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. 

 

Meet Alice, Liam and Noah

 I'm working on an instalment for the Lunar Falls series. I'm trying to keep it short because it's an extra little story I hadn't planned on, but what can you do when the plot bunnies are stubborn? Nothing to do but write. Keep reading for a small introduction to the members of the Accalia wolf pack and the woman they want to claim. 

Alice Taylor

Alice has come to Lunar Falls looking for a safe place to live where she can earn money to work off an inherited debt. 

She's started waitressing in the diner alongside her new friend Sammie. (Does anyone remember Sammie?) She has no family left now. No siblings, no cousins. She's alone in the world. Although, not for much longer. 

She has long, red, curly hair, a wide smile, and a curvy body, and she's bright, lovely, and smart. She's an optimist and sees the good in people. 

Liam Sharpe

Liam is a wolf shifter and a member of the Accalia Wolf Pack. He owns a bar and he works all the time. 

He's pensive and professional. For a long time it was just him and his mother, and he was man of the house. His mother is remarried now, and his stepfather is great, but he shoulders the burden of responsibility. 

He's tall and handsome with auburn hair and tanned skin. 

Noah Brennan

He lives with Liam who is his best friend. As close as brothers. He owns a construction company.

Noah grew up in a loving home with his parents and his two sisters. he's stubborn and protective, and his nieces and nephews love him. He's focused and driven but has a cheekiness. 

Handsome with blond hair and stubble on his square jawline. He mostly wears jeans and t-shirts but can up his professional game when needed. 

Their Worlds Collide

These three characters are about to become connected in a way none of them could have prepared for. With a fiercely independent mate who is determined to stand on her own two feet and not rely on the security these two shifters offer, how will Liam and Noah convince her to take a chance on them? 

If you want to read more about these characters then keep your eye out for their book. The next in the Lunar Falls series. Also, if you would like to stay up to date on my writing then follow me on socials, take a look around this blog or visit my website. 

Fresh Start

 Christmas is over. New year is coming!

My search for an organised life is underway. My first step was to identify which part of my life to focus on at the beginning. Which part takes priority? Well, I think I found it. 

Where to Start?

General tidying is where I begin my mission. I basically live in one room. Not even a big room. This small space is my home and I have a lot of stuff. My belongings aren't at hoarders level, but I sew which comes with a lot of equipment and obviously, I own a lot of books. Not to mention notebooks, cooking equipment, shoes, makeup, clothes in general. It all fills that small area quickly. 

Christmas:

It's a wee bit early to be packing up Christmas, given that we've not even reached New Year yet, but even with this, I'm looking for order. Christmas jumpers boxed away together. Tree decorations together. Ornaments, candles, tinsel... everything has its own place even in storage. 

Books:

I love books and I own a lot of them, but this year, I'm planning to use my local library a lot more, to save myself buying them all the time. My books have different categories. 

There are the ones that I like to own and display on a bookshelf like a trophy - these are usually from my favourite authors like Nalini Singh, Kresley Cole, Johanna Lindsey and Gena Showalter. 

Then there are the favourites that I keep on my Kindle or reader, but I'll need them all. These are from authors like Eve Langlais, S.E. Smith, M.K. Eidem. 

I often buy Mills and Boon books from market stalls and charity shops because authors like Betty Neels, Emma Darcy and Patricia Wilson are often found there and I love them. 

There are the obvious classics that you have to own too. So I have my copies of Jane Austen's books, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Little Women. They're also shelf trophies. 

That's my Keep-Forever collection. 

There are a lot of books on my TBR pile that I know I'll read once and not go back to but I've always kept them just in case. I'm trying to change that. Now I'm trying to clear my reading decks of these books. Here's how:

• Local Library: The library in my area has an ebook app that supplies books I can easily read on my phone or tablet. And if I'm feeling in the mood for a hard copy, the nearest library is a ten-minute walk. 
• Get Rid: Sometimes when it comes to disposing of books I won't read, I just haven't found the ruthlessness, but this year that changes. Or at least, it changes a little bit. I've already started passing them on to friends. I'll donate to charity shops, and I've found an app where I can sell some. Not for much, but at least it helps me feel like I'm not just discarding them. 
• TBR: I own a lot of books I haven't read. It will make such a difference if I can make my way down this pile, which is in fact, many piles. 

Hobbies

I'm a crafter, particularly sewing and knitting; supplies can take over any empty space. I've started using toolboxes for tools of the trade. I've got tubs for works in progress. Bags for projects. Baskets of wool. But the main way to reduce the crafting chaos will be to use the materials and fabrics that I already own. Make them into clothes. 

Which brings me to...

Clothing and Makeup

I have a lot of clothes. And a lot of shoes. And a lot of makeup. Through 2025, I need to buy less. I could try selling some of what I own or that I've outgrown, but I've tried that through one of the clothes-selling apps and it was like a full-time job that made me very little money. I would post a belt for sale and people would try and haggle it down to a pound, then to send it, the nearest place was a five-minute drive away. With petrol prices, I'm pretty sure that ended up costing me money. 

So I'll try and buy less, try and make some from my fabric stash. I'll use the makeup I own. Utilize what I have. 

Office

I don't have an office. I have a laptop and a tablet and a phone and an epic stationery collection. That's my office. But it's spread everywhere, there is no order to it, so for the next year, I'll dedicate a section to writing. That's my goal. Even if it's a box or a case or the corner of the dining table. 

And so it Begins

Those areas are my initial starting point. That's the mess that needs order, and I have to find that order around my family, general housework, cooking dinner, the day job and writing. So... I'm going to be busy. 

The trick will be to stay motivated throughout sleepless nights (because I have a baby) and get my s*#t  together when I'd rather sit and watch Teen Wolf for the 6th time. It's my ultimate hobby. 

Getting my belongings in order is where it all starts. It's my January. 

If you liked reading this blog then take a look at some other posts or follow my Resolution journey on my website. 

Making a Resolution

“New Year, New Feels, New Chances, Same Dreams, Fresh Starts.” - Atticus Poetry

I'm keeping my New Year's Resolution simple this year. For 2025, my goal is to be more organised. That's it. It's that basic. Usually, I'm a romance writer who lives in chaos, but I know my way through it. I built a path through my mess. Let's see what happens when I change my ways and apply order to all aspects of my life. 

What I Hope...

Home, work, writing, and health. They're all areas of life where I fly by the seat of my pants. If I take it methodically, one area at a time, let's hope that streamlines things for me and makes my goals attainable.

What I'm hoping for is a domino effect: that as I get one part in order, it will impact another aspect until, bit by bit, I become an organised person. And if I put it into practice, it will become a habit. I already love a to-do list, right up until I have to do the stuff. 

Motivation

This is going to take a little research. Organisation doesn't come naturally to me. I'm a messy person and I always have been. In childhood, I was constantly grounded for having a messy room. I have paperwork everywhere. Notebooks written in and then scribbled out and written in again - most of them half-full or less. I pile up clothes in giant heaps and I rarely plan. At least not successfully. 

It sounds like it will be simple to change, but if that was the case I would have done it years ago. I'm planning to plan. That's what I figure will give me the best shot.

Back to School

Remember back at school when you had timetables for every lesson, you covered your books in brown paper that you would then graffiti. With school, there was scheduling and homework books. There was a set break time and lunchtime. There was a system. I miss that structure of my day-to-day life. 

Now I work in a job with shift patterns so I can work any hour of the day. I have a child so I eat when I have a minute to spare, sometimes not at all. I decide what I'm making when it's time to make it. Remember school dinners. We had chocolate custard, hard pizza and a dinner lady who walked around making sure we ate either potatoes or salad. (You know the chaos is bad when you hanker back to the days of school dinners.) 

I hated school. I was bullied, I was kinda lazy and I hated homework, but now I want to learn. It's the routine and order of it that I really miss. That and the lack of responsibility. I just had to get myself to lessons, and that was that. 

Where to Start?

I have no idea! As I already said, this is going to take research. And I have to fit it all around the day job and the romance writing. Hopefully, in the end, it will make things faster and more efficient for me. Fingers crossed. 

I think my first step is to identify the area where my life needs order the most and start there. I'm gonna be making some lists. Time to get out my half-scribbled notebooks. 

Let's Get Started

I could wait until January 1st to start, but I'm going to cheat and give myself a few extra days. I can at least start the planning process of this New Year's Resolution. I can pick which area needs the most change and figure out how to put it into effect. 

So, let's get going. Mission organisation: Inititaed.

If you enjoyed reading this then you can follow my journey by visiting the Resolutions page of my website. 

Author Update

 Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.
–William Feather

I want to write an update about what I've been doing and where I've been, but if I'm being honest, there isn't much to say. I've been persevering with romance writing, but life is stubborn and continually gets in the way. It means there isn't much to say, but I'll try. 

Plot Bunnies: A War

I have a work list. I know which books I'm working on now and which ones I'll be working on next, and I give myself a strict rule that I don't deviate from the list. But for some reason, ideas keep flying at me, and I really want to develop them. 

But I've been good, so far. I've stuck to the list of romance books that I'm meant to. I merely write the notes so I don't forget them and try to move on. One though, has snuck through the barrier and made its way to the list. 

A menage story, contemporary - not paranormal for a change. That one is now in development too. 

The Shadow Coven

Martha Martha Martha. Her story is progressing, but I admit, it is progressing slower than I would like. There are a couple of side projects that are taking some time, but Martha's story will be complete early next year. 

Lunar Falls

One of the projects that is drawing focus is a short novella in the Lunar Falls series, but because my novellas never actually end up short, it means it will take a little longer than I planned. And this story is being written before Martha. I thought that was a good idea back when I thought it would be short. 

The Year is Ending

Farewell, 2024. We've less than two months left of the year and then we get to start on page one again. I love a new year. It always feels like a fresh start and with the amount of work I've achieved this year, I need that fresh start. Hopefully next year, I will have more books published. 

There were a lot of drastic life changes for me this year, and while they were good things, it means I'm having to figure out a new balance. 2025 seems like the year for that.

If you want to stay updated on my goings on, visit my website where there are links to my social medias. 

Book Goals

"I think books are like people, in the sense that they’ll turn up in your life when you most need them." – Emma Thompson

I'm a romance writer so it's no secret that I love books. And romance books? Them's my jam. Reading and writing are major parts of my past, present and future. I've always read, I've always written, and that isn't going to change.

Writing Goals 2024

We're nearing the latter part of the year, and I have writing goals to fulfil, and not much time to do it in. The scraps of writing time that I snatch are becoming more and more important if I'm going to achieve my goals. 

• Accalia Mini

This is the book I'm working on now and obviously, that is not the official title, but the filler title for the novella that is my work in progress. It's a shifter romance that I'm shimmying in, between Protecting Their Heart and Rose's story.

• Martha's Book

It's gonna get written, I swear it is. Slowly and surely the words that tell Martha's story will get typed. It's just going to happen after Accalia Mini. 

• London Baby

This is a new series and I'm working on book one, and the goal is to have it written by the end of the year, even if it's not printed until next. It's a menage romance set in my favourite city: London.

 Those are the three. The three that I want to complete in 2024. Before January 1st 2025 my goal is to complete these projects and then start fresh with more next year. I just have to cram it in between motherhood, day jobs and sleep. I can do it. 

 

Reading Goals 2024

Up to now, my goals have been to read my library books and reduce my TBR pile, but I've got a lot of books and my TBR pile does not seem to be reducing. After my trip to the book stall at the market, it's actually bigger than it was. 

Reading goals are fairly general for me, because you don't know what you'll feel like reading until you're choosing the book, but there are a few authors that I would like to catch up on, because I've fallen behind. 

Lack of funds means I can't always afford to buy the books I want and so the novels by my favourite authors that l like to own and display proudly on my bookshelf are building up. 

• Gena Showalter

The Lords of the Underworld series is one my favourites. I absolutely love the books but the last one I read was The Darkest Touch which means there are about six Gena Showalter books I have yet to read. Some major catching up to do. 

• Nalini Singh

The writer love of my life. Oh, Nalini Singh, your words are so perfect. I managed to buy two of these books when I got a book gift card, but there are still a lot of them that I don't own. I need my Nalini books for my bookshelves!

• Eve Langlais

Kindle collection. Eve Langlais's books are funny, sassy and the women are curvy and don't take crap from anybody. She also writes and publishes quicker than I can afford so there's a large backlog of these books I have yet to buy. 

• Kresley Cole

I feel like Kresley Cole and Gena Showalter go hand-in-hand. If you've read one, then you have to read the other. Maybe I feel that way because for me, one led to the other. Paranromal Romance is my favourite genre, and Kresley is the queen. 

I Love the Love Books

Obviously, there are way too many books on my to-buy list for me to get and read this year, but if I can just get some, I'll be a happy romance reader, and if I can complete my writing goals, I'll be a happy romance writer. 

I've got book lists all over and I can't wait to see that list go down. 

If you liked this article then take a look at some of my other posts or head on over to my website to read more there.