A Year in Review

As the end of the year approaches, I'm reviewing the twelve months just gone, and I think things went awry somewhere.

I had big plans this year. I was going to get organised, I was going to be motivated, I was going to work hard, and finish writing my romance books, but in the end... I didn't. And when I think back over the last year, I have no idea why. Sure, I was busy, but it's not as if there weren't opportunities to work hard, but for some reason, I didn't make the most of them. 

It's Not Too Late

The year is almost over, but there's still time to get some work done before the new year hits. The problem is how to find motivation for the final few weeks when I haven't had any all year. I guess there's nothing to do but sit at my computer and search for the words, and slowly but surely, bit by bit, the story will get written. 

Next Year

Another way I can make the most of the last few weeks is by preparing for next year, and then when January comes, it gives me the chance to hit the ground running, and maybe it can be a more productive twelve months than the ones just gone. 

One thing I do plan to do is finish some half-written stories. The Lunar Falls series has two books in the works, and Martha's story from The Shadow Coven is still on the to-do list. Those are my priorities before I start another series. 

An Idle Writer

This year might not have been about romance writing, but it wasn't wasted either. I was just more focused on other things, like mothering and getting through the day job, and starting a new education. It's time to make my way back to writing, though. There's time to fit it into my busy schedule. There has to be because it's important and I've missed it. 

Being a romance writer is forever. 

If you enjoyed reading this, then take a look at my other posts or visit my website for author news. 

Feeling Lazy...

 

I don't want to do anything. Even this blog post is an effort, because I just want to lie in bed, eat junk food and watch TV. I don't know why or what is causing this lethargy when it comes to writing and work, but whatever it is, there's no contest between romance writing and napping. Napping is kicking writing's butt. 

Writing Slump

It's not just writing. It's an everything slump, but writing is the thing that's taking the biggest hit. When I can't be bothered to go to the day job, I still have to, or I get fired. The same isn't true of writing. If it were, I'd drag the motivation out from somewhere. I've got half-written romance books that aren't getting any further along. 

Nothing to Say

The problem with being this lazy is that I'm not really motivated to do anything, and that means I have nothing to say. Nothing to write about. Nothing to post about. My head is empty. And I can't imagine it getting better as the weather gets wintery and the evenings get darker. 

One Word at a Time

I don't really have a cure for this idleness, except to take it slowly and let the story progress, one word at a time. Maybe I'll go crazy and take it ten words at a time, after all, that's better than zero words. First a sentence, then a paragraph which grows to be a page. The books will get written extremely slowly, but surely. 

I'm not sure when this slump will end, but I'll trudge through it until it does. 

If you enjoyed reading this post, then take a look at some of my others or head on over to my website for book news and author updates.

Savings: A Penny at a Time

 

I don't have much disposable income. It's a sad but true fact that after paying bills, buying groceries, paying for petrol and the general cost of living, there's not much left over. I know the same is true for a lot of people. Everything is just so expensive. 

The Goal 

My aim is to save a little money.  Not a lot, because there's not much to spare, but if I take it in small steps... Maybe I can save something. It's going to be fairly pathetic. Whatever change I find in my purse, any scrap I can earn. My first instalment is 50p that I got paid for doing a survey. Hey, it's something, right?

Reach the Target 

The target I'm going to start with is £100, and then I'll take it from there. £100. That's the goal. That's the target. I'm saving money 2 Broke Girls style. Scraping together any money I can. Only, I'm not aiming for a cupcake business. 

Let's Do This

Like I said; tiny savings goals for a tiny income, but it's a starting point. I can see where it goes from there. It's going to take a long time to get anything worth calling savings, but I'll keep plugging at it. Right now, though, the first 50p is in the jar. 

If you enjoyed reading this, then take a look at some of my other posts, or head on over to my website for book updates and extras. 

It's Chaos Out There

This was the year I planned to organise, but things have gone awry. I was going to manage my finances, my time, house and wardrobe. Everything, really. Instead, I've done none of that, and, so far, I've kind of lost track of time. Some might say, I've done the opposite of what I planned. Oopsie.

Get Back on Track

Okay. Reset! It's an ordinary Wednesday, halfway through the year, but that seems as good a time as any to restart. I've got my notebooks out, which any writer knows is an integral part of organisation, and I'm trying to be more focused. 

Family, of course, has the priority on my time, but second to that is writing. I've got half-written stories coming out of the whazoo, and it's time I got them finished. 

Planning Ahead

I think the secret to order is looking ahead to the future, which is why I'm already planning Christmas. At the end of each season, prepare for the next. At the end of each day, prepare for the next. At the end of each book, prepare for the next. 

Finding Order

It's chaos out there, and to be a writer, I need to develop some serious time management skills. Organisation is not one of my natural skills. I'm a messy person, and as hard as I've tried, it's not a talent I've managed to develop. 

It doesn't mean I won't try. 

Tomorrow is a new day, and with a one-year-old, it will be an early start. I may as well be as productive as my kid lets me be. I'm looking forward to the order in the chaos. 

Kindle Overload

 

We've just passed the six-month mark, so I've made a mid-year resolution. My plan is to read the books on my Kindle. I've got a few on there. Some were free, some I've read, some are on my digital TBR pile. But the time has come to read them.

Evaluate and Read

I think the six-month mark is a good stage to evaluate things, and so far this year, I've been rubbish at reading. I've been in a slump, and I can't decide what I want to read. 

Time to work through the list, but naturally, it will be in between working on my own books, so it may take a while. I'm about to read a boatload of romance because that's mostly what's on my Kindle. I feel like this is an achievable goal, given that it is reading. I'm good at that. 

New Books

I'm not planning on buying new books while I do this, but come on, be real... I'm not going to be able to resist buying books. That's a hobby all on its own, so for all I know, this will be a resolution that never reaches an end because I'll just keep adding to it. I'm okay with that. 

Alphabetical or Jump In

Do I start with the As or do I pick and choose? That's the question. I think I'll pick and choose. Sometimes you don't fancy certain books, and I don't want to make the slump worse. I want to get into reading again. I want to lose myself in books. 

If you enjoyed this post, then take a look at some of my others or head on over to my website. 

Things I Need to be a Writer

As a romance writer, I don't need a lot, but there are a few things that help me to write the erotic romance novels that I do. Some are a given. The day job funds my writing career, the laptop is essential for the practicalities of being a writer, and my imagination is what makes me a writer. But there are some essentials I couldn't get by without. Or maybe I could, but it wouldn't be as fun. 

Books

Not my own, but other people's. I need the words and stories of other writers. They inspire me, but as well as that, they take me out of my own writing when I need it. They can work like a palate cleanser for fiction. 

The core of the reason, though, is that books are just brilliant. I love writing, but as much as that, I love other writers' words and stories. Their minds work in ways mine doesn't. Their books have plots I could never invent. Their characters are different because they aren't a part of me like mine are.

Tea and Coffee

Coffee kickstarts me in the morning. Tea sustains me throughout the day, and if I'm going to sit at a laptop and write, then I'm going to require tea to keep me there. Some Jaffa Cakes and Bourbon Creams wouldn't go amiss either.  

Music

Music is a powerful thing. It can have an impact on mental health, it can reduce stress, but on a more personal level, it shoots me into writing, in a way that nothing else does. I play music, I think of my book, and scenes play out in my head. If I'm struggling with a scene, and writer's block has me in its grip, then I can usually find my way out with music, especially when it's hand in hand with...

Walking

I put in my earphones and I walk the streets. The important thing is to be careful. I go early, and I stick to the areas that are populated. I look both ways before I cross the street too, and then I can lose myself in my imagination.

Notebook and Pen

This is my other cure for writer's block. If I've stalled on the white screen of a Word document, then switching to hard copy can make all the difference. Lined pages and a pen... It's the way to go. Also, it feeds my stationery addiction. I get to keep buying notebooks. 

Essentials

I'm a romance writer, so I can write with no more than a notebook and pen, or a blank computer document if I need to, but the things I've listed are comforts that make it a much more enjoyable way to do it. 

If you enjoyed reading this article, then take a look at some of my other posts or head on over to my website. 

New Cover

I published my erotic romance Protecting Their Heart quite a while ago now, and I'm working on the second book of the Lunar Falls series right now. 

However, the cover for Protecting Their Heart is a stand-alone cover, and I would like the series to tie together, so for my next paranormal romance book, the second, I'm changing the covers. 

Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover

I'm a romance writer and I write erotic romance novels. They're sexy and they show it. I mean, they're menage romances. There's no way they're not going to go into detail for the love scenes. 

I recently saw a post online, and they made a good point. If you're reading an erotic romance, maybe you don't want everyone on the train or bus or coffee shop or break room to know. It's nothing to be ashamed of. After all, as stated in Protecting Their Heart, it's about the relationships, not the number of partners, but there is such a thing as discretion, so I've kept that in mind with the new cover.

There are no half-naked men on the cover, though I do miss that. There's no sexy woman. Its a simple cover that doesn't announce to the world what you're reading. 

Budget

It's no secret that I'm a struggling writer. I have a day job, and I live on a strict budget. I don't have money to spare, so while I love being a romance writer, I just don't have hundreds of pounds to spend on the covers, so this one, I've made myself. 

It's not perfect. It might not appeal to everyone, but I'm never going to stop writing erotic romance so until I have money to spare, I'm making do. 

The Reveal

So, without further delay, here is the new cover. Flowers, hearts and inside: a story with two sexy wolf shifters and the woman who is theirs. 

Like I said, it might not be to everyone's taste, but it's mine, and it's part of the story now—part of Lunar Falls. 

If you enjoyed reading this post, please take a look at some of my other posts or visit my website for book extras.