Book Two and Brick Walls

I know I've been a rubbish blogger the last month or so.

I am currently squashed under my insecurities about Book 2, also known as The Date Pool. I read on the internet that the second book (ie the book after you get your publication contract) is the hardest one to write and I would have to agree with that. I'm not sure why - maybe it's the worry that this time it matters whether I deliver or not - but I just know I'm capable of better than some of the dross that seems to be appearing on the page.

Chapters 1-3 have been revised and thankfully at least they seem to be working. Chapters 4-6 are currently pants. Fortunately I received an email from my lovely new editor on Friday full of encouragement (which is great because I'm now wondering if they will be regretting their decision to give me a contract) and fantastic suggestions, some of them specific (areas that are too dialogue-heavy) and some of them general (scene ideas that I can play around with). As always I wish I'd thought of all of them myself.

Anyhow...This week I will be sitting in the revision cave, also known as my kitchen, hunched over and working through the revision points one by one in the hope that at the end of the process I will also have serviceable Chapters 4-6. On the bright side the small one has started full-time school so at least I have plenty of time on my hands to angst over the story, and when I look back over my blog I can see that I was feeling pretty much the same way at the same point when I was writing Secrets of the Rich & Famous. Bit of a double-edged sword because I know I came out the other side with a good ms last time, but on the other hand I now fear that the pants-middle-bit and the feverish rewriting of it may be part of my process (please, no!).

Back with a progress report soon x

RIVA's Back! And So You Think You Can Write...

RIVA is back with a bang!

If you haven't seen the gorgeous new covers click here to find the launch books and there is also a very cute Facebook App, where you can find out more about the RIVA titles, their authors, and enter a competition to win lots of RIVA goodies.

I am so happy to join the line at such an exciting time and can't wait to see what people think of its fabulous new look!

And talking of joining the line, I know without a doubt that if it hadn't been for Mills & Boon's New Voices Competition last year I would not be where I am now. Since New Voices has been amalgamated this year into Harlequin's global competition So You Think You Can Write, I want to recommend to anyone who might be thinking about having a bash at it, to put any doubts aside and go for it. You can find all the details here.

There is a ton of information and lots of writing tips to be found on the competition site and I will be checking out some of the articles myself - (I think because I have a contract I should know what I'm doing but a lot of the time I still haven't a clue. Writing is a massive learning curve and I am constantly making mistakes. Fortunately now I have a lovely editor to turn me round when I end up facing the wrong way but I still love a how-to book or a writing article!)

My advice to anyone taking part would be to immerse yourself into the experience as deeply as you can. When I entered New Voices, I read as many entries as I could, left lots of comments, watched all the podcasts and read all of the writing tips and articles posted by Mills & Boon. I literally squeezed everything out of the experience that I could. Even if I hadn't gone as far as I did in the competition, I learned tons in that couple of months. So if you are going to give it a go, loads of luck!

Back soon with an update on The Date Pool. :0)