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

Popping Puppy

So, while tidying up last night, I found some popping candy...

Alfie was fascinated by the sound it made in my mouth, so I thought I'd let him try some...



Nomnomnom

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)

Strange Ideas on Tour!

A couple of months ago, I scribbled instructions in the front of three copies of my book, Strange Ideas: Death, Destiny and Decisions and sent them off into the world. The object was to see if I could make a book go viral, in the sense that it would be seen and shared. I just received this:

 

 

 

Thank you very much to @gab229x who joined in the fun and made some very sweet comments. I wonder where this copy will end up next? Or where the other two will turn up?