Thursday 29 November 2018

Writing Book Ten: Part One - Getting My Act(s) Together


I know I said I'd be keeping a diary of my next book a long, long time ago (at least it feels that way to me) but it's taken this long to actually get going with Book 10. I plotted out a book, wrote a synopsis for my editor and the first three chapters, but it just wasn't working. This is why good editors are worth their weight in gold - I'd have been pretty miffed to have written an 80-90,000 novel before realising it didn't have legs!

So I had to go back to the drawing (or writing) board and come up with a whole new concept. To help me, I bought a new book on plotting and structure as although I've done this nine times before, I'm still learning. Alexandra Sokoloff's Writing Love teaches you how to use the three act structure that screenwriters use, and this edition focuses on writing romance/rom coms, as well as writing in general.

https://amzn.to/2KByAgW

I've never actually structured my books in this way before. I've plotted to within an inch of the book's life, and I always have a beginning, middle and end in mind, but I've found this technique really helpful.

With the book plotted, I wrote a synopsis and sent it off to my editor with my fingers firmly crossed. I loved the concept of the book and was itching to get started. So I was thrilled when my editor loved the idea too!

So, Book 10 is now under way. It doesn't have a title yet (it did have a working title, very briefly, but it really doesn't appeal so for now it shall be known as Book 10) but I will update you when it does get one. For now, I'm loving getting to know my new characters, especially the main character, Rebecca.


I've just finished the first act, which is only a few chapters long, but it feels like a good start and definitely a cause for celebration! This is one of the things I like about the way the book is structured - it's broken down into acts, which are broken down into sequences, which seems much more manageable and gives you something within reaching distance to aim for - and then celebrate once you've reached it.

There has been one tiny hiccup while I've been writing the first act, something I should have picked up on in the plotting stages but obviously didn't: I have two characters with very similar names. An Oliver and an Olivia - doh! Luckily it's easy enough to remedy and Olivia has now been renamed.





Friday 9 November 2018

The Beginner's Guide Series: A New Look & A Giveaway

 

This week, I've been sharing the book makeovers for my Beginner's Guide series. I hope you love the new-look covers as much as I do!

 
Below, you'll find more information about the books, plus find out how to enter my Beginner's Guide giveaway.
 
 
 
 
 
Ruth usually spends Christmas curled up on her parents’ sofa, watching feel-good movies whilst being fed festive food and drink until she can no longer move. But Ruth’s perfect Christmas is shattered when her mum receives a DIY-induced injury and Ruth is forced to take over the preparations.

Shopping. Cooking. A house full of hyped-up kids.

Christmas may no longer be the most wonderful time of the year.
 
 
 
 

A Beginner's Guide To Christmas is a quick, festive read - and it's FREE!

Click the links above to download your copy.

 
 
 
 Ruth loves nothing more than curling up in front of the telly with a family-sized bar of chocolate. She doesn’t do diets and she certainly doesn’t do exercise. But all that changes when she’s invited to her school reunion.

Bullied at school for being overweight, Ruth’s first reaction is to rip the invitation into a million pieces. But then Ruth hatches a plan. She’ll lose the weight and arrive at the reunion looking gorgeous and glamorous, leaving her old classmates in awe. Especially her former crush, Zack O’Connell.

With the help of her friends and a new, unbelievably hot colleague, Ruth begins her transformation. With six months until the reunion, losing weight will be a piece of cake, right?
 
 
 
 
 
Three women. Three weddings. But who will say I do – and who will say I don’t?

Ruth can’t quite believe she’s managed to snag The One but when he proposes, she can finally accept that she’s found her happily ever after. But when Ruth finds herself booking her dream church for just six weeks away, she starts to panic. You can’t plan a whole wedding at such short notice. Can you?

Trina has only just walked down the aisle, but she’s already starting to question whether they can make their marriage work. Will they survive the honeymoon period, or have they just made a very big – and very expensive – mistake?

Erin has somehow found herself agreeing to be a bridesmaid for the tackiest wedding known to man. With drunk hens, ridiculous outfits and a terrifying wedding planner, just what has Erin signed up for?
 
 
 
 
 
To celebrate the bookish makeovers, I'm running a giveaway over on my Facebook page.
 
Head over to my page and follow the instructions on my pinned post!
 
 
 
 
You can find the terms and conditions here
 
Good luck!

Thursday 8 November 2018

Book Makeover Number Three!


 

Over the past couple of days, I've been revealing the book makeovers for my Beginner's Guide series. If you're a newsletter subscriber, you will have had a sneaky peek at all my new covers already, but if not, here is the final book makeover!

 

Three women. Three weddings. But who will say I do – and who will say I don’t?

Ruth can’t quite believe she’s managed to snag The One but when he proposes, she can finally accept that she’s found her happily ever after. But when Ruth finds herself booking her dream church for just six weeks away, she starts to panic. You can’t plan a whole wedding at such short notice. Can you?

Trina has only just walked down the aisle, but she’s already starting to question whether they can make their marriage work. Will they survive the honeymoon period, or have they just made a very big – and very expensive – mistake?

Erin has somehow found herself agreeing to be a bridesmaid for the tackiest wedding known to man. With drunk hens, ridiculous outfits and a terrifying wedding planner, just what has Erin signed up for?
 
 
 
 

What do you think?

I hope you love it as much as I do!

 
To celebrate my bookish makeovers, I'll be running a giveaway over on my Facebook page tomorrow, so do pop over for your chance to win!
 
 
 

Wednesday 7 November 2018

Book Makeover Number Two!

 

Yesterday, I revealed the book makeover for A Beginner's Guide To Christmas. If you're a newsletter subscriber, you will have had a sneaky peek at my new covers, but if not, here is the second of my book makeovers!

 

 Ruth loves nothing more than curling up in front of the telly with a family-sized bar of chocolate. She doesn’t do diets and she certainly doesn’t do exercise. But all that changes when she’s invited to her school reunion.

Bullied at school for being overweight, Ruth’s first reaction is to rip the invitation into a million pieces. But then Ruth hatches a plan. She’ll lose the weight and arrive at the reunion looking gorgeous and glamorous, leaving her old classmates in awe. Especially her former crush, Zack O’Connell.

With the help of her friends and a new, unbelievably hot colleague, Ruth begins her transformation. With six months until the reunion, losing weight will be a piece of cake, right?
 
 
 
 

What do you think?

I adore Ruth's bookish makeover and I think it reflects her sass perfectly!

 
 
 
 
So, that's two book makeovers down, one to go!
I'll be revealing the final cover tomorrow, here on the blog as well as
 

Tuesday 6 November 2018

Book Makeover Number One!

 

If you're a newsletter subscriber, you will have had a sneaky peek at my new covers, but if not, here is the first of my book makeovers!

 
 
Ruth usually spends Christmas curled up on her parents’ sofa, watching feel-good movies whilst being fed festive food and drink until she can no longer move. But Ruth’s perfect Christmas is shattered when her mum receives a DIY-induced injury and Ruth is forced to take over the preparations.

Shopping. Cooking. A house full of hyped-up kids.

Christmas may no longer be the most wonderful time of the year.
 
 
 
 

What do you think? I absolutely LOVE it and I hope you do too!

A Beginner's Guide To Christmas is a quick, festive read - and it's FREE!

Click the links above to download your copy.

 
 
 
 
So, that's one book makeover down, two to go!
I'll be revealing the next one tomorrow, here on the blog as well as