My publisher is releasing a series of short stories this year. We were all asked to submit, but at time of writing this blog, I still haven't finished mine. I have two distinct versions, neither making it to the minimum word count. I challenged myself to write something light with no weird Kevin-style twists. When …
What reading one of my earlier books taught me about myself
I finished reading my second novel. I didn't think I'd finish it because I never read my own books once they are published. I'm working on a novel where for the first time I'm writing in Third Person Limited and, as Drama Queens and Adult Themes was written in First Person from the perspective of …
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The horror of reading your own book.
I don't read my own books once they are published. I might read a chapter randomly as an antidote to Impostor Syndrome, but that's about it. Until the other day. I read the five opening chapters of my second novel, Drama Queens and Adult Themes, as I thought it might help me out with my …
Playing author for the long haul
I started this journey well over a decade ago. My first novel was redrafted eight times and after many rejection letters, was first published in 2012. For various reasons it is now with its third publisher. In the early days I tried all the tricks authors are told by bloggers on how to succeed. Start …
10 things I’ve learnt after publishing 10 books
In August, my tenth book was released. I've been taking stock as it's the perfect time to reflect. I've got a reason to celebrate and a milestone which is making me consider where my writing journey is heading. 1. Too much is made of genre. I know genre helps market a book, but I'm in …
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Realising your manuscript needs work!
I've just edited the initial draft of my novel set in the 1990s. Like any novel at this early stage, some scenes work, some need work. But for the first time I sense this manuscript needs more work than my recent novels did at this early stage. It's not because it's bad. It's because I …
How I changed my writing habits during lockdown
I need to be alone to write. Regular readers of my blog know this. But with my husband at home with me during the extended Sydney lockdown (yes, this blog was written during that time), I've had to find a new strategy to work on my projects. So, I've broken my process into what I …
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Recycling characters
Many authors do it. They place their characters in several unrelated books. I've been doing it for a while although I'm planning to stop after my current release, The Midnight Man. And while the major characters in this novel are brand new, a whole range of characters from my novellas Nate and the New Yorker …
Writing about a dream lover
I was listening to Kate Bush. The track was 'Man With the Child In His Eyes' - a song about a mystical lover that waits for the songwriter at bedtime. It has been one of my favourite songs since its release in 1978. Natalie Cole does a beautiful cover version. Its haunting melody was the …
I wrote a sex scene without realising it.
The Midnight Man started with a nightclub scene. At least it did in earlier drafts. In the scene we meet middle aged gay couple, Stanley and Francesco, as they pick up a guy to share their bed for the night. After that opener was an erotic sex scene in which we discover Stanley isn't happy …
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kevin klehr - author 