FEBRUARY UPDATE FROM OUR FOUR WRITERS…
CLAIRE DYER… LAUNCHING
January and February have seen much excitement in the run up to and the actual launch of ‘The Last Day’. I have been overwhelmed by the love and support of my publishers, bloggers and fellow authors during this time, especially as no one knows the joy and despair of times like these like they do.
I’ve come to learn that it’s all about letting go. We tend to write in the privacy of our own homes and, for a long while, it’s all about just the two of us: ourselves and our book. And then if we’re lucky, we send it to our agent and, if we’re even luckier, thence to a publisher and eventually, if we cross our fingers and toes tightly enough, it goes out into the big wide world.
And this is where the joy and despair comes in. Will the world like it? That’s the despair. And, the joy? Well, that’s easy: the book I wrote is an actual real thing with pages and a cover and everything!
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ANGELA PETCH… DRAFTING
I am almost three quarters through my writer’s draft of “Mavis and Dot” and I use walks along the sea to plan out the final chapters. There is something scary about finishing off a novel. In the meantime, I have been busy hunting for an illustrator. Unfortunately, my first three candidates dropped out, for reasons varying from cold feet and time factors. I hope I have at last found someone to work with. She is a very supportive editor of a local magazine and after tea and cakes (and discussion), she is on board. I am trying not to be too distracted from M & D but the publisher of my two first novels recently went into voluntary liquidation. It means a return to indie publishing but there is relief in the return of control. However, it entails more work. My other concern is to which cancer charity I should donate my profits. A writer’s work is never done…
JACKIE BALDWIN…EDITING
Hello, February has been a rather grim month. I have been completely immersed in my structural edit. Day after day I have sat at my desk from first thing in the morning until last thing at night editing. Then, eat, sleep, repeat. You get the idea! It’s a bad state of affairs when your characters have a better social life than you do. However, by the time you read this, I will be done! Hurrah!
I did get one overnight pass which was a wee trip to Newcastle to read at Noir at The Bar. It was the first time I had read the prologue from Perfect Dead. I also met loads of new crime writers and readers which was fun. During the day, I edited at the Lit and Phil which is a fab library. It even sells cake!
See you next month!
LUCY COLEMAN… MULTI-TASKING
February TO DO list:
Set up new office and new computer equipment in new house.
Online celebrations for launch day of first book with Aria Fiction, under new pen name.
Daily social media activity to support TWO book tours running concurrently for new arrival.
Produce new graphics to celebrate latest book baby.
Complete and submit Aria book no. 3 manuscript to my agent for comments.
Complete round one of structural edits for my other publisher.
Action suggested revisions by my agent for book no. 3.
Keep up with normal daily social media for my other books and write blog posts etc.
Get through February with your sanity intact.
Okay, so I’m exaggerating a little because I did survive the month, but only just! My new laptop seemed to get slower by the day after its first round of software updates. If I action a retweet on Twitter it times out! The battle continues.
If only it was JUST about the writing …