The question is, is there a way to start making better decisions, and become a better writer? - asked by R. N. Morrism .@rnmorris .@rararesources #author #guestpost #dystopian #novel

How to interrogate your novel

by

R.N. Morris

Author of PSYCHOTOPIA

For me, writing is all about making decisions. (I actually think ‘How To Make Decisions’ would be a good alternative title for a how-to article about writing.)

The decisions we make as writers define what kind of writers we are. It’s where the voice of the writer comes through, whether it’s in word choice, word order, the names we give our characters, how much internal monologue we put in versus how much we show character being revealed through action. 

The more you write, the more you tend to develop a feel for these things.

Maybe there’s no such thing as the right decision or the wrong decision. But there are certainly bad decisions and good decisions. Just like there are bad writers and good writers.

The question is, is there a way to start making better decisions, and become a better writer?

Question everything

Before you can make decisions you have to clarify what the issues are. To get to that point, it may be helpful to interrogate what you’ve written, or what you’re planning to write.

It worked for Socrates, so it might work for us. Asking questions to develop our thoughts.

So here are some of the questions I ask myself:

Are you sure you need that first chapter? Or did you only write it for yourself, to get you into the story?  What happens if you cut it? Do you miss it? Or is the beginning of the story suddenly more purposeful, more pacey, more engaging? Better? 

What is character X bringing to the story? What role do they play in moving the action forward? Do I actually need them or do they just get in the way? Is their function already performed by character Y?

While we’re on characters, are there too many of them? Or does it just feel that way because too many of the characters aren’t distinct enough from one another? How do I make every character feel like a distinct individual? Which of my characters come alive on the page? And which feel like they are ciphers in a plot? What can I do to make that right?

Questions, questions, questions

What emotions should the reader be feeling at this point? Am I doing enough to make them feel those emotions? Or am I over-doing it? Have I forgotten that describing an emotion is not the same as conveying that emotion? Which is something different again from provoking an emotion.

What does my main character want? What does my main character need? What is preventing them from getting what they want? How do they end up getting what they need?

Is the story constantly moving forwards? Or does it stall at certain points? 

Are there parts when I drift off when I’m reading through? Why do I think that happens? Can I do without that bit or is there a more interesting way to write?

What is the thing on every page that will make the reader turn to the next page? You can break it down even more. What is the thing about any given sentence that will make the reader finish it? And will reward them enough to make them want to read the next? And the next and the next?

Is there too much description? Not enough description? Do things happen for a reason? Is that reason believable? 

Have I got the balance right between action, description, dialogue and inner thoughts? Am I ‘telling’ too much? Or just not ‘telling’ in an interesting enough way?

Are there enough twists and surprises? Is there one killer twist? And then is there another killer killer twist after that? Are they all believable twists?

And so on.

I’m sure you can think of questions of your own.

Whatever questions you ask, ultimately only you can answer them. Because only you can make the decisions that will determine what kind of book you write.

You can talk things over with other writers, you can show things to beta-readers. You can listen to what other people have to say.

But ultimately, you’re the one who has to make the decisions. Because you’re the one who’s writing the book.

Just make a damn decision.

The point for me is not so much what decision you make. Just that you make one. That at some point in the writing process you exercise conscious control over what you are writing.

You can make your decisions as you go along. That’s mostly how I work. But other writers do it differently I know.

Writing without thinking too much about it can be very freeing. It can open the sluice gates to the subconscious. 

But at some point you have to start taking control over what you’ve written so freely and unthinkingly.

At some point, you have to start interrogating your novel.

Introducing…

Psychotopia

A game for the times we live – and die – in. Enter Psychotopia, a dark new dystopian novel from the author of the acclaimed Silas Quinn mysteries. 

PSYCHOTOPIA, LEVEL ONE. Create your own boutique psychopath, then deceive, manipulate and be ruthless, spreading mayhem and destruction to reach the next levels. 

Amazon

It’s the computer game for our times. After all, the amount of crazy in the world is increasing.  

Senseless violence on the streets is becoming the norm. Can Dr Arbus’s ground-breaking device identify and neutralize psychopaths before it’s too late? In this increasingly dysfunctional world, surely Callum standing by Aimee after her devastating encounter with Charlie is proof that real love and goodness can still win in a world that’s increasingly rotten… 

 Or can it?

 

R. N. Morris is the author of ten novels. The latest is PSYCHOTOPIA, published 31 October, 2018.

A Gentle Axe, was published by Faber and Faber in 2007. Set in St Petersburg in the nineteenth century, it features Porfiry Petrovich, the investigating magistrate from Dostoevsky’s great novel, Crime and Punishment. The book was published in many countries, including Russia. He followed that up with A Vengeful Longing, which was shortlisted for the Duncan Lawrie Dagger Award (as the CWA Gold Dagger was briefly known). A Razor Wrapped in Silk came next, followed by The Cleansing Flames, which was nominated for the Ellis Peters Historical Novel Dagger.

The Silas Quinn series of novels, set in London in 1914, began with Summon Up The Blood, followed by The Mannequin House, The Dark Palace and The Red Hand of Fury. The next novel in the series, The White Feather Killer, will be published in April 2019.

Taking Comfort is a standalone contemporary novel, written as Roger Morris.

He also wrote the libretto to the opera When The Flame Dies, composed by Ed Hughes.

Social Media Links –

Twitter: @rnmorris

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Psychotopia-298585774308801/

Website: rogernmorris.co.uk

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Psychotopia-298585774308801/

Giveaway!

Win 1 x Signed Hardback Copy of Pyschotopia (Open 

Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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Theme from December 31^st 2018.

How to… (insert your Topic)

‘How-to’ articles are popular formats for writers because let’s face it, it’s a lonely job. We’re locked up with our thoughts, and everyone else seems to be selling loads, having a huge following or hundreds of five-star reviews.

We KNOW our book is brilliant, we HAVE got the five-star reviews, and we ARE selling loads, but we all have those ‘am I doing it right’ moments. So, let’s help one another with a How-To article.

It’s up to you what you want to discuss, but I’ve compiled a list below which you may or may not follow:

How to…

Quell those negative thoughts once a lousy review is received.

Deal with compliments (sounds easy enough, but I begin by stuttering and waving off praise as ‘anyone’ can write a book).

Sell your book!

Write a love/horror/sex/sad scene and keep it real. Share a fantastic scene from your book.

Write dialogue without it being stilted. Let’s have it all about the dialogue with an excerpt of your sparking tete-a-tete between characters. What works and what doesn’t, and how you kept the dialogue fresh.

Write the perfect cliff-hanger.

Cope when you’re 40K words in, and the story dies.

Or as discussed above, write your own How-To using what you’ve already learned as an author. 

Keep the article to approx. 750 words, but WWBB isn’t super picky about this. Also, please don’t publish your guest post elsewhere (including your own blog). However, please do post a teaser on your blog, tell your twitter/facebook friends, and email your mum, sister, dad, aunt and uncle about it and I will Tweet, Facebook, Google Plue, LinkedIn the heebie-jeebies out of it. 

Email your author media (bio, author pic, links), book cover, purchase links and article by/during December 1st to January 31st. The theme will run until February 2018.

EMAIL

Move over Wonder Woman! A new superhero is in town! #capecrusader #superheroes #comedy #romance .@capesandcorsets .@rararesources

CHARACTER BUILDING

by

Elle Spellman

One of my favourite aspects of beginning a new writing project is deciding on characters; who they are, what they like, how they act. There's always a whole host of things to consider. When I start writing a new book, I usually have a vague idea of my characters, their personality beginning to shine through as I get down that first chapter, but for me the fun part is delving into their lives and working out just who they are.

In my debut novel She's Bad News, the protagonist is Bella Brown; a twenty-nine-year old aspiring reporter living in the fictional small town of Hartleybourne, UK. Despite her childhood dream of becoming a successful journalist, luck hasn't exactly been on Bella's side, resulting in her still living in her uneventful hometown with a flatmate (albeit her best friend Chloe), and working as an Editorial Administrator (translation: typing up press releases and writing reviews for a 'health' column nobody reads) for the local paper, The Hartleybourne Gazette.

Still, Bella's determined to achieve her dream of being a real reporter, even though her boss, Layla, refuses to take her seriously. However, everything changes when she wakes up one morning to find that she has some amazing new abilities. Super powers, even.

After accidentally catching one of Hartleybourne's well-known vandals, Bella realises that her mysterious new powers have provided her with an opportunity she could once only dream of. Soon Bella's out tracking down local criminals for front-page leads in the Gazette, whilst trying to track down the source of the powers. For someone who's always hated feeling invisible, suddenly invisibility is what she needs the most.  

Bella Brown was one of the most interesting characters I've created. At first, when the initial idea for She's Bad News first entered my head, I knew that I wanted to write a superhero novel. Having been a fan of comic books for years, I wanted to combine my love for the superhero world and women's fiction. The idea for the protagonist just came to me; I saw a female journalist, in a small town. Someone who is perhaps struggling with life, and maybe love, and gets some superpowers thrown into the mix. And so there she was – Bella Brown. 

Of course, this was simply the brief idea. When it came to plotting the novel, there was a lot I needed to think about. Especially since the story involved a superheroine. Bella doesn't simply don a cape and take to the streets to fight crime; she uses the powers to her advantage. Which made me think; is she a heroine, or essentially a villain? Does her slightly selfish streak make her less of a hero? 

One of the main things I wanted to explore with the book was that question that we've all probably pondered at some point. If you had super powers, what would you do? Just like some of us question what we would spend a lottery jackpot on (I do, and I don't even play the lottery). Sometimes it's just fun to wonder.

When thinking about Bella's actions, I had to consider her ambitions. Her likes and ultimately dislikes. What makes her angry, what makes her care. Bella is a caring and determined individual; her life goal was to be an investigative reporter; finding the truth, helping people. Making the world a better place. However, as her dreams seem to have fallen by the wayside over the years, it doesn't take much to convince her that a step up on the career ladder is just what she needs. And if the strange new abilities she possesses can help, then what's wrong with a bit of, ahem, assistance?

The way I see it, Bella is more of an anti-hero. Her desire to do good in the community is always prevalent and has been throughout her life, though her determination can often be a downside to her character, becoming clear later on in the book.

As She's Bad News is a comedy, I wanted to make Bella relatable and fun, someone that I'd personally want to hang out with. Bella leads a relatively normal life; she goes to work, is newly single after a recent breakup. She writes a health and wellbeing column, but barely exercises and has a fondness for biscuits and cheap wine. But she's also strong and persistent. In the beginning, I based her partly on myself and others I knew (she inherited my sarcasm, at least), but by the time I had finished the novel I realised that Bella and I are very different. I could see myself teaming up with her perhaps – but we'd definitely have some disagreements!

During the rewrites, I tried out different 'versions' of the novel; for example, I wrote a couple of versions set in London rather than Hartleybourne, and at one point made the book a bit darker. I liked this new, darker Bella, but at the same time didn't think the change was for the best, preferring the small-town setting and more of a lighter story. Personally? I love the book as it is now, and enjoyed writing Bella Brown and her changes throughout the book, as she went from a seemingly invisible wannabe journalist to an actual superhero that really put her determination to the test.

When reading comics, I love the 'secret identity' aspect of the characters. Seemingly normal, everyday people, anonymous in their big cities, who take on other lives to help save the places and people they love. I really wanted to include this in the novel, and had so much fun with Bella and her (unplanned!) alter-ego.

So far, there are no plans for a sequel as yet, but truthfully? I already have some ideas for a possible second novel. Bella Brown was such an interesting character to write, that perhaps some more adventures in Hartleybourne are in order. At the moment though, other projects are taking over my writing life, but I thoroughly enjoyed working on She's Bad News and could hardly refuse writing more superhero-themed adventures in the future! I'm already missing Bella.

Twitter | Goodreads | Blog | Amazon.UK | Amazon.US

 Introducing…

She’s Bad News

What would you do if you woke up with super powers?

For Bella Brown, life hasn't gone according to plan. She's almost thirty, still living in her uneventful hometown, and her dreams of becoming an investigative reporter have fallen by the wayside.

That is, until she wakes up one morning to find she's been gifted with some amazing new abilities. What’s a girl to do with heightened senses, super speed and the ability to lift a truck one-handed? Bella quickly discovers that her new powers can easily help her land front-page leads at local newspaper The Hartleybourne Gazette.

Amazon.UK | Amazon.US 

Soon Bella's out every night chasing down local criminals for stories, while keeping her powers a secret from everyone besides flatmate Chloe.

But when a burglary-gone-wrong accidentally turns her into the mysterious Hartleybourne Heroine, Bella finds herself on the front page for the wrong reasons.

Her secret becomes harder to keep as she tries to track down the source of her powers, and especially when crime reporter Matt Gilmore is intent on unmasking the town's new vigilante...

Suddenly, having an extraordinary life is far more dangerous than she ever imagined.

Elle Spellman is a writer and comic book geek living in Bristol, UK. She's been writing since a very young age, spending her childhood afternoons penning stories about fictional adventures, and illustrating them too.

Now, Elle tends to write contemporary fiction with kick-ass heroines and a little bit of magic. She's Bad News is her debut novel, and she's just finished working on her second. Her other interests include running, wine, red lipstick, the paranormal, and all things Batman.

__oOOo__

How do authors make their characters real? Keith Anthony tells us how. @rararesources @KeithAnthonyWS #tearjerkers #fiction #action and #adventure #win

How to make your characters believable

by

Keith Anthony

Fergus from "Times and Places"

I knew the basics of Fergus before I put pen to paper: a late middle aged man who has spent a decade soul searching, since the death of his 24 year old daughter.  He has grown anxious, feeling detached from the rest of the world, but empathising strongly with those who are vulnerable or a little different.  He has a deep relationship with Sylvie, his wife, borne of a long marriage and shared tragedy, even if there are few signs of surviving passion.  He is a man feeling a spiritual draw, but one marked by quiet searching rather than preachy certainties.  He is encouraged by a seemingly miraculous moment, but his anxieties are not supernaturally resolved and, during a three week cruise, they come to a terrible head.  

A bit like a river flowing from source to sea, tributaries of further personality joined that basic character as I wrote, and I hope Fergus grew into a fully drawn protagonist.  I made him easily irritated, for example by loud phone conversations, disingenuous cruise line communications and a trio of boorish men hogging the spa bath.  But I gave him a touching relationship with his twelve year old daughter, moved by her excitement when he takes her away, but anxiously asking himself “Would she still be pleased to spend time with her father when she became a teenager?”  He feels most comfortable with Sylvie and, dancing with her on the ship, he looks back on painful discos from his youth: “there how you danced mattered, here it didn’t.  He pictured his struggling youthful self without envy, he was happy to be when and where he was, in this time and place, dancing with his wife”. 

When adding new sides to his personality, they had to complement what had already been written... and yet a complexity in creating lifelike characters is that we are rarely consistent, but adapt with different people and dependent on mood: so Fergus is confident in a flashback when meeting his daughter’s boyfriend, but shy when avoiding an opportunity to meet the cruise ship Captain; he can appear somewhat child-like with his wife, but is strongly protective of the vulnerable.  He may be intolerant, but often shows deep compassion.

We are only given glimpses of what Fergus once did for a living – rushed sandwiches for lunch over a computer keyboard, occasional home-working, colleagues who were stuck in ruts – this could be any office job, but, whatever it was, one suspects he worked to live rather than the other way round.

What makes Fergus tick are the quiet things.  That soul-mate relationship with his wife, to whose calmness “he sometimes clung as if it were indeed a lifebelt and he lost at sea”.  The peace and beauty of their home: “outward journeys were never natural to them, as if travelling against an invisible current or an atavistic instinct.  Homewards invariably felt the right direction”.  The numinous natural world and a bumbling faith which leaves him feeling out of his spiritual depths on retreat, praying hard that “he wouldn’t be found out, that nobody would ask him what he did, that he wouldn’t be chased out of the retreat centre as the fraud that he felt himself to be”. 

These quiet tools – along with a mindfulness App - are what Fergus uses to manage his anxieties and, towards the end of the book, it is clear he finally achieves a breakthrough, though still not a full cure as, when an expected visitor is late, “an old foe revisited Fergus, suggesting various misfortunes that might have befallen her”.    

After his earlier apparent miracle he reflected how:

“He would continue to grieve for his daughter and he accepted that there would be moments when this would feel almost unbearable.  He was under no illusion that he was now a saint, rather (judging himself a little harshly) that he would still have his grumpy, anxious, lazy, antisocial personality...”   

But he was unfair on himself, because “Times and Places” shows Fergus, despite his occasional ineptness, to have great depths.  I sought, though, to make him a believable mixture of good and bad, but the former being his true nature, the latter the weaknesses he struggles against.  Like many of us, perhaps he could go a bit easier on himself and just maybe - while it doesn’t magic away all his problems - that breakthrough towards the end of the story means he finally does.

Amazon | Book Guild | WH Smith | Waterstones | Twitter

Introducing…

Times and Places

Ten years after his daughter Justine's death, an anxious Fergus embarks on a cruise with his wife.  On board, he meets a myriad of characters and is entranced by some, irritated by others and disgusted by one.  These turbulent feelings, combined with a sequence of bizarre events, only lead to his increased anxiety.

Amazon | Book Guild  | WH Smith | Waterstones 

In a series of flashbacks, Justine enjoys an ultimately short romance, a woman concludes she killed her and an investigating police officer is drawn into her idyllic world.  Fergus, haunted by poignant memories, withdraws in search of answers.

Back on the cruise, Fergus reaches breaking point, fearing he has done something terrible.  By the time the ship returns, his world has changed forever.

"Times and Places" spans Atlantic islands, the Chiltern countryside, Cornish coasts and rural Slovenia, all of which provide spectacular backdrops to a humorous and moving tale of quiet spirituality. 

~

Keith Anthony was born and brought up in the Chilterns, to where he returned after studying French at university in Aberystwyth and a subsequent spell living in west London.  He has a love of nature, both in his native Buckinghamshire countryside, but also in Cornwall and wherever there is a wild sea. 

Keith has been lucky enough to spend time living in France, Spain, Belgium, Serbia and Croatia, as well as being a regular visitor to Germany, and languages were the only thing he was ever half good at in school.  Since graduating he has worked in government departments, but between 2005 and 2008 he was seconded to the European Commission in Brussels and, thanks to a friend from Ljubljana he met there, has travelled regularly to Slovenia, getting to know that country well. 

Keith's other great love is music and he plays classical and finger picking blues guitar, though with persistently limited success.  He has always enjoyed writing, including attempts at children's fiction, and in 2016 he began work on his first full book with “Times and Places" the end result: an accessible, observational story, mixing quiet spirituality with humour, pathos and gothic horror, and setting it against a rich backdrop of the natural world.

Prizes!!!!!

Giveaway – Win 3 x Signed copies of Times and Places (Open Internationally)

*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome.  Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below.  The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time I will delete the data.  I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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To ensure a successful book signing event in 10 steps! @rararesources @schristodoulou2 #literature #historical

Book Signing in 10 steps!

by

Soulla Christodoulou

Thank you for inviting me to contribute to your theme of ‘how to and tips of the writing trade’. I thought since I’ve been planning my first ever book signing event for The Summer Will Come I would share with you my plans for ensuring its success in 10 simple steps.

1.     The first thing I did was set a realistic date for the launch and release of the book. I thought carefully about how long I would need to do any beta reader corrections, get the book formatted and ready for release. In my case I have chosen the 25^th March as it is the start of British Summer time and the timing fits in with the title of my book because the summer is on its way and so The Summer Will Come is perfect in so many ways!

2.     Once I had set the date I had to choose the venue to hold the launch. I wanted to choose a venue that was local, had parking, was not too big and which would be able to meet my requirements for offering food and drink. I have chosen a lovely little coffee shop which is run by a local Greek Cypriot woman.

3.     I confirmed the venue and timings with her. I confirmed what she was able to provide and support me with and how many people the coffee shop- would hold comfortably – combination of sitting and standing.

4.     List of guests – I began putting a guest list together and started with my nearest and dearest and worked my way out – family, friends, work colleagues, authors I knew, other writers, local press. I have since added names to the list as they come to me, so the list is organic and growing.

5.     The invitation and spreading the word – I designed the invitation using a blank book cover to keep the theme of the book. I included all the basic information but added that only cash sales would be made so people buying the book do not arrive with no cash on them. I have asked for an RSVP so that I can judge how many guests to expect on the day – this will inform my food requirements and number of books needed on the day for sales. I have sent this out across a number of different platforms including social media, SMS, What’s App, etc.

6.     Plan for the day – If people are going to make the effort to come to my book launch I too would like to make it interesting and fun for them. I have organised a book reading, a time for book signing, a Q and A which will give my guests the opportunity to ask me something about my writing and the book and of course some Greek Cypriot hospitality by offering complimentary food and refreshments. I have also ordered a puzzle of the front cover with an idea for a game as guests arrive!

7.     My A team – I realised that trying to organise every aspect of the party would be too much for me. So I rallied a number of people to help me with advance planning and of course help on the day. My sister is baking a cake and topping it with a cake topper of my book cover, my mum is baking some Greek Cypriot savouries, an aunt is making some cookies, my mum is making bunting in colours to co-ordinate with the book cover… I have organised someone to take photographs, someone to do the books sales (and organised a float for them), my cousin who is a florist is making floral table arrangements for me.

8.     Props and timings – I’ve had posters of my book cover printed, bunting, cake with book cover cake topper, flowers, mini framed book covers to have around the coffee shop and of Greek finger nibbles and refreshments and Greek music! I’ve also got bits mentioned in the book like the ticking clock, the red eggs, the little Bible, the Lefkaritika (lace) and the tsestos (flat woven basket) to make a table display. It’s about making it ‘real’ for the guests and creating a little bit of The Summer Will Come at the party.

9.     Plan my engagement with my guests – I will welcome them all personally as they arrive, I have chosen my extracts, have drawn up a list of who to thank, I’ve printed the poem from which I chose the title of my book so I can read it out.

10.  Book supply and gifts – I have organised some giveaways too which link to scenes and characters in the book – and a supply paperback copies based on RSVPs received for signing!

I hope you have found this useful! All that’s left to be had now is to have some fun! Enjoy the day and celebrate with my friends and family around me and of course, thank you too for your wonderful support. I wish all of you, too, lots of luck in what you are doing.

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Introducing...

The Summer Will Come

Set in 1950s Cyprus, EOKA, British rule, the fight for Enosis (unity) with Greece and two Cypriot families, living in different villages on the island, are coping with the unpredictability of this fractious time. 

Amazon

Circumstances over a five year period push both families to emigrate to London where, as immigrants, they struggle to settle, face new challenges, trauma and cope with missing  their homeland's traditions and culture.

Both families' lives cross paths in London and it seems that happier beginnings could be theirs. But at what cost?

A story of passion for a country in turmoil, family love, loyalty and treachery.

~~~

Born in London to Greek Cypriot parents Soulla Christodoulou spent much of her childhood living carefree days full of family, school and friends. She was the first in her family to go to university and studied BA Hotel and Catering Management at Portsmouth University. Years later, after having a family of her own she studied again at Middlesex University and has a PGCE in Business Studies and an MA in Education.

Soulla is a Fiction author and wrote her first novel Broken Pieces of Tomorrow over a few months while working full time in secondary education and is a mother of three boys.

She is a compassionate and empathetic supporter of young people. Her passion for teaching continues through private tuition of English Language and Children’s Creative Writing Classes. She offers writing services too in support of businesses, authors and students.

Her writing has also connected her with a charity in California which she is very much involved in as a contributor of handwritten letters every month to support and give hope to women diagnosed with breast cancer. One of her letters is featured in a book ‘Dear Friend’, released on Amazon in September 2017.

When asked, she will tell you she has always, somewhere on a subconscious level, wanted to write and her life’s experiences both personal and professional have played a huge part in bringing her to where she was always meant to be; writing books and drinking lots of cinnamon and clove tea!

She also has a poetry collection inspired by old phrases and sayings, Sunshine after Rain, published on Amazon and is releasing her second novel, The Summer Will Come in March 2018.

She is currently working on a third novel, Trust is a Big Word, about an on-line friendship which evolves over time into an illicit cyber relationship.