So I have a book out. What next?

Pre-Order now!

 Apologies for the delay in posting. I am going through some stuff which has affected my anxiety levels and writing and other things have suffered. 

I had a lovely mini-break with a friend to celebrate our 70th birthdays and while I was away, my son had a prang in his car, and despite the damage being only cosmetic, the insurance company wrote the car off. I could have sat down and cried. This was my cousin's car which I gifted to him and he named Mollie-Sue after my cousin and her little dog. It was all very emotional. It seems the other guy, after verbally abusing my son and getting his insurance details from him, locked himself into his car and refused to speak to my son. The guy was speeding and knew it.

I had to get my head around all this while I was going around Shakespeare's birthplace and stepped out of the gift shop to talk to my son on the phone. In some ways, it was good to be distracted and to be with a friend, but for a while I couldn't concentrate.

Things are sorting themselves out, but all this came on top of other things. My go-to help is plugging my earphones in and listening to music (this time it was Depeche Mode and Tears for Fears) and reading almost non-stop just to fill my head with something other than all the problems. 

This wasn't how I was going to start my post, but life has just thrown a lot at me all in one go and maybe now the tunnel isn't quite so dark. Hopefully.

So, to writing and the subject line of this post. I was so thrilled to hold my book How to Take A Lawnmower Home on the Tube.... in my hands. My author copies are down to two left as friends have been buying from me. However, I learned something else (you never stop learning), and this may be obvious to other writers, but not to me....ratings go up when you sell through Amazon and reviews are from 'verified buyers', though I get most royalties selling direct. It's a minefield of swings and roundabouts. My publisher also put the eBook on Kindle Unlimited where I get paid per page read. I didn't do this with my two previous books, so it will be interesting to see how this works and whether it helps with my royalties, but right now I've had around 35p sent to my account! Oh, lets all go out on that, ha!

Thanks to all who have bought so far and left reviews. I've sold more books than I have reviews so far, but I know some are still reading!

And so, to the next book. Tinsel Street is now out for pre-order through Troubador and Amazon, and no it's not too early to talk about Christmas! Again I was thrilled to clutch my box of books and it looks fantastic, and of course it is a fantastic read.

Here are some links to Tinsel Street: 

Troubador: https://troubador.co.uk/bookshop/contemporary/tinsel-street

Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/55vAWLt

You can also get it through Google Play and Apple Books and order through bookshops.

I'm currently looking for a venue to set up an author event locally and hopefully I will have some news on that soon.

So, publishing a book is not the end. There is the constant marketing/promoting one has to do to keep it noticed and looking for new readers. Word of mouth is good, so recommendations and reviews are vital. I've also learned that not all friends will buy my books. I remember once doing a talk to a group I am a member of. They loved the talk, but not one of them bought a book (and I gave away a little booklet of my poetry I had put together on my laptop). If you have bought and read my books, I thank you. If you've left reviews, I am very, very grateful. My goal has always been to share my stories with people. I love writing and cannot imagine life without it.

The life of a writer is never smooth, but I have learned to just about cope with the lows. You need to be thick skinned and I'm not. I know others have given up and some people look down on writers who do. But I understand. I've been there and somehow worked through it. Not everyone can, and I didn't think I could, but I'm still here. I'd never be so disrespectful to those who can't face the rejection and give up. It's just sad that so many good writers never make it, never get the break, never have the support and choose to stop.

Blurb writing -v- Synposis

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

 Writing a synopsis is the hardest thing for any writer. We agonise over it and sometimes if feels as if it would be easier to write another book than pen a synopsis. But if you are sending your work out on submission to an agent or publisher, you need to write one.

It has been suggested that it might be useful to write one before you start writing your novel. In some respects for a plotter that might work, but not for me. But you need to know where your story is leading, and so it makes sense doesn't it?

For a panster like me, this has always been something I've struggled with. I'm a random writer starting things without thought as to whether it is a piece of flash, a short story or something longer. This isn't the best way to work, as it can be time consuming later on with re-write etc. Often I write to see where the piece is going and this can create a bit of a stop-start format until I get into something. Every time I write something I approach it differently. I've tried to be more methodical, but I find it squashes my creativity and I've had to accept that this is the way I work.

However, I have devised an in between way of coping. Once I begin something new and realise that it is going to be a longer piece, a potential novella say, I write a blurb. This helps me with direction and puts into place some sort of way forward. And, of course, it can always be changed!

For those who don't know (and I'm sure you do), a synopsis sets out the story with all the main characters and major plot scenes. It is the spoiler alert as it contains the ending. It runs to between 500-800 words. A blurb has to hook the reader in, often asks questions to keep the reader hanging, but never gives away the ending. It is also a lot shorter, typically 100-200 words. You also have to consider how much space there will be on the back of your book, so 250 words is about the limit.

Since publishing my book, How to Take a Lawnmower Home on the Tube, I have stepped back from writing for while. It's been so full on, and my Christmas book Tinsel Street will be coming out later this year (I am just about to approve the eBook version). However, I've been thinking about what I want to do next. I have various manuscripts that need editing, but I also began something new about a month or so ago which has formed the idea for this post today. I wasn't sure whether it had legs, but over the last few days, I've decided it does. I hand wrote some notes and put down ideas for scenes (gosh, a little foray into plotting!) and have borrowed a book from the library for a little research. And this morning I wrote a blurb having thought about the direction this story would take. Writing the way I was with no direction wasn't working. I needed, for once, a place to get to, and I've also 'sort of' seen in my head where it will end (and that's a bit new for me too!)

Everyone works differently, and that is okay as long as it works for you. Some people write their scenes randomly (not in order) and then piece it together at the end (horror!), some write an outline of every scene and chapter before they start, and some, like me, have no idea of the ending or even where the next chapter will take them! I do like my characters to develop and I take my lead from them. 

Here is a bit more about my writing::

• My writing is character led.
• I make a note of first names I like, especially when I hear a name that's not so common.
• Mornings are my best writing times. If I have to write at other times, I find it harder to get going and it's more of a chore. My brain seems to function better shortly after I've woken up.
• Dreams or parts of them sometimes feature in my work.
• I write to music (mainly non-vocal trance). Music with words stop me writing and I want to, and do, sing along! I have playlists, some specific for certain scenes, and some songs remind me of certain characters. One character in an unpublished novel will forever be in my mind when I hear Bon Jovi's 'It's My Life' and Faithless' 'Insomnia'.
• Food, music and art often feature in my writing, especially food. Don't ask me why, it just does. Wait until you read Tinsel Street!
• I love quirky characters.
• The dark and the light - those are my two extremes
• Humour features in everything I write somewhere, if only one line.
• I love playlists and maps in books.
• Writing across genres is my thing. I like to experiment and don't want to be pigeonholed into one genre. I'd soon get bored! 
• I read on average one book a week across genres, including non-fiction. I sometimes get ideas from something I read for either a poem or a story.

What do you most struggle with in your writing? What do you enjoy most? ? I'm always happy to read your comments. 

Flash collection now published!

 

I am pleased and excited to finally announce that my collection of flash stories has been published. How To Take A Lawnmower Home on the Tube and Other Absurd Acts of Everyday Survival deals with loss, desire and absurdity. 

I am really pleased with this little collection and to hold my copies in my hands was a real thrill when they arrived today. The book is available in paperback and ebook from Amazon, but will soon be available to order at bookshops. A direct link to the book on Amazon is https://mybook.to/HTTLH

Here is the back blurb:

This has been a long journey, and I am so excited to finally share this with you. If you like dark humour, or the weird, you'll enjoy this. The stories cross genres. Some are short 75 word flashes while others are longer. I wonder which story will be your favourite.

Two books coming soon!

My messy writing room with dog!

 I thought I'd update you on what's going on in my writing world. To say it's been hectic, is an understatement. Who would try and get two books published so close together? Ah, that would be me.

Tinsel Street is on track for publication at the end of August. I've just approved the amendments to the editorial edits and the book will now be going to the printers. I have seen and approved the front and back cover of the book, and I cannot wait to reveal this to you. I have put together a Spotify Playlist, but will add to it and will share the link here and on my author page on Troubador by publication date.

My goal for this year was to publish Tinsel Street and a collection of flash stories. These are stories previously published through print or ezines over many years, but I have added some new unpublished stories to the mix. I also have a cover for this one now and I just love it! I'm now waiting for the typeset version to approve or amend. This collection will hopefully be out in a few weeks and I cannot wait to share this with you.

The process of getting two books ready has been stressful (unless you have been through this, you have no idea what's involved), Even when you think all the typos have been found and changed, more stick out their ugly heads. Despite proofreading by me and others (many times), things are missed. So I apologise in advance for any that slip through. That's been my biggest worry. I go from being elated to feeling overwhelmed. My comfort zone is being stretched. Us anxiety-ridden introverts don't cope well, but I am also excited, and to see your name on a cover, well, it's the best thing in the world. And it's given me a confidence I never knew I had. Reading through my manuscripts was a positive thing as I sat back and thought, actually this is rather good. That might sound stupid, but no one bigs you up in the writing world. You have to push yourself forward and go for it.

I've spent years sitting on the edge thinking 'I'm not good enough' even though I've had a lot of work published in magazines. I once described writing like a video game. You desperately try to reach the next level, but to break through is hard. You get stuck at one level and never think you will move up. I've have finally started to move up.

I've always been honest about my writing journey, the highs and the lows. Of course, everyone will have a different story to tell, but one thing I will say is this. Do what you feel comfortable with, or rather do what works for you to get where you want to be. You might not make the bestseller list (and I have no illusions about that). Don't set impossible goals. I once told myself, if after five years I've not made it, I'll give up. Hah! What a comedown that was. Of course, some writers hit the big time with a first book. They are lucky ones. Your goal might be to get a story or poem published in a certain magazine. Mine were Popshot and Ink Sweat & Tears. I achieved those and oh, was I happy! I've never made it into Mslexia, but I can live with that. Whatever small success can be built on.

Don't let anyone put you off your goal, but do it in stages. If you aim high the comedown will be immense if you don't achieve it. I've been there.

Although I will have my books, I shall continue to send out submissions the way I always have. Every little success is another addition to your writer's CV. But now I have the flavour of seeing a cover with my name on it, it has urged me on to do it again!

Another thing, I'm not someone who is pushy about my work, but if you don't do it, who will? Marketing/publicity is not my strong point, but with the job of putting the book together myself in someone elses hands (someone who can do a far better job than me), I am now freed up to do some pushing. More and more publishers expect their writers to do it, traditionally published or not, so it has to be part of what you do. I'm learning a lot as the process of book publishing goes on. 

The cost? Yes, there is a cost to publishing in the hybrid world, but I've come round to this way of thinking. What do you spend on a hobby in a year? I've heard of people spending thousands on their racing bike and all the equipment. It's their passion and so the money doesn't matter. I don't keep an account of how much money I spend on books, which is just as well! In the past it was music and as a teenager I'd buy at least one single a week and probably an album, too. Then there are holidays. Writing is my passion (sorry about likening it to a hobby....I hate it when people tell me 'well, its just hobby'....arrh!), and I decided to think about the cost as what I spend on holidays. 

To have a professional book that can sit alongside other novels was my goal. I want readers to be able to order my book at Waterstones (and you will be able to), not just Amazon (though you can). Of course, I don't have copies in my hand yet, but I can't wait. Should I have done this years ago? Maybe, but sometimes it takes something to click before you can do it. For me it was my birthday. I'm going to seventy this week. I don't want to sound morbid, but how many years do I have to shunt my manuscripts around? It was now or never. That's how I felt. Yes, I do wish I'd done it sooner, but I'm not dwelling on that because I am enjoying the moment, and maybe I wouldn't have been ready for this back then. Things changed last year for me. Certain events spurred me on, and then I joined a writing group. Feedback was positive on what I read, and they encouraged me to write more.

With all this going on I've been unable to write new things. I have two potential books started, but abandoned. I have other things that need my attention when I have time. Stories that need more editing, things in various stages of not quite complete. But one thing I love about hybrid publishing is that I am not a genre branded writer. I am in control, and that is important to me. That extends to titles and book covers. I've heard of traditionally published writers complaining that their title has been changed and they are not happy with their covers. I love mine and I cannot wait to share them with you.

More to reveal soon.

Books, books books - My reading habits

 

Photo by Tom Hermans on Unsplash

What are you reading right now? If you read the side bar of this blog I list my current read and the last five books I have read. There have been a lot of LJ Ross on there lately. This is because I do a swap with a friend. We are both reading the DCI Ryan series. I picked up four of her books in a charity shop and my friend bought some. I was the one who started it as I read LJ Ross' first book. The place it was set (Holy Island) interested me because I have visited the island. All the books are set in Northumbria, a place I love, but haven't been back to in ages.

The storylines can vary, but I love the characters and the humour between the detectives. I like it when I find an author with a series I can get into. How about you?

I read, on average, a book a week. Apart from swaps with friends, I buy in charity shops and bookshops. I always ask for book vouchers for my birthday and Christmas. In the past, I have been given Amazon vouchers too.

What do you do with your books when you've read them? Mine go to charity or for swaps. Do I keep any? Usually, only non-fiction, but that's getting out of hand! Recently I was going through my read books, the ones I had decided to keep. I thought maybe now was the time to pass some on. Oh, it was hard, and in the end I shut the door saying, 'I can't deal with this now!' I have far too many books that I can't seem to pass on. Some are reference books. I have several, okay, more than several, about London, including London in Victorian times. Then there are art books, mainly from exhibitions, and some I've not yet got round to reading. I have nature books, poetry, language books (yeah, like I'm ever going to master German, but there's always that sneaking feeling that I just might go back to it). What is a poor bookaholic to do?

In my writing room I have a shelf of books which include a huge Chambers Thesaurus, some magazines in which I have been published, art, a whole series of walking guides (Thames Path, Capital Ring, London Waterways, The Lea Valley Way, South Downs Way and Isle of Wight walks). I have more of these downstairs! Then there are my files and books on writing and lots of notebooks, though most of the notebooks are in a drawer. In this room is also most of my art materials. I have a big box under the chest of drawers with sketch books on top. I never seem to have time to draw, paint or whatever, and Rue the dog has chewed some of the edges of the sketch books (he was a puppy then).

My books are snuck under the bed in my writing room, in a cupboard in the bedroom and downstairs on various shelves. I really must make an effort to reduce my haul because I know I will add to them, however much I try not to buy another book on walking routes. My haul is getting out of hand.

I try not to let my fiction TBR pile build up these days and I've stuck to that....somehow! But oh, how I love bookshops. There's always another book I want to buy. I love touching books, and I love raised images or letters on covers, adore little maps inside books and the odd Spotify playlist to go with a book. I also love author interviews about how they got into writing/what made them write this book and so on. 

Because I read a varied mix of genres, I've found it hard to pinpoint my favourite genre, but I think I've found that I often crave for a crime/thriller or psychological thriller. I enjoy fast paced books with plenty of tension with those great chapter endings that make you want to read on. But I also enjoy a little humour (and I write a lot of it). Bob Mortimer's books are fun, and the classic Cold Comfort Farm is brilliant. Yet I will delve into the odd YA, literary and even a bit of sci-fi, though it has to be just the right thing. I quite like cli-fic and apocalyptic stories too. A little horror is okay as long as it isn't gory, and I like gothic.

At the moment I have two Ann Cleeves books waiting to be read (swaps), a Sarah Moss, a poetry book, a non-fiction book on the Thames Estuary and a huge book about the Thames (definitely a dip in and out of book) by Peter Ackroyd. Oh, and I still have an LJ Ross book (of course).

Now my book pile is so low, I hope to visit the library soon and start borrowing again, but passing a bookshop is a struggle. I want to go in and surround myself with books....my happy place. Even the writing group meets in Waterstones for its free-writing sessions, and I've already spotted a book I want!

What motivates you?

 

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

What motivates you to write? What makes you get out your pen and pencil or open your laptop to write? Sometimes we go through spells of unproductiveness. I've tried to work out what causes this. Often when I finish something, I step away from writing for a bit and then can't seem to settle to any other project. I feel unsettled and I cannot work out why, and I've come to the conclusion that I am actually missing writing.

It's the starting that is the difficult bit. Like staring at the blank page, but as soon as I begin putting words on the page, I'm drawn in and I feel happier. Things like editing...I feel I can't get going. Maybe because it seems such an overwhelming task. Yet again, once I start, everything becomes easier.

New tasks or projects come in strange ways. I might read a book or a poem, a sentence, something I see or something that makes me stop, something that needs researching and then I am in writing. Those are my motivation drivers. I love it when that happens because the idea and writing are often instantaneous and the writing process isn't a slog, which it can be at other times when things aren't working. Then it's time for a walk. Leave the work for a while and do something else until the problem has been worked through.

But it doesn't end there. I am motivated by other writers when I meet them at open mic nights, a workshop or writing friends when we get together. Poetry readings, writing conferences, anywhere writers gather and work is read fires me up. I don't feel so alone and I want to go away and get stuck in.

It may be different for you and I'd love to hear about it, because we can all learn from one another. I have now (I hope) solved the problem of leaving comments. It was me 😏 and not Blogger, something that needed to be embedded. Give it a go. I won't know if it works until someone leaves a comment.

Blog re-vamp and finding submission windows

 

Photo by Joshua Woroniecki on Unsplash

Yesterday I re-vamped my blog. I do hope you like it. I realised that this was long overdue, and some things weren't working properly. I've fixed that now. However, I know some people have said they find it hard to leave comments. Not sure how to fix that as I think it's more a Blogger problem than mine. I will see if there is a way round that, but I'm not holding my breath. You can still re-blog and send my posts elsewhere!

I have checked all the links and taken out ones that no longer work and changed the theme, added a sub-heading and am pretty pleased with it.

As I said, I want to be more active on my blog. So today, I'm starting by talking about where to find submission windows for your poetry and stories.

Submission windows

I subscribe to Mslexia who list submission windows, as do Writing Magazine. However, I have found that these aren't always up to date. Do check the websites first as sometimes submission windows are only open two or three times a year. Writing Magazine has a lot of US websites listed. Quite a few of those charge a reading fee. I don't mind paying for a competition now and then, but reading fees? Maybe that's why it's mainly US publication that can afford to pay their contributors. I guess it's down to what you can afford and whether you feel it's worth it.

Another good source for finding open submission windows is, I hate to say it, X (formerly twitter). I've had some success in having my work published through several zines I've found there. They are all worth checking out to see if what they publish suits you.

Finally, Robin Houghton's list (see side panel of blog for link) is brilliant. Again, I use it quite a lot.

Do your research with any publication. Often I find they don't want the type of work I write, or are exclusive to certain groups of people. Check word counts, the total amount of submissions you can send, and please, please read all the rules for entry and the format they want them in. Ignoring these things will get your work dismissed straight away. After all the work you put into writing, you can't afford to ignore the rules. Each publication has its own style. Admittedly, some can get a bit picky, but it's their baby, often run by volunteers, so please respect them.

One other thing, please support one or two magazines/zines where you can. Subscriptions keep them running. You can support one for a year and then switch if you want, unless you get hooked by one. My current favourite is Streetcake. It is experimental, which kind of goes against what I write (though I did get one poem in there). It's interesting, different and gives me inspiration to occasionally write outside the box.

Happy submitting!