I’m a #CampNaNoWinner2016!

July has been a very busy, and very challenging month for the pagan housewife. I have run around being Mother, Wife, Author, Blogger and Business Professional, frantically trying to balance everything that is important in my life at the moment. One thing I was determined to see through was my participation in the July writing challenge that is CampNaNoWriMo. And I did it! I completed my challenge, and wrote 30,030 words to finish the first draft of a novel I began writing back in 2013.

With a working title of The Vampire Hunter, and a very rough first draft completed, this novel is a long way off publication just yet. But the point is, I did it. I wrote another novel, and added another manuscript to my portfolio that I can work through at my leisure. It felt so good to be writing my stories again, after spending the past month or so focusing solely on blogs and non-fiction projects. The Vampire Hunter definitely needs a new name, and I will take some time to ponder on that later. For now, here is an excerpt, for your eyes only!

It was a tough fight tonight. Jennifer had expected nothing less, but still, she might actually need some hospital treatment when this was over. Her left arm was bleeding heavily, hanging at her side, her chest heaving with exertion. She didn’t feel pain yet thanks to the adrenaline coursing through her body, but she vaguely recognised that this was going to hurt later. Oh well, it was nothing she couldn’t handle. It was just another night in the life of a vampire hunter.

           

“Jennifer!” Jason yelled from across the room, “Incoming!”

           

Her head snapped up as she realised she had been about to collapse. With a burst of energy, she blocked the punches of the vampire bassist, sending him tumbling to the floor amid the debris of the pub they had destroyed. The creature hissed and snarled, leaping to his feet and refusing to back down.

           

“You will die for this, hunter!” the monster screeched.

           

Jennifer pulled her body upright with huge effort and remembered that she still held a sword in her right hand.

           

“Maybe,” she agreed grimly, “But not tonight.”

           

She thrust the blade into the vampire’s chest before he realised what she was doing. He had been toying with the hunters, and now his own arrogance would be his undoing. Jennifer remained unemotional as the silver blade penetrated through a ripped, blood-soaked t-shirt and sliced into cold, icy flesh. It broke the bone and ended in the creature’s heart, such as it was. The vampire stopped moving, lifting its head to stare at her in shock. Everything slowed down to this moment. The creature screamed and tried to dislodge the sword, but it was too late. His body imploded, falling limp and collapsing in a heap of ashes on the floor at Jennifer’s feet. She barely glanced at it before moving to her next target.

Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

Why #NaNoWriMo and #CampNaNoWriMo are Perfect for Me

This month I am a very happy writer. After what feels like a ridiculously long absence, my Muse has returned, and she is raring to go. I signed up for #CampNaNoWriMo last year and my enthusiasm fizzled out very quickly. There were a lot of distractions within the family due to babies and accident-induced illness. I had to reluctantly accept that my writing would not flow while my mind and heart were consumed with other affairs. And it put me into something of a depression, I will admit.

Anyway, that was last year. This year, I am back on track. I never gave up with my writing, and it was always there, ticking over in the background, buzzing like a machine on standby just waiting to be switched on. Perhaps I needed the time to recharge my batteries. Maybe I was simply focusing my attention on my young children, conscious that they are growing fast and that my writing will still be there when they leave home as adults. Whatever the reason, I feel like I didn’t achieve very much on the writing front in 2014. I did, however, keep both of my blogs updated regularly, so I was still writing something, even it was largely what I call ‘disposable babble.’

Now, back to the present. When I began #CampNaNoWriMo this year, I wasn’t entirely certain that I could achieve my goal. I set a word count target of 25,000. That way it is not as much as the full 50,000 required for #NaNoWriMo, but it is still a good enough chunk of words to constitute a fairly decent novel. I had to start somewhere. I need new material to publish. My last novel was published in 2013, and now I am itching to get something else out there, although my methods and plans are a whole other story. And I am happy to report that my novel is growing steadily, and I am well on my way to achieving the word count goal.

I find that #NaNoWriMo and #CampNaNoWriMo are perfect writing challenges for me. I am one of those people that works better to deadlines, and I believe that the reason I have not necessarily reaped the benefits of being a freelance writer so far, is that I have not been putting myself in positions where I have tight deadlines and people to answer to. It was quite nerve-wracking, I suppose, taking on such a responsibility, and what with the distractions of preschool children, I didn’t trust myself to do the work. Doing #NaNoWriMo is a fantastic compromise. I get to write my novels, in the way that I choose, and there is nobody to criticize. Indeed, I receive a whole lot of praise, encouragement and support from my virtual cabin mates on #CampNaNoWriMo, and there is always someone to talk to online when you need a pick-me-up. You get a whole month of writing abandon, and afterwards you have a solid piece of work that you can mould into a finished novel. Perfect!

Settling in at #CampNaNoWriMo

The sun is shining as we enjoy day 4 of the Great British summer heatwave. I’m not so good in hot weather. My skin is white, and will often turn bright red even beneath layers of factor 50 sun cream. I have auburn hair and lots of freckles (more so during summer). You will usually find me sitting in the shade, a thin shawl draped across my shoulders, my floppy hat pulled low over my sunglasses, book in hand. Or at least, you used to, before I had children. Nowadays you will find me throwing small people into a paddling pool at high speed. They love it!

But back to Camp. My eldest daughter is at preschool. My youngest is having quiet time in bed. She is suffering with the extreme temperatures as well, although neither girl has inherited my hair colouring. I’m enjoying a light lunch, pottering around my virtual cabin, mentally preparing myself for day 3 of #CampNaNoWriMo. I’m off to a good start. So far my vampire protagonist has set the scene. He will not yet reveal his name, however. He likes to play games with people, and he despises humans. Apparently we are only a food source, nothing more. He has communicated that he is bored, and now a lone vampire hunter has come after him. He plans to play with her, to alleviate the tedium of his existence. She, however, has other plans…

Yes, the creative juices are beginning to flow. It is time to grab my laptop, take a glass of fizzy pop, and find a space in the virtual forest, where I can sit uninterrupted and write. I’ve got the sun cream on. My floppy hat is waiting, along with my trusty sunglasses. Let us wander off into the wilderness, and find a suitable spot… ah, over there, underneath that huge, old oak tree. I can lean against its sturdy trunk, balance the laptop on my crossed legs, and lose myself in the story… see you later!

I Need a Writing Retreat… Hello #CampNaNoWriMo!

My writing has not been forthcoming of late. It is all my own fault. I have allowed myself to stray from the path. I have become too easily distracted by domestic activities, holidays, social events and the like. At the moment the only writing I manage to do on a regular basis is for my blogs, and even that is becoming sketchy during recent weeks. Life is getting in the way, as the old saying goes. I need a break. I need… #CampNaNoWriMo.

My main problem with writing is that I flutter about and do not immerse myself fully in my work at the moment. It was easier when I was writing the first three installments of the Redcliffe novels. Back then I would put my daughter to bed at night and settle down for three-five hours of solid writing. And it was brilliant. I thrived on it. The story burst forth from my mind, the characters leaped onto the page, and my Muse was alive and vibrant. And then something happened. It was around the time I became pregnant with my second child. My Muse went on strike. And she has not yet properly returned.

I have had flashes of inspiration, but nothing that gives me the incentive to sit down at my computer and just write. I have had a couple of evenings where I managed an hour here and there. I have a couple of completed manuscripts that need further editing so that I can send them to publishers. I also have a complete edited novel that has so far not been snapped up by a publisher or agent. I cannot imagine why. Who wouldn’t want to publish a novel called The Vampire of Blackpool?

Anyway, I am fed up with my procrastinating. I need to write. I need to write properly. And for that I need deadlines, encouragement, a sense of purpose. And here comes #CampNaNoWriMo. Perfect! For the whole month of July I can immerse myself in a virtual log cabin in the wilderness of the wild and distant Internet, and I can write my story, whatever that may be. I think this one is about a lone vampire lurking beneath the streets in Manchester. I am not sure. I will ask my Muse for help. Perhaps she will be coaxed out by the promise of a hot chocolate with marshmallows… Who is with me? See you later, campers!

Join my tribe today, and I will send you a fabulous FREE book to get you started… (be warned, my vampires do not sparkle, and my wolves will bite!) 

Will I Succeed This Time? #NaNoWriMo

It is that time of year folks. How on earth did we get to November already? I have no idea. All I know is it has been a long and challenging year, and yet it seems to have gone really quickly. Back in April I attempted to do #CampNaNoWriMo. It wasn't quite the success I anticipated, but at least now I have the beginnings of a YA novel languishing on my hard drive until such time as I feel the urge to finish it.

For #NaNoWriMo 2014 I have returned to my vampires. OK, I never truly left them. But this time I am writing a story about a vampire hunter. Hannah Oakley retired from the job nine years ago after the vampire she was hunting seduced and almost killed her. She never did finish the job, and the vampire is out there, somewhere. Hannah is now married with two young children, and finding motherhood both a joy and a chore (sound familiar?). We meet her at the point where she is remembering the past, wondering about her former vampire lover, and wondering if she will ever be able to slay the one vampire who broke through her strong defenses.

The good news is, I am getting into this story. It is quite exciting, it is calling to me, albeit it faintly at the moment, and I do feel the urge to write every day. My difficultly lies with the ever-present domestic distractions. I am currently home alone with my own two young children, one of whom returns to pre-school next week after an extended half-term holiday. Perhaps then I might settle into a proper writing routine. As it stands I have written 4,957 words. The NaNoWriMo stats tell me at this rate I will complete the challenge on January 10th 2015. I had better suck it up, get my ass into gear, and get some words on the page!

Happy writing, fellow Wrimos!


*Vampire hunter image courtesy of 500px.com

Not Quite a #CampNaNoWriMo Winner

Well, I didn't win Camp NaNoWriMo this year! I am not upset about it, however. In fact, I feel quite proud that I finally did some writing, even if it was only 8068 words towards my original target of 25,000. I have been on such a depressing emotional roller-coaster lately, as I try desperately to write and market my books single-handedly while raising two young children by myself. The only relief is that I have a husband to earn the family income. If I had that responsibility as well, I think I would just give up altogether, at least for a while.

Anyway, back to the subject. Ah, the joys of being a writer. We always seem to sidetrack, our minds whirl away into another time and place, and we take far longer to reach our original destination because of all the distractions. So I didn't win Camp NaNoWriMo this year. No matter. I thoroughly enjoyed participating in the challenge, and in the future I look forward to having more time to devote to actually exploring the forums and interacting with my cabin mates. And, ultimately, I have another WIP to add to my collection, and I will continue to work on it when my children allow, so that I can build my portfolio over time.

As for the marketing, well, that is always ongoing. It will improve when I learn more, when I understand more about where to spend my time and effort, and ultimately, when I sell more books. At least when I have a regular income I can outsource some of my work... ah, that will  be a joy and relief!

I Am the Master Procrastinator! #CampNaNoWriMo

We are 9 days into the Camp NaNoWriMo challenge for 2014, and I'm off to a slow start. It's not surprising really. As I write this, my youngest daughter is sitting on my knee trying to bash the computer keys. My eldest daughter is demanding that I play pirates, doctors, princesses and a whole host of other games. I sit at the computer, and instead of opening my WIP and getting on with the writing, I hop from one social network to another, messing about and telling myself that it is work.

I'm in a strange place at the moment. I need to sell more books. I need to get myself on some internationally recognized bestseller lists, and I need people to embrace the Redcliffe novels, and to understand that I am a bloody good writer! There is an opening in the UK market for some paranormal romance, since the popular television series Being Human finished months ago. I can't think of any British authors in recent decades that write the kind of stories I do, at least not in popular circles.

So how do I go about marketing myself properly? I have absolutely no budget. I am, essentially, a housewife. I dislike the title and all its associations, but that is a whole different issue I need to work through for me, and my emotional state. One thing is certain: my children are my priority right now. But in the same way, my books are like my children. Fellow authors will understand what I mean. I believe in my novels wholeheartedly. I would never have written them otherwise. So now I need to figure out how to show them to the wider world. How do I get people to actually buy my books? That is the ultimate million-dollar question...

A World of Inspiration #CampNaNoWriMo

Good Morning! I am so happy today. My Muse has finally returned, hooray! I have missed her so much during the past eighteen months or so. I blame pregnancy/childbirth/babies/hormones for it all, but who knows? All I can say is I have been living in a sort of fog for almost two years, but my youngest daughter is now eleven months old, and so I feel ready for a new challenge.

I didn't actually start my writing for #CampNaNoWriMo until yesterday (2nd July), but somehow, despite having the children needing attention throughout, I managed to write just over 2000 words in the space of around two hours. I am so happy! And while I was writing, I started to get ideas and plans for the novel. I am writing a teenage zombie romance. Random, yes? I know, but that is where my Muse is at the moment, and clearly I need to write it. So far I have a seventeen year old student named Jean Pickering, and her best friend and wannabe journalist, Kelly Rouse. It's amazing how the words flow...  Have a fabulous month my friends!

Preparing for Camp NaNoWriMo #amwriting

I decided to try again with Camp NaNoWriMo. My attempt for April 2013 never quite worked out, although at the time I put it down to being heavily pregnant with a toddler and a work-addicted husband to deal with. April 2014 was dominated by family dramas. Now I am going to attempt the July 2014 Camp NaNoWriMo, and I am trying a completely new project for the challenge. Hooray!

My project for the coming month is a Young Adult teenage zombie romance. Has this been done before? Probably. Can you recommend similar books for me to read as research? Please do... For now I take my inspiration from recent renovation works in my local town, where there is an old churchyard that I believe was dissected to build a new main road back in the sixties (or thereabouts). During some routine pipe maintenance last year there were rumours that bones had been dug up, and that's when the idea hit me.

My idea resurfaced weeks ago when an empty building opposite the church was renovated and opened as new medical centre, and there is also a newly refurbished funeral home next door. How cool is that? In terms of literary gold for paranormal lovers, I am very excited. Now I need to develop my plot, and work out just how a normal teenage girl can meet and fall in love with a teenage zombie recently risen from his grave... So many questions, and such a juicy challenge! See you at Camp NaNoWriMo!

#amwriting Update and the #15KinMay Challenge

We are reaching the end of yet another month and 2013 is flying by at an alarming rate. After my rather disastrous (non) participation in Camp NaNoWriMo, I found another writing challenge that was being run via Twitter. I decided to join the #15KinMay challenge, thinking that I could easily achieve that goal. It was not to be. I think I have managed about 5k words, maybe just over. Oh well, better than nothing I suppose!

My mood is up and down at the moment. I am veering between the romantic notion of the tormented writer wallowing in self-pity, and the practical modern woman who says "I can do this, I just need to be organised." Of course, it is not easy to wallow in self pity when I have a demanding toddler to attend to, and a baby growing ever-larger in my womb. Perhaps I can allow myself a little rest time while I embrace motherhood. My novel will still be there when I can return to it, and in the meantime I have plenty of other writing projects to keep me occupied...

How is your month progressing? Are you pressing on with your work, struggling with writers'  block, or finding challenges along the way? I am eager to hear from fellow writers and their experiences.

Camp NaNoWriMo Was Not as Planned #amwriting

Well, I did not succeed with my endeavours in Camp NaNoWriMo this year. Oops! I am not upset about it. This was my first attempt in the camp, and I chose to do it at a time when I was busy with other commitments. They included the April A-Z blogging challenge (which I completed successfully), and the fact that I am currently 6 months pregnant with my second child and I have a toddler at home.

The manuscript that is causing me so much stress and has sent my Muse into exile is still only progressing very slowly, but it is at least progressing. Yes, I only managed to write about 6000 words on it last month, but I still wrote around 1000 words per day keeping up with my blogs and other projects. I am happy enough with that.

I also have some excellent news to share! My editor at Mirador just confirmed she will publish my spin-off Redcliffe novel The Darkness of Love. This is a Victorian vampire story telling the tale of Marcus Scott who appears in my Redcliffe Novels series. I am very fond of Marcus, and he was insistent on me telling his story.  Now I just have to do some more edits on the manuscript and get it proofed for publication. Watch this space for a release date...

A Mysterious Case of Writers Block

I have just returned from a holiday. It was much-needed, and I was hoping to use my time to work on a manuscript that I have been limping through for about the last six months or so. I signed up to Camp NaNoWriMo for the first time this month, and set myself a target of 50,000 words. I already had 20,000 words written, so how difficult could it be? Quite a task, as it turns out. So far this month I have barely written 6000 words on the manuscript. But, I am not despairing yet. There is still time to perform a miracle!

My holiday took me to the west coast of Scotland, and a beautiful town called Ayr. I have never visited before, but looking at a few photos online piqued my interest. I was not expecting the town to be quite so large. In fact, I fell in love with the place! It has a fantastic sandy beach that stretches for at least a couple of miles. There is a harbour that we didn't get round to exploring, and I was curious to follow the rocky coastline and see what treasures could be found in either direction heading out of town. Unfortunately, with two toddlers in tow, it was difficult to explore properly.

My friend and I took our children to a family caravan park for a week, and we had a wonderful time. We went treasure hunting on the beach, the children rode their bike and scooter along the seafront, we found a fun indoor soft play centre for when it rained, and we spent the day at a chocolate factory. I took the opportunity to look around me at the scenery, and tried to picture what kind of supernatural creatures might run wild up there. Usually when I visit a place like that I am flooded with inspiration and my Muse goes into overdrive. Not so this week. I never once had the urge to scribble in my notebook, much to my dismay.

I was telling my friend about my dilemma one evening after I had tried to force myself to do some writing on my manuscript. The words are flowing, but in a stuttering and disjointed manner. Gone are the repeating scenes and sequences that fill my head until I write them down. My Muse seems to have emigrated! My friend then suggested perhaps there was an explanation behind my writer's block. I am currently six months pregnant, and my daughter is two years old. Oh yes, perhaps I am a little distracted! I hope that my Muse returns once the baby is born, but in the meantime I refuse to give up on my project. My vampire hunter story needs to be written, so I will power through until it is done.

I’m a Camper! #CampNaNoWriMo 2013

I have been struggling with a manuscript for about the last six months, and so I decided it was time to get help. I turned once again to the good people at National Novel Writing Month. Since I managed to write 2 very pleasing novels during my NaNoWriMo events in 2011 and 2012, I thought I should try it with this one. Lucky for me, Camp NaNoWriMo is active throughout April.

The manuscript in question hasn’t even got a title. My working title is The Vampire Hunter, but that doesn’t do it justice, so it will have to change. I began the novel with gusto, having received a flash of beautiful inspiration from my Muse while out walking by the canal one day. Then, without warning, my Muse went on holiday! How dare she! In fact, I think she might have emigrated. I have been receiving ideas for stories on the odd occasions when she shows herself, but with this novel, she seems to have left me to it.

The story is about a vampire hunter who lives on a canal boat. She travels the UK waterways, slaying vampires wherever she goes. Dr Jennifer Worthington works alone, having lost her previous partner during a hunt that went wrong. Her sole aim is to locate the vampire who broke her heart when she was at university, and to destroy him. During her quest, she discovers an ancient and powerful vampire who has a strange attraction both to and for Jennifer.

At this point in the story, I am about to head off into a whole new adventure on uncharted territory. Jennifer discovers that she has a history with the vampires she hunts, and it goes back centuries. We have elements of past lives, reincarnation, and even angels and demons lurking in the shadows. I just need to figure out how to bring them forward and integrate them in an exciting and enjoyable story. Camp NaNoWriMo, I need your help!

*Vampire Hunter image courtesy of Pinterest