My Top 3 Professional Goals for 2020

I wanted to write something inspirational and motivational today. This is our first day back at school after the Christmas holidays, and for many people it is also the first day back at work. I know a few people who are planning career changes in 2020, but for me there is a sense of, well, nothing, to be honest. I usually start a new year raring to go, with lots of plans for how to grow my blog, how to increase my subscriber numbers, and crucially, how to sell my novels. But none of it works. I simply do not have the time or the resources to make it happen. So then I get cross with myself and start searching for work from home jobs on my preferred jobs websites. Then I get frustrated because it takes me away from working on my freelance business, and the whole cycle turns inwards. This year I am breaking that pattern. Here are my top 3 professional goals for 2020:

1, Be realistic. I have been trying to earn money from my published novels and freelance writing for the past eight years, and I still do not earn a regular livable wage. It simply isn’t happening for me. I need to lower my expectations, accept that I am just an average human, and keep trying to learn and grown in the best way that I can. I do not have access to business training courses, and I cannot pay for a mentor to guide me through the process. I have no money for PR or advertising, so I cannot build my author brand quickly. I can only take each day as it comes.

2, Be flexible. I have been applying for “regular jobs” for most of my adult life. Back when I worked a full-time office job, I was applying for work within the media industry, desperately looking for that big break so I could move into broadcasting and TV. But it was not my career, nor was it meant to be. I am a creative writer. I love words. But now I am struggling to get into the very closed and unwelcoming literary industry. I’m just a boring white girl from an average family. I have no special back story that will propel me to literary fame, and nobody has heard of my self-published novels. So, I will apply for part-time jobs in my local area and be open to suggestions about how to earn a decent wage while still caring for my family.

3, Be kind to myself. There is no point in me getting upset and frustrated every time I hit the proverbial brick wall. It is an old pattern of behaviour, and I am ready to move on. There is clearly a reason why I am not selected or considered for the jobs I apply for, whether they are freelance writing jobs, or regular day jobs. I do not desperately need the money. I want it for a bit of financial independence, but I am in a strong marriage, and my husband has a good, reliable job. He works in waste management; he will always find work. The work that I do is important but largely unrecognised in modern society. I know how valuable I am. I know my worth. And I will not settle for second best. I would rather be “unemployed” that make myself ill trying to juggle a job I despise with childcare and all the other domestic commitments on my time.

What are your plans and professional goals for 2020? Have you instigated a big career change, or are you happy and settled with your lot? I wish you a healthy, happy and prosperous new decade!

Are you Team Jack or Team Danny? Sign up now and receive your FREE story from #TheRedcliffeNovels series set in Cornwall, England.

Happy New Year, Happy New Book Series!

We are limping towards the end of 2019, and I am very glad to say good riddance to this challenging and painful year. My family and I have experienced bereavement, redundancy, and the death of our family car in the past twelve months. We battle through and we keep going, but it is time for some positive change. We began a new adventure by welcoming our dog, Marley into the family this December. He is a little bundle of chaos, adorable and infuriating. He will help us to heal.

I never did finish and publish book 6 in the Redcliffe Novels series this year. I was determined to end the decade with a complete series, but life got in the way and I lost my mojo. The book will be finished, but I am not setting a deadline. I need to garner some reader interest for the previous books in the series first. They are currently languishing in the dusty crevices of the internet, ignored and underappreciated. I need to drag them out, dust them off, and relaunch them into the reading world, although I have no idea how to achieve such a feat, despite all of my research. Any advice, fellow (more successful) writers?!

If you haven’t yet read Love Hurts (A Redcliffe Novel) Book 1, why don’t you give it a try and see if you want to experience the whole series? It is a good book, I promise! Happy New Year, and Happy New Book Series!  

Are you Team Jack or Team Danny? Sign up now and receive your FREE story from #TheRedcliffeNovels series set in Cornwall, England.

Wicked Winter Paranormal Romance Giveaway

Do you prefer your romances with a touch of darkness? Creepy creatures? A little magic, maybe? What wicked good luck you have! Check out all these free eBooks just howling your name!

Throughout December you can download It’s Complicated (A Redcliffe Short Story) and discover the paranormal Redcliffe Novels series set in Cornwall, England. Click here for your free paranormal romance stories.  

Are you Team Jack or Team Danny? Sign up now and receive your FREE story from #TheRedcliffeNovels series set in Cornwall, England.

Christmas with the Vampires by Catherine Green

Our favourite bad-boy vampire, Marcus Scott, meets an old friend for Christmas in Edwardian London.

With his blond hair, ice blue eyes and sculpted physique, Marcus Scott immediately turns the heads of everyone he encounters upon his arrival in London at Christmas time. Unbeknownst to all the women and men who fall under his spell with just one glance, Marcus is a vampire with a desperate need to feed from the young and the beautiful. When he unexpectedly encounters Lady Amelia Richmond, the vampire instrumental in his own transition, the two begin to plan a holiday feast to satisfy their deep hunger.

Buy Links:

Available to download from Amazon US and Amazon UK

 Are you Team Jack or Team Danny? Signup now and receive your FREE story from #TheRedcliffeNovels series set in Cornwall, England.

Support Small Business this #BlackFriday!

How do you feel about the #BlackFriday and #CyberWeekend phenomenon? Let’s face it, we can barely avoid the hype in this day and age. It is how we have evolved in society. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I believe in not over-commercializing holidays such as Christmas. However, I sell books for a living. If I don’t sell the books I write, I won’t make any money, and that could negatively affect my children and husband.

I propose a compromise: think about the small business owners, including indie authors, craft businesses, local produce etc. They rely on income from the sales of the stock that they lovingly create by hand. We should support those businesses.  When I hear about #BlackFriday, my thoughts turn to Amazon. Well, they are made up of small business owners, like me, who rely on royalties paid via Amazon for the sales of our books.

Why not search for alternative Christmas gifts for your friends and family? Find them a book written and produced independently by a new author. Try a CD by a young musician. Or even search for some handcrafted bespoke trinkets, jewellery, furniture or bric-a-brac. The small business owners will be far more grateful for your custom and will make more effort to give you the personal customer service that makes you feel good about parting with your hard-earned cash. Thank you.

Download your FREE copy of It’s Complicated (A Redcliffe Short Story) and meet the werewolves of Cornwall, England.  Click here. 

 

Why I Won’t Worry about Winning #NaNoWriMo

Life is stressful. The past few months have been challenging, and since the death of my beloved dog I feel that my creative spark has all but fizzled out. I had been trying to write the last book in my Redcliffe novels series, so I can put an end to a ten-year project. But this last book is eluding me, and I need some motivation. I decided to rejoin #NaNoWriMo, hoping it would inspire me to do the work. So far it has not. I have written around 13,000 words and we are over halfway through the month. I need to up my game. But I simply cannot do it.

Some people might say he was only a dog and I will get over losing him. But he was my companion, my child, my muse. He watched me from the sofa while I worked, and when he knew I needed a break, he would come and move me or demand attention. Over the years I have processed plot twists and plot holes while cuddling him, I have conversed with new characters whilst walking along the canal with my dog, and I have been inspired to write about werewolves in the Redcliffe novels series. I know I can finish this book. Bite of the Wolf (A Redcliffe Novel) must be written, and it must be published. This is a passion project. And I’m doing it for Baxter.

Are you Team Jack or Team Danny? Signup now and receive your FREE story from #TheRedcliffeNovels series set in Cornwall, England.

Every Day is Black Friday! Free Books for You

Do you love MM Romance and LGBTQIA+ fiction? Browse this event for queer fiction in a variety of sub-genres--from Romance to Horror, Contemporary to SciFi--there's something for every taste!

 Download your FREE copy of Return of the Vampire Hunter and see what the real housewives of Cheshire get up to in their spare time!

Just your average Cheshire housewife – who used to hunt vampires!

Hannah Oakley used to be a vampire hunter. She retired from active service when she fell in love with the female vampire she was hunting, but old wounds refuse to heal. She and the vampire fought almost to the death, and now it seems that the vampire has tracked her down. Hannah must return to work, grudgingly accepting help from a new hunting partner, and she is determined that this time she will finish the job. But can she ignore the old lust for her vampire lover? Is the mother able to be a vampire hunter one more time? And will her marriage survive the ordeal?

Are you Team Jack or Team Danny? Sign up now and receive your FREE story from #TheRedcliffeNovels series set in Cornwall, England.