It’s been a busy year so far, and May is almost up on us. Here’s what I’m up to right now.

It’s been nearly a month since my debut novel launched on Kindle and Ebook, and here are four things I’ve learned:

So before I start, I know that getting a literary agent isn’t the only way. There are many brilliant and talented authors who’ve gone it alone without a literary agent or a deal with a publisher. The world of self-publishing has opened up a whole new world of opportunity, and I’m continually blown away by the work some writers do to carve their own path in their own way. I salute every one of you.

It’s a VERY EXCITING DAY because Two Metres From You is finally out on ebook and audio! Am thrilled and excited and incredibly proud of myself. So many people have been so supportive, and I feel like maybe this is just the beginning.

It’s almost a year since I started writing Two Metres From You in April 2020, and quite a lot has happened in the world since then. Here are five things I wish I’d known when I started.

There were so many things that gave me the inspiration to write Two Metres From You – my military childhood was part of the foundations for Gemma’s character, my dog Mabel was vital to the plot (and my sanity during writing), and music played a big part in framing Gemma’s memories and getting me through long lockdown days. But those aside, here are the three biggest things that inspired the story:

Remember that blog I wrote about following the path of lights through the woods and learning to recognise when I’ve made a wrong turn? Yeah, that skill still needs some work.

Music plays a big part in Two Metres From You – the main character Gemma grew up on the Spice Girls and early noughties pop, and certain songs evoke memories of some of the best times of her life. She also loves Eurovision, so there’s a few of her faves on this playlist too (OK, maybe they’re mine).

It’s ONE MONTH until my debut novel is available on ebook and audio (paperback lovers will have to wait until 17th June, sorry) - to celebrate, here are ten things you might like to know about me.

When I imagined myself writing my first novel, which would be on approximately four million occasions over the past twenty years, I always assumed I would be Planner. I envisaged myself having complex spreadsheets and flow charts defining narrative progression, character arcs and the complex relationships between plots, sub-plots and sub-sub plots. In my head not a word of prose or dialogue would be written until I fully understood how this book would start and finish, and understand the path the story would take between the two.

Fear, doubt and imposter syndrome. These three are QUITE the party, aren’t they? I’m sure none of this is news to other new writers, but I’m wading through these murky waters for the first time and finding these nagging little demons a bit unsettling.

I sent Book Two to my editor yesterday, all 100k words of it. Ordinarily that would have been cause for some kind of celebration - maybe dinner somewhere nice, glass of fizz. But it’s 2021 and all parties are off, so I read a book in the bath instead.

One of the most fervent discussions I’ve seen in writers’ forums is about (of all things) software. Not very sexy, but one that can make the difference between a good day, and a day where you pull your hair out in tiny tufts.

This week I’ve reached a point where three books have collided, and I’m having to take a crash course in literary juggling.

So you’ve decided you’re going to write a novel, and you’ve worked out how you’re going to fit it in to your hectic schedule. Congratulations, you’ve already done 70% of the emotional heavy lifting and the rest is just admin. Now it’s time to decide what you’re going to write about.

I’m sure there’s are plenty of experts who will give you an official answer to this question, probably involving creative writing courses and vast amounts of sensible planning and forethought, but I’m afraid I did none of those things. So perhaps the title ought to be ‘How I wrote MY first novel, purists and those of a delicate disposition please look away.’

Hello! Welcome to my blog. Please enjoy this picture of my dog Mabel having a small snooze.

This feels a little strange; I haven’t written a blog-blog for, I don’t know, maybe twelve years? I’ve written a zillion liveblogs in that time, but not an actual personal blog about Stuff I’m Doing.