Cover reveal from my office.

It's always thrilling for an author to see their book cover for the first time. We don't get much input and have to trust the publisher and marketing team know what works, but I've loved them all so far. It was particularly exciting this time as Your Life for Mine is my debut psychological suspense novel - out on October 14th - with a new publisher, but I wasn't disappointed. It perfectly sums up the story and the colours and image are striking, so I couldn't be happier.

Even more nerve-wracking, my book is now on NetGalley where bloggers and reviewers get to read an unproofed copy before publication, so I'll be anxiously chewing my nails, hoping they like it, don't guess the twist (too soon) and don't tell me I should have stuck to writing romantic comedy. Obviously, it won't be everyone's cup of tea, and readers who enjoyed my previous series' may not want to read it, but that's part of the process of switching genre. Maybe I'll win some new fans (a writer can only hope.)

In the meantime, as family continue to work from home and I'm on a deadline for my next book, and expecting edits back next week for my second psychological thriller with Amanda Brittany, I decided it was time to look for somewhere I could work where I wouldn't be disturbed, or sabotage myself by doing housework or popping into the garden every five minutes, and am now proudly renting a tiny office space. 

By tiny, there isn't a window and it's a good job I don't have a cat as there wouldn't be room to swing one, should I wish to (which of course I don't.) It's all I can afford, but I love it, and already feel more productive as there's nothing to focus on but writing - and popping to the kitchen to make cups of tea as necessary (fairly often.) I'm giving myself a forty-minute lunch break, as there are nice gardens nearby where I can sit in and eat a sandwich and think about my book and to take a walk (to think about my book) and so far it's working well. Mind you, it's only day 3 . . .

Talking of the lovely Amanda Brittany, we managed a meet-up a few weeks ago, at a garden centre cafe near her home town, and it was lovely to chat in person, discuss our book and eat cake. And the sun shone too. 

Our first book The Secret Sister is in The Works now and it was lovely to see it on a shelf, in good company.

Still strange times at the moment, with talk of bubbles and masks and shielding, and hard to believe we're into September already, but as always, writing is a great escape and I hope to carry on - once I've watered my plants (the ones in my office, not the garden.)

Hope you're all keeping well.