Month: May 2015

What better way to relax over the long weekend than getting stuck into a good story.
The Katherine Wheel  Series, currently two books, will soon become three. Catch up with the story so far this weekend at the very special rate of only 99pence for each book. These are substantial books, not novellas, and offer tremendous value – far less than a cup of coffee.
The Twisted Vine is also only 99pence for a little while longer.
Get yours now!

I think this is the most nerve-wracking part of writing any book. I\’ve read my manuscript many, many times by this stage. This makes me the alpha reader – the first one to see it. Now it\’s being read by my beta readers – the second ones to scrutinise it.
I can\’t contact them.
I mustn\’t influence them.
I want to look over each of their shoulders and read with them, line by line, word by word. But I can\’t and I won\’t.
It\’s imperative that they give me their honest, possibly brutal, opinions and feedback. Only then can the real crafting and polishing begin where I iron out errors, continuity flaws, dialogue clunks, plot twists and dips in the tension.
It truly is torture waiting for the verdict.

In the meantime I have some short stories to edit which I\’m hoping to publish very soon.
The short story collection is just a little taster of some of my other work and will contain three very different tales. It will be called \’Trio\’ and will be available to buy very soon.

Edits can be great fun.
But then again…
Yesterday went well. Yesterday was the beginning of Speedwell and I was pleasantly surprised with being happy with it. Yes, I had to cut stuff, lots of stuff, and write a different 2000 words, but it all hung together.
Today\’s edit started out in a naively complacent mood.
Didn\’t last long. Now I realise that whole chapters in the soggy centre must be rooted out; dispensed with; sent to the recycling bin. They have to go. I shall have to amalgamate them into a more cohesive mix; laced with tension and dramatic intent.
That will happen tomorrow.
I have my dagger at the ready.

But, on a positive note, the cover\’s nearly ready.