year is over and we’re already into the next one. 

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year and weren’t too bogged down with this nasty cold / flu bug which seems to be everywhere. My eldest son was the first to by laid low, then my husband got it just before Christmas and is still coughing and spluttering. My youngest son caught it from him and has been suffering quite badly with it. I, however, have managed to escape it so far. There, I’ve just jinxed myself, I’ll probably catch it now I’m due back at work.

 

Christmas – well it takes so much preparation and then it’s over in a flash. I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, we did. We spent it with my husband’s family – twenty of us. We all chipped in with the cooking but hat’s off to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law for hosting it all. We had a great time but I was glad we had nothing planned for Boxing Day so we could all recover. There was another party on the Tuesday for a belated 21^st. And then my mum came to stay with us for a few days. It was lovely to spend some proper time with her, especially at this time of year.

 

Amidst all the celebrations, there is also a sadness to this time of year for me. Five years ago, just before Christmas my mother-in-law passed away. The following day, whilst my mum was undergoing knee replacement surgery, my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer and passed away ten days later on 30^th January. This is him on my wedding day.

 

 

I still miss him so much and am sad that he’s not here to see what lovely young people all his grandchildren have become. I try to look on the positive side though, that he is not really lost to us, but is forever with us in our hearts. It makes me cherish my mum even more though, and I am eternally grateful that she is still very much in our lives.

 

It’s not been a great year for a lot of people, and I’ve had some incredible stressful periods throughout the months, but I have ended the year feeling positive and particularly motivated for my writing in the year ahead. Life is what you make it after all, and I’m going to do my best to make 2023 a thoroughly productive writing year.

 

Wishing you all the very best for 2023!

 

Book Review – Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

As well as writing I’ve been doing a lot of reading recently. But not reading just for pleasure, I’ve been trying to read like a writer and analyse the structure of books, how character is portrayed and how the character arcs are developed throughout the story.

Mostly I’ve been reading romance novels as that’s the genre I write in but I also recently re-read Harriet Tyce’s Blood Orange.

 

I found this a compelling read but what fascinated me most was that I enjoyed it despite the fact that I didn’t find any of the characters likeable, especially at the beginning. 

 

Alison is a barrister who is gaining success and has just been given her first murder case. She lives with her husband and her young daughter. Her husband is the primary carer for their child.

 

All is not good in their marriage, lots of passive aggressive comments coming from him but maybe he has cause because after work she goes out and gets so drunk she falls asleep in her chambers. She’s also having sex with another man. Nothing affectionate about it, just rather aggressive sex at the end of the night. She keeps telling herself that she must stop drinking and having sex with him but she can’t seem to stop herself. She’s on a downward spiral. 

 

I found neither the husband or the lover at all appealing and while I did feel some sympathy for Alison, the fact that she kept degrading herself with her lover had me shouting at my Kindle screen in frustration.

 

Her redeeming qualities are her love for her daughter and the fact that she is really good at her job.

 

And yet, despite my lack of empathy I kept turning the pages and by the end of the novel was completely on Alison’s side. How Tyce made me empathetic to such a flawed character is nothing short of genius. 

 

There were so many twists and turns in this novel that kept me intrigued as to what would happen next. 

 

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone and will probably read it again at some point in the future. 

 

What books have you been reading recently?

 

 

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Well, the weather is certainly Christmassy enough at the moment, whether or not it will last until the big day is debatable though! I don’t mind snow at Christmas, its only when I have to get to work or other places that I find it annoying, if not sometimes scary. Not a bit fan of defrosting the car either, but it can certainly look pretty, especially when the sun's shining as it was this morning.

As anyone who has followed this blog for a while knows, I can be a bit of a grump about Christmas, especially as five years ago I lost my father suddenly during the festive period.

 

But this year, in an effort not to be a Christmas humbug, I’m doing my very best to embrace the season of goodwill.

 

A few weekends ago I wrote my Christmas cards whilst watching Love Actually and I even managed a mince pie.

And once the present buying is out of the way (nearly there!) I’ll be able to embrace the season fully, especially as for the first time since I had my own home, I won’t be the one cooking Christmas dinner.

 

But I won’t forget to spare a thought for those who are less fortunate than myself and of course, make some charitable donations.

 

Are you looking forward to Christmas?

It's Strictly Time!

I must admit I do enjoy watching Strictly – it’s something to look forward to on the long autumn / winter nights in the run up to Christmas.

I love the learning curve that the celebrities go on in their quest to learn to dance.

 

It’s a more intense version of the path to becoming a writer, although most of us writers learn our craft on the side-lines rather than in the glare of the public eye. 

 

The other similarity to writing is that the dancers have to learn to listen to the feedback of the judges in order to progress.

 

One of the things I like about Strictly, compared with other similar programmes, is that I feel the judges are not being intentionally nasty in their feedback, they have a genuine desire to show the dancers how they can improve, to progress through to the next stage. But sometimes the way feedback is received is down to the delivery.

 

Craig is viewed as the nasty judge because he always marks lower than the other judges and because he is super critical. But I think part of the audience’s reaction to him is because he always starts off with the bad points before praising anything that is good. I received advice a long time ago that feedback should be like a sandwich: start with something good, put the meaty feedback in the middle and then finish on something good too. I have been part of several readers groups and given feedback to other writers and the process has helped me to develop my own writing as it helps me to focus on both what does and doesn’t work. It would never be my wish to demoralise any writer, but I also think there’s no point in simply praising what is good and ignoring what can be improved upon. And so the sandwich method has enabled me to deliver what I will always hope to be constructive criticism. 

 

It can be crushing to receive harsh feedback, especially when you have put your heart and soul into something. As writers, we know how demoralising that can be, but we also know that constructive criticism is what makes us better writers. 

 

Reading feedback for the first time can be daunting, but from personal experience I find that if I put it aside for a few days, when I come to re-read it, I can connect with it more rationally. I’ve always found that constructive criticism often rings true and highlights issues that I have known were there but which I haven’t been able to fully acknowledge.

 

Similarly, if deep down the feedback doesn’t sit right with you, then you can make your own decision to disregard it. If you are a true writer, you will think carefully about the feedback you receive and take on board the parts of it that you know will help you develop as a writer and produce an improved piece of work.

 

So as we are coming towards the end of Strictly for another year, we can sit back, relax and enjoy watching how much the dancers have improved over the series.

And when its finished, well, then it will be Christmas. 

Catching Up

 

I haven't posted for a while but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy. In fact, life has been a bit of roller coaster ride - as ever.

In February of this year, my eldest son left home to join the army. It wasn't something I was particularly comfortable with, considering the current unrest in the world, but you have to let them make their own way in the world don't you?

Ten weeks later he was back at home after having decided that army life was not for him. But at least he tried and got it out of his system, and to be fair to him, he soon sorted himself out with work and has now found himself a job close to home which he seems to be enjoying.

We've also had the highs and lows of A Levels this year, very stressful at times (understatement!) for both my youngest son and myself. He's now studying history at the University of Huddersfield. It's taking a while for him to settle in but I hope he'll find his feet soon. He's coming home for reading week in November so I'm looking forward to seeing him then.

So what with all the comings and goings, I've found it difficult to establish a writing routine. I'm notoriously bad at putting my writing before the family and household tasks, and this is something I'm determined to become better at. 

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I've been working on a romance novel which has previously been through the RNA New Writers' Scheme. I finally got it to a place I was happy with and submitted it to various agents, with no success. I'd always had the thought that my novel would be suited to Choc Lit - a dedicated publisher of romance, so I took the bull by the horns and sent it off in early September. The selection process takes several months, so to take my mind off the outcome, I've been working on redrafting a novel which I started to write during NaNoWriMo a few years ago. I set myself a target of writing 500 words a day on days I was working and 1,000 words a day when I wasn't doing the day job. It was a target I found I was able to sustain and I was enjoying the process until I ran out of plot. I literally don't know where I'm going with this book so I need to go back to the beginning and do some serious plotting and restructuring.

To take a break from this and hopefully gain some perspective in the interim, Ive been editing some short stories which have been languishing on my hard drive. I'm aiming to develop these into short story anthologies which I will self-publish. At the same time, I'm working on developing my own author website. 

As ever I'm trying to do a lot, and do it all at once, and I often get the dreaded feeling of overwhelm. But I'm determined to keep going. To help me along the way, I ask the question:

"How do you eat an elephant?'

The answer of which is:

"One bite at at time."

Not that I would want to eat an elephant, but you get my drift. 

How do you cope when there seems to be more to do than time to do it in?

On My Holidays

 

Currently enjoying the view from our apartment in Spain, getting some much needed R&R. We've left the 20 year old and 18 year old back in the UK so I'm trying not to think what the state of the house will be like when we get home.

I am using the time to catch up on some writing although its so hot here that the pen often slips from my fingers and my writing is terrible, but at least I'm trying to get something down on paper. (Don't you just feel sorry for me?)

Also catching up on reading, both fiction and non-fiction.  I've recently read Romancing The Beat by Gwen Hayes.  

Its quite a short book but an excellent tool for helping you plot the structure of your novel, or for checking that your structure is on track during the editing phase.  I'm definitely going to be using her advice for my next novel.

Now all I have to do is concentrate on my tan and hope that I can actually fly home as I'm travelling with Ryan Air on one of the days their cabin crew are on strike.  If not, then I guess I'll just have to stay here!

How Do You Want To Be Published?

I’ve been writing for a long time now with limited success. As a working mum, bringing up a young family, its always been hard for me to find the time to write consistently and most of my writing has been in fits and starts.

 

During this time, I’ve had several short stories published in women’s magazines, but so far have had little luck with sending longer pieces of work to agents. 

 

With the demise of the short story market I have lost a little bit of my love for writing short stories and so am concentrating now on writing romance novels. 

 

In the past I’ve been a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and have received feedback on a couple of my novels through the New Writer’s Scheme. This year I’ve been working on one of those novels previously submitted and dare I say it, I think now it’s in much better shape. 

 

It’s always been my dream to be traditionally published – it’s the ultimate validation that you are indeed a writer and that your writing is worth paying good money for, but recently my thoughts have turned towards self-publishing. 

 

Self-published books haven’t always received good press. The ability to easily upload and publish a piece of writing meant that anyone could become a published author regardless of the quality of that work. This has led to a poor reception for self-published authors. 

 

But following my research I think the tide is turning. What has struck me more than anything is that self-publishing doesn’t have to be – and shouldn’t be – second rate. In fact, I think it would be impossible to make a living from your writing if you didn’t consistently produce professionally written and edited work. There is of course much to learn and that’s what I’ve been trying to do through online courses, and the increasing number of podcasts which are available to listen to, and the thought of being in control of my own destiny is certainly appealing. 

 

With my youngest about to head off to university in September, finally the time might be right to devote more time to my writing and building a business out of one the things I love doing the most is certainly appealing.

 

What are your thoughts on traditional versus self-publishing? 

 

Another Year Over

 

Well, thank goodness for that – 2021 is officially over. Covid has put so many pressures on everyone and we’re still not out of the woods. In fact, the number of people I know who have contacted the virus recently has spiralled. Thankfully the symptoms don’t seem to be as aggressive as previous strains, but you never know how its going to affect you.

As I suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis and need to take immune suppressants to control the disease, I have to be very careful about the contact I have with people. So far I’ve been lucky and have managed to steer clear, but now it feels inevitable that at some point everyone of us will test positive. We can only hope that because of the vaccination process, that for the majority, it becomes nothing more serious than a really bad cold.

I’ve always use the period between Christmas and New Year to review my writing goals from the previous January and set new ones for the year ahead, and I try to start the new year fully enthusiastic for my writing life. Usually I manage to achieve all my goals until roughly mid-February, and then I go off on a tangent. Although I only had one short story published last year, I did do a lot of work and I have a couple of big projects which are nearing completion. Hopefully these will bear fruit during 2022.

As ever my goals for losing weight, eating more healthily and exercising more fall by the wayside before the year is very old, but I will set them again for this year and hope that I can put some strategies in place to finally meet them.

During 2021 I fell out of love with short story writing, not because I don’t enjoy writing them anymore, but because I’m struggling to know what to do with them. The short story market has seriously diminished over recent years, especially as some magazines have closed the submission process to writers who haven’t been published by them previously. I’m sure this is because they are inundated with submissions and that shifting through the slush pile it too labour intensive, but it is saddening for those of us who are struggling to get our feet on the rungs of the ladder.

Lockdown has exacerbated the problem and sometimes it has felt as though submitting short stories is like posting them into a black hole. So I was delighted when Yours Fiction accepted one of my stories – The Floods of Change - for publication. And I was even more delighted to see it in print in the November 2021 edition, and even get a strapline on the front cover.

I was also delighted see a new magazine on the market, Seven Days, but disappointed by the news that even in such a short time it has proved not to be viable. It has seriously made me want to take a more direct control of my writing life, and over the last few months I have been doing some research into self-publishing. This is something I will be looking into in greater detail during 2022.

I hope that you are all feeling enthusiastic for your writing life and the beginning of this new year, and most of all that you stay healthy and happy.

A Fetish for Stationery

All year I’ve been a very good girl and have resisted the urge to buy stationery – my not so secret addiction. In an effort to de-clutter I’ve been using old notebooks and work diaries for my writing.

 

I do have a particular thing about notebooks – all those lovely blank pages on which to imprint my handwriting. There’s something rather romantic about writing longhand into a special notebook; something about the connection between mind and hand. Although I am a touch typist and writing straight to my laptop would be so much more efficient, I always prefer this old fashioned method. Maybe it’s because it’s slower so that it allows the words on the page to be more considered which appeals to me. Or the fact that you can write anywhere with pen and paper (not that there have been many places to go for the last eighteen months). No need for power, charging cables or wi-fi to distract you. All you have to do is pick up pen and paper and you can carry yourself away into the world you’re creating. 

 

So when I do go into any shop that sells stationery, my first point of call is the section that sells notebooks. And for the whole year (when we’ve not been in lockdown of course) I’ve shoved my hands firmly into my pockets and walked away. 

 

But last week I fell off the wagon. In an effort to get organised I’d decided that I needed some new files and then I saw these and all my willpower deserted me.

 

Do all writers have a fetish for stationery or is it just me? And how do you prefer to write? Longhand or straight to screen?

 

Covid and My Work In Progress

Despite still being in lockdown, 2021 seems to be rushing along at a breakneck speed. I can’t believe that this weekend the clocks went forward and the nights are lighter. (Let’s hope the weather continues to improve).  

I’ve been working hard on my writing so far this year and one of my goals was to get one of my long standing works in progress to a stage where I can submit it to agents. But I’ve realised there’s a major snag in my plot – and it’s all thanks to Covid – the gift that keeps on giving.

 

My work is a contemporary novel based around a professional woman who is desperately trying to balance her marriage, being a mother to young children and her career. 

 

My heroine is the breadwinner of the family as her husband has recently become a full-time student to retrain. On her return to work from maternity leave after having her second child, she finds that her lovely boss has been replaced with the boss from hell. He’s a bully and seems intent on pushing her out of her job, something she absolutely cannot allow to happen. 

 

And here’s my dilemma. On her return to work she asks if she can be allowed to work flexibly so that some of her hours can be worked from home. Of course her boss flatly refuses believing that working from home is a euphemism for watching daytime TV. Now that Covid has put paid to that kind of attitude, the premise that she wouldn’t be allowed to work from home is redundant. 

 

So now I’m a bit stumped about what to do to fix this. Covid has changed our way of life so much that the dilemma is how do we reflect this in our writing? Do we set our stories before 2020 at the risk of them being automatically outdated, do we ignore the impact Covid has had on our lives or do we try to imagine a life post Covid where we hope that life will return to something that resembles the life we used to know? Bearing in mind the length of time it takes to get anything published, I’m tempted to move it forward to a life post Covid, keeping it similar to how we used to live but adding in the change in people’s perceptions. In doing this I can only hope that I get it right. Or at least close to it so that a further edit isn’t too onerous. So now another major edit is needed. Thanks Covid.

21 Years Today

 Today is my 21st wedding anniversary. I can't believe I've been married so long!

Like any marriage, we've had our ups and downs and life hasn't always been easy, but thankfully the hard times have brought us even closer together and we are still very much happily married.

This is our second wedding anniversary in lockdown, so a takeaway meal and not having to cook will be the biggest part of our celebration! But hopefully these strange times will all be over soon and we will all be able to go out and celebrate everything we've missed in the last year.

We also missed celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary but by some kind of strange premonition we went all out for our 19th and spent a lovely weekend in London. We'd done the same for our 10th anniversary and were looking to repeat it for our 20th, but after my illness I decided that life was short and we wouldn't wait for the next year. So spooky!

Although only March I remember having a mini spring heatwave in the run up to our big day. We were married in Chester Town Hall, had our photographs taken in the gardens of Chester Cathedral and then travelled round Chester in an open topped vintage car to the Guildhall where we celebrated until the early hours of the morning with all our family and friends. 

So today I'm feeling very grateful for my lovely husband, my two boys and all the family and friends who make my life so special.