My Dream...

As most of my friends know, writing is my passion. I discovered it in 2006, which means I've been writing for 14 years now. (Wow!) All I want in life is to keep writing. 

But as we writers know, writing is not that lucrative (for some/most) - especially in fiction department!

At the moment I am financially supported through working part-time, working tax credits, and maintenance I receive from the boys' dad. But as my children grow older (Ben is 16 this year), looking for a full time job is looming - otherwise how else will I pay my bills?

However, without wanting to sound lazy, I don't want to go back to full-time employment.

I very much doubt I'll find a job - due to my lack of experience and not having been in a "proper" job (as I call it) for 15 years - that will fulfill me mentally as writing fiction does. 

And, more importantly, when will I get to write? 

I am in the middle of completing my proofreading/copy editing course, so maybe something will come of that. It's taken longer than planned to complete due to Covid-19. 

However, recently I started in a new business venture, where I am surrounded by a great team for support and it's something I can do from home and work around my writing! This new chapter in my life relies on referrals, so I'm depending at the moment, in the early stages and while we can't physically network, on friends to watch my presentation. 

I'm not flogging beauty products, cards, tupperware, timeshares or anything like that. In fact, I'm not asking anyone to part with their money but I look at saving you money on bills you're already spending on.

I desperately want this to work. I want to be a success story. I just want financial independence - I have given up on finding a man, let alone a bloomin' rich one! I want to be able to afford to take my kids away on family holidays abroad... it's not about the money, it's about living the life I want. 

So, if I message you, please could you give me thirty minutes of your time? It might not suit you, but you may know someone it does, and I just want that to spread far and wide... I need the referrals.

 Right, back off out in the garden to read You Are A Badass! 

(And if you're a bit nosey and want to know what I do, message me and I'll show you!)

July's News...

Hey, if you haven't seen it or you haven't subscribed yet, July's newsletter went out last week... or was it the week before? 

Anyway, there's a competition to win a signed paperback of Plus One is a Lucky Number but only to subscribers! 

Click here to read! 

How To Be A Writer

After a fantastic evening with Weston Writer's Nights on Thursday (6th February), where Jenny Kane, Jan Ellis, Fay Keenan and myself were on a panel answering questions about How To Be A Writer, I thought I would create a blog post.

(Photo taken by Weston Writer's Nights)

I'm concerned that although we've shared the reality of being a writer, which might mean holding down another job too, I didn't want to discourage the fact that if you want to write, you must write. But do not be disillusioned that you may make money from it. You might make some, but not necessarily enough to give up the day job.

Anyway, the evening was fantastic and so much fun, so I hope the audience did enjoy the event as much as we did.

And on that note, I thought I would give a quick summary on How To Be A Writer:

1. Write! (You can't edit a blank page - so write!)
2. No ideas are stupid ideas. If you want to write them, then write them! Inspiration can come from anything.
3. Make time to write, too. Do you work best in the mornings, afternoons or evenings? Write when it's best for you. And without interruptions if possible. 
4. Find a writing space that suits you and use it. Everybody is different: Some need complete silence (me!) and some can work in a coffee shop (Jenny!)
5. Find a critique partner or small group of writing friends. It's great to bounce ideas off one another. Writing can be a lonely place, so it's good to get out and be social with likeminded people - those who appreciate and understand you have voices in your head that sometimes won't shut up. 
6. You must have a thick skin. Sometimes you might have to kill your darlings (as they say). But never delete a book. Put it in a drawer for a while. A change of market might mean it becomes suitable for publishing.   
7. Do your research. Check who publishes your genre. Don't send your book out to just any publisher as you'll get a bad name for yourself. It's not professional. The same applies for agents, too. Writers and Artists Yearbook is the best place to look, or in a book shop. (Check the books you enjoy reading in the genre you write).
8. Don't give up the day job, even if you get a contract.
9. Imprint Publishers don't need you to submit via an agent.
10. Most importantly make sure you're having fun! 

And if you want the Mars Bar Scones recipe Jenny talked about, you can find it here. 

If you still have any burning questions about writing then please don't hesitate to contact us via any of our social media platforms. We'd be more than happy to help. 

Remember: if you write, then you are a writer. 

To find out more about Weston Writer's Nights click here!

Thank you to everyone who attended the event. You were a wonderful audience.

How To Help An Author Friend

Not all authors are like J K Rowling (although her struggle was real in the beginning). They actually have a part-time or even a full-time job as they need a reliable monthly income. They hope one day, when they "make it" - like J K Rowling - they can give up the day job.

However, for most of us, it's a reality that we can't ever give up work and become a full-time writer, and having recently talked about this, a friend suggested I put a blog post together to help guild those wanting to support their author friends but aren't sure how.

Firstly, I've found myself explaining how royalties work and that some don't understand the process.

To clarify, the days of advances are long gone for most writers. Authors only get paid if you buy their books. And then it could be something as little as 10p per copy sold depending on the RRP of the book.

Where you buy their books is important, too.

Ebay, for example, is possibly selling used books. Yes, the author would have been paid at some point for that copy, but when you buy a second-hand book, the money is going to the seller and not the author. (And the irony is they'll make more out of the sale of the book than the author ever did).

I will argue at least with a charity shop the money is going to charity. And I would much rather a book exchanged or re-sold than burned! It can be a good way to gain new readers, too. However, we're not talking about your Stephen King's of the world. We're talking about your author friend with the other job to bring in a reliable income...

And by buying second hand, without sounding ungrateful - because it is great a new reader is trying you out - it hasn't helped boost rankings like it would have done if you'd bought the book/ebook new from Amazon. And some ebooks are cheaper than buying the paperback second-hand!

Actually, all other good ebook sellers will have rankings, so whether you've bought from Amazon, Nook, Google Play, iTunes, it would have boosted the books visibility. Authors are just obsessed with Amazon and getting into the top 100 of something!

So if you can, please buy new!

Or borrow from the library! (The author gets paid lending rights and it's not cost you a penny.)

These are the best things you can do for free to support your author friend:

• Comment on/Like/Share their Facebook posts about their books. This increases visibility and is free advertising for your friend.

• Tell people how much you've loved your author friend's books (if you've read them - if not, why not?) and recommend they buy one.

• Leave reviews on Amazon and wherever you purchased the book. Again, this increases "traffic" to your friend's book and helps others decide whether to buy the book or not. It also gives the author something to share and shout about over their social media accounts.

• Tag them on Facebook and share a photo of you reading their book. Authors like to see the exotic places their books have travelled to, even if  they've not left their front room, let alone the UK in a while... 

• Support your author friend with local book signings, help spread the word. Bring new friends along to introduce them to your author friend... or be there to drag people in off the street. Either way, your friend will be grateful. 

• If you want to avoid Amazon and prefer to support local bookshops, order the book from there. Although depending on the publisher, Amazon maybe your only go-to for paperbacks. But if you can order from a local bookshop, and you want to keep them in business too, order your books from them! But if you can't afford to buy, remember, check out your local library. 

Your author friend is not going to suddenly get rich and forget you by these small tokens of goodwill. They're more likely to hug you till you ask them politely to put you down. But if they do become the next J K Rowling, they'll remember the friends who got them there. 😉

Photos From The Weston Literary Festival

This Is What A Romance Writer Looks Like! 

It's been a week since Fay Keenan, Jan Ellis, Alison Knight and myself sat in front of an audience and discussed our writing methods, our inspirations and how we deal with negative reviews etc.

Sadly, the snow started falling quite heavily around 5pm and so this put some off attending the event. But we had approximately twenty people listening intently, and asking great questions! It was a fabulous night!




These sorts of events really help me recognise to myself that I am a writer, I have had books published. What I do is real!

This event was great for our own self-esteem and confidence about our writing experiences. The evening gave all four of us a real buzz! It was interesting to listen to Alison, Fay and Jan about their methods and preparations for creating a book.




Hopefully the Weston-super-Mare Literary Festival will take place yearly and we'll be on board again! Brilliant fun!

Thank you Zoe Scott for your amazing organisational skills in putting this event together and making it such a success!


Anyway, I've shared some photos of the event.


Sadly, Jenny Kane couldn't make it due to illness. She was missed dreadfully, but hopefully she'll make it next year!

Weston-super-Mare's First Literary Festival - Not Long Now!

February is here, and you know what that means?

It's the Weston-super-Mare Literary Festival!

I will be on the panel with some fellow romantic novelists on the "This Is What A Romance Writer Looks Like" event. It's Tuesday 27th February, 7pm, at the Blakehay Theatre!

Come say hello to Fay Keenan, Jenny Kane, Alison Knight, Jan Ellis and me! We are all part of the Bath and Wiltshire Romantic Novelist Association's chapter.

I'm so excited about this. I think I've decided what to wear...

The literary festival is running from the 22nd February to the 1st March (World Book Day) with lots of fabulous events. To find out more visit their Facebook page - Weston-super-Mare Literary Festival.