Writing Book Ten: Part Fifteen - Happy Ebook Publication Day To Me!

I'm keeping a diary of the writing process of Book 10, from the first words to publication.

It's here! Publication Day for The Accidental Life Swap has arrived (for the ebook, at least. We have to wait a little bit longer for the paperback and audio).

It's always a mixed bag of emotions when it comes to publication day; on one hand it's incredibly exciting that all the hard work you and the publishing team have put into the book has paid off and you have an actual book for people to read, but on the other hand you have a book for people to read. And THAT is incredibly nerve-wracking. I don't know how writers end up with any fingernails left at all by the time publication day rolls around!

I have had some lovely reviews already from early readers, which is fabulous and I can let out a teeny sigh of relief that at least a few people have enjoyed the book - and hopefully more will too!

Although I finished writing the book a while ago, I've still been working on extra content in the meantime, and I'll be posting the 'Book Extras' here on the blog over the next few weeks, from my dream cast, the book's playlist and more. I've also been putting together a newsletter (if you're a subscriber, it should be in your inbox right now), with a subscriber-exclusive giveaway of a gorgeous little house pendant. When I was looking for a prize, this pendant jumped right out at me as I think it fits perfectly with the book.

If you haven't subscribed to my newsletter yet, you can sign up here. 

While I was writing the book, I asked for help naming some of the animals on my Facebook page, so if you took part you might recognise some of the names used. Remember, if one of your suggestions was used in the book, your name will be in the acknowledgements, so look out for that!

GO TO PART FOURTEEN

Writing Book Ten: Part Fourteen - The Book Has Left The Building

I'm keeping a diary of the writing process of Book 10, from the first words to publication.

It's been about six weeks since I last updated about The Accidental Life Swap, but a lot has happened since then: I've completed each of the editing stages and have whisked the manuscript back to my editor, and I've had some very good news about the book. Not only will the book be available as a paperback in December (the ebook version will be out in September), it's also being made into an audio version too!

It's the first time one of my books will be available in an audio format, so I'm VERY excited about this. I would have shouted about it sooner but I've spent the past couple of weeks feeling sorry for myself on the sofa as I was plagued by chest and stomach bugs. It wasn't fun (and I had to miss the HarperCollins summer party *sad face*) but I'm feeling better now (even if the stubborn cough is refusing to budge completely) and I did discover that Glee has been added to Netflix during one of my self-pity parties on the sofa.

As well as completing the edits for the book, I've also written the acknowledgements, which includes a big thank you to everyone who helped name the animals. So if you provided one of the names used, you'll find yourself in there when the books is published!

You can pre-order the book in all three formats here

GO TO PART THIRTEEN

Writing Book Ten: Part Thirteen - Cover Reveal & Edits

I'm keeping a diary of the writing process of Book 10, from the first words to publication.

My publishers revealed the cover of The Accidental Life Swap last week and I was so excited to be able to share it. I'd already had a sneaky peek and couldn't wait to shout about it because it's just so gorgeous.

What do you think? Isn't she a beauty? The ebook is out in September (with the paperback following in December) but you can pre-order right now. Click here for more info.

Having a cover reveal for a book you're still working on is a bit strange, but it's really fired me up to make this the best book I can, to do justice to the amazing cover. So the edits landing in my inbox a few days later came at the right time!

Getting the first round of edits in can be a bit daunting - overwhelming at times - but I'm learning to take a few deep breaths, to not panic and know that I'll get through them one step at a time. The first thing I do when I get my editor's notes is to read through them and then step away. I let her thoughts sink in so I can process them before I make my plan of action.

I take my editor's notes and put them into more manageable bullet points, adding ideas and thoughts of my own and answering any questions that may have come up. It all looks neat to start with, but by the end, these sheets of paper will be a mess as I mark off the points as they're addressed and scrawl new notes as I go along.

With my revision notes, I'm almost ready to dive back in, but I need a couple more things to hand; cup of tea (obviously) and my Kindle containing The Emotion Thesaurus, The Rural Setting Thesaurus, and The Urban Setting Thesaurus.

I've got the main story down, but with the help of the above writing tools, I can start to add more depth and make the book shine!

GO TO PART TWELVE

Writing Book Ten: Part Twelve - Deadline Day

I'm keeping a diary of the writing process of Book 10, from the first words to publication.

Today is deadline day.

And I've just sent the completed draft of The Accidental Life Swap to my editor! Excuse me while I:

1. Punch the air in celebration
2. Weep with relief and
3. Collapse in a heap

Even though I've loved writing the book over the past few months and there's still a ton of work to, it feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I did it! I wrote another book, from beginning to end. And it doesn't matter that the finished book may look nothing like this draft, because I've passed a massive hurdle and no matter how much editing is required, I have something solid to work with.

Now I really am going to collapse in a heap. I'll be back with more updates when I have them, but for now I'm going to have a little rest and enjoy the last week of the Easter holidays :)

GO TO PART THIRTEEN

GO TO PART ELEVEN

Writing Book Ten: Part Eleven - We Have a Title!

I'm keeping a diary of the writing process of Book 10, from the first words to publication.

Do you remember this snippet from my last entry?

Obviously, I made a big mistake. You should never say that something is going well unless a spanner gets thrown into the works, because guess what? A spanner is going to get chucked in there at some point, probably within days or even hours of the statement. That's just the way life works, I'm afraid, and touching wood makes no difference whatsoever.

So, I had a bit of a spanner in the works last week. It was nothing major - just some pesky germs that had me feeling extremely sorry for myself as I lay on the sofa, binge-watching After Life on Netflix and clearing some space on the Sky box - but it meant I didn't write for a few days. Luckily, I was slightly ahead of my word count schedule so I haven't fallen behind. In fact, I managed to reach a mega milestone this week - the 80k mark!

I'm so pleased to have reached this point as it means I'm getting so close to having a finished draft. I still have a good chunk to write, but I'm getting there. And there's more good news as Book 10 finally has a title! From now on, Book 10 will be known as...

The Accidental Life Swap.

What do you think?

GO TO PART TWELVE

GO TO PART TEN

Writing Book Ten: Part Ten - Limited Time

I'm keeping a diary of the writing process of Book 10, from the first words to publication.

It's been a bit tricky finding the time to write over the past couple of weeks. We had half-term, which obviously poses a challenge, but I was determined to keep up with my usual writing goal of 5k per week as I didn't want to fall behind. I've found writing this book to be the pleasure writing used to be before deadlines kicked in and made some of the books a blur of panicked rushing, and this is mostly down to being able to take the pressure off with a lower word count aim for each week. So I didn't want to shatter this more relaxed state of writing by having to play catch up.

Luckily, I was able to - just about - meet my goal and keep myself on track (I had 39 words to spare!) so it made going into what I knew would be another tricky week less stressful. My home life created a bit of a spanner in the works last week, with four medical appointments booked in for the same week. None of them were for me but I needed to be there, so it meant my writing took a bit of a backseat (as it should, I may add).

Again, I scraped by, reaching my goal and keeping myself on track. I'm now at the 70,000 words mark, so The End is almost within reach. My deadline is 15th April, which is six weeks away, and the book will fall between 80-90,000 words, so unless a great big spanner gets chucked into the works (touch wood it doesn't) then I should be able to meet the deadline without the major panic I sometimes feel!

GO TO PART ELEVEN

GO TO PART NINE

Writing Book Ten: Part Nine - Powering Ahead

I'm keeping a diary of the writing process of Book 10, from the first words to publication.

Earlier in the week, I reached the 50,000 words point, which was amazing and left me feeling pretty good about how the book is going. Not only that, it seems to have motivated me even more than usual as I clocked up over 3,000 words on Wednesday alone - which is over half of my aim for the whole week! By Thursday, I'd reached my word count goal for NEXT WEEK, which is good for two reasons:

1. I'm 5,000 words closer to The End than I expected to be at this point
2. It's half-term next week

It's always more difficult to write during the school holidays, for obvious reasons. And even if I wait until my youngest is in bed, there just aren't the same amount of hours to fit the writing into as there are under normal circumstances. So being ahead takes the pressure off. I'm still going to aim for my usual 5k, but now it isn't a huge problem if I don't quite meet it!

I'm still asking for help naming some of the animals that will feature in Book 10. This week, we've named the kittens and there will be a couple more chances to take part over the next couple of weeks. Head over to my Facebook page if you want to join in - whoever's suggestion is used will have their name put in the book's acknowledgements!

You can see which names have been chosen so far by clicking here

GO TO PART EIGHT

Writing Book Ten: Part Eight - Reaching a Major Milestone

I'm keeping a diary of the writing process of Book 10, from the first words to publication.

There are a few milestones I like to take note of while writing a book so I can have a mini (internal) celebration - for example the first 10k, 20k, the halfway point - and there are Major Milestones, like The End (which requires an actual celebration. Usually something edible and a big rest). And today I reached what I consider to be another Major Milestone: 50k!

50,000 words is A LOT of words. It represents hours and hours of work (both writing them down and imagining them while you're washing up or wandering around Asda). It seems like an impossible goal when you're at the very beginning or you've been hit with The Slump, when writing a handful of words is an unreachable task. So reaching this point is well worth giving yourself a pat on the back for. I've written a MASSIVE chunk of the book and I'm definitely past the halfway point. Reaching the 50k point comes with a huge sense of relief. I'm getting there. Every day I've sat with my laptop, I've been inching closer and closer to The End and having 50,000 words chalked up is evidence of that.

So, I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself right now, especially as I haven't been hit with The Slump yet, which I usually have by now and it makes getting the words down extremely difficult and sucks all the joy from writing. I really do think that having a solid plan in place and a lower weekly word goal has helped to take the pressure off, so I'm enjoying seeing where Rebecca's story is going each day.

GO TO PART NINE

GO TO PART SEVEN

Writing Book Ten: Part Seven - Building On The Basics

I'm keeping a diary of the writing process of Book 10, from the first words to publication.

Before I started writing Book 10, I bought a book to help me with plotting and structuring novels (you can see my post about it here), which has been a huge help. I love that I have the whole plot in front of me, so if I get stuck, I can refer back to it and know where I need to go to keep the story moving. Some people don't like working this way and prefer to see where the book and characters take them, keeping that first draft fresh and exciting, which I understand even if I can't work that way (I've tried, but I'm definitely a plotter). 

But the great thing about working to a plot is there is still room for your characters to lead the way, even if they are on a certain track (and those tracks are never set in stone anyway and can be moved around or chucked out altogether). Lots of things have been happening that weren't plotted as I've been writing this week. Yes, they're following the main framework, but the characters are definitely taking on a life of their own and nudging things along in their own way. The next section of my plan is pretty vague, but I like that I've got to know the characters by now so I can fill in those gaps much easier than I could in the plotting stages.

One of the unexpected scenes this week involved three newborn kittens (I know, adorable, right?) so I've been watching YouTube videos as 'research', which was clearly VERY TAXING. I haven't named the kittens yet (other than Kitten1, Kitten2 and Kitten3 in the manuscript) as I'll be asking for help to do this on my Facebook page soon.

This week on Facebook, we've named Claude the sheep and there will be a new animal to name tomorrow. If you'd like to take part, pop over to my Facebook page and see the pinned post (from Friday). Whoever's suggestion is used will have their name put into the acknowledgements when the book is published!

You can see a list of all the names that have been chosen so far by clicking here

GO TO PART EIGHT

GO TO PART SIX 

Writing Book Ten: Part Six - Heading Towards The Halfway Point

I'm keeping a diary of the writing process of Book 10, from the first words to publication.

It was my birthday at the beginning of the week, so I gave myself a day off from writing, which was lovely. I finished reading Clare Mackintosh's Let Me Lie (which I LOVED) and caught up on some TV shows. I'm aiming to write 5k per week and should have been at the 30k mark by the end of last week, but I was already over that goal by almost two thousand words so I didn't have to worry about falling behind schedule.

My goal for this week was to get to 35,000 words in the book and even though I gave myself a day off, I still managed to reach it - plus a bit more. My current word count stands at 38,103, which means I'm almost up to the halfway point. I always aim for 80,000 words for a finished first draft, although I usually end up somewhere between the mid-80s to the mid-90 thousand words.

Book 10 has quite a few animals, which I've been asking for name suggestions for on my Facebook page. This week has been the turn of three chickens, who are now named Chow Mein, Bianca and Patty and now I'm asking for suggestions for a sheep. Whoever has their suggestion chosen at random from the bowl will have their name put into the acknowledgements when the book is published. Head over to my Facebook page if you'd like to take part!

As well as writing Book 10, I've also been working on a new short story for Valentine's Day, which will be going out in my newsletter. If you haven't subscribed to my newsletter yet and would like to receive the short story for FREE, you can subscribe here

GO TO PART SEVEN

GO TO PART FIVE

Writing Book Ten: Part Five - Help To Name The Chickens!

I'm keeping a diary of the writing process of Book 10, from the first words to publication.

I'm definitely back into the swing of things after the Christmas break and am managing to meet my 5k/week goal. This week I reached a pivotal point in the book, the part where Rebecca really commits to meeting the challenge she's been set after a big setback and I'm looking forward to seeing how she copes after her wobble!

The End still seems so far away at this point, but I'm still at the stage where writing is fun. Usually, by the 20-30k point I'm starting to grow less fond of the book and getting the words down becomes more and more of a struggle (over the years I've learned this is completely normal so it doesn't send me into a panic anymore!) but I think setting myself a smaller goal to reach each week is helping.

Last week on my Facebook page, I asked for help naming one of the donkeys in the book. I received over 50 suggestions, which all went into a bowl (no hat available) and one was picked at random. So, our little donkey is called Daisy. Now she has a name, I can replace the '*Donkey2*' markers I've left in the manuscript!

I'm going to be asking for help naming the animal characters over the next few weeks, so head over to my Facebook page if you'd like to take part. If the name you suggested is picked, your name will be put into the acknowledgements when the book is published.

This time, I'm asking for help naming some chickens!

GO TO PART FOUR 

GO TO PART SIX

Writing Book Ten: Part Four - Florida, Christmas & Donkeys

I'm keeping a diary of the writing process of Book 10, from the first words to publication.

It's been a few weeks since my last entry, and that's because I've had some time off writing for Christmas. We spent Christmas in Florida, so I had to get everything organised before we went, plus I needed a bit of time to get over the jet lag once we got back, so I had around three weeks off altogether!

Once the kids were back in school and I could pretty much function again (jet lag and I are not on good terms), I jumped back into Book 10 again. I've set myself a target of writing 5,000 words a week, which will give me enough time to reach my mid-April deadline without leaving me frazzled (unless I go way over my word count goal, but let's not worry about that now).

So far I've managed to stick to my 5,000 words per week goal, and I'm pleased to report that I'm still on track! I was worried having a three-week break would make it more difficult to get back into the story, but it's been absolutely fine and I've enjoyed seeing what Rebecca is getting up to. The only problem I've had this week is forgetting an idea I had last night but didn't write down - rookie mistake!

There are quite a few animals in Book 10, and I thought it would be fun to ask for help in naming them. The first animal who needs a name is a playful donkey. I'm taking suggestions over on my Facebook page, and one of the names will be chosen at random. Whoever made the suggestion will have their name put in the acknowledgements when the book is published.

If you'd like to take part, head over to my Facebook page and see the pinned post :)

GO TO PART THREE

GO TO PART FIVE