The initial draft of my first novel was titled Staging Life. It told the story of two friends, based on me and my husband, who end up in the Afterlife. A few theatre references were thrown in and, hey presto, I had my first draft. Then I had it professionally assessed. Besides changing the title, …
Everything old is new again, in my writing.
I'm currently working on the second draft of my fantasy novel, Winter Masquerade. As I'm ironing out its shortcomings I'm finding the problems are the same as I originally faced with my first novel, Drama Queens with Love Scenes. At the moment my new work is novella length and I've been trying to find ways …
Continue reading "Everything old is new again, in my writing."
Words. They have power!
I've often blogged about my favourite editor, Mary Belk. She was assigned to my first novel and totally helped me re-imagine it. But I realised something the other day. I have no idea what she looks or sounds like. That's not unusual as I have the same relationship with my current editor, Jason. I wanted …
If filmmakers made our book trailers.
I love relaxing with the staff picks on Vimeo. My first love was cinema so having the best short films curated saves you from searching for these gems. Thought-provoking documentaries, whimsical animations and off-beat drama is usually what's chosen for you, and enjoying a short film festival at home through the television and hifi is …
Worldbuilding
Two decades ago I studied acting part time over three years. Fortunately, I secured a job in a creative industry before I completed the course, which probably saved me from many desperate auditions and a life of poverty. But there are important factors about that craft that shaped the books that make up the ‘Actors …
The First Novel
Tomorrow I’m going to feel a sense of déjà vu as my first novel gets relaunched for the third time. My last publisher closed down, so I was very lucky that NineStar Press decided to re-contract my works. An author's first novel is special. It’s the one they sweated over. It’s the one that was redrafted …
Writing Erotica
From Top to Bottom is a short tale about three sexually adventurous men who, um, well, decide to become more sexually adventurous. I originally wrote this for my last publisher who, when first contacting them, was told that erotica and romance are what sell best. I wrote a romance that has been both praised and …
Interview with an angel.
Many reviewers have fallen in love with my insecure angel, Guy. This came as a surprise to me as he is one of the co-stars in my first novel, Drama Queens with Love Scenes. Yet bloggers have called him the ‘emotional anchor’ of the first book, while one critic was disappointed with his love interest in …
5 Tips for Writing a Novel
Although I'm not a newbie in the world of novels, I'm far from being a best selling author with a plethora of titles under my belt. But that doesn't mean I haven't learned from my own experience. Professionalism please! A while ago I hosted other writers sharing short stories about the Afterlife on this blog. I …
The Importance of Being Guy
Thanks to the team at 'The Novel Approach' for allowing me to guest blog at their site. Below is what I wrote about writing both novels, and some reviewers' fascination with my Angel character. Sometime over ten years ago I decided to write a novel. In my early years I loved writing stories but gave …
