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. 

 

 

 

Conversations With Characters: Protecting Their Heart

Sometimes when I'm telling their stories the characters from my romance novels get a bit chatty. They're not necessarily helpful, but as a romance writer, it's nice to talk to them. 

Protecting Their Heart is my current Work In Progress. A menage shifter romance that is at the moment, in edits. 

Chatty Characters

I have a scene in the current Accalia book and my characters keep creating obstacles, never quite reaching the scene planned. I don't know if I'm forcing it or if the book is necessary to move things forward. 

​

      Adam: It'll happen if it needs to happen. 

​

That's not really helpful.

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      Adam Continued: (Shrugs) Was aiming more for honest. 

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      Ethan: I say do it. (Pause) Wait, am I in it?

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That's not the point. 

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      Ethan Continued: If the scene involves me or Penny, then I say keep it. 

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      Adam clears his throat pointedly. At Ethan's blank look, he lifts an eyebrow. Ethan rolls his eyes. 

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      Ethan Continued: Fine. Me, Penny or Adam then keep it. 

​

Obviously one of you is in it. It's your bloody book. 

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       Ethan Continued: Then keep it. You know what I say about a book about us. The longer the better. 

Romance Novels and The Characters

More information and details will be coming soon from the Accalia wolf pack and the books about them. Book cover, teasers, and blurb are still to come. 

If you're interested in reading paranormal romance stories by me, visit my Smashwords page and see what's available. 

Romance Writer News

I’m a romance author, but I’m a writer with a day job which means I have to organise my schedule.

This morning I’ve been to my day job, then I walked my dog, and this afternoon, I will be writing. This is my usual daily routine. There will be many cups of tea and lots of nibbles.

First Draft Finished

I’ve finished writing Protecting Their Heart and it’s the first book of the Accalia series. It’s a paranormal romance, between three people. Yup, that’s right. It’s also a menage romance.

Adam and Ethan, two wolf shifters, are about to fall for Penny, a baker who just moved to town, and has already caught the eye of someone who is obsessed with her. Adam and Ethan are determined to keep her safe from her stalker. She’s determined to live her life as normal.

Now to Edit

With the first draft finished, I’ve jumped straight into edits. I’m halfway through the first revision, but the first run has mostly been removing the words ‘just’ ‘really’ and ‘very.’ I have certain words that I seem to love a lot.

While I’m working on edits, I’m plotting the second book of The Shadow Coven series. After River’s Heart, Martha’s story is the next to be written.

Romance Author Writing

That’s about where I’m at with writing. Editing and plotting. I’m excited to get more books out there and to advance the series that I’m working on.

Protecting Their Heart is coming soon, but in the meantime, take a look at stories available on my Smashwords page or if you want to stay up to date on this romance author, visit my website. 

Expectations vs Reality of a Romance Author

 

Hands up if you thought being a romance author would be more romantic.

Visions of reclining on a chaise longue, sipping champagne and eating chocolates while the words flow out of me and onto the page may not have been quite accurate.

Misconception Number One: I’m a writer. I’m gonna be rich!

It’s hard to type when I’m laughing so hard at the hilarity of that thought. Rich…? Good one.

Hours at the laptop, hours on social media sharing posts and making connections, hours writing blogs and researching book marketing, and still no guarantee that the books will sell. You can do all the right things, and still be lucky to earn sixty pence a month.

There’s always the dream to be the lucky one. To be the one who will be discovered, the one who defies the odds of being a self-published author and makes millions, but the reality is – that more than likely – you will probably work a day job and write in the spare moments you scramble together between the responsibilities of your normal life.

Misconception Number Two: I’m a writer. I must be smart.

No.

What I am is a person who daydreams a lot. Sure, some of the things I write require research, but what that means is I google a lot of stuff and then promptly forget it as soon as the book or story is finished.

Any visions I had of swanning around with my hair in a chignon, smart-lady glasses and a pencil behind the ear, while I spout facts and answer any question asked has been replaced with a scruffy ponytail, finger-smudged lenses, and a confused expression on my face.

Misconception Number Three: I’m a writer. Nothing else matters.

Hmm… I like to eat food and have a roof over my head, so the day job is a little higher on my priority list. As is my family, my dog, my friends. I love writing, but I personally need time with all the people I love, and so I do give writing as much time as I can, but not at the cost of relationships.

I’m an introvert by nature. I’m mostly happy in my own company, and I’m lucky that pairs well with being a writer, but other things are important to my mental and physical health, and they definitely matter.

 Misconception Number Four: I’m a writer. I write every day.

As much time as I do spend writing, it’s not necessarily every single day. There are days where I work long shifts, or I go out, or I have other tasks of equal importance that need to be done. There are times where I just don’t want to, and though I can push through it, I don’t always do it, because if I make writing an ordeal, I won’t want to do it, and right now it’s an important part of my life.

I write often, but that doesn’t mean daily. I’m finding the balance important.

Misconception Number Five: I’m a writer. I don’t need to read.

Every book I read helps me develop as a writer. Whether I like the way it’s written, and the story told, or I don’t, there’s usually something to be taken from it. I feel like it seeps into my brain and lives there.

I’ve always been a reader. From my first book, I was hooked. Sometimes they’re rereads, sometimes they’re new, but I always have a shelf full of books, and I think I’m a better writer for every word I read.

 

Misconception Number Six: I’m a writer with rejections. I suck at this.

Or maybe not.

Every failed attempt at writing success doesn’t mean it wasn’t well written or a good story. What it means is that it’s hard to stand out in a mass of other works by equally ambitious writers.

I’ve been rejected a lot, because I’ve tried a lot. I remember a famous actor saying that for every success he gets six rejections. Sure, for me the ratio is tilted heavier toward the rejection side – one book I’ve written was rejected nearly thirty times before there was even a hint of someone showing interest – but rejection is a part of being a writer, and as I’m told often in rejections, writing is subjective. Just because one says no, doesn’t mean the next will. Keep trying. Your next attempt might be the yes you need.

 

 

 

 

 

This Book Won't End

 

I feel like I've been working on my current WIP forever. 

My shifter romance, the first book of the Acalia series, and the characters don't want to wrap things up. I reached 60,000 words and didn't feel very far along, and now even even further into it and the word count keeps growing. 

How do you make your characters sort things out when they just want to keep gong on? If anyone learns, could you tell me, because if not, Protecting Their Heart may never end. 

I think what could help would be if I could go somewhere with no internet and no people, and just a typewriter. Unfortunately, in real life, I have a day job, I have responsibilities and I have to work around those things. 

Trying to find time to write is hard enough, but when its for a book that won't reach it's end, sometimes it feels futile. 

This book has to end though, even if it's so I can find out what will happen to my characters myself. I need my characters to reach their resolution. 

Rebellious Characters

 

I’m not a pantser, and by that, I mean that I love a good book outline. I like planning who my characters are and where my story is going to go. I like the structure of following a plan.

But with characters like these, I may as well not bloody bother. They don’t behave. They just go off doing what they want. It doesn’t matter to them if it makes the book longer and longer. So, I ask you, why do we bother with outlines when characters have their own ideas?

On one hand, I suppose it’s a good thing. It means they’re very real to us, but on the other hand; what about all my story ideas that I wanted to write?

Either way, I love my mischievous, mind-of-their-own, rebellious characters.

Long Stories

 

Why do my stories never end?

I'm writing a book, that was initially title Short Shifter. I feel like I've barely started it and it's already at 60,000 words. That's not short! What the heck, story. You're supposed to be short!

But these characters keep throwing up obstacles, and generally being pains in the butt, with all their chatter and their reluctance to get the story going.

That's the problem with characters sometimes. Just because I have a plan for them, and an outline to follow, it doesn't mean, they agree, and it doesn't mean they'll co-operate.

So, for now, I just keep writing, hoping the end is growing closer with every world, but it probably isn't.

 

Finding Motivation

 

Slugging through the swamp of writing. That's where I am right now!

But, I'm still writing. This book will get finished if I have to do it a tiny paragraph at a time. I will reach the end.

I'm trying all the tricks. Music, walking, switching from typing to long hand. This isn't writers block that's slowing me down. This is intimidation.

The characters took over and made it too long, and now I'm scared it will never end. They're too chatty and they keep trying to take it slowly, but there has to be an end sometime. And I will reach it. That's my goal.

I will reach the end of this damn book, and it's gonna be great. Positivity and motivation!

The Slump

 

I've hit the 50,000 word slump.

In my current Work In Progress, I've reached that milestone, but knowing how much story there is still left to tell, and how many words I've used so far, the motivation has started to fade.

It seems like this book is going to finish up at a bajillion words long. Which mean it will be slightly less than a bajillion pages! That's too many. It was supposed to be a reasonable size.

So, the way it's spiralled out of control has thrown me into the doldrums. I have no idea how long this book will be because it feels like it's barely got going yet, but hell, it's either going to take some drastic editing, or maybe I'll just be giving a lot of book for the money.

Either way, the end feels like a long way off.

Loving #PitMad

A few days ago, I was scanning Twitter reading and loving all the pitches for #PitMad and wishing I had finished my book so I could have been a part of it. I'd have loved to have joined in. 

Unfortunately, my book is still in progress. I'm at the 50,000 word mark with no end in sight. It was supposed to be that length at completion but apparently my characters are little chatter boxes with too much to say. 

#PitMad was still fun to follow though. The goal is to write pitches for your book within 280 characters using hashtags to draw the right publishers and agents to your book. You post your pitch on twitter and get involved in the amazing writing community, all supporting and helping each other to reach out. 

Like I said, though, my book isn't finished so I was little more than an observer. It was still great to see how much support is out there among all the writers. 

Maybe I'll be ready to join in for the December round of #PitMad. I just gave myself a goal. 

Writing Through a Cold

 Pass me the whisky! I've got a cold! (And only a cold.)

I want soup, I want many cups of tea, I want hot toddies, I want thick duvets and I want to binge watch box sets. And then I'll be up to doing some writing.

I'm staying in my pjs until this passes. I feel awful - I look worse - but luckily writing is a solitary thing so nobody is here to see my greasy hair, pale face and red nose.

To be honest, the challenge with writing hasn't come from not feeling up to it. The challenge is coming from lack of peace and quiet in the house. Who knew that feeling ill would be the least of my problems this weekend.

All teamed together; the chaos, the crappiness of being poorly, and the people in the house not giving me a moment to myself has put me in a foul mood, which isn't the best temperament for writing romance.

That's the thing with being a writer though. Grumpiness and illness don't stop you from getting words down on the screen. You might not feel like it, but as with any job, you don't get to say, 'I just don't want to.' Not if you want to finish the WIP!

Still, with the help of my trusty earphones, my cups of tea and my comfy pjs, I'll power through and continue on this shifter romance that I'm currently writing.

 

Treats and Rewards

 

This week I'm all about organisation, and for every task I accomplish, I'm giving myself a reward.

Not necessarily huge rewards. I'm not giving myself a cruise for finishing a short story, but, for example, I have a week to finish the first draft of my WIP and if I succeed or work really hard at it, then I get rewarded with a night to myself with a takeout and a bottle of wine. Maybe a movie.

This is the thing, with the chaos of daily living, something as simple as that is a treat. I have the house to myself, I'm going to make the most of it, but I do need to finish my current book, so as long as I finish, or get close to finishing, then I've earned it.

So, like I said, I'm all about rewards for the work I'm doing. I'm all about incentives this week.

Busy Busy Busy

This has been a pretty hectic week.

I've had a lot on, which has meant writing hasn't been my number one priority, but even with the chaos running rampant through my daily routine, I'm still always thinking about the story.

I think that's the thing with being a writer. Every quiet moment, the mind drifts to plot conflicts, characters, scenes. I plan what is coming in the fictional worlds I'm writing about. I think it's more than likely the same for all creative people.

Every commute ends with a new scene in my mind, and I'm just waiting for the moment I can get out of my car and get it down on paper, trying to keep the words straight in my memory, but as I said, it's been a pretty busy week.

I'm supposed to be taking the weekend off because I have plans, but here I am at eight thirty on Saturday night, a small window of time to call my own, and I'm at my laptop working.

I think the windows are an important aspect of being a writer, especially a writer with a day job, because moments of time are sometimes all I get. I'm making the most of them this week.

Writing, getting this book down on screen.

Reality or the Dream?

 

When you have to pick one option, do you choose reality or the dream?

My day job has been more and more demanding, and it’s bringing to the forefront the skill of prioritising tasks and questioning my will to be a writer more and more.

Do I put my time into the job that actually brings in the money and pays my bills or do I risk it all and prioritise the dream? I’m not the first person to come up against these choices and I won’t be the last.

There have been times...

There have been times I’ve doubted that I have the skill. For example, earlier this year when the rejections were pouring in, for just a moment, I thought, ‘maybe I don’t have what it takes,’ but in the end, I’m a writer so even if I’m the only one who ever reads it, I’ll keep writing.

There have been times I’ve doubted that I have the will. Do I have the strength to persevere in the face of rejection and the lack of affirmations? Do I want to sit at my computer when I could be watching TV or hanging out with other people? Real people. Not just ones in my imagination.

There have been times I’ve doubted I have the energy. I don’t always want to be at work all day and then come home and write. Sometimes I want to get under my duvet and take a big nap.

There have been times I’ve doubted that I have the motivation. For instance, when I’m working to complete a writing project but others are calling out to me. Ideas nudging me to start something new.

The question is which do I prioritise? The day job or the dream?

How do you choose between reality or the dream? How do you choose which path to take? You go with your heart. At least that's what I'm doing, because there are some things in life that demand to be a part of you and there are parts of yourself you can't sacrifice no matter how hard it is to continue some days.

I choose...

I choose the dream. I’m throwing caution to the wind, and when a choice has to be made, I’m opting for writing. I can’t have these stories rampaging through my head with no way out. When the choice has to be made, when a career has to be chosen, when a dream is waiting to be chased then to hell with it.

I’m a writer first and I have stories to tell.

An Organised Writer

I recently had a discussion with a friend about organisation and deadlines. We both look at distant deadlines as things that don’t need to get started right away. If you’ve got two months to do it, then that means you don’t have to start yet. After all, two months is a long way off.

As someone who works a day job as well as trying to build my writing career in my free time, it means I usually have deadlines and projects coming at me from all angles, and the mountain of tasks culminates in the result that I usually want to take a big nap rather than start, but maybe procrastination isn’t the only answer. Step in, organisation!

Step One: Stay Calm

I’ve got a bajillion things to do. I don’t know which to start with, so I do little bits of each and nothing seems to get done. Argh! Okay, take a breath. There are only a finite number of workable hours in a day. I need to sleep and eat. I don’t have time to be overwhelmed, so step one is to stay calm. You have to take it one thing at a time, so don’t concentrate on the mountain, focus on the first step. Panicking doesn’t make it easier. It just adds to the stress. Remember: one thing at a time.

Step Two: Absolutely Not

Do you have time to take on anything else? No? Then say that! If you can’t handle anything else, if you don’t have the time, if it’s too much then say no. It’s worse to miss a deadline or a goal because you can’t fit it in than to tell them you can’t do it in the first place. Let them find someone else. Also, if there’s something you can delegate then pass it on to someone who has the time, and if you need help, ask. So focused on their own work, people aren’t always aware that you’re struggling, and if your way of telling them is ranting or crying, (like me) then it might be better to say it outright.

Step Three: What To-Do

To-do lists, baby. Is there anything better than striking an accomplishment off your to-do list? Write down everything you need to do, whether it’s that day, that week, overall, write it down, keep track, and scratch it off when it’s done. Item number one can be 'Write a to-do list' and then you've got your first accomplishment right there. 

Step Four: Prioritise

What is the most important? What will take the longest? What needs to be started right away? What has a strict deadline and what is scheduled for whenever you have the time? Look at your to do list and work out which tasks need to be done first. We’re taking it one item at a time so figure out what number one is.

Step Five: Keep a Diary

I’m not asking you to fill in a journal, unless that’s something you want to do, in which case, go ahead. These diary entries are about scheduling your time. Whether you record it in your phone, your computer, your email calendar, or like me, an actual diary. Make sure you’re keeping track of dates, appointments and deadlines.

Step Six: Setting a Goal

What do you want? Where do you want to reach? How are you going to get there? Set yourself a goal and then make a plan. Whether it’s a word count to hit, a date by which to accomplish something, a deadline; whatever you choose, make it realistic. Make sure it’s achievable. There’s nothing more disheartening than realising you’re not going to succeed because you were unrealistic about what you could do.

Step Seven: Organisation not Procrastination

I’m a big fan of being organised. It’s easy to pop along a social media site or to clean the oven, maybe rearrange your desk, or even write a blog post about writing; all with the plan of putting off your current WIP. For example, I am supposed to be tunnelling through a writing slump, but I scheduled in time to write this blog. As soon as it’s complete, though, I’ll be back at work. I plan my time using the methods I’ve already described: To-do lists, diary scheduling, reminders. I track my time. Organisation doesn’t come naturally to me so it’s something I have to work hard at.

Step Eight: Stay on Top of things

Try not to let yourself get overwhelmed, and don’t use the method that my friend and I are such fans of: A distant deadline with time to spare. It only takes falling behind on one thing for it to snowball and soon you’re sitting under an avalanche of work about to topple on top of you. Get things done when you can.

These are the tips I use to stay on track, but I want to reiterate step one. Stay calm. I know it’s easier said than done, and if you’re like me - prone to anxiety - when things go wrong then someone telling you to stay calm only makes things worse. The words ‘calm down’ have never made anyone calmer, but if you can go in with a cool, organised head, then maybe you can beat back the stress before it gets its talons in.

Happy organising. I hope these tips have helped you, even if in some small way. Now I’ve got a book to get back to.

How do you do it?

Today I read a Facebook post about which words to use during a romance/erotica novel love scene, and now I’m curious. How many people follow rules when they write, and how many just put down what they want?

My own writing style stems from the kind of things I like to read. If I don’t like a word then I don’t use it, if there’s something I do like then that’s what I go with. The books I write or that I’m currently writing are the stories I want to read, and while I hope others read and enjoy them too, the main thing that drives me is that I enjoy writing them.

I’m not saying I don’t think about readers at all. Of course I do. I don’t want people to pay for my books only to not enjoy them, or to be irritated by bad grammar or grossed out by a word I’ve used. What I’m saying, is that I let my preferences lead me. I don’t follow strict rules.

I also think it’s a fact, that we’re influenced by stories we’ve read and loved. We all know what we like and what makes us cringe, but as everyone is different, it’s impossible to write something universal. 

Which is why I concentrate less on rules and more on what I want to read.

I think I just like the idea of knowing the rules and then doing what I want. What can I say, I'm a rebel!

That’s how I do it, though. I write what I like to read. I’m curious about how many others do the same, and how many have strict plans and outlines that they follow.