I Am Alive! I've Written a Novella!

Oh my goodness, I can't believe how long it's been since I've blogged. What's happened? Well . . . life! I've been busy writing: finishing a novel for my editor, a novella that's out now (see below!), and working on Marriage to Measure, the third in the Build A Man series, to be released shortly.

All that and toddler-wrangling, too! Toddler TR turns two in less than two months. TWO!

But the excitement this week is the release of my Christmas novella, Married by Midnight. 

Christmas is coming . . . and so is the biggest day of Kate's life.

While choosing a vintage dress for her Christmas Eve wedding, Kate finds a cryptic note pinned to the inside of a 1930s gown. As doubts about her own ceremony loom, Kate is determined to track down the dress' owner and determine what became of her - and the marriage.

Will Kate find the answers she's seeking to propel her down the aisle, or will her discovery prompt her to call off the wedding for good?

Amazon UK; Amazon.com

Apart from writing, writing, writing, I've been busy attending the Festival of Romance, speaking at the Oxford Publishing Society on self-publishing, meeting with the Amazon KDP team, and . . . well, I'm sure there are other things, but it's all a bit of a blur (and that's not the wine talking). 

Hope everyone in blogland has been well! I keep telling myself I need to visit you all, but then it's wine o'clock and I conk out on the sofa, One day, one day . . . 

Holidays, Festivals and Bargains

Who can't love a title like that?

We are back after a lovely sun-drenched two weeks in Nova Scotia, Canada. While things could have gone smoother on the toddler-adjusting-to-jetlag front, the days were filled with swimming in lakes and oceans, along with frolicking in the back garden with a hose (hours of fun, I tell you). Mr TR fell in love with the barbecue -- I honestly don't think I've ever eaten so much meat in my life! We had a great time visiting with my mother and father, as well as a quick trip to Prince Edward Island to see my grandmother, as well as my aunt and uncle.

Toddler TR enjoying the Atlantic. 

The red banks of Prince Edward Island.

Scallops, shrimp and clam barbecue extravaganza.

The naked gardener. 

Ferrying across the harbour to Halifax. 

It's been a long week settling back into routine (or trying to, anyway), and this weekend I'm off to the unromantic-sounding Leighton Buzzard for the Festival of Romance! I'm looking forward to catching up with my fellow writers, as well as maybe getting a good night's sleep? It's been so long . . .

And in other news, if you're in the States, my novel THE NO-KIDS CLUB is on sale all September for 1.99. Hop on over!

Hope everyone has had a great summer. See you next week!

I Am Alive

Well, hello! I've been taking a summer hiatus to enjoy the (formerly) hot weather. I say 'formerly' because we seem to have jumped straight into autumn these past few weeks!

But never mind, because I am off to Canada tomorrow for two weeks, where it's hopefully still summer. I shall return to London and this blog full of energy, I'm sure.

Until then . . . enjoy the rest of the summer!

The RNA Conference and More!

Hello! Happy Thursday! It is sweltering here in London, but at least we can say it is definitely summer. I spent last weekend somewhere in rural Shropshire at the RNA conference, and I think I'm still in recovery.

Nevertheless, I did manage to revive myself enough to head to Amazon's Christmas Wishlist Event to represent KDP. Here is the lovely shiny stand.

And above, an amazing book bench on Bloomsbury Square, just across from where the event was held.

Here are some lovely writers at last week's conference, all set for the Gala.

Me and Mandy Baggot.

Lorraine getting into the spirit.

Sarah, Rhoda and Liz.

The wonderful Jan Jones and Roger Sanderson.

And I am now going to go collapse into a sweaty heap on the floor. Have a great week, everyone!

Happy Canada Day - And Other Bits and Bobs

Hello!

First of all, happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians. I hope everyone had a lovely day!

Here in London, it's been hot and sunny, and I've been out and about enjoying the wonderful weather while it lasts. I'm still slogging away on my novel - Draft 4 now! - and it's getting there. Sigh.

But I won't bore you with that. Here are some photos of my latest exploits.

This summer's Serpentine Pavilion, which I visited today.

A publication-day gift from my Amazon team!

Baby TR in his finery at a recent wedding we attended at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire.

The beautiful venue. 

And there you have it! Happy Fourth of July to my American friends. I hope everyone is enjoying the summer!

Vanishing June

Oh my goodness, I cannot believe June is half over already! It's been a very busy month, starting with my book launch.

Just look at those lovely banners gracing the homepage of Amazon.co.uk, along with the Kindle Books page. So exciting.

There was a also a lovely book launch to celebrate Liz Fenwick's latest, A Cornish Stranger.

Liz Harris, Christina Courtney, Lizzie Lamb. Julie Cohen, Adrienne Vaughan, Me, and Rowan Coleman.

And then there was a yummy dinner with my co-founders of Notting Hill Press...

Michele Gorman, Belinda Jones, and Me.

There were some of these along the way...

Limoncello martini.

And there was also Father's Day to add to the mix!

Baby TR and Mr TR with his Super-Dad Socks. 

What a great month it's been so far! Hope everyone is enjoying June just as much. 

The No-Kids Club is Out Now!

Hello hello! Happy Thursday, everyone.

It's been a very exciting week chez TR because my new novel, The No-Kids Club, is out now as an ebook, audiobook, and paperback.

At almost forty, Clare Donoghue is living child-free and loving it.

Then her boyfriend says he wants kids, breaking off their promising relationship. And it’s not just boyfriends: one by one, her formerly carefree friends are swallowed up in a nonstop cycle of play dates and baby groups. So Clare decides it’s time for people who don’t have children to band together. And so the No-Kids Club is born.

As the group comes together—Anna, who’s seeking something to jumpstart a stale marriage, and Poppy, desperate for a family but unable to conceive—Clare’s hoping to make the most of the childless life with her new friends.

Will the No-Kids Club be Clare’s route to happiness, or will the single life lose its sparkle?

You can buy it on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com.

Have a great week, everyone!

Is it just me, or...

Hello! Yes, I missed posting last Thursday. I didn't forget, but I was busy rushing off to the RNA Summer Party and couldn't find the time during the day to pen a post.

And, to be honest, lately I'm just not feeling the blog love. Back in the day (say, 2009?), I used to live for blogging, spending hours each night reading and returning comments. There was a tight community of writers and blogs were updated regularly. Fast-forward to 2014, and things have changed. Facebook and Twitter seem to be where it's at, and I've noticed some bloggers - me included - just aren't posting as frequently. Some have stopped altogether.

It's fair to say that after five years, the blogging well has run a little dry. Sure, I can post photos and relay my London exploits (and I will!), but there's only so much you can talk about your daily life before things get a little, well . . . routine. I've never been one to advise on writing, or publishing, or anything of the nature, simply because I don't feel I have the expertise and others do it so much better.

With the lack of time we're all facing these days, Facebook and Twitter seem so much easier to catch up with all my blogging buds. I don't need to visit individual pages and leaving a comment is simple and quick (no word verification, the bane of my existence!).

I'll never stop blogging and I'll continue to fill you in ad nauseam on my life here, but it seems the times have moved on from the blog.

Or is it just me? 

Writing and Parenting -- The Challenges!

A minor victory today, as I actually remembered to post! It's a wonderfully sunny spring-like day here in London -- fingers crossed the good weather lasts.

Recently, blogger Allison Wells had a great post on the challenges facing parent-writers. Her thoughts struck a chord with me, so I thought I'd write about my own challenges.

Until I had Baby TR, I have to admit I was one of those people who wondered: What on earth do parents DO all day? Snort. I'd no clue how time-consuming, along with how mentally and physically exhausting, a child could be. Joyous, fun, exciting . . . but also bloody hard. Throw a job into the mix, and it becomes a little difficult.So, in no particular order, here are my challenges:

1. Fatigue. Baby TR is now seventeen months old. He's a very good sleeper at night -- and has been, since about four or five months. But the 5:30 a.m. wake-up calls? That I'm not so keen on. Some mornings he'll sleep in until six or six-thirty, which is absolute bliss. As he gets older, he's napping less, and he's also very active. After a morning of chasing, tickling, running, sliding, etc etc. my forty-year-old body is exhausted! When I put him down for his lunchtime nap, I usually collapse, too. I could write at night -- and at a push, I will -- but I've always been a thousand times more productive in the morning.

2. Carving out space of my own, both mentally and physically. This is easier now that Baby TR is in nursery three mornings a week. But even so, it's hard to clear my mind sometimes and focus on the task at hand. I twitch at every noise, thinking he's in his bedroom waking up -- then I realise he's not even in the flat! I've given up my office, too, so I need to make do with working at the world's most uncomfortable kitchen table, surrounded by Lego, smushed Pla-Doh, and other detritus of the early-morning start.

3. Guilt. I'm constantly wondering if I should be with my child instead of writing. Everyone says these years go so quickly -- and that seems to be true -- but I also need to write to be me. The constant tension between doing everything you can for your child while retaining a sense of self is the theme of my next novel.

4. Ducking in and out of work. I've always liked to work every day to keep the writing flowing. But when plans go awry (Baby TR is ill, doesn't nap, or any multitude of other scenarios), my plans to write often go out the window.

There you have it! My challenges as a writer and parent. I'm incredibly lucky that I have a very supportive husband who helps out when he can. I'd love to hear how others balance both demanding jobs, because wrestling a novel into shape is no easy task, either!

Have a great week, everyone. 

No Kidding

Well, hello, blog! I can't believe I actually forgot to post last week. Eek! I've no idea where the time is going (that seems to be a recurring theme here). May is flying by and although I'm on Draft 3 of my current novel THE EVERYTHING DREAM with the goal to finish by the end of June, there's still plenty of work to be done.

And there's less than a month until the release of THE NO-KIDS CLUB!

The cover, in all its summery glory. 

The book comes out on June 3, and it will be available as an ebook, a paperback, and an audio book. It's been a while since I've had a new novel out there, and I'm feeling excited and jittery.

I wrote this book in the first few months after Baby TR was born, and it was great fun to throw in some of my own angsty experiences (damn, motherhood is hard!), along with some of the more uplifting moments (damn, motherhood is wonderful!).

The first advance reviews are rolling in, and so far, so good! Phew. Of course, I've realised by now that you can't please everyone, but hopefully most readers will be able to relate to one of my characters in the novel.

And that's my news for now. Receiving a great pile of books in the post is always a wonderful moment -- and even more so when you've written that book!

Have a lovely week, everyone. 

Tracy Bloom and Antenatal Inspiration

Hello, all. It's Thursday! Yay! Hope everyone had a lovely Easter. I am continuing to slog my way through Draft 2 - two-thirds finished now, and only about 15,000 words cut and another 15,000 words written. Eeep!

 Today, I'm thrilled to host Tracy Bloom again. Last year she visited my blog to talk about her novel No-One Ever Has Sex on Tuesdays. Tracy had self-published the book, it went on to become a huge bestseller, and she was quickly snapped up by Arrow in a four-book deal! Don't you just love those stories?

So... here's Tracy one more time, talking about the inspiration behind the novel.

The Inspiration behind NO-ONE EVER HAS SEX ON A TUESDAY

To be honest I didn’t really want to go to antenatal classes. Having my first child was terrifying enough without having to go and expose my lack of knowledge on the whole having a baby thing to a room full of strangers. But I did go because you feel you will be immediately on the bad parent register if you don’t. We arrived and sat in a circle preparing to introduce ourselves to our fellow frightened rabbits staring into the headlights.

A pregnant lady to my left kicked off the proceedings by introducing herself and her female companion. “This is Claire. We’re not lesbians. She’s here as my partner because my husband left me five weeks ago.”

The jaws around the room dropped. For me the evening had taken a positive turn. This was going to be way better than being stuck at home watching Corrie.

As the weeks progressed there was laughter (my husband embraced the role of class clown) there was tears (when I fell off the birthing ball) there was much awkwardness (as we discussed intimate details in front of people we barely knew) and there was shock news (when a couple failed to turn up because they’d actually given birth – like we should have been expecting that!)

Somehow sharing the experience of arranging graphic photos of childbirth in chronological order bought us all close together and we became friends. But I often wondered how it would be if you were in the class with someone you knew. Would you be quite so comfortable discussing pelvic floor exercises in front of an ex-boyfriend for example? Worse than that ….what if through some gross error of judgment on a one-night stand you ended up in an antenatal class with two possible fathers to your child… what would you do? How would you handle it?

Thanks, Tracy. and wow! That's quite the start to an antenatal class!

Hope everyone has a great week - see you next Thursday. 

London Book Fair: Report from the Pub

Yay for Thursday! And an even bigger yay for Thursdays before long weekend! We have tomorrow and Monday off here in the UK, and I can't wait to sleep in and relax . . . oh, wait, I just remembered I have a toddler. Ah well!

I had a fantastic time last week at the London Book Fair. Every year, the weather seems to perform wonderfully for the event, and this year was no different. The sun was out and spring was in the air! I kicked off events by meeting Jessica Bell, Glynis Smy, and assorted other lovely individuals for dinner at a pub in Earl's Court.

Glynis, Jess, Alison, and me.

The next night, I had yet another pub dinner (yum!) with the lovely Mel Sherratt. Mel has been my partner in crime for years, and I'm thrilled that we now have the same agent and publisher, too.

Author selfie!

Tuesday night, I toddled off to the Amazon Publishing party at yet another pub (do you see a theme here?), where yet more drinks and yummy canapes were consumed. No photos, unfortunately, because I was too busy eating, chatting, and drinking.

I admit I was flagging a little by the end of the week, but the prospect of meeting Len Lambert buoyed me up again.

Len and me!

So, all in all, it was a wonderful week!

I hope everyone has very happy Easter. See you next Thursday.

Beautiful Words

Hello, all!

I'm in the midst of a very busy and fun week with the London Book Fair in town, so I'm super pleased to be hosting the wonderful Nik Perring today.

 Nik's new book is called Beautiful Words, and if you love words, you'll adore this book. It's chock full of quirky little illustrations and definitions, a celebration of the English language that's not only fun to read but also fun to look at. I thoroughly enjoyed it.


Over to you, Nik.




Jump In a Puddle

I don't think we do enough puddle jumping as grown-ups. That and climbing trees or getting muddy, or enjoying being rain-soaked, or playing on swings. Of doing things, without thinking too much about why, other than the fact that they look like fun. At some point, and to varying degrees, we grow up and leave the simplicities, and simple pleasures, of childhood behind. I think sometimes it just happens - we've got more important things to concentrate on - you know, children, jobs, paying bills, but other times I think it's our choice, that little voice in our head saying - I couldn't possibly do that - I'm far too old. Or, what would people think!


And why am I babbling about this? Well, in part, because it has a little to with my new book. It's called Beautiful Words and it was released on Monday. And it's a few things all at once. It's the story Alexander, Lucy, and Lily, told through an A-Z of beautiful words. Some of them are beautiful because of how they look or sound, some are beautiful because of what they mean or represent, others are in there because of how it feels to say them, of the shapes they push our mouths into.

But, perhaps equally as importantly, it's a picture book for adults. That's right - a picture book for adults. And picture books are things we should only read if we have small children, right? I'm not so sure. I re-read The Giving Tree the other day and I think there's probably as much wisdom in there, and emotion, as a lot of novels (which I love too, of course). But back Beautiful Words, my adult picture book. Sure, there's a story in there, and there are definitions of words you might not have known (I certainly didn't before I started writing it!), but, mostly, it's about having fun with words. That's why I wrote it really - as a sort of innocent celebration of the words that make me happy, or that I think (and hope others will too!) are interesting.


So, here's to fun. Here's to being silly and forgetting about bills and mortgages and jobs, if only for a little while. And here's to celebrating the simple, beautiful things, like words. And next time you see a puddle, you know what to do.

Nik Perring is a short story writer and author from the UK. His stories have been published in many fine places both in the UK and abroad, in print and online. They’ve been used on High School distance learning courses in the US, printed on fliers, and recorded for radio. Nik is the author of the children’s book, I Met a Roman Last Night, What Did You Do? (EPS, 2006); the short story collection, Not So Perfect (Roastbooks 2010); and he’s the co-author of Freaks! (The Friday Project/HarperCollins, 2012). His online home is www.nikperring.com and he’s on Twitter as @nikperring

Thanks, Nik! See everyone next week. 

What I Did on Holiday

Hello! I'm back! I'm forty!

I have to say that so far, the forties have been strikingly similar to the thirties. Which can only be a good thing, since I loved my thirties.

We had a great time in the Cotswolds. Although the weather could have been a tad more spring-like, we were fairly fortunate in our outings, managing to dodge hail and rain and wind. Our cottage was cosy with plenty of doors for Baby TR to bang (don't tell the owner, but he banged one so much, he broke the ancient latch - oops!). Broadway, the small village where we stayed, was chock full of character and lovely little cafes and shops. By the end of the week, we were on a first-name basis with our regular breakfast spot and pub. All in all, it was a lovely holiday and a great way to ring in the new decade.

Back in the smoggy city -- seriously, who knew dust from the Sahara could make its way to London? -- I've been busy tearing into my manuscript and starting on the second draft, which is already requiring a lot of rewriting . . . but I think I'm on the right track. I'm working hard to get as much done as I can, because next week is the London Book Fair! I'll be meeting Jessica Bell and others on Sunday, dining with my lovely author-friend Mel Sherratt on Monday, attending an Amazon Publishing cocktail party of Tuesday . . . and I think I'm leaving out something, too! It's going to be crazy but fun.

I'll be back next Thursday with a full report, but until then, I leave you with some photos from our vacation.

A bridge over the River Windrush in Bournton-on-Water.

Lord of the Manor (aka Baby TR) in Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe.

The back garden of our cottage.

Looking out onto the Cotswolds hills from Hidcote Garden.

The best name for butter ever!

Baby TR's new friends.

Sudeley Castle.

Broadway Tower,

Bendy baby!

See you next week!

Country Escape

Happy Thursday, all!

Huge thanks to everyone who wished me well on the re-launch of The Pollyanna Plan. I'm thrilled to report it's been in the top 100 on Amazon UK Kindle for almost ten days now. It's great to see it back there.

And next week, I'm celebrating something of a different sort: my fortieth birthday. Forty! Argh, I can barely believe it. But I'm a firm believer that age is in the mind, and Baby TR is certainly keeping me young. We have booked a cottage in the Cotswolds for a week, and I can't wait.

The Cotswolds are such a beautiful part of England, filled with thatched cottages, green countryside, romantic idylls. I'm not sure how much romance will be on the card with a toddler, but hey! One can dream.

I won't be posting next week, but I shall have plenty of photos upon my return. Until then, enjoy the rest of March!

Born Again, Book-Style

I'm always a little confused about what day it is, but today I'm pretty clear: it's re-release day for The Pollyanna Plan! The inside is the same, but it has a lovely new cover -- and it's also available in print and audio, as well as an ebook (Amazon.com; Amazon UK).

It was fantastic to wake up this morning and see an advert for my little book at the very top of the UK Kindle Bookstore! Of course, I had to get a screen shot for posterity.

Heartfelt! Funny! They're talking about my book! Eek!

Exciting times.

And in more exciting news, I am over on Jera's Jamboree pontificating on the best and worst things about writing, and on the wonderful Chick Lit Love discussing the power of positive thinking.

It's all systems go, I tell you, and I've quite possibly consumed way too much caffeine.

I hope you're having as wonderful a Tuesday as I am (awkwardly worded sentence but I've had too much coffee to care!). Thank you all for your support over the past few years. It's been wonderful to have my blogging friends along for the ride.

New Beginnings . . . and Endings

Happy Thursday! Another week . . . and I'm happy to report that spring may have finally sprung in Britain. I have to say, after the rainy past few months, we definitely deserve it. Plus, I've crossed 68,000 words on my new novel and I'm closing in on the end. My first drafts are usually quite sparse, and this one will probably end up somewhere around 73,000. In the second, I'll flesh out characters and add in new scenes . . . it's where the real hard work begins.

Baby TR started nursery this weekend amidst the usual tears and angst (on both our parts!), and I managed to get an amazing amount of work done. I'd forgotten how productive it can be to have a chunk of time to actually write.And I've actually made it around to visit a few blogs, too.  I'm really looking forward to making use of my new time when I start the editing phase, either next week or the week after. While I can pound out first drafts no problem, I really need some good headspace to dive in and edit.

I've also redesigned my website! My old one was a bit of a mish-mash, with lots of information everywhere. I wanted something clean and easy to navigate, so I've created a simple, scaled-down version which covers all the bases. It's now HTML instead of flash, which means it should work on all devices, too.

And next Tuesday, The Pollyanna Plan re-launches! It's so fantastic to give the novel a new lease of life. Fingers crossed it goes well. I received the audio book this week and it was beyond exciting (and strange!) to hear my characters' voices.

So, basically, it's been a wonderful week - apart from the cocktail-induced hangover yesterday, but I won't mention that.

What's new in your neck of the woods?

The Daily Slog

Hello!

Well, you may (or may not) have noticed I neglected to post last week. The truth is, I had nothing to say. I've been busy writing writing writing, and when you're banging out the first draft, things aren't really that exciting. You put the words down, you move forward inch by inch, and eventually you make it to the end. Not exactly the stuff of a riveting post.

 But apart from the daily slog, exciting things are in the works. I had a great conversation with Amazon marketing for the upcoming release of The Pollyanna Plan, and squeeee! It looks like my book will appear as the wake screen on UK Kindle Fires on launch day, apart from lots of other cool stuff. Imagine, I'll be turning on my Kindle Fire to see the cover of my very own book. Less than two weeks to go!

Away from the book world, my tiny little baby (okay, my strapping big toddler) will be starting nursery for a few mornings a week come Monday. While I'm anxious about letting go, I'm also excited at having time to: a. shower; b. eat using two hands; and c. WRITE!  Maybe even start making blog rounds again!

And really, that's all the news in my world. Hope everything is well in your neck of the woods.

See you next week!

The Voices in My Head

Hello from a very soggy Britain! Although today was a brief respite from the lovely (read: not lovely) weather we've been having, apparently we are back to rain and gales tomorrow. Sigh. Well, I didn't come for the weather, that's for sure.

This has been a very busy week! I reviewed the proofs for The No-Kids Club (coming out  in June), worked with match.com UK on creating some Valentine's stories for their Twitter followers, started writing my short story for Belinda Jones's Sunlounger edition, and made it to 35,000 words on the first draft of my new novel. Phew.

As always when I'm writing a first draft, those sneaky little voices pop into my head. Who's going to read this drivel? This is rubbish! So boring! So dull! People will hate it! They are quite insidious little devils, and they hang around pretty much every paragraph until the end. Diving onto Twitter and expressing my frustration at their whispering, I was relieved to see I'm not alone: many other writers suffer from them, too.

After six published novels (and four not!), I think I've learned to push them aside and soldier on. I don't ignore them, because I've learned to allow myself the freedom to write crap and boring twaddle on a first draft. Yes, it just may suck -- and yes, people may put it down after the first chapter. But that doesn't matter, because the first draft is just that: a first draft. There are at least four others waiting in the wings, and with every pass I'll re-structure, re-write, tidy, and edit to my heart's content (and often past my heart's content) until I'm finally happy.

And when this comes in the post . . .

It's all worth it!

Have a great day, everyone, and congrats to Vicky Lesage, who has won a copy of My Mini Midwife from last week's post!

Mini Me

You'd be forgiven for thinking that this post is about Baby TR, since practically every post since his birth has included a photo or five. But you'd be wrong! It is still baby-related, because today, I'm turning the blog over to Denyse Kirkby, dear friend and author of My Mini Midwife.

I realised I wanted to become a midwife when I was very young and watched my mother help our goat give birth to twins. I was overwhelmed by what a tremendous privilege it was to be a part of welcoming those new-borns into the world. That feeling lingered for years, and as midwives didn’t exist as a profession in Canada when I was old enough to train to be one, my only options were to become an obstetrician or move to England to train and work as a midwife. I chose the latter and even all these years later I still experience that same feeling of what an honour it is to be allowed to be present while people welcome their own little miracles into the world.

I am very fortunate to be able to say that I have enjoyed every aspect of my career – from working in hospital on the antenatal, postnatal and labour wards, my time as an antenatal and newborn screening specialist midwife and working in community with a caseload of clients that ranged from 60 -100 women. Community midwifery allows you to get to know the people you are caring for to a deeper level than those you meet when you are hospital based.

Over time I began to develop a standard set of answers to questions expectant parents, and their families, asked of me about early pregnancy, what kind of care they will be given, what labour is like and so on. Then one couple said they wished they could carry me around in their handbag so they could ask me questions whenever they needed to, and that was when I had a My Mini Midwife light bulb moment.  I’m really pleased with the result and I hope my readers are too.

There is a video with my top ten tips here: http://youtu.be/pvSjI7Hj6Ys and there will be a forum on my website from mid March which will have a peer led postnatal support group and more so please stop by and join in the conversations.

When not otherwise occupied, Dee can be found chatting to people on: Amazon author page: http://author.to/DJKirkby; Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DeeJKirkby; Twitter: https://twitter.com/djkirkby.

                     

 Thank you Denyse! 

For a chance to win a copy of Denyse's wonderful book (which I have read and found extremely informative while not overwhelming), leave a comment below saying how cute Baby TR is (ha!) or anything baby-related. 

See you next week!

Non-Exciting News

Hello! It's Thursday! I remembered to post!

I wish I could say I had  loads of exciting things to update you on. I'm drinking wine... that's exciting, isn't it? Maybe that will help jog my memory of excitement. *takes big sip* Um, nope.

Well, I'm 10,000 words into my new novel. To be honest, I reckon I've written the world's most boring opening to any novel, but I'm of the opinion that the most important thing is sitting your arse in the chair and just writing. I am all for crappy first drafts, which is probably why I loathe the second draft so much... because I have to whip my rubbish into shape.

In other non-exciting news, we got Baby TR's photos back from his first birthday photo shoot. Luckily, despite him not being able to sit still for longer than a nano-second, we managed to get some good ones.

About to hop off the chair at ANY second...

And, er, well, that's all my wine-addled brain can dredge up for now! The life of a writer -- so glamorous, I know. Tune in next week when I'll be able to update you on the status of the mould growing on the kitchen sponge.

That's it from TR Towers. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Pan the Plan

You know, I'm just going to go with Thursday as my new posting day. Yeah, 'coz I don't seem able to remember I should be posting on Tuesday. So... happy Thursday!

The week has flown by in a blur of novel-planning. I use a handy-dandy software called Writers Cafe,  which is the software-equivalent of PostIt notes. It lets you use run story-lines in parallel, and you can shift the virtual PostIts notes if need be. I've used it to plan the last three or four of my novels (I'm losing track!), and I've found it a great starting point.

Increasingly, though, I'm wondering why I bother to plan. Once I start writing, I usually take a look at the note in front of me and think: nah. Still, you have to begin somewhere! I'm not a pantser and I don't feel comfortable not writing towards something, so even if I'm not going to use what I originally set out, I like the security of it. I know ideas morph and change as writing happens, and I guess I've grown comfortable with that.

I'm hoping to finish my outline this week and get writing next Monday! Oh, I can't wait, I can't wait.

What are you working on these days?

Diving Into January

Eek! Somehow, even after missing last week, I had it in my head that Thursday, not Tuesday, is my posting day. I'll blame it on the jetlag... or the full moon... or the wine...

Anyway, we made it back to London! The overnight flight was as exhausting as usual, and settling in a jetlagged baby really is no fun. However, it's good to be home.

And since returning, it's been all systems go. I've started planning my new novel, and I'm so enjoying getting back into a fresh project. All the potential, excitement, and fun -- until I hit 20,000 words and it seems to come crashing down in a pile of poo around me. Copy edits for The Pollyanna Plan are finished, and the book has a lovely new cover for its release on March 11.

Don't you just love that blue?

Earlier this week, I headed off to King's Cross for the book launch of my wonderful friend and Amazon Publishing pal, Mel Sherratt. I tell you, if you like crime and psychological suspense, you have to read her books! I was lucky enough to read Watching Over You at an early stage, and it made me super scared.

Me with our Amazon editor.

This weekend, we have a joint first birthday party with ten other babies for Baby TR and his pals. Heaven help me, is all I can say! I just may have to bring a bottle of wine.

Hope everyone is having a great January so far. Stay warm!