We’ve just had another extension to our lockdown. It’s looking like things won’t be reopening until around March time now, but I remain optimistic about the future. One of my planned events for March has been pushed back to May, which I don’t see as a bad thing. Meanwhile, I’ve been busy on the six projects I have running.

WORK IN PROGRESS

CAPITAL ACTION – The novella is still with the copy editor and is due back next week. My tweaked blurb came back from review, its was a solid base but now I have to work on the feedback to make it even better.

BEGINNING OF THE END – The novella is in the copy editing queue and I don’t have a deadline for completion yet. I’ve drafted a blurb and I’ll take another look over it at the weekend, with the comments from the other blurb in mind, and hopefully get it out for review as well. I’ve added a draft at the bottom of the page if you want to take a look.

LESSON LEANED – The audiobook is ‘Headed to Retail,’ so it wont be long before it’s out!

AFTER THE END – Audio production is underway and this morning I’ve approved the first fifteen minutes.

FROM THE DEAD – I’m about a third through my latest edit before sending it off for manuscript evaluation / professional beta read.

NEW PA SERIES – The first draft is going well. The ideas are coming thick and fast. With 12,500 words completed so far and with a target of around 90,000 words, that’s 14% of the draft completed. As this is a five book series I will be happy if the novel comes out anywhere between 70,000 to 90,000. A word count beyond 90,000 and the paperbacks become that little more expensive to sell on Amazon.

I already have the rough theme of the second book in the series, at least the first ideas of how the series will carry on.

SALES AND MARKETING

Sales continue to be consistent despite only advertising on AMS. I’ve managed to stay strong and not make any changes, holding on for the novella releases so I can go full throttle again.

Resources

I’m not sure I’ve mentioned this before but since lockdown and working in an office on my own, I’ve started listening to podcasts. Some of them are funny and some are educational, but I’ve also come across some great ones for writers. I’ll drop the links below for those of you who might be interested in the podcasts about publishing and writing.

If you can look past Sacha’s tendency for over-excitement, then these interviews are a great resource.

https://sachablack.co.uk/the-rebel-author-podcast/

If you’re writing speculative fiction, and certainly fantasy, then you should check this out. It was interesting hearing them talking about pandemics in fiction back in 2019!

https://dissectingdragons.podbean.com/

This is a new one to me. I’ve only listened to one episode but I love the premise of telling us indie authors what they did wrong so we might learn from them.

https://wishidknownforwriters.com/

That’s about it for this week. I really have to crack on! These books don’t write themselves!

BEGINNING OF THE END DRAFT BLURB

Sixteen-year-old Jordan dreamed of excitement, wishing for anything to bring joy to his tiny Cornish Village. Whilst whiling his school holidays away shooting pixelated zombies on the Xbox as the rest of his family go out to work, he dreams of a life where the adventures are real.

When one morning a mysterious affliction descends, sending his brother and the rest of the village into a murderous rage, he gets more than he bargained for. In a fit of panic Jordan finds temporary sanctuary to await rescue. Soon the sirens come, but quickly fall silent, leaving him no option but to fight against his fear or face the dire consequences waiting for him.

Out of hiding, the joy at seeing soldiers with guns soon falls away when he realises they’re not there to save him but to eliminate the risk of the disease spreading. With a huge new wall erected around the place where he’d grown up, can Jordan conquer his fear of the soldiers hunting down those that might be infected? Can he summon the courage to fend off those who had been his family and friends, those who have lost all sense of being human? Can he get out to the safety of the big wide world before the same fate falls his way?