Sainsbury's To Stock Wisteria Cottage

I received some fantastic news on Monday - Meet Me At Wisteria Cottage paperback is going into Sainsbury's! 500 of their stores!

This mean the release date for the paperback has been pushed back to the 20th April 2017 now. But this is just such exciting news.

However, my excitement was squashed (just a little) by the fact that I'd thought I'd lost my current work in progress which is 30,000 words in. I have never felt so sick. Amazingly I didn't cry. But I didn't feel like celebrating Monday night :'(

Luckily, a friend's husband, who I will forever thankful for, managed to retrieve the documents off the memory stick (which meant today I could continue working on it).

It's been one hard lesson, but my MS is now filed in all sorts of places, including Amazon Drive and MS OneDrive. I have decided I will save my royalties to upgrade my PC as it's getting antiquated now, and I could do with the latest version of Office etc.

Anyway, back to Sainsbury's! I would love to see 'Shelfies' of my book and I am considering running a competition, but more on that later.

Cover Reveal: Meet Me At Wisteria Cottage

Yesterday was the cover reveal of my third contemporary romance, Meet Me At Wisteria Cottage.

It's a available for pre-order, and will be released 6th April 2017.

Excited! Much!

Meet Me at Wisteria Cottage ebook: http://amzn.to/2kZkE2h

or paperback : http://amzn.to/2kUTi1b

Another Reason To Celebrate!

Today I received a belated birthday present. My agent sent over my contract for my third book, Meet Me At Wisteria Cottage, with HarperImpulse.

It's all very exciting, and still very surreal, but it does mean the third book that I've written will be published. Which means it gets shared with readers (who I hope will love and not hate).  That always feels good.

It has been just over 3 years now since my first book was published with HarperImpulse. I have always worried that the story ideas may run out. However, I have another two contemporary romance books brewing... plus a fantasy one... and maybe one day I'll get back to writing my vampire story... And then there are a list of silly plot bunnies in my OneNote file too, so I maybe okay for a while.

The Boss says I should start writing the online dating novel I have floating around in my head, as long as he doesn't feature in it. Ha ha!

I worry about the day I may have to return back to work full time. Will I get time to keep on writing? Will all these ideas get written, and published?

I've got a couple of years before I need to worry about it all yet, so maybe, tonight I should just open a bottle of bubbly and celebrate the beginnings of another book and that I am able to do something I thoroughly enjoy - writing.

Cheers!

And Relax.... Sort Of.

Tuesday evening, I slogged away and managed to send my third manuscript/novel off to my agent - whoo hooo! (Although it's the first book I've sent to my agent). So the past couple of days, I've not been writing as I've taken a break. I am hoping to have a few days, maybe a week or two respite. So, what have I done the past couple of days?

I have caught up with housework. I have cleaned.

Not shopping, or catching up with friends for coffee, lunch... no, I've cleaned. (I did have a massage and my hair cut but they were already in the diary - after Tuesday evening being hunched over my keyboard, the massage was needed).

Today, I gave my lounge a good dust down, and then I cleaned the tops of my kitchen cupboards.... and washed everything that sits on there. I haven't done that in four years (January) I've lived in this house. :-O Today I've tackled some of the bigger jobs I've had to put off because I needed to write.

I wanted to get the book off my desk (so to speak) before next week as I knew I wouldn't get to work on it.

Because...

Next week is my birthday week, so I doubt very much I'll be doing anything, including housework. I have my mum visiting, too.

Maybe, next week, I should start every day with a glass of champagne...

Now there's a thought...

All Part of The Writing Process

Next month is my birthday month... but then, now we're in the sign of Libra, I wonder, is this the start of my birthday month? Should I include the middle of September? Should I start celebrating now?

I have a lot of friends who share their birthday in the 'Libra' month (or their children do) with me. We're all fabulous people. However, I'm trying to work out why there are so many of us. My calculations makes New Years Eve too early and February's Valentines' too late. Unless of course, as babies we either arrived late or early... depending on when we were conceived...

And as you can see, I have also been neglecting my blog. I even need to send something off for someone else's blog, but have failed to do that too. The email is in my inbox to remind me.

With birthday looming, basically, on my writing days, I've tried as hard as possible to concentrate on my writing. It's safe to say I've been neglecting the housework. Book three needs to be finished and over to my editor by November (we agreed). And now I have an agent, it means it needs to go through them first too.

I know I won't get much done around my birthday, and October half-term is then rapidly approaching, where I definitely won't get anything done. Therefore, I'm aiming for this week, next week at the latest to send over my manuscript to my agent.

The powers of modern day technology means I can upload it to my kindle, and read it through from there. This is what I'm doing this week, noting any nitpicks that need altering, or a blinding obvious spelling mistake or typo. I've found "mine" and it should be "mind" for example.

It felt weird putting my feet up today, reading my book on my kindle. But it is part of the writing process. Honest.

First September Blog Post

So it's September, the six weeks flew by, the kids are back at school, and I'm trying to get back into the routine, although it's a new routine, with one at a different school. 

I need to be writing. So that's what I will be doing. I need to finish this third book! I had a great meeting with my editor way back in the beginning of August, and now I need to deliver this thing.

Therefore I will apologise if my blog posting is few and far between this month. 

My third book now has a working title of Meet Me at Wisteria Cottage... (although you never know, it may still change). But this is the title I'm working towards, and trying to incorporate into the book itself. 

At first I was thinking of calling it Lilac Cottage, as I love all things purple. However, the house I grew up in was called Wisteria, although it never had any of the bush attached to it when I was there, I always imagined it must have once.

I just love the colour of this flower. Wisteria gives the imagery of lilac and purples, and pretty floral scents, and I think it sounds mysterious too. 

Therefore it's the inspiration for the name of the cottage, and I've seen beautiful houses draped with wisteria and just loved it.  I know it flowers usually April/May but I was at my aunt and uncle's over the holidays, on the Isle of Wight, and their wisteria was having another blossom in August.

So you know where I am if I'm not posting frequently... I'm at Wisteria Cottage... 

Can't Beat Cornwall When The Sun Shines

Ben about to brave the waves... I mean millpond.

View from coastal path to Daymer Bay

Every year, for the last twelve years, I've holidayed with my family in Polzeath, Cornwall. It's situated north of Newquay, with Padstow around its corner and is a great surfing beach.

This year the waves weren't so good, but the sunshine was fantastic! (It usually happens that way). And the wind had dropped too, which meant we could actually stand on the beach and not freeze. The water even felt warm.

To be honest, in the twelve years, the network problems still haven't improved for Vodafone, so I am cut off from the world wide web pretty much all holiday. Which is probably a good thing. I can only send text messages from the beach! I couldn't check emails, and it was hard to peruse Facebook with the sun glaring on the screen... and the kids demanding games of cricket.

Polzeath Beach

The irony is that I seem to get a better reception and 4G out on The Rumps. In my caravan, zilch.

Polzeath Beach

Anyway, I wanted to share some photographs I took. (Unfortunately some may have my children in them). This is my inspiration for Tinners Bay, for the setting/back drop of Plus One is a Lucky Number, and (if I'm lucky enough to get my third book published too), for To Love Again. (Although this title may change. I've learnt not to get attached to a title. Let's play it safe and just call it book 3, because it's the 3rd book I've written).

While walking the coastal footpaths, I wondered if I'd done this scenic coastline any justice in my books. Can't do much about Plus One is a Lucky Number, but I can certainly go back to book 3 and edit some of Polzeath's character into it.

Walking coastal path to the Rumps.

The highlight of this holiday was on Friday, 3rd June, when we strolled to the Rumps (it's a good fair trek, I tell you!) we were rewarded when we reached them, because there were two seals in a small bay below. Absolutely fascinating to watch. We were sure they were waving at us.

Sat on The Rumps

The Worst Part Of Writing

Have I told you how much I hate writing a synopsis? I haven't written many, so don't feel at all comfortable or confident in writing them. And it feels so alien to how you write, because you're talking about your characters, and it feels much more telling, not showing.

How long does a synopsis need to be?

Do I really need to tell all the twists?

And then when I read it back I question the story I've written!

This is definitely the worst part about writing. And do you write it before or after you've finished your first draft? I tend to write it after, as my storyline likes to change as the characters decide to do things differently to my original plan.

So I now have the fun job of writing my synopsis for my third novel, which I'm in the process of editing. It all feels a bit more worrying too, because I'm out of contract, so will Harper Impulse like this novel? My goal is to try and get this novel out there before Christmas if I can as I'd love to see it in print next year. This will keep me on target of a book a year then.

In the meantime, the characters in potentially what may be my fourth novel keep talking to me. So it looks like I'm going to be writing them next. They've just demanded it really, even though I had thought of other storylines I wanted to tackle, this one 'Cinderella meets James Bond' just keeps growing inside my head.

With the digital release available, there are more fan vids for The Man From UNCLE now, and Illya and Gaby are my inspiration for book 4. (I can't wait to get my Bluray copy).

Voices Inside My Head

I really need to do a blog post. The last time I blogged it was the 14th October! (I didn't even mention my birthday which has came and went). And now we're rapidly approaching the end of October, and Halloween.

I have finished the first draft of my 3rd book, and came up with an idea for another book - which maybe the 4th I write, as these characters keep talking to me. It's nicknamed Cinderella meets James Bond, only because she leaves a ball (Christmas party) at midnight and the hero - dressed in a tuxedo - doesn't get her name.

I appear to be alternating the seasons with my books. My first book, Plus One is a Lucky Number, was set in the summer and my second, One Fine Day was set in autumn/winter. My third - which is only in draft state - is set in the summer again, where as this 4th book, if this is the next one I write, is set in the winter. Well, it starts with a Christmas party where the hero and heroine meet. It may go the whole four seasons! Who knows?

It's been rather lovely actually. It's felt like a very long time since two characters really spoke out to me to have their story told. I don't know what it is about these two but they won't leave me alone. But, however much these two characters keep talking to me, they're going to have to be quiet for a little longer. I have written their first scene and made some notes of their characters, and I will continue to brainstorm them as I need to give them a back story each but my focus must be on editing book 3, which has the working title of To Love Again.

Obviously I haven't managed any writing while the kids have been off school - but next week it's back to the grindstone. Without wanting to wish my life away, or my children's for that matter, I do dream of the day I can work full time as a writer. If it will ever happen, is another thing. But for now, I need to continue to do the best I can.

Who Finds Time To Write In The Summer Hols?

Treated myself to Sunflowers :)

Anyone else finding it difficult to write during the summer holidays?

I've been trying to do mine at the weekends when the boys are with their dad. I did have a week at the beginning of the summer holidays, which was fairly productive, then I selfishly swanned off to Spain for three nights and three days which would have been when I could write. (But I'm not changing that experience for the world). I did do a lot of reading though - which counts as a writing related activity in my book!

So yes, productivity is very slow - and as usual I'm beating myself up about it!

Currently I'm working on my third book which has the working title of To Love Again.

This weekend, I did manage over 1500 words, and it was a poignant moment for my heroine. I got to use some of the emotions I've been feeling over the past few months. I only hope I've managed to grasp them within the words I've written.

These past couple of months I've been reflective on everything. I decided that Spain would draw a line under all the shit I'd felt this year so far, and would move on. And I have... but I do have my moments of dwelling, and trying to decide what do I really want.

Maybe sometimes these things in life are sent to us for a reason. They hurt, and time heals, and if nothing more, I've been able to apply it to my writing. There have been moments when I've wished for that time machine to whisk me forward to show me things will be all right. To this moment, where I feel happier.

Life for me is pretty good at the moment - although I don't like to get too excited. Life has a way of throwing a spanner in the works. Yet, now I'm concentrating on me and the people who are important to me, and not looking for 'the one', I'm finding I'm in a better place. Some days are harder than others, where the fear of loneliness creeps in, but generally, I'm good. I'm about to finish the third season of Glee - I can recommend Glee as fantastic feel good therapy. Singling, dancing and teenage romances... What's not to love?

It's been over five months now since #MrAquarius upped and left, and something like over two months with #TheBoyWithTheDragonTattoo, however I do not feel in any shape or form ready to date again. I can feel me being cynical to anything a man may try to tell me. I can hear myself saying, "Hang on, let me just fit my bullshit defenders on, oh, now carry on..." Yeah, so not how to get a man.

The next guy really is going to have his work cut out. He really will have to prove his worth. Don't envy him! lol!

Another reason I am in no frame of mind to do the online dating thing again, is it takes up so much time. So, until the book is finished, and I feel ready for some fun, I'm sticking to my single life. And maybe, when I'm at my most happiest, and not really looking for love, it will find me...