Hello,
It's been a strange couple of weeks as I've tried to get back into a proper writing routine, but I'm pleased to report that Book Four is going well, and I am now just over 16,000 words into the first draft.
Bearing in mind the finished manuscript will be around the 80,000-word mark, there's still a long way to go, and I always find the sticky bit in the middle the hardest part of the book, but it's definitely progress!
All I can tell you about the book at the moment is that it's about the (very) complicated relationship between a woman called Rose and her god-daughter, Eloise.
Once again I've decided to set the book in Kent, with Rose living in a rather ramshackle house in the middle of the woods on the beautiful Kent Downs.
Being able to picture a setting when you're writing makes so much difference, so I always try to scout out a suitable location before I write a single word.
I've been riding past this house for years, and knew it would be the perfect, secluded spot for my quirky protagonist to call home. We took a walk out that way the other day so I could refresh my memory. It's been renovated since I last saw it, so it doesn't fit the ramshackle brief any more, but the setting is still absolutely perfect.
Being an indie author doesn't just mean you can write a book and leave everything else to your publisher because, well, I am the publisher!
Luckily I have a great team around me, including brilliant cover designers, and this week I booked a slot with them for the new book.
I now need to come up with the perfect title and a suitably attention-grabbing strap line before July. No pressure!!
In other news, my husband Adrian's new psych thriller, She Knows, is just 99p/99c to download for the next few days.
How far would you go to save a stranger’s life?
Sky is convinced a woman she met in tears on the beach is in desperate danger. After all, the abuse is all spelled out in the diary she dropped when she fled. But when Sky tries to rescue Esme Winters from her violent and controlling husband, she stubbornly rejects Sky’s offer of help. Because it’s not her husband she’s frightened of. Esme has a bigger secret to hide and will stop at nothing to protect her lies – even if that means sacrificing Sky’s life to save her own...
I had the pleasure of being the first person to read She Knows, and it's a fantastic, pacey thriller that will keep you turning the pages well into the night.
Here are the links if you'd like to check it out:
And finally, there's still time to win an audiobook of Should Have Known Better.
I have two copies of the newly-published audiobook, narrated by the talented Emma Powell, up for grabs.
All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is to head over to my Facebook page, like the page and comment on and share the competition post, which is pinned to the top of the page.
LIKE, COMMENT and SHARE. Simples!
So far, only a handful of you have entered, so the odds are stacked in your favour!
I'll pick two winners at random later this week.
Good luck with the competition and happy reading!
Amanda