Something odd happened. A review came out for The Midnight Man which complained about the graphic sexual content. I was confused as the opening chapter has the only sex scene. It's not a scene which titillates because its purpose is to show the reader how unhappy the main character is in his relationship. There are …
Are you sure your novel is ready?
A couple of books I've read lately inspired this blog. And what's interesting about their flaws is it made me reflect on advice I received when my first novel was published. This was way before self publishing was a thing. Back then the first thing I was told was to have my manuscript assessed. My …
Changing my writing process
I was selling my books at a local author event. On the table next to me was science fiction writer, H.G. Ahedi. It was a very rainy Friday night so not many potential readers showed up, leaving me and H.G. with plenty of time to talk. After chatting about cover artists, the difference between being …
Random thoughts which improve my plot
I'm at an interesting stage with my WiP. I revised around two-thirds of the story after creating an excel spreadsheet with details of the changes needed to each scene. Then I read the revised chapters and realised before I continued, the characters needed to be deeper. They were already demanding extra plot twists, telling me …
To hell with my outline!
Apologies for not posting for a while. My time has been dominated by listening to, and preparing promotional materials for, a new audiobook. But today's blog is a follow on from my last where I mentioned I've been panstering for a while, rather than sticking to my refreshed outline. And on the days I haven't …
Pantstering my plot
I felt like I was pantstering even though I have an outline. But it’s an updated outline on an excel spreadsheet clearly showing what currently happens in each chapter, and what needs to be changed. And as I created this spreadsheet ages ago, it felt like I was pantstering recently, giving the characters licence to …
Should I submit to a publisher or an agent?
I'm going through the submission process. I have a manuscript I believe is ready to send to potential publishers and like many authors, I'm combing through lists to see who takes direct submissions, seeing who is a good fit. Ideally, I'd like an Australian publisher. It would make life easier to be marketed in my …
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The curse of modern social media
I had to play nurse to my husband for a month. After he had minor surgery, we had weeks of sleepless nights because we couldn’t find a pain killer which actually dulled his pain. I missed many yoga and Zumba sessions while our apartment just didn’t get cleaned. I was too tired to read and …
Don’t rush your manuscript!
A publisher cancelled their open call. They only open for unsolicited manuscripts four times a year, and I had all my submission documents ready for their date in May. But two days out, they cancelled that submission date due to a backlog they still had to get through. What enticed me to them is that …
Author etiquette
None of us are perfect. I was part of an interstate literary festival once just after I had a major operation on my arm. A day or so in, it was clear my sling needed a wash. It smelled. But I had to be on panels and run a workshop at this two day event, …
