THE EDGE is an Amazon First Read!

I’m thrilled, amazed, baffled, and terrified to reveal that my debut novel THE EDGE is included in this month’s Amazon First Reads selection for the UK and Australia! 1st November has been my release date for a long, long time. As I’ve discussed on this blog many times before, publishing is a long, slow slogContinue reading “THE EDGE is an Amazon First Read!”

THE EDGE, Publishing November!

In my last post, I was heading off on submission for the first ever time with my psychological thriller I’M HERE FOR YOU, and I didn’t know what the outcome would be. Would any editors want to see the full novel? Would I get an offer? Would I be going back out on submission withContinue reading “THE EDGE, Publishing November!”

Pitch Wars: The Walking Wounded

  I fought in Pitch Wars 2015. And I lost. I mean, I got in. My name was on that list. I saw it at silly o’clock in the morning UK time, after feverishly refreshing my phone’s Twitter app in the darkness of my bedroom, and I thought, ‘This is when it all begins.’ I’dContinue reading “Pitch Wars: The Walking Wounded”

Social Media Anxiety

I rarely make it all the way through writing a blog post. I’m in the zone, spilling my secrets, loving it, enjoying it, reveling in it — and then suddenly, I hit the wall. Or rather, I hit the question: Why would anyone be interested in this? As soon as that question pops up inContinue reading “Social Media Anxiety”

Back to Square One

A few months into querying BEYOND THE CALL OF BEAUTY — my beautician-turned-sleuth mystery MS — I could tell it wasn’t going to work out. I didn’t fully believe or accept it at the time, but deep-down I knew that I wouldn’t win over a literary agent with it, I wouldn’t tempt a publishing house, andContinue reading “Back to Square One”

10 Tips From a Flash Fiction Judge

I’m a judge for the wonderful Mash Stories, a keyword-based flash fiction competition that focuses on showcasing new talent, and I love it. The ideas, the language, the brilliant pieces — I’m honoured to read our submissions, let alone help decide the winner. But it’s not all good news and happy faces. I’m a judge, and thatContinue reading “10 Tips From a Flash Fiction Judge”

The Other Side of Rejection

Being on the receiving end of rejection sucks. It really, really sucks. I’m a wannabe novelist and I’ve had my mystery MS — my baby, my pride and joy, my masterpiece — rejected by over sixty agencies and countless more competition judges. I’ve been overlooked in Twitter contests. I barely scraped through the Pitch Wars agent round.Continue reading “The Other Side of Rejection”

2015 — The Year I Failed

2015 will for ever be the year I tried — and failed — to get a literary agent. 2015 was a year of failure. It’s hard to write that. Not because I’m sad and it hurts, but because I generally like to be optimistic. Upbeat. I went into 2015 with a polished manuscript and a shinyContinue reading “2015 — The Year I Failed”

The First Rejection

What was your first ever rejection? I can remember mine perfectly. I won’t say it’s etched into my memory, because that would be a lie. It doesn’t dwell in my mind or my brain. It was cut into the soft, unsuspecting flesh of my heart. When I reach inside for the moment, I feel the jaggedContinue reading “The First Rejection”