Where’s The Time Mr Wolf?

Finding the time to write is always tricky if you live with other people, have a job, have a social life, have an illness…let’s face it, life in general can just get in the way.

And isn’t it ironic, when we find we do have the time, we may not have the inspiration or inclination, but when our time is devoted to others, or work, inspiration pours into our minds so fast, we feel our minds will explode. Perhaps it’s because we’re not focusing on trying to write; we’re letting our characters and plot-lines brew in the teapot of our mind.

But fretting over not having enough time is counterproductive. We’re winding ourselves up and then not enjoying what we’re doing at the time. We will always find the time to write – just look at the amount of books published yearly – clearly we find a way.

The Blank Page Phenomenon

How often do we sit in front of a blank screen or blank page in a notebook and expect inspiration to flow from our fingertips or pen? And how many times do we find our minds empty, rigid, free-falling into a dark ravine? Too many times to count, eh?

However, the more writer’s blogs I read, and interviews with well-established authors I devour in writing magazines, the more I realise  that this happens to everyone – no matter how successful they are. What a relief! Now, instead of berating myself when I suffer with a dulled brain, I just tell myself that it’s a normal phenomenon and not to be so hard on myself. Hope you can be kinder to yourself too.

When One Book Is Finished, Will I Have Another One In Me? 

This is a doubt that can niggle away at the back of our minds. Maybe we’ve poured all our creativity into the one novel, leaving us with nothing left for another one? I feel this every time I finish one, and yet I have seven published so far, with another one completed, and two being written.

It’s okay to have a rest between novels, if that’s what our brain requires, although personally I like to delve into another one – alternating genres to keep my writing brain refreshed. There are no rules; just write when you’re ready.

I can’t say exactly where my ideas come from; they pop into my head whilst doing chores, or a seed is planted whilst reading a newspaper article. All I can say is that I keep getting ideas, which I jot down in a notebook, but it doesn’t stop me from worrying that maybe this novel will be my last? When I find the cure for this worry, I’ll be sure to let you know.

Wishing you all a beautiful day and a peaceful writing mind. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Word Flow One & All

Although I have seven books published by Winter Goose Publishing, I’ve never entered the Blog Tour arena, I’ve just never felt brave enough. I was daunted by the complexity of organising one and of approaching book bloggers – whom I know are a very friendly folk – but still I hesitated.

I belong to a fabulous book group on Facebook called The Book Connectors, and someone asked the question of how to set-up a Blog Tour. The group consists of readers, writers, and bloggers, so the answers were helpful – yet I still felt overwhelmed by the prospect. Then I fell upon someone who organises these tours for authors, and so I’ve jumped right in, and my first ever Blog Tour is running from the 29th August to the 4th September 2016.

I’ve attached the form below if any book bloggers are interested in reviewing  Garlic & Gauloises (Mobi provided) or interviewing me.  Garlic & Gauloises falls into the category of women’s contemporary fiction.

Garlic & Gauloises Blog Tour

Hope to hear from some of you!

I originally wrote ‘In the Light of Madness’ as a stand-alone crime novel, featuring DI Eva Wednesday and DS Jacob Lennox, but I found I had an affinity with her, and being without her made my world seem a lonelier place. She intrigued me, and all her anxiety about having a mentally ill mother passing on her malady made me wonder what was in store for her?

Wednesday has a tantalising half-sister, Scarlett Willow, who always overshadowed her with her beauty and charisma when they were growing-up. Scarlett is bi-sexual, which seems to intrigue the men around her, including Jacob Lennox, who meets her at Wednesday’s home during one of their working-lunches. Even though he has a disdain for journalists in general, Scarlett’s profession doesn’t get in the way, and soon the pair enter into a relationship.

As their relationship rises, dips, and fizzles, and Scarlett’s own mental health comes under Wednesday’s scrutiny, she tries to warn Lennox without revealing her mother’s own mental ill health issues. She has always kept her mother’s condition a secret from the workplace, fearing the mis-conceptions on mental illness will prejudice against her role as a DI and prevent her from attaining a higher position in the future.

Wednesday is 39 yrs old, ordinary looking, single, with something in her past that makes her fear entering into a relationship again. She is bright, sometimes passive-aggressive, and fiercely loyal to guarding her private life from her work colleagues. She is a team player, likes using mind-maps to work out crimes, and often lacks self-confidence in her ability as a career woman and daughter.

As the series progresses, I love her more, and I hope that the readers find her just as intriguing and enjoyable to be around.

If you’re interested in reading the series in chronological order to follow the backstory of both of the detectives, the order is: In the Light of Madness, Rightful Owner, Shadows in the Mind, and What Happens After.