Today is my 28th birthday. I can’t quite believe I’ve made it this far, nor can I believe how much I’ve changed in the last three years, let alone the last 28.
Naturally, of course, my birthday has made me go all pensive. So here’s 28 things I’ve learnt in my 28 years…
Happy International Women’s Day!
Since it’s International Women’s Day, I thought I’d share an inspiring poem.
It’s one that I’ve read at a few events lately and that has been received really well.
It’s called Warrior.
It’s time for me to introduce to you the final character from What Happens in New York, Hollie Baxter.
The scene below is the first chapter. If you like what you read, you can also check out scenes featuring Fayth Campbell, Astin Mack, Liam York and Trinity Gold, and Tate Gardener. You can also purchase your copy from all good ebook retailers now (and in print from Amazon), to find out what happens next!
Happy reading!
Continue reading “What Happens in New York: Meet Hollie Baxter”
In the latest scene from What Happens in New York, it’s time to meet Hollywood golden couple Liam York and Trinity Gold. They look like the perfect couple, but are they as perfect in real life as they appear to be on camera?
Don’t forget you can check out scenes featuring Astin Mack, Tate Gardener, and Fayth Campbell too!
Continue reading “What Happens in New York: Meet Liam York and Trinity Gold”
A while ago now, I asked on my Facebook page which characters you’d like to meet first. Astin Mack came first, followed by Tate Gardener, and deuteragonist Fayth Campbell came third.
In this scene, Fayth is working in the family pub when her ex-husband Patrick appears. She desperately tries to avoid him, but it doesn’t quite go according to plan…
Continue reading “What Happens in New York: Meet Fayth Campbell”
A few weeks ago now I asked which character from What Happens in New York you’d like to meet first. It was a tie between Astin Mack — model-turned-stunt-performer — and Tate Gardener, singer/actor/entrepreneur/model. I went with Astin first, because his scene is earlier in the novel and I have a soft spot for him. This second scene is all about Tate!
Tate is only a minor character in this book, but she’s one of my favourites to write, and also the glue that holds a lot of the characters together. Whilst she’s only got a handful of scenes in What Happens in New York, she’ll have a bigger part to play in book two, and also has her own spin-off novel.
This isn’t the first time we meet her, but in her first scene she doesn’t speak! I figured it’s better to introduce her to you all in a scene where she says/does a little more!
In this scene, Hollie’s in the toilets reapplying her make-up when Tate and her friend burst in…
Continue reading “What Happens in New York: Meet Tate Gardener”
When I asked on Facebook which character people wanted to meet first, I wasn’t surprised that model-turned-stunt-performer Astin Mack was at the top of the list. I didn’t expect a tie with his best friend Tate Gardner, but she’s given me permission to let him go first; she’s nice like that.
I’m super excited for you to read this. Astin has caused me some of the biggest issues writing this novel, but I adore him and his blue eyes and leather jacket and the way he teases Hollie. All the pain, ranting, and listening to No Doubt deafeningly loud has paid off.
This scene is the first time we meet Astin, right after Hollie’s been shut out of the theatre for arriving late (she has a small bladder. It’s not her fault she needed to pee!). She’s in the middle of playing Angry Birds Star Wars when she knocks over her drink. And so our story begins…
Continue reading “What Happens in New York: Meet Astin Mack”
Sometimes, no matter how attached we are to a piece of writing, we have to sacrifice it. This piece is incredibly fun to read, but it just doesn’t set Hollie up as well as I’d like.
It was raised in workshopping that her boss isn’t set up as enough of an arsehole, and some people could sympathise with him more than Hollie, especially given her temperament. I’ve since hyped up the anxiety and her boss’s controlling ways. The premise has remained the same, but there’s more build-up and less stock taking.
It pained me to rewrite it, but it’s important to not get too attached to your writing as you have to do what’s best for it, not what you’re most emotionally attached to.
I’d love to know what you think in the comments below! 🙂
You can also check out a video of me reading the below scene from What Happens in New York at the final Restless Minds anthology event!
Continue reading “The Original Opening of What Happens in New York”
A few months ago now, I wrote about how I’m changing my marketing tactics.
I’m pleased to say that since I did so, book sales have gone up.
Not only that, but hits to The Writer’s Cookbook have tripled.
Now it’s time for more changes to my marketing strategy…
When you’re trying to build a brand, it’s important that it’s easy for your audience to find you.
One of the ways to do this is to have the same username on all social media platforms.
I’d attempted this a few times, but every time I came up with a username I liked, it was either taken or too long for Twitter.
Recently, I settled on using the same name as this blog for my social media. But that was also too long for Twitter 🙄
So I decided rather than sacrificing the username I wanted, I’d use that everywhere else (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest), and pick a shorter version for Twitter.
And that’s what I’ve done!
Here’s where you can now find me:
You can still find me on Google+ as well, but since that won’t let me add a custom URL (I’ve no idea why), I haven’t included it in the list.
I’ve also created a completely new Instagram that focuses on my books and blog. Unlike my other account, it’s a business account, so I can schedule posts in advance. I currently use Planoly for this, but if you use a different tool to schedule posts to Instagram I’d love to hear about it!
My next step is to set up SmarterQueue. I gave their trial a go earlier in the month and was really impressed. It’s super easy to use and my followers and engagement rates skyrocketed. Since the trial ended, they’ve plummeted 😱
Once that’s ready to go, my evergreen content will share to my social media accounts automatically. This will give me more time to create content, write books, and get more done.
How do you manage your social media accounts? Do you have the same username across all platforms? Why/why not?
I can’t believe I wrote this poem in 2015!
It’s from an as-yet unreleased novella that runs parallel to What Happens in London.
The novella—titled Behind the Spotlight—is about Cameron and Luke, a couple that broke up when Luke became famous.
Old feelings resurface when Cameron and Luke run into each other again after five years apart. Continue reading “A Crime You Can’t Forgive”