This a summary of the highs and lows of my writing this month.
Hitting 300 Followers
This might not be a lot for some blogs but for mine it is an epic milestone. I think I should celebrate.
Editing
Oh dear! I really haven’t made much progress on this. It’s rather disappointing. But, I won’t let it defeat me.
Next month is Camp NaNo and I will be taking part. Together with my reading notes and developmental feedback, I will be attempting to achieve a hefty goal of editing 85k words ready for ARC readers.
World Indie Warriors Brochure
I was still chasing authors for content in March. I mainly had to work on my mobile phone. With an increased interest and a new design and look, this was a much bigger project thank I anticipated.
Somehow, I managed to get the proofs out a week before the end date. There were a few amendments requested and I got these done and a preview posted on the Facebook page for everyone to see while we worked on uploading it to the website. When I say we… I passed this task to J D Groom as I didn’t want to mess the website up.
Working From Home
With Covid-19 on the rise many of the companies I visit are either working from home or no longer accepting visitors.
This has involved me having to adapt my working practice to the changing business world. I have been preparing resources I need to enable me to work from home. And, I’ve been preparing my students for how online learning and assessments will work.
I’ve also been supporting colleagues with the change and finding news ways to keep connected. My greatest challenge will be working and keeping two kids entertained and out of trouble.
Home Schooling
Due to Covid-19, all schools are now closed except to students of critical key workers that have no other option. This is to reduce contact.
I am a bit nervous about my ability to do this but I’ll try my best. There are lots of people online supporting each other and sharing resources.
My difficulty is that I won’t be able to give Noah my full attention as I will be working and caring for Aria.
Covid-19
If you follow my blog, you will be aware I have been concerned about this disease since I learned about the outbreak in Wuhan back in January.
Back then I felt silly about my fears. My worry about an outbreak in the UK seemed irrational. It is unlike me to worry about such things. But, I felt so strongly I embarrassed myself in-front of friends and family by raising my concerns and encouraging social distancing.
Now the government is encouraging social distancing. It frustrates me that some people still don’t get it but now those I love are starting to see how serious this is.
My heart goes out to my best friend and her colleagues working in a London hospital on the frontlines.
Mother’s Day
This was an odd Mother’s Day. I didn’t visit my mum. I called and told her I love her, to stay safe and if she wanted anything from the shops.
Noah had made me a card at school. He had hid it so well at home he couldn’t find it so Rob helped him make a new one. Rob had bought me a gift from the kids and a perfume. I felt very spoilt and loved.
It was an uneventful day but I got to cuddle my kids and we are healthy. And, right now, that’s all I want. Good health for all.
Story Seller Academy by Pagan Malcolm
I have not had time to look anymore at the course or content. Now the brochure is done, I’m hoping I will have some free time to appreciate my access to this fabulous course.
From being around 12 years old I’ve had a love for books, which evolved to fantasy. From as far as I can remember, my dream has been to see my very own book on the shelves of Waterstones and WHSmiths, etc.
Way back in 2006/7 my now husband and I went to visit Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. The huge cliff faces of the gorge cutting through the earth and the story of the Wookey Hole Witch are what sparked the beginnings of Sorceress of Truth.
How long did it take to write and publish from the first idea?
From my initial idea, I spent a year or so on a fact finding mission. I really wanted to lay down the foundations of my characters back stories and origins of the races, though there have still been a number of surprises along the way.
Up until November 2015 I’d written no more than 20,000 words. I had a lot of other things happening in my life, so writing became something that I picked up every now and again. That is until I discovered NaNoWriMo.
It gave me the boost I needed to write ‘The End’ and I finally published in November 2019.
What genre is Sorceress of Truth and can you name any similar books?
I class Sorceress of Truth as a YA urban fantasy with a hint of paranormal romance.
I’m massively inspired by Richelle Mead, Cassandra Clare, and P.C. and Kristin Cast. Collectively their works fill the majority of my bookshelves. I guess you could say that Sorceress of Truth deals with a similar discovery journey as the House of Night series. At the same time, the different races are a lot more integrated into normal society, like the Vampire Academy books.
Where is the novel set and do you have a personal connection to the location?
The novel is set in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and the surrounding area. The small town of Springs is loosely based around somewhere I lived whilst completing my own Alevel’s, with a few artistic differences.
Why did you choose to self publish?
I would say self publishing chose me!
Initially I wanted to go with traditional publishing, although I wasn’t keen of having an agent. That massively reduced the already short list of publishing houses who would accept my submission.
I did everything right. I read the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook, wrote a synopsis and short bio, batched everything up as per the publishers requirements, hit send, and waited. And waited.
Eventually I had a few replies, ‘Thank you, but no thank you.’, and I found myself at a crossroads.Should I continue pursuing the golden ticket, or should I re-evaluate what I wanted out of my writing?
There were many factors when it came to my decision, one of those being reaching the top 250 out of 3112 entries in the UK Novel Writing Competition with an early, poorly edited, version.
Self publishing won.
That’s not to say it’s been the easier option. From my experience, and from stories I’ve heard, self publishing can often be a much harder and braver option. Though, in some ways, the rewards are so much sweeter.
Please share a snippet or teaser from the book?
“So, I’m going to wake up in two months time and be able to shoot bolts of lightning from my fingers? Or, is this your way of telling me I’m being shipped off to some school for magic?” I glared at Ky with my fists by my side, the nails digging into my fleshy palms. It was the only way I could think of to make me feel something, to make sure this wasn’t all some twisted dream.
“Your family seems to have eluded The Guard for many years.”
“The Guard?” That piqued my interest, and not in a good way. I still didn’t know much about them, and an uneasy feeling churned within my stomach.
“The Guard was formed hundreds of years ago. There’s a prophecy that, one day, a powerful sorceress will cast a demon, Belial, into the mouth of hell.”
Belial? Hell? Was everyone here crazy?
I pushed myself from the tree and began striding back towards the house. There was no way I was going to get caught up in all of this. Next, they’re going to tell me that there are unicorns roaming the woods and mermaids living in the lake.
There are two love interests in your novel, which is most like your man?
This is really hard because all of my characters are an amalgamation of friends, family, acquaintances, even characters from books I’ve read and films I’ve seen. My husband is a great dad, and very supportive of me and my many crazy ideas, so he definitely has a lot of Kylan in him. On the other hand, as a gamer and anime watcher, he does tend to have a soft spot for the darker and more troubled characters.
Tell me about a typical day in the life of author Jodie Groom.
To be honest, in my eyes, my day is pretty boring to anybody looking in.
I start my day with my phone alarm going off several times before I eventually crawl out of bed and wake my daughter for school. Once the school run is out the way I try and do half an hour or so of exercise in the living room followed by breakfast and coffee.
Begrudgingly I try to fit in an hour or two of housework, or related tasks, then turn to the computer to deal with email and social media posts. If I’m feeling creative I will try to write, but it’s rare.
After lunch, I’ll do more housework and jobs that have built up, before picking my daughter up from school again. Sometimes she has clubs etc so I act as taxi, and once home, we cook and eat dinner.
This normally brings me to about 7pm when my husband takes over and does the whole bedtime routine, allowing me to get on with whatever I need to be doing on the computer. Sometimes that’s writing, sometimes it’s creating video’s and trailers, and sometimes it’s updating my website.
Time seems to fly pretty quickly then. I’m at my most creative at night and, if I’m having a really good writing session, I have been known to stay up past 3am. Which is another reason why I loathe my alarm clock and the morning school run.
Some day’s I spend a lot of time up at school helping with the PTA activities, and other day’s I can be quite involved with tasks for World Indie Warriors. Every day is different and comes with its own challenges. For now, I may be a stay at home mom, but I definitely don’t see myself fitting into any of the regular stereotypes.
What project are you currently working on?
I always have many pies on the go, I can’t help it. I learned very early on that I get fed up easily so have to be able to switch to something else. It’s not just in my writing, it seems to be in most things.
I’ve recently turned my focus back to Sorceress of Flame, the second instalment of the Divine Prophecy Series. We continue Tory’s journey but this time it will be NA rather than YA. It wasn’t intentional but Tory is growing up, maturing, and so it felt fitting that he story followed the same path.
In the background I’m also writing a 3 book series, whose working title is The Don of Avery, which I can’t wait to unleash. It’s a dark mafia romance set in Leeds that definitely isn’t YA.
Where can we find out more and buy Sorceress of Truth?
Sorceress of Truth is available in print and ebook from all good book shops, such as Warterstones, Barnes & Nobel, Apple etc. Or you can purchase direct from Amazon.
I try to post regularly on my website, www.jdgroom.com , where there is information about upcoming events that I’m attending. Alternatively, Instagram is where I mostly hang out.
Annabelle is your second published book but the first book you self published. Why did you choose to self publish?
I self-published Annabelle because it’s a novella, and getting a traditional publisher to consider a novella is…well, rather difficult. Only later did I decide to self-publish all my books. Part of that decision was born of impatience. Traditional publishers take months, sometimes even a year, to get back to you, and only accept about 1% of the manuscripts submitted to them. It can take years to get a book deal. So, while I was wasting time and energy on query letters and five different synopses of different lengths for each manuscript, along with one sentence summaries, summaries of varying page lengths, and all manner of other things (formatted differently for each publisher or agent) to even submit…All my work was gathering dust. Since I write quickly, the manuscripts were also piling up. So I did some more research and found that self-publishing would be a better fit for me. Having creative control and the final say on each step played a huge role, as did the fact that most of the marketing (a.k.a. the part I really wanted a traditional publisher for) is up to the author in traditional publishing, unless the author is already famous.
Annabelle by Elexis Bell (Blurb)
What genre is this book and can you name any similar books?
Annabelle is a bit of a hybrid. It’s a thriller, specifically a vigilante justice story set within a western. I’m terrible with comparisons, but one reviewer said that fans of Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn or The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins will like Annabelle.
Please share a snippet or teaser from Annabelle?
I walk along the main road of another dirty western town and sashay past the saloon, knowing my prey follows close behind. My silken yellow dress and all of its lace flows behind me, trailing in the dust.
I can hear him getting closer but pretend to be so absorbed in the folds of my parasol that I don’t notice. Really, I’m checking over the mechanisms concealed within it, making sure that everything is in working order.
I turn down a bare alleyway as the sun begins to dip below the horizon. He follows. Still, I pretend not to notice that anything at all is amiss. A smile spreads across my features.
Where did you come up with the idea of a weaponized parasol?
Annabelle was originally inspired by a statuette made of starched doilies, which actually became a gift for someone else. I was looking at it as I boxed and wrapped it, and just imagined it coming to life, twirling its delicate little parasol. But my mind doesn’t really leave things…delicate. It very quickly morphed, becoming something much darker. For the time period, a parasol was a perfectly acceptable thing for a girl to carry, making it a perfect concealed weapon.
What do you want readers to get out of your book?
The courage to speak up. Now, obviously, I don’t endorse serial vigilantism. But victims of sexual assault need to speak out, and people need to take it seriously. Victim blaming NEEDS to be a thing of the past, as does sexual assault. But neither of those things will ever happen if people keep ignoring or hiding or minimizing the problem.
If you could have any super power what would you choose and why?
Either flying or teleportation. I’ve always wanted to be able to fly, but the idea of not having to spend days in a car or hours on a plane to travel is pretty appealing.
Tell me about a typical day in the life of author Elexis Bell.
Usually, it starts with me posting to my author pages from the passenger seat as my husband drives us to work. Then, I spend the day brainstorming while working in the factory. Repetitive work, mostly comprised of muscle memory, is great for thinking through story arcs and world building. After work, I do chores around the house and watch an episode or two of one of our shows with my husband. Then, somewhere between midnight and 2am, I start writing or editing. I don’t usually go to bed until 5 or 6am. On days off, I just start earlier on my book stuff.
Where can we find out more and buy your books?
My website has information and links for all my published works, as well as little tidbits about my WIPs. My blog is chock full of (blunt) writing advice and updates on all my work. www.elexisbell.com
If you follow my blog then you will already know that my big plan for 2020 is to publish my debut novel. Publishing a novel has always been my big dream. I want to see my book in bookshops, online stores, on bookstagrams but not just one book, many.
I’m so focused on publishing my novel I often forget about my previous published works. Today, I am going to delve down memory lane and share my previously printed work.
Articles
I was born in East London and raised a Leyton Orient Football Club fan. My dad took me to matches every Saturday. We would sit in the stands, eating a hot-dog and listening to Tijuana Taxi and chanting, “Come on you Os!” and some other chants with naughty words that you wouldn’t believe crossed my lips.
The Os Fanzine were the first official publication to print my writing. I was just a kid but I decided to design kits and merchandise for fans (especially kids) and they shared my article and drawings in the magazine.
Since then I have written a number of blog articles on a wide range of topics (writing, gaming, sex and fashion). The most recent was on conservation regarding Orangutans for Ginger Parrot.
Stories
These pics were taken in 2010 when my short contemporary romance, Cherry Blossom, was printed in the Scribblers Anthology. The proceeds of the sale went to charity.
Scriblers is a local writing group in Felixstowe that I once was a regular member. The fortnightly writing challenges were a lot of fun but the best part about the group was meeting up with other writers that were as passionate as me. I like to check in with them from time to time and it is always a joy to see familiar faces.
Have you published anything?
I often don’t count any of the above as be published, but the articles and anthology have been stepping stones towards my ultimate goal. I am so thankful for opportunities I have been given and that the above deemed me worthy of printing.
Sometimes I am so focused on what I’m trying to achieve I fail to acknowledge my achievement along the way. This year, I am going to try to be more mindful and take a moment to acknowledge how far I have come.
I’m not an aspiring author, I am an author. I have published works. Next, year, I hope to be able to add novel to this list of accomplishments.
This a summary of the highs and lows of my writing this month.
Sick
Eugh! February did not start out good. I felt incredibly tired for three days and then felt better for two days. Then I was very sick. Followed by my son being very sick. Followed by my husband being very sick. And, I literally mean sick! Luckily, my daughter did not get sick and she kept our spirits up.
Sadly, her turn came later in the month when she caught a bad cold and couldn’t breathe due to a blocked nose. It was the worst night ever. I sat up cuddling her and couldn’t sleep for worrying. Then, the next day she cried over every little thing because she was tired. Even though I wasn’t ill, it took its toll on me.
Story Seller Academy
The end of last month I won a place on this content rich course by Pagan Malcolm. So far I have done Module 1 which is about mindset. I thought I had a good mindset but she called me out on some fears I had been ignoring but are definitely there and holding me back.
I need to figure out a way to fit this course into my life as I can tell it is full of information I am going to need in the coming months.
Website New Look
When I bought my site last month I discovered the theme I use is no longer supported. So, this month I updated to a new theme.
This also prompted me to review my site pages. My home page is now ‘my books’ instead of my blog. My home page also features my three most recent book reviews!
I recently learnt that Instagram doesn’t like Link Tree and shadow banned a friend for using a Link Tree link in their profile. I use Link Tree too but thankfully not been shadow banned. To be cautious the link is now to my website.
World Indie Warrior’s Brochure
I have been raising awareness to remind people that if they are an indie creative then they can be included.
I also wrote my first blog post for World Indie Warriors with more details about submissions for the brochure.
My Newsletter
I have been putting together the final touches to my newsletter and sent it on Tuesday, 25 Feb.
Be sure to sign up to make sure you don’t miss out on future emails. A form should pop up on the site to enable this but if you don’t see it, click my link tree at the end of this post and you’ll see a link to sign up.
20 years together
We didn’t get to celebrate as we were ill but we are so happy together. We have our family home, cats, kids and so much love.
Half Term
Tye month included February half term. The week started with Noah having his best friends over to play. And, the week ended in tears due to freezing cold weather at a farm.
In addition, Aria is not sleeping well at night. And, my husband and I juggled childcare around our work commitments. Those that usually help us out couldn’t.
Some days, I felt so exhausted it was an effort to get through the day. Some times I felt I was failing my kids as we didn’t do enough. But, when I asked Noah his thoughts, he told me about cuddling a bunny and bottle feeding a lamb. And, he loved having his friends over so much, he kept his room tidy. I taught him to play cards and, even though he lost, he’s determined to beat me.
Coronavirus
I was starting to feel safe again. I began to convince myself that it is under control and the cases in China were slowing down. But, with the sudden rapid rise in numbers for South Korea and Italy, I am back to worrying.
It saddens me to see how cruel some people are towards those that are suffering. It looks truly terrifying to have an invisible enemy that causes so much heartbreak. My heart goes out to all those affected.
On a positive note though, I am thinking of using all my research to write a Dystopian novel about the after mass of a deadly virus. To stop myself running away with the idea, I will lock the plot bunny in the vault. I must not allow it to distract me from publishing the Soul Heart series.
Have you heard the terms Beta reader and ARC reader. Ever wonder what they mean? Here is a simple info graphic breaking down the difference.
Another term occasionally used is Alpha Reader. This is someone who reads a very early draft. Usually it is someone who is known personally by the author.
Beta and ARC readers might be voluntary or a paid service.
My Beta Readers
My goal was to be seeking Beta readers by the end of February. Unfortunately, I am still editing so this is more realistically going tao be end of March,
My plan is to use BetaBooks. It is a platform where you can share you book and gather feedback from Beta Readers. Readers can sign up for free. Writers can use it for free or pay for additional features.
I want to give it a go is because initially it looks really promising. Of course, I’ll review it afterwards to help other writers decide if it is right for them. Once I’ve used the site I will be able to talk about it in more details.
Please let me know if you are interested in being a Beta Reader and how best to notify you. I am most likely to do a shout out on IG.
My ARC Readers
Currently my plan is to either use BetaBooks to share my ARC or to send it as a pdf document if I or readers don’t get on with the site.
I expect the ARC copy will be in a manuscript format. While they read, I will get it formatted for print and eBook, and once I know the page count I will be able to get the cover finalised.
I am hoping my ARC readers will be able to provide reviews in time for release. It would be a bonus if they are able to highlight quotes from my novel that captures the essence of the book that I can use for marketing.
Please let me know if you are interested in being an ARC Reader and how best to notify you. Again, I am most likely to do a shout out on IG.
What genre is Crown of Conspiracy and can you name any similar books?
Crown of Conspiracy is a court-intrigue high-fantasy book, although I’ve heard it called epic fantasy as well. I’d say it’s new adult, others have said young adult, but because I know where book 2 is going, YA is out of the question.
Similar books I think would be by Trudi Canavan (Age of the Five, the Black Magician trilogy), perhaps the Kushiel Series by Jacqueline Carey. I think my writing style has certainly been inspired by these amazing female authors.
What inspired you to write Crown of Conspiracy?
Writing Crown of Conspiracy started out as a challenge to do NaNoWriMo 2018. I had no idea what to write, until I remember the four lines of the prophecy I came up with over 15 years ago. I remembered the MC (Shalitha) of the story idea I had way back when and decided to roll with it.
When I started writing, I had no idea where the story would go. In fact, it took me writing a first draft, and a second completely different draft to get a much clearer idea.
How long did the first book take to write from the first idea to publishing?
Eight months. I started writing CoC, as mentioned before, during Nano 2018, and I published the book in June 2019.
How many books do you anticipate in the series and is the whole series plotted out?
Currently, I anticipate 4 full novels in the Ilvannian Chronicles, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up writing novellas too from the PoV of side characters; or novellas of events that happened in between the main books. I already have ideas for that.
Can you share tips from your world building process?
Oof, hard. I’m a pantser, so I write as I go, which means my world is built as I go. What I try to do though is draw inspiration from cultures we have around the world and give it my own twist.
I know there’s tips out there which go as far as thinking about the sewage system and where waste goes, which is totally fair, but I wouldn’t get to that until the end, and here’s why. The chances of you writing about that, unless your characters have to escape through said system (for example) aren’t as high as for example learning about their way of life. My tip would be to think about HOW the world around your character influences them and go from there.
Characters and their surroundings go hand in hand; their immediate surroundings create their beliefs, their morals, their values. Think about those first, and continue onwards.
I loved the MC, Shalitha. She is such a strong character. Who inspired the character?
I’m glad you did! I think she goes two ways. People either like her, or don’t. Some people see her as strong, others as weak—to me, she’s both. She’s not infallible. She makes a lot of rookie mistakes in book one, and then tries to deal with the outcome as best she can.
As for who inspired her… I think in a way, I modelled her a lot after my own experiences, or rather, someone I would like to be in the future; strong, a fighter, someone who doesn’t do nonsense, fuelled by sarcasm and witty remarks while still able to care and love.
Crown of Conspiracy blurb
Please share a snippet or teaser from the book.
Having something to do took my mind off the worst of things. When I picked up a book to place it back on the shelf, a piece of paper fell out. I nearly dropped it when I saw what it was—a clear overview of names with suspicions scribbled below them. Xaresh had found out much more than he’d led me to believe.
“Fool,” I murmured. “You stupid, wonderful fool.”
A knock on the door alarmed me and I spun around to see Evan sticking his head around the corner, a smile on his face. I folded the piece of paper behind my back and tucked it deep inside my boot.
“Is everything all right?” he asked with a frown as he saw me hopping around on one leg. “Eh, Elara said you’d be here.”
“I’m fine. Got something in my shoe.”
Tell me about a typical day in the life of Kara S. Weaver?
A typical day in my life? Hah! Welcome to the madhouse.
A typical day for me would be a work day, I guess, where I get up between 5 and 5.15 am, shower, dress, and slap on some make-up so I only look like half a zombie. I prefer getting up before my husband and kids so I can wake up properly without anyone harassing me. I am a morning person, but 5am is pushing it. My husband and kids wake up 6am; I dress them while he gets ready. At 6.45am I leave the house for work. It’s a 45 minute drive, but I don’t mind it as much. It gives me time to think, listen (and sing) to music, plot, whatever.
Then I teach from around 9am to 3pm, go home, pick up the kids from daycare and plop on the couch.
After that, I either read/write/edit/revise/do what needs to be done. My husband cooks, thankfully. It’s something I really do not enjoy doing. After that it’s time to get the kids ready for bed, and depending on how tired I am, I do something for myself and go to bed at 9pm.
Kara S Weaver – Author Bio
What project are you currently working on?
I am currently working on Dance of Despair, book 2 in the Ilvannian Chronicles, although by the time this goes online, I wouldn’t be surprised if I have started on book 3!
BREAKING NEWS: Dance of Despair will be available to buy on 27 February 2020!
Where can we find out more and buy Crown of Conspiracy?
If you follow me on Instagram @kara_s_weaver or go to my website www.karasweaver.com you can find more information about the The Ilvannian Chronicles. Crown of Conspiracy is available on Amazon as paperback, ebook and even on Kindle Unlimited.
Recently, on Instagram we have been discussion how to create a catchy novel title. It appears to be a very personal decision. Some people can’t name their novel until they have finished whereas I can’t start my novel until I have a name for it. Although, as you will see,my ‘working’ titles are not set in stone.
Here is a collection of some of the covers I have created for my debut novel over the years (there are more). I am now going with Ocean Heart.
Originally my book was called Drift. You will also notice one called Wipeout. At one point my novel was two books but during a brutal edit, I cut loads and they became one.
In 2019, I tore my novel apart (again), deleted loads and added new content. It changed so much since the first draft, I renamed it Jewel of the sea.
My novel is now set for a new venture as I enter the world of Self Publishing. Now, I am paying for editors and working with other professionals to take my novel to print. As a result I have renamed my novel again. The new title is Ocean Heart.
I have no idea what the new cover will look like. Once I finish my current edit and know the final word count, I will instruct a professional cover designer. But for now… edits.
This a summary of the highs and lows of my writing this month.
New Title
You may have seen in other posts that I have renamed Jewel of the Sea as Ocean Heart. In my pursuit of self publishing I am getting my book professionally edited and I want the new improved version to be easily identifiable.
Not only that but I have also renamed book 2, Diamond in the Sky as Sky Heart. The name for the whole series will be Soul Heart.
Keep your eye out for my upcoming post on ‘Creating a Catchy Novel Title’. Follow to get notified.
My Domain
My first achievement for 2020 was purchasing my domain. That’s right, as of 1 January 2020, you will now see my site is www.allyaldridge.com!
My current theme is no longer supported so I need to look at updating that in the upcoming months.
Ill
I hadn’t factored in getting ill but it has really knocked my schedule back. Luckily, this happened before Ocean Heart was back from the Developmental Editor so there is no urgency there. It has impacted my progress towards finishing Sky Heart.
Then my husband caught the lurgy. I am allowing him to rest and picking up the slack. This has impacted my free time to work on my projects.
Mighty Network
I have been exploring creating a Mighty Network. It is a social site for creatives. I’m currently a member of a Mighty Network by Willow Editing. I have been Beta Testing a self-editing course by Elzevera of Willow Editing.
I am considering the network as a potential way to share extra bits with my readers. I am also exploring it as a space to share writing resources as many of my followers are fellow writers.
Click here for my ambassador link and create a Mighty Creator profile. Then you can join Mighty Networks that interest you and see what I am on about. Let me know what you think.
NB: The link above is an ‘ambassador’ link for sharing the network but I don’t know what ambassadors get for doing it.
Developmental Feedback
I received my manuscript back from my editor on Mon 13th Jan. At first, I was scared to open it but what Avery McDougall had written was really encouraging and constructive.
I wanted to print it so I can write on my MS where to edit and what to do. Highlight things I want to improve, like telling when I should be showing.
Printing the 18 page report was easy but I had to work out how to print the Google Doc with comments. Then I had to find a local printer to print it for me as it was around 360 pages long.
The guy at Felix Press Limited was really helpful and it was ready to collect in just a few hours!
Fear
Since printing my Manuscript to edit I have been procrastinating. At first, I made excuses but after a few days I was cross with myself for not making progress and asked myself “why?”
Yes, I was tired from lack of sleep, the kids and work. But the crux was that seeing my printed MS felt very real. Editing was another step towards publishing and what if it still isn’t good enough. What if my novel is never going to be good enough?
I think a lot of writers have this fear. Self publishing you are alone with your fears and you don’t have the seal of approval from an agent or publisher encouraging you along.
I gave myself a little prep talk. If I am going to do this, I need to be strong and remember why I am doing this. I made this choice because I would rather do it than forever wonder “what if?”
Read Through
My first task in the editing process is to read my manuscript and I’ve finally beaten the fear and started this.
I am making notes as I go and already have ideas on how to improve. It is very tempting to edit as I go but I want to get a feel of how it reads first. Then, I will use my editors feedback and my new ideas to take my novel forward.
I can’t believe my luck. I’m a huge fan of Pagan Malcolm. Her advice is always sound and backed up by her recent personal experience. I try my best to attend her lives, or watch the catch ups in her Facebook group.
During the last weekend in January she did a giveaway for someone to win a place on her course and I won. The course is perfect for me.
I won a place on Storyseller Academy. This is a course packed with content on launching your novel. I can’t wait to start it & tell you more about it.
Coronavirus
I probably shouldn’t admit this but towards the end of the month I have become increasingly distracted and distressed by events in Wuhan. Some clips I have seen have made me cry. Maybe it is my overactive imagination but I can’t help but feel the situation is far worse than we are being lead to believe.
Sadly, I don’t feel the virus is under control. I am thankful for the NHS in the UK but I worry for the countries that are not as fortunate. I worry for the vulnerable and hope I am overreacting . I must stop checking for updates but I fear by Valentines Day there will be a global pandemic.
I hope you enjoyed this update on how my January went and what I have been doing towards my writing goals. My plan is to post an update each month. I have no idea if this is useful to anyone or if you can relate to my struggles. Please let me know in the comments how your January went and keep writing.
For February, I hope to update my website as the current theme is no longer supported. I want to finish my editing so I can get to the next step in my publishing plan and I will stop checking #WuFlu updates as it is not productive. What would be more productive would be to read the information on the self-study course I won, Storyteller Academy.
This year, I am going to be publishing my debut novel. I will be blogging about how I’m getting on but the subscribers to my newsletter will often be the first to know big news and get exclusive offers.
Cover Reveal
I can see me sharing this on Instagram but in my newsletter I plan to share what went into the making of the cover.
Beta Readers
After the professional developmental edit (and self-edit), I want a last round of Betas to gauge how readers respond to the new version. These Betas will be the final seal of approval before I send my novel off for a line edit.
If you want to be amongst the first to read Ocean Heart then being a subscriber will tell you how and when you can become a Beta Reader.
Arc Readers
Once all is done, I will be looking for readers willing to write an honest review of my novel for release.
I’m hoping to share positive quotes from the reviews to help reach potential buyers once Ocean Heart is released.
I will be preparing a Press Kit for bloggers containing things such as the cover image, blurb and my author pic and bio for them to use.
Release Date
This will definitely be confirmed in my newsletter. Subscribers will be kept up to date with my publishing timeline. If for any reason there is a delay, subscribers will be the first to know.
Where to buy
Subscribers will know what formats Ocean Heart is available in and where it can be bought. I’m hoping to make it as easy as possible for everyone to access in a format that works for them.
Book Deals and Freebies
Whenever there is a special deal or discount, I will let my subscribers know. I also plan to create some bookish items to go with my books and hope to plan giveaways. Some of which will only be available to newsletter subscribers.
Exclusive Content
I have ideas to share with subscribers free short stories or poems from time to time. These may later become available to others and may even cost money. But, you, a subscriber, will get it first and for free!
Events
My news letter will often share details about what I have been up to but I hope in the future I will be able to tell my subscribers about what is coming up.
It still feels scary to think about but I want to be brave and do author signings and talks. I also enjoyed doing Facebook Lives last year and would love to let you know if I am hosting any other online events.
Want to know more?
I manage my newsletter using Mail Chimp and currently post towards the end of every other month. My next newsletter is planned for 25 Feb 2020.
The reason I send it out on the last Tuesday of every other month. This is to enable me time to write the letter and to do cool writery or bookish stuff to tell you about.
There is a possibility I will mail you more frequently, for example if there is important news like a discount that cannot wait until my next newsletter.
How to subscribe?
It is simple, just fill in this form to give your details and permission and you will be signed up.
Don’t worry, if you change your mind, you can unsubscribe but I cannot imagine you would want to.
