How to work when you have Children

This is the ultimate conundrum, isn’t it? Especially if you are a woman. Yes, I said it. I put it out there! In our enlightened twenty-first century society, women are still struggling to have careers and make a success of their professional lives. Don’t get me wrong, there are millions of success stories. Behind every female CEO, entrepreneur, famous creative type, there is usually a family demanding her attention. How do they do it? How do they manage to nurture their children, support their husbands and partners, and still give the necessary time and energy to their business? I don’t know.

But I have an idea. I think mostly these women simply do not sleep. And perhaps some of them have more external help than others. I mean, I cannot do it right now. I want to make a success of my writing business. And by success, I mean I want to be a famous author. I want my books to sell in their millions. I want to actually earn money from my book sales, and a decent amount of money at that. I want a regular, sustainable personal income, so that I no longer have to be reliant on my husband. And then maybe he can be more relaxed because he won’t be worrying about money quite so much. Ah, that would be bliss…

Read Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) today

So how do I get started? I am in the very fortunate position of being able to stay at home with my children while my husband goes out to work. I am the housewife and mother. And I never thought that I would ever be in this situation. I always had a vague notion that when I had children, I would put them in nursery school while I went out to work full time. But you know what? I don’t want to do that. Why should I pay someone else for the privilege of raising my children, when I am perfectly capable of doing the job for myself? So, I swallowed my pride, ignored the indignant voice of my ego that demanded I should go out to work and ‘be a successful woman,’ and I accepted my role in the home.

I still struggle with it. Right now I am feeling guilty because I haven’t done any writing or promoting for two weeks. If I don’t talk about my books, nobody else is going to. I am all alone here, in this big wide world, where everyone is shouting to get noticed, and it all becomes a blur of sound and colour, much like a busy rain forest I imagine. Tomorrow I return to work, after a fashion. My eldest daughter will be at preschool, but I still have the toddler at home, and she keeps me very busy. And now I have the task of continuing to clear out my house and make room for new toys after celebrating a birthday. Maybe one day it will all fall into place…

Did you enjoy this article? 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!) 

Marketing for Deadbroke Writers #ASMSG

One huge difficulty for me as an Indie author, is that of promotion and networking. It is an aspect of writing that I naively never contemplated at the time when I published my first novels. I thought that once the books went live, that would be it. People would find them, read them, rave about them, and I would be propelled into the glamorous world of fame and fortune.

Far from it! As I approach my fourth year in the business, so to speak, I have yet to make any big waves in book sales and audience interaction. My books are widely listed in all major retailers. I tried to get some interest in my local community, but it is surprisingly hard to get my books into the local library, and there are only so many newspaper stories I can manage when I don’t have events to publicize. My problem is that I don’t like talking about me. I was raised to be a  good, quiet, polite girl who thinks about other people before herself. That is all well and good, but it doesn't help me here.

I need to sell books. And I have no marketing budget. Writing is my job. It is my only form of personal income. I am wholly reliant on my husband to bring in a wage that can keep our family safe, secure and fed. But while he is doing that, I have to care for the children full time. And subsequently, it is very challenging for me to take the time and put in the effort that gets me known both online and in the community. My approach has been very scattered. But it’s all I can do for now.

If you are a newly published author, or you are about to publish a book, and you are searching for some help with this minefield of an industry, I have a suggestion. I am a member of a huge social network called ASMSG (Authors Social Media Support Group). It has grown dramatically during the past eighteen months or so, and I find the people that run it are incredibly supportive, helpful and knowledgeable. They have taught me a lot about my own processes, and they have helped to spread the word about my work.

I invite you now to check out a brand new author resource courtesy of ASMSG. Marketing for Deadbroke Writers is an online tutorial course. It will teach you everything about starting up in the publishing and writing industry. You can learn about social networking, how to link your accounts to save time and effort in marketing, how to set up a professional and workable website, and aspects of editing and producing high quality novels and stories that will actually sell. Take a look, and tell me how you get on…

#NaNoWriMo2014 Reaches a Dramatic Conclusion

This is it! We are now officially in the final week of #NaNoWriMo2014. I am so close to the end I can taste it. My word count stands at just short of 38,000, and I am determined to succeed with this year's challenge. My story is a good one. In fact, I might go so far as to say it could even be a future bestseller... but that all depends on me finishing it and making it presentable for publishing.

And so, I leave you with a short and sweet update. I have had a long and difficult month. My right wrist is encased in a white support bandage due to a severe flare up of RSI. I have been juggling full time motherhood of two young children. I have close family members with mental health problems that have required attention during recent weeks. And I am beginning to plan for Christmas, which involves making cards and doing the gift shopping.

Phew! I think I need a holiday... but first, I have another 12,000 words to write. Happy Winning, fellow Nanoers!

My #NaNoWriMo2014 Vampire Hunter Novel

Hey folks! How you doin'? Can you tell I am excited? Well I am! I just reached the halfway point on my #NaNoWriMo manuscript, and a day ahead of schedule. Hooray! Not bad considering I was 10,000 words short just 24 hours ago. It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it... Anyway, because I feel very excited about this particular novel, I would like to share an excerpt with you. The story is about Hannah Oakley, a former vampire hunter turned wife and mother. She returns to work covertly to hunt down the vampire that almost killed her in a previous career. This is an excerpt from the very beginning of the novel (unedited, I might add!)...

Staring into the darkness, I held my breath and raised my gun, forcing my  body to remain calm and still. She was out there, my target, the vampire I was supposed to destroy. She had eluded me for long enough. I had to end it. But I didn’t. I could hear movement, but it wasn’t her. She was too clever, to strong, too determined. There was a draft blowing through the cracked window to my left, and I felt the cold air whipping across my face. It stung where the vampire had hit me. My skin was stiff with dried blood, and sticky with more as it oozed from my wounds. I was beginning to lose consciousness. No, I could not give in. If I collapsed now then she would win. She would kill me. I was not ready to die.
With a terrifying scream the vampire leaped out of the darkness, hit me again, and I flew backwards, landing with a heavy thud on the concrete floor. It stunned me momentarily, and I panicked when I lost my gun. I tried to reach for the silver knife sheathed on my left leg, but I was too slow, groggy with the pain and shock from my wounds. The vampire crouched over me, her silver eyes glowing in the dark. It was those eyes that had been my undoing. That and my inexplicable attraction to this woman when I first met her. It was no good. I was fading fast, gasping for breath and fighting to stay alive. My body could take no more abuse. 
“I could end this now, Hannah,” the vampire said, “All it takes is one more kiss.”
She reached out a slender finger and lightly stroked my face. I flinched and tried to move away but I couldn’t. I saw her fangs gleaming in the moonlight that streamed through the broken window. My nose wrinkled as it detected a smell of damp mixed with the cold, dead stench of vampire power. Just one more kiss. It would be so easy. She would kiss me, just like she always did, and the world would simply melt away. We would be alone, wrapped in each other’s arms, for eternity. My head lolled back, exposing my bleeding neck, and she moved closer, hovering above me as she savoured the moment. I closed my eyes.
“Mummy,” 
The vampire was kissing me…
“Mummy! Where are you?”
My eyes snapped open. The room spun. Blinking rapidly, I looked around. I was in the kitchen, standing by the worktop, idly stirring a mug of tea that was beginning to cool. It had happened again. The flashbacks were more frequent, and now it seemed they were lasting for longer. Shaking my head, I stepped away from the worktop and turned towards the door.
“I’m in here, sweetheart,” I called out in a voice that shook very slightly.
“Mummy,” my daughter called.

The World's Best Grammar Checker #amwriting

I pride myself on being a bit of a 'grammar ninja' when it comes to writing. That includes everything from my blog posts to social media statuses, and everything in-between. And, of course, the final copy of my manuscripts undergoes serious scrutiny before I deem it good enough to publish. Here is a useful infographic from Grammarly, 'The World's Best Grammar Checker.'

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

Inspired by the Ghosts I Meet #amwriting #paranormal

Did you know I am a ghost hunter? Yes, really, like the guys you see on Most Haunted, or Ghost Adventures, or TAPS. I actually do ghost investigations, séances and all the rest of it.  Well, I did up until I started having children. Now I am on what you might call extended maternity leave, but I am itching to return to my hunts.

Anyway, in honour of Halloween, and because I am reminiscing about my ghost hunting adventures, I have decided to share reports of some of my early investigations. You can see them over on my personal blog, Spooky Mrs Green (yes, that is where the spooky connection comes from!) I collectively call them the Ghost Hunter Diaries, and I might consider publishing a book at some point in the future. For now I will focus on my fiction work.

The ghosts and spirits I encountered, and the places I visited during the past eight years, have all helped with inspiration for my writing. Their characters, personalities and stories all appear in various forms and snippets. I have spent the night in haunted castles, houses, pubs, theatres and even in the famous Edinburgh Vaults. Ah yes, such happy memories! And, for an added bonus, I will share a couple of reports of other ghost hunts over here, to show you where my inspiration comes from.

Happy ghost story hunting my friends!

Did you enjoy this article? 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!) 

Inspiration Hits at the Worst Possible Time #amwriting

Picture the scene: it is late morning, and I have finally made it into the shower after chasing my two young children for the past three hours. The baby is asleep, the older child is amusing herself with a quiet game. I breath a sigh of relief, step into the steaming jet of water, and lather up my shampoo. And that is when it happens. Something clicks into place, a flash of inspiration darts across my mind, and suddenly I have the most fantastic idea for a series of blog posts that might, just might, bring in enough readers and sharers to actually sell some books! Hallelujah! I have to write them down, now, this minute, before I forget.

But wait, I'm all soapy. I only just got in the shower, and if I go rampaging around the house like a mad thing, the dog will start barking, the baby will wake, and all will be lost. So I stop. I take a deep breath, I hold on to those inspirational thoughts, and then I hurriedly finish off with my shower. Diving out of the bath, I wrap the towel around me, hurry downstairs, find my notebook, and finally the words are recorded. Now I will not forget. Now, I have ideas. Phew! Oh, and there would have been a post-shower selfie to accompany this post if I had my mobile phone. But I don't. That is a long story involving my baby, my smartphone, and a concrete floor. You can guess what happened next...

See you next time! #amwriting

A Creative Mind filled with Ideas. I Just Need to Write it Down!

Recently I am falling into the classic trap of the writer; I am procrastinating even though I have a deadline looming and a head full of ideas for story fillers. I don't know why I am doing this. The deadline in question is not fixed by contract, so that is part of the problem. It is simply the deadline for a short story competition that I want to enter. So why can't I actually write it? I mean, I even have the rough thing written down in diary form, because the idea comes from a personal experience a few years ago. I don't understand what my problem is!

I have notebooks filled with scrawled snippets to be included in future stories. My head is scrambled because the words are desperate for release. I sit down at my computer with the intention of writing, and somehow I distract myself with social media, and emails, and blogs, and every other little piece of the puzzle that fit together to form the life of the 21st century indie author. And then I am interrupted at frequent intervals to deal with my children, or my dog, or do that little household chore that I've been meaning to do all week... and the list goes on.

How do I move on from this? How can I stop myself from procrastinating when I know I should be writing? I need to be strict. I need to time my writing schedule more effectively so I don't get interrupted by needy children. I need to do a whole lot of things to make it all work. But you know what? Right now it doesn't matter. The stories will come when they are ready. They are always there, always waiting. Some days they force their way out, and on those occasions I embrace the mood and simply write. That is just how I work. How do you work? Do you procrastinate, or do you just write?

My Favourite Season for Writing Inspiration

There is something very magical about October. I can only put it down to the fact that we celebrate Halloween at the very end of the month. Here in the UK there has never been much of an emphasis on celebrating this festival, but of course we have absorbed some of the American influences in popular media over the years. For me, Halloween has always been special, but as a child I never really understood why. I just knew that I wanted to meet the ghosts and spectres that everyone was so afraid of!

Well, my dreams were realized when I became a ghost hunter several years ago, and now my curiosity has been satisfied. But I don't think Halloween (or Samhain for my pagan friends) is the only reason I enjoy October. This is the time of year when summer gives way to autumn, Mother Nature displays a riot of colours and textures, and the weather takes on a refreshing chill of an evening. Yes, I admit, the dark mornings and early nights are a bit difficult to get used to, but even those increase the excitement, as I am reminded that we are creeping closer to Christmas and all the upcoming festivities we have planned.

All in all, it makes a perfect recipe for writing paranormal stories, and discovering the adventures of my vampires, witches and werewolves in Cornwall and beyond... Is this your favourite time of year? Why do you prefer to write, create or otherwise rejoice in the autumn/fall season?

Did you enjoy this article? 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!) 

Help! My Novel Needs a Title!

I need some help people! My manuscript for the fourth Redcliffe novel is progressing speedily now that I am back in the groove, but at the moment it still doesn't have a title. Now I am not too concerned at present, because I have a long way to go before the book is ready to publish. However, I sort of feel the need to give it a name. It needs an identity of its own, and not just Redcliffe book 4, as I currently refer to it as. Can you help?

OK, so, where do we start? I think about how I named my first three novels in the series. Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) was named almost from the start of writing it really. I got the name from that classic rock ballad by the band Nazareth. It seemed to fit somehow, and for those of you who read the book, you may remember the sneaky reference I put in there...

Moving on from that, I chose Love Kills (A Redcliffe Novel) as the title for my second novel because it was just right. Again, I liked the short, sharp header, and it is appropriate for the content of the story. Finally, my third novel Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) also came naturally. Once I named the first book in the series and knew that I was writing two more, it was easy to pick titles. They all had to connect, and they all reflect the themes of the stories.

Now I have a dilemma. Do I choose a title for book 4 that also includes the word 'love' or do I move away from that? You see, the first three novels form a trilogy, but now I plan to write another three in the series. They may form a separate trilogy, I am not sure, so perhaps I can move on to a new theme. However, they follow on with the story that emerged in Love Redeems, and so I need some sort of correlation I think. I don't know! If you can help, please do... I await your suggestions and advice.

My #amwriting Journey: Taking Time for Inspiration

My writing has slacked off again recently. I am not too concerned about this, however. We are, after all, in the middle of the national school summer holidays, and I have been focusing time on being sociable with friends and family. I have also been distracted by my children, as always. But I actually feel better for not putting pressure on myself to write every day. I mean, yes, when it works for me, I quite happily get up earlier in the morning or stay up later at night to type a few more pages on my work in progress. But when I am not physically writing, I am gathering inspiration.

Sitting on a bus a few days' ago, I looked at my fellow passengers, and I watched the world go by from the window, and I began to process and store little snippets of prose for later use. I didn't even write any of it in my notebook. I was soaking up the atmosphere and energy, rather than forming specific sentences and structures. I believe this is just as important for a writer as the actual process of creating a manuscript. If you don't feel the work, you will not give it your full attention, and the finished piece will never be quite substantial enough. Take some time to feel the energy of your writing, and the structure will be far more solid in the end.

Have a fabulous week my writing friends!

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!) 

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!

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!

Vampire Hunter Inspiration at Home #writetip

Today I am inspired to show where some of my writer inspiration comes from. I live a very self-contained life at the moment while I nurture two young children and support my husband through his career development. Therefore, I haven't travelled very far recently, except in my imagination. Ah yes, the imagination... my old friend never deserts me!

Anyway, back to the subject. Last year I began writing a novel about a vampire hunter who lives on a canal boat and travels the UK waterways, working as a university lecturer by day, and hunting vampires by night (or during her spare time... my vampires are awake all day and can move around in sunlight). Strange idea, right? Well, that's my story, it caught my imagination, and I will write it!

The novel has stalled a little admittedly, and now I am feeling the need to include themes of angels and demons, and maybe a few reincarnation/past life experiences as well... it could get complicated! Ultimately, this whole story was inspired by one early  morning walk along my local canal, on my way home from the shops. I walked past a moored boat and could smell bacon cooking. I am vegetarian, but the smell still appealed to me. Suddenly, my vampire hunter appeared, and she has a story to tell...

What random, and seemingly small events, have inspired your stories recently? Please share!

The Writing Blog Hop - #amwriting #whywrite #process

It took me a little while to respond to this blog hop, but thank you to J Lenni Dorner for inviting me to join…

1. What am I working on now?

Technically I am not working on anything specific. My time is currently taken up with two young children, a dog and a few domestic distractions. I do have 2 works-in-progress however, and I will be continuing them during the course of the next year or so. One is book 4 in the Redcliffe series, following the adventures of Jessica Stone and her supernatural friends in Cornwall, and the other is about a female vampire hunter with past life secrets to unearth…

2. How does my work differ from others in its genre?

My work is set in the UK, which to my knowledge is rare for popular vampire/werewolf/witch stories. I mean, yes there is the ultimate classic novel by Bram Stoker, and yes I know Darren Shan writes about vampires, but I haven’t found any British writers in the shops that offer adult paranormal stories in everyday situations. My characters could be your local shop owners, the landlord of your local pub, even your local police detective or hospital nurse…

3. Why do I write what I do?

I have to! The stories came to me as a child, although they have evolved and matured over time along with me. I always have something whizzing round my head that is desperate to be expressed. My stories must be told!

4. How does my writing process work?

I am what is called a ‘pantser’ in the writing world. That means I write by the seat of my pants! I did try structuring my first novel Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel), but after that I just allowed the words to flow, and then I worried about editing and tidying afterwards. It is so exciting to read something back and realise that it is bloody good!

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OK, I will be a little slack here and not tag any more writers to share. However, if you are a reading this and you are a writer who would like to join the hop, please comment with a link to your blog and hop along! Thanks for reading.

Gathering Inspiration in Nature #amwriting

This past week I have been stepping away from my computer, and my work for the upcoming #MidLitFest, and out into the beautiful weather of a mini heatwave here in the UK. I have been walking in previously unexplored woodland in the Cheshire West and Chester borough:

 

I have visited the beach at Hoylake on the Wirral:

And I have enjoyed the delights of my back garden and my home town in Cheshire East:

All in all, a very delightful week. And now I am refreshed and prepared to enjoy the Middlewich Literary Festival that starts tomorrow, hooray! Check out #MidLitFest on social networks for details of guest authors, competition winners, book club reviews and more...

Inspiration for a Bestseller #ReadMe

Earlier today I was walking into town to collect my daughter from pre-school when a very insignificant event gave me a flash of inspiration that set my imagination alight. Hooray! Finally I have that million-dollar idea for a bestselling literary novel. I'm not even joking. The idea might not sound like a bestseller to a lot of people but I can see its potential. I won't give too many details, suffice to say it involves a doppelgänger and everyday situations.

Since I have several works in progress at the moment I won't drop everything to write this one. Besides, I feel it needs time to manifest in my mind and for me to collect more life experience to include in the novel. It will be written for a female audience and include themes of motherhood, the work/life balance, and ideas about what makes for an exciting life in 21st century Britain. I might even need a little more genre-specific academic training so that I can produce a fine manuscript to attract an agent, but I will decide that in due course.

I love being a writer!

*Image courtesy of Artsyville

Picking Up the Pace #NaNoWriMo 2013

So, we are on day 4 of National Novel Writing Month 2013, and while I am still behind on my daily word count, I feel positive and happy that the manuscript is progressing nicely. I had not really planned out Redcliffe book 4. Well, I did make some notes last year, but then I changed the ending to Love Redeems (A Redcliffe Novel) and that totally threw out my original story line. I had intended for Jessica Stone to be turned into a vampire during the final battle scene in Love Redeems. She didn’t (sorry if I spoiled it for you!). Therefore I now move forward into book 4 with a different version of events, and a new adventure to create.

I actually enjoy the process of free writing. This is where you sit down at your computer, or you pick up your pen, and you just write. There is no thinking ahead, no planned story map or bullet points, just write. Using this process I have already penned (well, typed) almost 4000 words and am quite pleased with what has come out. Jessica is currently experiencing the aftermath of her revelations from the Redcliffe trilogy. She made a lot of supernatural discoveries within a very short space of time, and she lost someone close. Her friendships are forever altered, she is not the same person that she was six months ago, and she is still evolving. There is a lot to learn, and a lot more to discover in the apparently sleepy Cornish seaside town of Redcliffe…