“This morning I woke to some truly lovely and unexpected news”
I’m a bit later that usual with my Weekly Round Up, so apologies. Of course, what prompted me to galvanise myself into action was a spot of good news that I woke to this morning. But more of that in a moment…
DYING LIGHT is still being coming together nicely. I’m going over the MS and chipping away at hefty paragraphs, completely cutting entire sections, moving other bits about, and adding in new sections to create more rounded characters, more lifelike landscape, a more sinister atmosphere. I really enjoy this part of the process, though. First draft can be scary, not knowing quite where the story is going, not being sure if things will come together and work. By this stage, though, I know exactly what’s going on, now it’s a question of working on it until it’s right. This is also the stage where I doubt-check facts, make sure the timeline hangs together correctly, etc, and make any changes there that are required (they generally are!). Then it will be on to editing.
I’ve been pulling together some ideas for the cover of DYING LIGHT, too. This is another process I really enjoy. One of the hardest things about being an indie author is that I am in charge of everything. One of the most fun things about being an indie author is…that I am in charge of everything. The cover design is such fun, because it’s such a different creative process from writing. I’m lucky enough to share my life with a very talented man who creates my covers for me. He listens to all my crazy ideas, and somehow manages to give me something wonderful, that actually makes sense. Now that’s a talent! I can’t wait to share some of my ideas with you, but you’ll have to be patient just a little bit longer…
We’ve also been working on a little idea for a promotional video. It’s very much in its infancy, and whether or not it will ever see the light of day, who can say, but I’m finding it fascinating to learn the process. Seriously, once again it’s one of the best and worst things about being an indie author. What do I know about making videos? Nothing! But I get an idea, I start to learn, and voila! Well, hopefully, voila… All I’ve managed so far is a video of me in bed, looking very tired, and muttering to myself that I don’t know what I’m doing (this, incidentally, will NEVER see the light of day, lol). But I experimented with cutting it, then overlaid some text, and I’m frankly stunned at myself for having got that far. I don’t think Spielberg has anything to worry about just yet though!
I’m learning all the time, though. I’ve just signed up to a forensics course, which I’m really excited about. The more I learn, the more it filters into my writing and informs my ideas, which can only be a good thing. I’m so excited about this. It’s going to be hard work juggling it with all my writing and promotional commitments, but it will most definitely be worth it.
So all in all it’s been another busy but satisfying week. And this morning I woke to some truly lovely and unexpected news. Invisible has popped into Amazon’s Noir bestsellers list. I’m so happy! There’s not even a price promotion going on on, so it really is a surprise. Not bad for a book that’s been out for over two years now!
Have a wonderful week, everyone. Let’s hope the wonderful start is a sign of even better things to come!
Comments