Good News and A Nice Cup of Tea

Normally, good news is heralded by the sound of a cork popping, and an image of champagne gushing forth, but I don't really like the stuff (I know, I know) so I'm happy to make do with a nice cup of tea instead.

The thrilling news is that I've been offered a 3- (e)book deal by award-winning publishers Constable Robinson, who I hold in very high esteem as - apart from being generally lovely - they published one of my favourite books this year, the wonderful  Lost and Found by Tom Winter.

They clearly have very good taste in authors.  Ahem.

I'm due to have lunch with my editor and agent in the near future (never thought I'd be saying those words out loud - not that I am... well, only every time I speak to someone) and no doubt I'll find out more about how things are due to unfold, but I believe there is lots of excitement being lined up.  Oh yes.  And I'm more than ready for it.

I can't wait to see a cover for my second novel - though I can't imagine being any more thrilled than as I was when I saw the one for MY FUTURE HUSBAND (plug, plug, if you haven't read it, why not? etc.)  The book's done very well and, to my astonishment, has had almost sixty good reviews on Amazon - and I promise that only fifty-eight of them are friends and family.

All in all I'm starting to wonder if it might be okay to tell people - quietly, of course - that I'm a writer, without blushing and feeling like a fraud?  No?  Oh, okay then.

In other news... winter appears to have arrived in the form of an icy-fingered wind and darkening evenings, the dog has developed an unsightly rash on her tummy, I'm once again hooked on Strictly Come Dancing, and have finally discovered the joys of Breaking Bad - surely one of the best TV dramas ever made (along with Mad Men and Lost - apart from the final episode.)

I came to BB late, but am already on season four, and tell myself the reason I'm watching back-to-back episodes with wild, blood-shot eyes is for research - for the writing, the story-lines, the structure etc. - but in reality (whatever that is) I've developed the most undignified crush on the main character, Walter White.

It's odd, because when he was the dad in Malcolm in the Middle he wasn't attractive at all, in the same way Hugh Laurie wasn't remotely fanciable when he was English, but in House (another favourite; I clearly need to get out more) I couldn't get enough of him.

*Stops typing to have a hot flush.*

Oh dear, I appear to have digressed.  And my celebratory cup of tea's gone cold.

Time to put the kettle on and watch another episode or five.

Home and Away (with the fairies)

How on EARTH can we be halfway through August already?  I'm sure I've entered some sort of time-warp where everything's speeded up.

It's been a busy month already as I've squeezed in a ten-day visit from my mother and a four day trip to the seaside, and I've a few days in Bruges with my daughter coming up next week.  I've already been to Prague this year, so have somehow gone from barely leaving my desk (loyal readers - if they're still out there - will recall my aversion to travelling) to zipping about as though I've got ants in my pants.

I still find travelling rather stressful and am always glad to get home, but seeing new places does give a fresh perspective, and spending time with loved ones is always (well, usually) a very good thing.

I'm looking forward to settling back into a writing pattern - oh, who am I kidding? I've never had a writing pattern - if I did it would look like this...

but I do miss the routine of writing when I'm away or entertaining visitors.  I've scribbled down the odd short story idea (odd being the operative word) but I need to start expanding them before I lose the drift, and I've made a tentative start on novel number four, so I'm keen to get on with that.

Excitingly, a publisher has shown an interest in novel two (I hope you're keeping up) so I'm waiting with bated breath to hear from my agent, but bearing in mind I've been at this stage before I'm keeping one foot firmly on the ground.

So if you see someone hopping about, looking blue in the face, please don't call a doctor.  Just pretend you haven't seen me.

Reality Check

The lovely Wendy Clarke (no relation!) from Wendy's Writing Now has kindly nominated me for the Reality Blog, which is nice.  It simply involves (and I am quite simple, so that's good) answering some questions and nominating more bloggers, so while I wait impatiently for this mini-heatwave we've been promised to arrive, here goes...

If you could change one thing, what would it be?

I would make rain only at night, and the sun shine all day every day.  I just feel better in the sun.  Oh God, that sounds selfish.  I'd eradicate war and famine.  Oh no, that's two things.  I'd make sugar a new super-food. (These questions are harder than I thought.)
 
If you could repeat an age, what would it be?

Thirty-seven.  Which I most definitely still am (in my head, at least.) 

What one thing really scares you?

Water.  I'm not even good with a shower or a bath.

 
If you could be someone else for the day, who would it be?

Pick any award-winning writer.  Or an actress with amazing long thick, shiny hair.  On a serious note, I'd like to be my friend's autistic daughter for a day, so I'd know how she's feeling and could help.

Is that all?  I was quite enjoying that.  Anyway, I would hereby like to nominate the marvellous...

Amanda Brittany at Writing Allsorts 

Suzanna Ross Jones

Lydia Jones 

Look forward to reading your answers.  Because I'm nosy.

21st Century Reading

Still wandering down blog-memory lane, I came across this post.

I was pondering the Kindle, which hadn't taken off in the way it has now, and five years on I've finally... FINALLY, given in and got myself one of the blighters.  A Kindle Fire to be exact, but not the latest model, because I'll only use it for reading books and manuscripts, and won't require it to do all the singing and dancing with bells on it's undoubtedly capable of.

In a way I thought it only polite I succumb, as I actually have an eBook out.  It would have been rude not to, really.

It'll never replace the traditional book in my affections, but already I'm a little bit hooked.  It's so easy to carry around, and to read whenever required. At the dentist's, for instance, I'm never called in on time and I had to be called in twice today I was so absorbed in the book I'd started reading.  (Mind you, I hate going to see the dentist so it might have been a bit psychological.)

So at the moment, I have a traditional book for bedtime, an audio-book for the car, and now I can whip out my Kindle (that's not a euphemism) and read wherever I am.  Which can't be a bad thing.

It definitely butters my parsnips.

Up and Down

I was rooting around my blog earlier, feeling nostalgic for the days when I used to be on here every week, and noticed in my 'popular posts' sidebar (there were some, honest) that this one has been perused a lot lately, which was celebrating my 100th post back in the halcyon days of 2008 when I was young, impossibly glamorous, and probably high on cake.

I checked it out, laughed at my own dry wit (what the hell happened to that?) and noticed with a gasp that there were 76 comments underneath.  SEVENTY-SIX??  Even in my heyday I wasn't THAT popular.  Had been people been steadily leaving comments over the last five years, then flouncing off in a huff when I didn't bother responding?

I checked it out immediately, wondering what nuggets of congratulatory wisdom had been left in my absence, and discovered that yes, indeed people HAD been leaving comments - anonymous people, selling sedatives and Viagra.  Which surely cancel each other out?  Oh, and painkillers - presumably for when you've nodded off on the job, slipped off the bed and whacked your head on the skirting board.

Ahem.

It put me in my place, anyway.

But I am going to try and blog more regularly (whether you like it or not) even though it's gone slightly out of fashion, like wearing a bowler hat.  Not that I ever have, but you get my drift.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to place an order for some Egyptian Tramadol - I'll let you know how I get on.

Love is in the Air

My lovely agent decided to offer MY FUTURE HUSBAND for free for a couple of days, to coincide with Valentine's Day, and phoned to announce it had been downloaded almost 6000 times in one day!  To say I was stunned is an understatement.

I'm number one in the free download chart at the moment - Les Mis is number 4. Not that I'm bragging or anything, but we have to grab our pleasures where we can.

What's even more fabulous is my agent can now show those figures to publishers and editors and try to convince them there IS a market for this kind of story, and to offer me a book deal IMMEDIATELY.  

Okay, she'll probably be a lot more polite than that, but I've started to feel cautiously excited all over again - which is probably unwise.  

It did tickle my fancy to see someone in Japan had downloaded a copy - maybe they pressed the wrong button?!

The Next Big Thing

I have been tagged for this Q and A by the lovely Sarah Dunnakey, who I envy desperately for having had a story broadcast on Radio 4 recently.  She's also had success in several high-profile writing competitions, and I can't wait to read her novel.  You can read her answers here.  

Meanwhile here are mine:

What is the working title of your next book?

Put a Spell on You

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book? 

Josie inherits a book of spells and tries to change her life. 

Where did the idea come from for the book? 

I was thinking one day (as you do) how brilliant it would be if you could wave a magic wand to change things.  Then I thought, what if you did but something went horribly wrong ...?

What genre does your book fall under? 

Adult rom-com with magic (is that a genre?)

Which actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I find it really hard to picture actual people playing the parts while I'm writing - as soon as I do they're not my characters any more. Boring, but true I'm afraid!

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I'm inspired mostly by my own desire to write - preferably something silly that will make people smile.  I've always read avidly, but the Adrian Mole books by Sue Townsend, and The Old Girl Network by Catherine Alliott - which I read nearly twenty years ago - made me laugh out loud and I knew that was the kind of fiction I wanted to write.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? 

I’m represented by Lisa Eveleigh of the Richford Becklow agency.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

About nine months.  It was part of a 2-book deal for Random House in Germany so there was no slacking, I had to get on with it. There were several more months of rewriting and editing though.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? 

There's quite a bit about spells and witchcraft in there. I read a lot on the subject to get a feel for it, and even tried out one or two (though I didn't have the proper ingredients, so maybe that's why they didn't work).  It brought back memories of doing a project about witchcraft at school once, so maybe I'm harbouring a secret desire to become one!

Thanks for that Sarah, I rather like answering questions. I'm going to pass on the baton to the talented Deborah Carr, who I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more of in the future.

A little interview

I've being interviewed over on the lovely Maria's blog today, if you fancy a peek.

In the meantime I'm still recovering from a dramatic over-consumption of mince pies, chocolates and Christmas cake, and trying to work off the calories by writing like mad to finish novel 3 - only a chapter or so to go.

Then I'm determined to write and submit a story each week, which I did for most of last year and thoroughly enjoyed.

Hope you've all had a peaceful start to the New Year, and are mostly filled with resolve rather than pastry.

Highlights and Fairy Lights

I don't know where the time's gone this year - though I probably say that every year.  It's been a lovely one writing-wise with quite a few highlights.  My first novel finally came out in Germany and seems to be doing well, thank goodness.

I met my lovely agent, Lisa, and she published My Future Husband as an ebook and even threw a little launch party last week in London, which I thoroughly enjoyed and made the most of, though I managed to knock over and smash a glass of wine.  And that was before I'd even drunk any.

Short story sales have topped 120, which is nice.  I so enjoy writing them, but have had to put them on hold this month to try and finish the draft of my third novel, but I can't wait to get back to them.

My second novel is still out with publishers, and although I haven't heard anything back yet I remain subbornly optimistic.  Whatever happens I won't be giving up writing any time soon - I still love it far too much.

Aside from writing I got over my fear of flying, got on a plane and went to Rome and had a wonderful time - so that was a definite highlight.

Yet again, the Interweb has been a source of support, friendship and inspiration - and terrible procrastination, but we won't mention that.  Thank you everyone for reading and for being there.

I've finally untangled the fairy lights and got them on the tree, so it only remains for me to say, have a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.

I'm so glad the world didn't end after all.

Launched!

After several months of flipping through* the lovely German version of my novel, and scouring the net for favourable reviews (amazingly there are a few) and wondering if I should perhaps learn the language so I could read it myself (God knows why when I wrote it and should know every word), I'm delighted - nay THRILLED - to announce the publication of an ENGLISH ebook version of My Future Husband available to download RIGHT NOW.  (I must stop shouting, it's not professional.)

This turn of events has come about thanks to my agent, Lisa Eveleigh.  As well as being a fabulous agent, who is still badgering publishers to buy my second novel, she and her wonderful team have launched The Paris Press as part of a new writing consultancy and MY FUTURE HUSBAND is their very first publication.

Call me shallow, but I particularly love the cover design and have gazed at it for so long I've almost developed a squint.

Obviously it remains to be seen whether anyone will want to read the damn thing, but if you like your women's fiction with a dollop of humour and a pinch of time-travel - or know someone who does - then it might be up your street.

If not, I'm going to have to buy every single member of my family (even those I haven't seen for decades) an e-reader for Christmas, and bribe them into downloading it.

Talking of Christmas ... no, let's not.  I haven't even started shopping yet.

*I haven't JUST been flipping through the book, otherwise I wouldn't have managed to do any housework.

Flying Pants

I really wanted to write a new blog post, but wasn't sure what to write about or where to start so I thought I'd just start writing and see where it took me, which is often what I do with my short stories. 

I think of a first line and take it from there and nine times out of ten it works. A theme emerges a couple of paragraphs in, and I start to get excited as I know at that point I'm going to have a (hopefully) decent story. 

I've started applying the same principle to novel number 3, as I'd got a bit blocked and kept going over the same chapters, editing, honing, tweaking, primping (and occasionally going off to make cakes) instead of actually making any progress.

As November is National Novel Writing Month I thought I'd take the opportunity to get the final 40,000 words of the first draft finished, and so far it's working a treat.  I don't always know when I sit down to write how the chapter is going to pan out, but somehow it always does, and the more I write the more the ideas come flooding in, and the more I can see how it's all going to be tied up at the end.

I'm not sure this 'flying by the seat of your pants' style of writing is advisable for everyone, but while it's working I'm going to carry on and hope I don't fall down a massive plot-hole at some point and break my ankle.

And look - I've made a blog post!

(Ooh and by the way, my trip to Rome (seems AGES ago now) was fantastic, and I'm so glad I made the effort to get on that plane.  I can't say I'd be happy to travel to the other side of the world now, but I know I can cope with a couple of hours in the air.  And Italian ice-cream is amaaaaaazing.)

Interview with Mel Sherratt

I'm delighted to welcome the lovely Mel Sherratt to my blog today. 

Mel sold over 50,000 copies of her beselling crime novel Taunting the Dead last year, and her latest, Behind a Closed Door is released today. I've had the pleasure of reading it, and I'm confident it's going to be another well-deserved success for Mel.

She's a phenomenally busy woman, but I've managed to pin her down and ask her a few writing related questions.

1)  What’s a typical writing day for you, Mel?

I always get up early, around 6am, so when I’m drafting a book I use the first two hours a day to either catch up on emails or write blog posts etc with my laptop on the settee. Once the battery needs recharging, I head to my office. I’ve only recently made a room into an office but I can’t tell you the difference it has made. I don’t have Twitter on my PC so from ten until one I write. A quick break for lunch and writing again until four. Then that’s me done for the day writing wise – unless I’m nearing the end of the draft. When my brain takes over, I have to work until it’s done so I’ll often write for a few hours extra during the evenings on the last couple of weeks. It’s the same when I’m editing, although I only do this during the day as I need time to switch off. 

2)  What’s been your experience of trying to get a publishing deal?

Really, you have time to listen? Well, pull up a chair… The short version is that I tried for twelve years to get a traditional deal but unfortunately it wasn’t to be. Then last summer I started to study Amazon’s Kindle, and some of the authors on there, and wondered if I should have a go at self-publishing. At first, I did it to see if I could get a sales figure to tempt a publisher but then the book just took off. So, I’m still looking for a deal but not for Taunting the Dead.

3)  You released your gritty crime novel, Taunting the Dead, as an eBook.  Would you publish this way again?

Yes, I’ve recently released two in a series of psychological thrillers called The Estate. Somewhere to Hide is the first one, released in July and, whereas with Taunting the Dead it was a whodunit as a crime is solved, in this one I wanted to write more about the effects of crime. I want readers to guess the ‘twist’ early on in this book so that they read with this in mind, hopefully building up the tension. I’ve just released the next book too, Behind a Closed Door. Although I’m self-publishing this series, I never give up hope of working with a publisher. Indeed, I’m writing something with that in mind now.  

4)  Taunting the Dead did incredibly well, reaching number 3 in the bestseller charts, and achieved brilliant reviews on Amazon. Did you do a lot of marketing?

Actually, I was going to say no. I did a few guest blog posts around the launch of Taunting the Dead but that was all. But then I got to thinking that maybe my marketing was to price the book at 99p initially. As an unknown author, and as there were lots of books selling for 99p, I thought it would be a good way to get my name out and see if anyone liked my style. As more and more ebooks are being released at low prices, even 20p on Amazon in some cases of price matching with Sony ebooks, I’m not sure how successful this would be now. But luckily for me, I have a base to build on.   

5)  I’m very bad at self-promotion. What’s the key to doing it successfully without annoying anyone?! 

Honestly? I don’t think self-promotion works that well. I use Twitter as a virtual office, a place to catch up with my friends too, so I get annoyed when I constantly see ‘buy my book’ links in my timeline. The odd one or two around launch are fine – we all need to do that. But I go on Twitter to chat so I don’t really want to read someone’s latest five star review… it won’t tempt me to buy a book. I’d be more inclined to click on a link to a good blog post, get to know an author and then download a sample of their book. I love going on to blogs and getting to know a writer. Having said that, even then, the ten percent download that I read has to be good enough to entice me to click the buy button.

I do have a separate author page on Facebook. This is where I know I can link to things that people who follow me may want to see. It’s also a great place to get to know readers and have a chat with them too. There’s nothing better than having a message left by someone who has enjoyed something that you have created. 

So I guess it’s the same-old, same-old. Write the best book you can and readers will find it through word of mouth.

6)  What’s been the most difficult aspect of your writing journey so far?

Rejections from publishers have been the toughest for me. I haven’t had many, but enough to enable the self-doubt to surface. Inferiority over feeling second best by self-publishing is another aspect (although countless authors I know tell me I shouldn’t feel that way.)  And every time I hear of someone getting a book deal, I think ‘why not me?’ The market for a traditional deal is so tough at the moment and self-publishing did work for me. But I’m not sure I’d like to do it forever. I’m keeping my options open.   

7)  Have you always written ‘gritty’ fiction?  What draws you to it?

I haven’t always written gritty fiction. I do write women’s fiction under a pen name too but it isn’t your typical girly gossip books. These books are about working class girls with issues, so I guess I am a gritty writer through and through.

What draws me to the grit is that I like to see the underdog doing well. I like to create normal, realistic characters who sometimes fall as low as they can go and then they get back up again by the end of the book. So throughout the books in The Estate series, there are some very strong women who, with a little help from their friends, get through some terrible situations and take life changing journeys.

8)  Allie Shenton from Taunting the Dead is a strong character many women will relate to.  Is she based on anyone you know?

Allie isn’t based on anyone in particular. She’s strong, she’s also warm, passionate, vulnerable and I think a little bit sexy. She goes after what she wants and also fights for what is right. But she is as down-to-earth as you or I. I also wanted a female protagonist who was in a loving marriage and happy with her life to be thrown into turmoil when she had feelings for another man.   (I loved Allie, she a great character - I can imagine her on TV!) 

9)  What are you working on at the moment?

As mentioned, I’ve just finished Behind a Closed Door where I focussed on Josie Mellor. She’s a housing officer and works on the Mitchell Estate. There are a spate of burglaries and assaults taking their toll on her tenants, plus Josie deals with a lot of domestic violence issues, and when her home life starts to mirror her working life, she knows she’s in trouble. It’s full of secrets and lies. 

Now that’s finished, it will be full steam ahead to get the next book, Fighting for Survival, ready. I’m also drafting out a psychological thriller. Then I might take a break for Christmas! 

10) What’s the biggest myth about being a writer?

That there is a book in everyone. Sure, the idea is there. But it takes guts and determination to write it up into 100,000 words, rework it, craft it, edit it, research it, hone it, edit again, listen to constructive criticism, edit it again and ignore your family and friends for months on end. But it is great fun too! 

11) If you could give aspiring writers one piece of advice, what would it be?

Don’t rush things. Let ideas ferment and go with the flow. And sometimes, for me, it’s as simple as giving it up for the day, sleeping on it, waking up and sitting down again. I seem to have a very active mind and wake up with so many plot-holes solved. 

Also, if you feel an idea isn’t working, you don’t have to finish it – unless you’ve started several things without finishing, then that’s procrastination. But sometimes admitting something isn’t working can unblock you.

12) It’s my belief all writers love cake.  What’s your favourite?

Ooh, great question. For me it has to be Bailey’s cheesecake, with extra Baileys!

 

Great answers, Mel thank you.  And lots of luck with your novel.  I'm in awe of your output.

 

You can find Mel's website here

 

Mel tweets at @writermels and you can also find her on Facebook

Time and Tide

Is it me, or does this year seem to be hurtling towards Christmas?

I'm so sorry for unleashing the C word already, but I've been trying to get in the mood so I can write some festive magazine stories - not easy when the sun's blazing and you're trying to get a last minute tan before the clocks go back and we're plunged into darkness in the middle of the afternoon, unpacking our mittens and thermal undies for the long cold winter ahead.

Ahem.  Got a bit carried away there.

Anyway, I've tried humming carols and supping hot chocolate and Googling all manner of sentimental snow scenes, but instead I keep picturing cornflower blue skies, shimmering sea, hunky surfers with wind-tousled hair (that's another story altogether) and sand between my toes. 

This is possibly because my daughter is currently holidaying in Greece and keeps texting me daily updates of how scorching hot it is, and how she's going to be swimming all day, followed by a bit of swanning about in thin clothing in the balmy evenings.  It's all right for some.

Also, Lovely Husband has booked a long weekend in Rome for the two of us next weekend, which I'm simultaneously excited and terrified about.  Long-time readers of this blog will recall how scared I am of flying, and that I've only been abroad once - 24 years ago.  Every time I think about it I have to swallow a scream.

Nevertheless, I'm determined to embrace the experience and stop being such a wuss, and figure as long as I can read a good book on the plane, or even do a spot of writing, the time will, er, fly by and we'll be there in no time.  In one piece.  With my sanity intact.

Actually, I can't wait.  I crave the sun in the winter months, so hopefully I can stock up while I'm there.

And on that note ... 'ding, dong, merrily on high ...'

'we're all going on a summer holiday ...'

I'm confused.  But excited. 

And scared.

(No news from my agent, but we'll gloss over that ...)