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?

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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.

The Redcliffe Novels are Back on Track! #amwriting

Hooray! After a year of dithering, of losing my muse, and of blaming pregnancy and motherhood for my lack of writing motivation, I am happy to say that the Redcliffe novels are back on track. I have returned to my manuscript for book 4 in the series, and things are fiery as ever. At present I do not have a title for the new book, and I'm not even halfway through writing the first draft, but I am getting the urge to keep at it, and it is firmly back in my conscious mind again. Here is a little snippet, just to whet your appetite...

        “Jack,” I gasped in surprise, “What do you mean, my kind? You sound so… distant.”
He smiled again, but I knew this was the vampire, not the man I loved.
“What do you expect, witch?” he asked, “Should I bow down at your feet and worship you like he does?”
I glanced at Danny, who had moved forward silently and now stood very close to my back, so close that I jumped and caught my breath. He was watching me steadily, unsmiling, apparently uncaring of his brother’s harsh tone.
“I do not worship you, Jessica,” Danny said quietly, “but I do need you. I need your power, and I need your body. I cannot deny that.”
I looked at Jack again, who was watching me with the eyes of a predator, distant and calculating. I swallowed, not sure what to do or say next.
“Jack,” I said, “Jack, please come back to me. Speak to me properly, Jack. I need you. Please.”
A shadow flickered across his eyes and his expression changed.
“Jessica,” he said slowly, “What have you done?”

Book Review: Deadly Beauty by M.K. Elliott

Today I share my review for Deadly Beauty by M.K. Elliott

Sex, Vampires and Lots of Passion

This is a well-written novel with a very specific and often highly controversial plot. It is, essentially, all about the sex. More specifically, sex between vampires, both homosexual and heterosexual. I enjoyed reading it, and it was hot stuff, but also very violent. I also liked that it was a British story, set in familiar places and locations.

Book Review: A Menu of Death by Lucy Pireel

Today I share my review of A Menu of Death by Lucy Pireel.

A haunting, gruesome, good read!

I really enjoyed this book, and because it is small, it only took me a few hours to read. It is an anthology of short stories that explore themes of domestic abuse, murder, psychopathic tendencies, and good old-fashioned ghost stories. My favourites were A Dollar’s Worth and Reunion. I also quite enjoyed Bloodwork, although that did disturb me quite a bit! If you enjoy classic horror then I recommend you read this book, and it is certainly a great addition to a Halloween book club…

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!) 

Book Review: Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose

Today I share my review of Reading Like a Writer by Francine Prose

A delightful read!

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. It was a birthday gift from a friend, and I did really enjoy reading it. At first I was unsure because I felt like the author was simply showing off her own academic knowledge of books, and I wondered about why she shared such lengthy extracts from other stories to fill her book. However, after the first chapter I really got into the stride, and I delighted in the language she used, how she demonstrated her sheer love of reading, and then she proceeded to explain that actually, all of these traditional writing rules are made to be broken, but sometimes they can be used to good effect. This book made me feel good about my own writing, because I can see my talent compared to the extracts I read. It also gave me some new authors and stories to explore, and there is an extensive reading list at the back which I will take great pleasure in ticking off (although it might take many years to succeed!) All in all I recommend this book to readers and writers alike, especially if you take pleasure in wordplay.