Read The Hungry-Man for half-price!

On Wednesday, my Harvey- my bestest boy and eternal puppy- will be turning twelve!

I don't know where the years have gone... it feels like only a few months since I was teaching him to sit and shake his paw for treats, and having to lift him on the bed because his little legs were too short to jump up and snuggle with Mummy.

Back then, he was scruffy-looking bundle of fur, sometimes compared to Spit the Dog, who tried to make friends with cats and attack fireworks. Now he's a slightly larger bundle of differently-coloured fur who chases cats and runs away from fireworks!


Harvey aged 6 months

Naturally, I shall be spoiling him rotten on his birthday and feeding him sausages, but Harvey thought it might be a nice idea to share the joy by offering The Hungry-Man at half-price as part of his celebrations.

"What a good idea!" I told him. "You really are a very Clever Boy!"

(Yes, I do actually talk to Harvey. All the time. He's a wonderful listener).

So, that's what we're doing. From now until the weekend, The Hungry-Man will be on offer for only 99p as an ebook.

Harvey thinks you'll really like it but then, as the hero of this cracking tale of a plucky pup who battles unimaginable evil to save his beloved Mummy, he is slightly biased ; )

Getting My Groove Back...

Well, hellooooo there! It's been a while, for which I make no apologies (other than to those who were worried about where I'd gone- sorry about that). I was having a little restorative me-time and catching up on anything that wasn't writing.

Available for Kindle or in paperback from Amazon

You see, having published my novel, The Hungry-Man, in April, I found that (once again) I ran out of words for a little while. Seriously. I'm starting to see a pattern of post-book blues, a strange exhaustion or creative death that means once a book is out, I need to rest my writing brain for a while before I can begin again. I suppose it's a bit like how introverts wear themselves out being extroverted and social, and need to retreat to their hermit caves in order to recharge before they can do it again. So that meant no writing, no blogging and very little in the way of words whatsoever.

Except reading, of course. Not reading would be like not breathing, as in I start to go purple and make odd noises after a while.

The Hungry-Man goes live!

Find me on Amazon!

It's finally here! The Hungry-Man, my proper big novel that I've been faffing about with for months, has hit the virtual shelves!

I'm so proud. And tired. Despite months of work, I still managed to nearly miss a deadline... 'sigh' But I defeated the techno-goblins and so far, touch wood, this one hasn't been banned!

It's a marvellous read, if I do say so myself, about a plucky young pup who risks everything to save the day. It's got chills, thrills, romance, sausages and one particular scene that, if it doesn't leave you in tears, will make you want to hug your Mum. Anyone who's ever loved a dog (or their Mum) will be swept up in Harvey's perilous search for a way to defeat the Hungry-Man before it's too late. Really, you should rush out and buy it now- I've even included a handy little link below the cover picture.

Shameless hard-sell over, I'm off to pop some champagne (on a school night!) and then get some sleep. It's been a manic weekend!

Night night- and don't let The Hungry-Man bite!

xxx

The Hungry-Man: the release date is set!

The Hungry-Man is coming along nicely, and should be good to go for Monday 28th April 2014. How exciting!

I decided on that date after a lot of thought that, if I were to try and reason it out, would leave most of you scratching your heads and the rest of you edging towards the door away from the crazy lady with a dislike of certain numbers. Just trust me that the 28th is perfect.

The cover is exactly what I wanted, featuring a photo of the real-life Harvey on the beautiful Heacham beach a couple of years ago. The beach plays a key role in the story, so I was thrilled that it all came together (plus, my Harvey is just gorgeous). I've really struggled with the blurb, but the lovely Tori came to my aid once again (as she has dozens of times- cake for her) and I think I've cracked it. I even managed a decent headshot for the back, so I'm really on a roll now!

Sticking with the "being creative" thing, I thought it only fair that, as Lily gets her own squiggle, Harvey should have a pretty picture too.



My Harvey puppy.

 

I quite like the idea of having this at the start of each chapter- if the printer will allow it! Not sure if it counts as an illustration... You'll have to wait and see if he makes the book.

 

The Hungry-Man will be available on Amazon on Monday 28th April 2014

Super Sunday Sunshine and Smiles

Happy Sunday!

The sun is shining, I can hear lawnmowers and children playing in the gardens behind my house (though not together, I hope) and my laptop is fixed. Huzzahs all round!

But that's not why I'm writing today. In fact, I'm not sure why I'm writing today. Maybe it's because I've pretty much finished writing The Hungry-Man, but am still surgically attached to my laptop (which, thanks to the wizzards, now has internets again). So, prepare for a ramble while my butterfly-brain decelerates from the epic race that is writing a novel.

Pretty Procrastination

Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?

Not that I'm very good at plans, being far too much of a procrastinator. Instead, maybe I should say that I love it when a fleeting notion comes to fruition with very little effort or passing of time. I'm all about the instant gratification!

One of my excellent beta-readers made a suitably excellent suggestion about the chapters in The Hungry-Man that are told from a different character's point of view, and typically in flashback. Rather than "chapter" them, she suggested, I could use a chapter divider symbol to signal that they are different from the bulk of the book. Great idea! Off I went, googling for the perfect one.

BUT I quickly discovered that the really nice ones are rather expensive, and the cheap ones were not what I was after at all. So, I made my own.

Here it is:

Lily's squiggle

I've called it (titles not being my strong point) "Lily's squiggle" and I'm rather chuffed with how it came out. Literally fifteen minutes after I decided I needed a chapter divider symbol, I had one that was original, pretty and looks lovely on the page. And it was fun! (I'm all about the fun).

The wonders of a free art app and a spare five minutes.

The Hungry-Man is in its final stages as you read and, all being well, will be available to download from Amazon on Monday 21st April 2014, with a paperback version soon after. I hope you're as excited about it as I am! (because I'm very excited)

The Hungry-Man is on its way!

Major news! The Hungry-Man is one step closer to publication today!

Today I finished the first proper version that has all the right bits in the right places! Please excuse me (or feel free to join in) while I have a little WOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!

Ye gods, I hope you enjoy it. I'm exhausted. The analogy of giving birth has never felt more true. From the embryonic initial idea to the (almost) final 64,000 word book-baby, I feel I have more than carried this one full-term. False starts, crises of confidence and some downright terrible writing have plagued me for over a year. I think I'd have rather had morning-sickness and piles! I definitely had the backache and strange cravings in the middle of the night...

But it was worth it. The mad scribblings of NaNoWriMo, where I stripped back my original short story into post it notes and then wrote 54,562 words in three weeks (before collapsing from exhaustion), have been pruned and sorted, edited and added to, and what has emerged is a pretty awesome tale (well, I think so- and so does my Mum- tee hee) of the special bond between a dog and his Mummy, and how far he'd go to keep her safe. It's even a little bit scary too. And you might cry a bit. If you have a dog, you've got no chance of avoiding either emotion. (But I promise no dogs were harmed in the making of this novel. Well, maybe one... but he's not real, so it's OK- isn't it?)

As chuffed as I am today, I know I'm not quite ready to present The Hungry-Man to the world yet (would that be like a christening? Another Strange Idea). It still needs a little more work before it can find its feet and toddle off into the big wide world. By the time I've tidied it up a bit more, I expect it to be a little heftier and healthier, but I still think it's beautiful now- even covered in lack-lustre verbs and unnecessary adverbs.

I just wanted to squeee a little.

So- SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I'll keep you posted xxx

The Hungry-Man: exclusive preview

 

Harvey loves his Mummy; he’d do anything for her. They have a blissful life together, filled with cuddles, walkies and camping trips. Then, one terrible day, everything changes and their perfect life becomes a nightmare. The Hungry-Man wants his Mummy, and only Harvey can save her from a horrifying fate.

Can Harvey do what it will take to protect his Mummy? And will it be enough?

A terrifying and gripping tale of a dog’s devotion and determination to protect those he loves. The next time your dog tries to warn you about something you can’t sense, pay attention…

 

Now that I'm back from my bummel, it's time to get stuck in to some writing again. I'm thrilled to bits to share with you a draft of the prologue and first chapter of "The Hungry-Man", my current WIP.

The Next Big Thing: Strange Ideas

I've got a very special WIP Wednesday for you this week, and I'm squeeely excited to be part of this- The Next Big Thing blog tag. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this idea, it's a way for authors to share and promote their books by "tagging" each other and answering 10 questions about our next book or work in progress.  At the end of January, I was tagged by Gloria Piper, author of Finnegan's Quest: a metaphorical fantasy that pokes fun at life’s foibles—political, religious, and social. You can look her up at http://gloriapiper.wordpress.com/

And now... drum-roll...

7 Line Challenge

Many thanks (and cake) to Victoria Pearson for tagging me into this blog-hop thingy. I've never done one of these before and I'm guessing a few people out there will never have seen one before, so, for the uninitiated- here's the deal.

I'm about to post seven lines from page seven of my work in progress... "The Hungry-Man" (squee!). Exciting stuff! BUT then I will tag seven other writers who will, in turn, do the same on their blogs. I suggest you click on the links and check them out.

OK- here goes!