When am I happiest?

When am I most happy?

When the new season of X Factor starts? Yeah, pretty happy but na, not most happy

When my dog does something truly dufus, like burying his bone in my mum’s flower pot? Close but not close enough

Trying out the new 5-minute ‘most dangerous chocolate cake in the world’ recipe my hubby brought home the other day (see below)? Hmmmm… na, not quite

Writing the first draft of a new book? YEAH BABY!

Writing a book that sings to my soul makes me most happy.  I had it with Shimmer, Book 1 (finally I name it ). If you look back on past posts, I just wrote, and wrote, and wrote, and wrote till I had that first draft down in under a month. Not ‘cos I felt like it was some race but because I-had-to-write-Shimmer. I had to write about the two main characters, Tori and Cam. I just had to. Why? As Robertson Davies said (you bored of my dragging this quote out yet?): “There is absolutely no point in sitting down to write a book unless you feel you must write that book, or else go mad, or die.”

And now I have it with Book 2, Bliss (working title). It all started 5-6 weeks ago. I had a dream (yeah, sorry, am getting a bit Steph Meyer on ya’ll!) I’m walking up a hill with a girl with long blonde hair. There’s a party or something, candle lights flickering in the dark. Then she yanks my hair back, screams at me. I run, desperate to find someone called ‘Chase’. I get to his house, his roommates let me in, bemused. I wait for him in his room, flick through his music then hear the door click open. I turn, and he’s there, standing in the gloom, skin like sand…

The dream wouldn’t leave me. Chase wouldn’t leave me, the blonde girl wouldn’t leave me and Rose, the girl whose eyes I was seeing the world through, wouldn’t leave me. And then, in the shower (ha ha), the hook for a new YA book just fell into place. So, the past few weeks, I’ve been writing and writing and writing until finally, this week, I got that first draft down.

I love Bliss. It needs a LOT of work, this is just the first draft after all. But I love it. I love how it makes me feel when I write it and read it back. So much angst and emotion. My writing buddy Bertie (check out post below) read the first 3 chapters and was seriously excited about it. And when I read passages, I see how much I’ve grown up as a writer; how much my agent has helped me see things in a different way and make the characters and the story come to life, like they have in Shimmer’s final draft (I hope). Bliss was much most emotionally draining to write, dealing with some intense subjects.

Who knows, it might suck? My agent might hate it, it may never get published. But even if it never sees the light of day, I had to write it…

So what now? I’m re-reading it, adding some new scenes then I’ll give it to Bertie to read. I’ll have some space from it then read it again through fresh eyes, tweak and send to my agent…

Now for that recipe for the most dangerous cake in the world:

Ingredients

* 1 – Coffee Mug
* 4 – tablespoons flour……(that’s plain flour, not self-rising)
* 4 – tablespoons sugar
* 2 – tablespoons baking cocoa
* 1 – egg
* 3 – tablespoons milk
* 3 – tablespoons oil
* 3 -4 – tablespoons chocolate chips
* Small splash of vanilla extract

Directions

1. Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well . Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
2. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
3. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla, and mix again.
4. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 2 -3 minutes at 1000 watts. try 2 minutes first so its not so dry ok………
5. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed!
6. Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
7. EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to share!) but who wants too !!hahaha
8. And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night! …………yikes!!!!!!!!

Find a writer buddy

I think every writer needs a writer buddy. Seriously. Someone who’s opinion you trust above all but your agent (and editor, if you’re lucky enough to get both! And readers if ever you’re lucky enough to get more then 5 of them too!).

I have a writer buddy. I call her Bertie (see our shadows above while on our literary retreat with two other pals this summer). We met several years ago at a company that kept us in a dungeon-like office, toiling away over magazines with ridiculous deadlines and not enough staff. The first thing I said to her? ‘OMG, do you love Tom Welling too?’ after seeing her Smallville screensaver. I think that’s what did it for us – that little spark of connection; an acknowledgment we were both still 14-years-olds living in late-20s bodies

Anyway, when she’d had enough of that dungeon and left, we stayed in touch, our mutual love of writing and desire to GET PUBLISHED drawing us together. We used to meet in The Harvester and walk about our dreams and our ideas and our frustrations.

It wasn’t until she started talking about her own YA book that I started to think, ‘ya know, young adult might be an option for me too’. I think, without her, I might not have seriously considered it at that stage in my life – and Book 1 may never have been written.

Since then, she’s always been the first one to read my stuff; she was the first one I forwarded my first request for a full from an agent to and I think she was even the first one I called when I got The Call from my agent (sorry mum! Sorry hubby!).

Why? Because being a writer – and when I say writer, I mean someone who puts writing in their top 5 of important things in life – has its peculiar joys and it’s very peculiar pains. Only another writer can truly understand the obsession, the yearning, the drama and the tears. Sure, I know other people who write but Bertie’s the real deal, the one who really gets it. Who really understands why I’m still tapping away at midnight at the weekend or why everything else, sometimes, diminishes in the big fat spark of a new book I’m working on.

Of course, people understand and put up with it. My mum, my hubby. But only another writer with the same intense hunger can just get it.

So yeah, we bounce off each other. But also, I really value what she thinks about my stuff. She’s an editor / journalist by trade (award-winning, might I add!); an amazing writer (though she doesn’t believe that yet but I think one day she will and I’ll say ‘told ya so!’) and an amazing reader. She finds stuff others don’t but most importantly, she tells me what her gut says.

So when I send her something, I have that same excitement and anticipation I get when sending it to my agent. And a glowing report from her is honestly enough to make me write like the devil and restore my faith in my writing.

So what I’m saying is – find a writer buddy. They’re more valuable than you can imagine.

I’m also saying thank you Bertie. It will happen. x

Writer’s retreat hupla!

It’s been a while since I last blogged, main reason being that I recently attended my little bro’s wedding in Mauritius. Bloody amazing! It’s a strange kind of wonderful watching the boy who once burnt my doll’s head off in a fire get married. He did me proud and it was the most beautiful, most unique wedding I’ve ever attended.

But the reason I’m blogging is that the weekend before I flew out, I went on a literary retreat to the Cotswolds with three good friends who also happen to be writers too. I guess us writer types gravitate towards one another and as a lot of my mates work in media, it makes sense a lot of them are aspiring novelists too, I guess that comes with the territory.

Anyway, it was fabulous and I’d really recommend it! Sure, there are loads of professional literary retreats you can attend but they cost a bomb. We simply hired a lovely little cottage for about £30 a night per person, cheap as chips and freedom to set you own agenda.

We had a lovely pub lunch beforehand, critiquing each other’s work (I put the new book I’m working on forward and it got a fab response). Once again, I was surprised at how other people can notice things in your writing that never even occurred to you. It was great reading their work too, all their different talents and dreams and passions all wrapped up in ink and paper. Then we simply wrote… and wrote… and wrote. While also drinking and breaking for food. The weather was stunning and the location gorgeous, horses galloping past on the road outside, realms of green fields unfolding ahead of us, owls diving for prey in the middle of the night as we sat in the garden, chatting. 

So… if you have some writer friends, go book yourself a cottage for the weekend and get writing!

x

PS. Reading Marked by mother and daughter duo, PC and Kristin Cast, really enjoying so far, will be back soon with a review.

I have an agent!

I never thought I’d be saying these words, so soon after I started querying but heck, yeah baby, I have an agent!!!

Until I sign on the dotted line, I won’t say who she is but she’s diamond and incredibly enthusiastic about my book (and my lovely Tori and Cam). Also, she wants to represent ME not just my book. She wants to create a writing career for me.

If any aspiring writers are reading this and wondering how to get an agent: write a damn good personalised query letter (there’s LOADS of advice on the net, lap it up); write a book with a great hook and then there’s the stuff you can’t control, like writing style. ‘Voice’ is mentioned so much and it’s something you can’t really fake, you have it or you don’t. Plus each agent is different, some will like your voice, other’s won’t. Something you can control is keep your writing tight – show, don’t tell. Express what’s going on in actions and dialogue. One great book I recommend is Self-Editing for Fiction Writers (click here) .

I’ll keep ya’ll posted…

x

The Blarney Stone snogfest worked (so far)

I have another exciting development – an agent who I queried, the third to request my full who has impressed me by how  passionate and communicative she seems (and the fact that she’s damn good and was on my ‘A List’ of agents) wants to meet up.

I got The Call (well, not quite The Call as she hasn’t offered to represent me) on Monday. Came in on the old mobile phone after I’d finished work and I was strangely calm when she said who it was (can’t say the same for the dog who was running around like a mad thing, barking at the birds outside). She said she loves what she’s read so far and wants to meet face-to-face.

So, the meet-up happens Thursday. How am I gonna prepare? I’m just going to be myself (and hope my hair behaves itself!). I’m passionate about my book, I’m passionate about books overall, I’m passionate about the literary world, always have been, always will. So that’s all there is to know.

I’ll let you all know how I get on… x

Dreams

So since I last graced the pages of this here blog, there’s been  exciting developments. Agents I’ve approached are reading FULLS of my novel already! Hell’s bells!

It was a shocker as I got requests only hours after I queried (I was anticipating weeks of waiting, biting my nails down till there was nothing left) but nope, got a beautiful email through, saying they ‘liked’ the first chapter and can I send the rest? Woo-hoo!

I went mental, jumping around, people asking what the hell was wrong. I was asking myself that too later as I looked in the mirror, telling myself to calm the hell down, they’d only seen the first few pages, will probably hate the rest.

Of course, I couldn’t resist giving it a final read-through before sending it. There were some scenes that were playing on my mind. Fluffy scenes with no momentum so the editor in me chopped, chopped, chopped and then before I knew it, the word count was down from what I’d said in my query. But hey, I know it works better without them.

It’s a win-win situation, you see. Even if I get knocked back, then I still gain something and that’s called ‘confidence’, my children. Confidence in my writing which I so desperately crave. Confidence in my beautiful characters, Tori and Cam (picture of Cam as I imagine him above), who have followed me around the house, been my constant companions since September last year, whispering in my ear. I really love them. Is that weird? They’re so real to me, I can almost see them; feel their breath on my cheek (DRAMAZ! Sorry, can’t help it!).

So readers, as I prepare to hit the ’send’ button with a mixture of excitement and dread, please say a prayer for me, kiss the Blarney stone, do a little jog of luck and hope, hope, hope they like it.

xx

Query virgin

I’ve been a naughty gal. I haven’t updated my blog nearly as much as I should’ve lately. But I’ve been busy putting the finishing touches to my little baby, my novel. And guess what? I’m gonna start querying!

I’ve never queried before so am a complete query virgin. The thing that cracks me up about it all is the little squeak I let out when I press ’send’. All my hopes and dreams scurrying off into the Big Bad World of Agentdom *gulp* I lay awake at night, thinking “did I type ‘your’ instead of ‘you’re’” etc etc. I mean, I’ve been pretty thorough with the whole querying shebang, triple checked everything and done a lotta research. But still, it’s scary, scary, scary! (terrifying in case you didn’t get the gist from the repetition of the word ’scary’!)

So, fingers crossed. I don’t expect anything exciting. Of course, I have uber confidence in my little book but I’m also British so am therefore uber cynical. Let’s leave the optimism to those smiley people across the pond, okay (maybe I need an American agent?)

Am keeping my mind off it all by starting work on my next project about a dystopian rehab centre. More on that later.

Take care cherubs. x

Similes are like curry …

According to US literary agent blog king, Nathan Bransford, similes can be like a curry – too many bad ones and everything goes to …

Okay, you get what I mean … see http://nathanbransford.blogspot.com/2008/02/your-similes-are-like-giant-flood.html for the man’s words of wisdom.

I have to say, I adore a good simile. And you can’t act on allllll the advice you read else you’ll end up as dull as ditchwater book. But it’s funny, you know. I did a search for ‘like’ in just the first part of my novel and it came up with 25 similes. In the first 90 pages! WTF?

So yes, I have gone in and taken the ‘bad’ ones out, here’s hoping I can tell good from bad!

x

Reader feedback!

Hey peeps! Got some amazingly useful feedback from my readers (including ‘for the love of god, stop with those adverbs!).

Am just waiting for final reader report / edits from another fab editor friend of mine and then, once those changes are made, it’s time to set my baby off into the Big Bad World of Scary Agentdom.

Some things I leant from this whole ‘getting peeps to read your work b4 sending it out’ marlarky:

- That character you thought was really kooky and fun and cool and eccentric? The one you loved? Yeah, well, he’s a complete stereotype okay?

- Readers aren’t stupid, stupid! They get what you mean, no need to press the point!

- When  you think you’ve banished the ‘tell don’t show’ weed from your work, it sneaks in without you even knowing. Be on guard!

- Enough with the interior angst, already. Get on with the action!

- ’Project Waneta’ sounds like a social services file on a character from Harry Enfield and Chums (Waynetta, yeah?). Time for a new title …

- Sometimes you need to make sacrifices. Eg. setting novel out as blog entries may be, like, cool but it doesn’t get the action across. So time for some straight forward, salt-of-the-earth first person past tense.

So there you go, my lovelies. x

Project Waneta takes her first steps …

Yay! I printed off two copies of my novel – working title Project Waneta – for two good friends to read today while they holiday in Thailand, the lucky lucky ladies (for holidaying in Thailand, not necessarily reading my novel

So my baby has taken its first steps and waddled over to the trustworthy hands of my gals. One’s an editor, another is a prolific (teen fiction) reader and is notorious for her brutal honesty so I’m hoping I’ll get some useful feedback. I also plan for my 15-year-old cousin to read it plus one of her friends (target market).

But my god, even printing out the darn thing, I noticed some cringey bits – eg. I’ve gone a bit overboard with the adverbs. So ‘Tori said sadly’ or something (I didn’t actually use that but too tired to remember the exact examples), which have kinda slipped in here and there. But in all, I’m pleased with it and looking forward to final drafting so that I can send it out in the New Year.

And yes, call me crazy but already started writing a) the follow up to Project Waneta (started writing that a few weeks back just cos I’m in love with my characters and want to know what happens next myself) and b) a new project called ‘God, Complex’ which I’m rather excited about.

Anyway, must go, the hubby’s giving me ‘but I thought you finished your book already so why are you still on the laptop’ looks …

Night ya’ll … x