There are many favourite authors I admire for their contribution not only to my own repertoire of books, but to their contribution of enjoyable, well written literature to society as a whole. 

While growing up my childhood favourites included Maurice Sendak’s ‘Where the Wild Things Are’, ‘In the Night Kitchen’ and ‘Outside Over There’.  I adored the way Sendak painted such a vivid fantasy world – one I could truly escape into, and he did so with just a few choice words and clever illustrations.  In ‘Where the Wild Things Are’, I particularly loved the way Max’s bedroom transformed into a wild forest; I used to lie awake at night and imagine my own bedroom undergoing the very same process – I liked the way I could explore strange new worlds, yet still have the security of my bed to retreat to whenever I needed.  ‘Outside Over There’ portrayed an almost dream-like, fantastical world with ephemeral landscapes, goblins and an ice baby.  ‘In the Night Kitchen’  had that same dream-like quality but was a much more light-hearted fun romp through colossal bowls of dough, gargantuan bottles of milk and Herculean chefs that looked like Oliver Hardy.  These stories fuelled my imagination and inspired me to write my own.  I also loved magic, paranormal and ghost stories; having experienced the death of loved ones and contemporaries at an early age, I hence forth held a fascination with the after-life.  Frank. L. Baum’s ‘Oz’ stories were also influential and captivated my imagination.

In my teens, I became a huge lover of poetry and classic literature – from Tennyson (‘The Lady of Shalott’ is my all-time favourite), Byron, Shelley, Clare, Poe and Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (I have always been a romantic) and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (a story about the fae – what is there not to love?!).  I particularly lapped up anything romantic or with a paranormal slant (which there is plenty of in Edgar Allen Poe’s strange and macabre tales!).  I started investing a lot more time in my own writing at this point, mainly as an outlet to escape the pressures of exams and the teen years in general.  I wrote mountains of poetry, much about heartache but some uplifting too.  My stories became lengthier at this time, with more involved plots and three dimensional characters.

From my teens to the present day, the Young Adult Fantasy genre remains my favourite. I love Libba Bray’s ‘Gemma Doyle’ trilogy – the rich descriptions and atmosphere are fantastic; she creates a truly immersive, chimerical world with interesting, believable, though sometimes rather sinister characters. Lesley Livingston’s ‘Wondrous Strange’ trilogy tells a colourful, interesting story set between the fae and human worlds, yet with relatable ‘real’ characters.  And Kelly is a tremendously likeable female protagonist, as is her gorgeous love interest, Sonny.  Aprilynne Pike’s ‘Wings’ series takes a different stance on what the fae are – in this instance, plant not animal.  Katie. M. John’s ‘Knight’ trilogy is a fun Arthurian paranormal adventure. Alyson Noel’s ‘Immortals’ is fast and exciting with beautifully portrayed extraordinary realities where thought can literally shape reality and manifest our very heart’s desires.  ‘Arise’ (and its sequel) by Tara Hudson is a wonderful exploration of existence between life and death, as is ‘Dead Beautiful’ by Yvonne Woon.  I was a big fan of Stephenie Meyer’s ‘Twilight’ series long before it gained the cult following it has today; the lure of eternal youth and perfect health is very appealing, as is spending an eternity with the perfect man!  I will admit to being a big Harry Potter fan too – the magical world created by J. K. Rowling is truly spell-binding!  There are many other authors whose work I enjoy immensely, though I think it is wise to draw to a close here!

The most fundamental piece of advice, and a realisation I have learnt through experience, is to trust your instincts!  If something doesn’t feel right, stay away from it!  My first big mistake was approaching a number of UK literary agents, before my manuscript was completed and before I had done any groundwork and preparation into what I should present to them.  This resulted in numerous rejections before I had barely begun.  My second, most costly mistake, was employing the services of a company that claimed to critique the first three chapters of a manuscript and help to prepare a perfect package to present to literary agents.  They took a large amount of money for their services for very little return.  These experiences were both very disheartening and detrimental to my already meagre bank balance.  But as with any adversity in life, one can lie down and give up or dust yourself off and carry on.

I would definitely advise spending money wisely on a reputable professional editorial and marketing service such as Standoutbooks; they will perfect your book and help it achieve the prominence it deserves.  This is not an area to scrimp on – there are far too many badly edited books out there  (in fact, I wonder if some of them have been edited or proofread at all).  This does not present a professional package; it is immensely irritating to read a book riddled with errors, many of which include bad grammar and avoidable typos.  Content editing can be expensive so if professional services are out of the question, find someone knowledgeable and whom you can trust to do a meticulous, thorough job.  In my case, my first three chapters were critiqued by a company providing editorial services; I took on board the comments I felt had some validity and dismissed those that did not.  After this, my husband proofread my manuscript.  However, it was not until I employed the services of Bronwyn and Alex Hemus at Standoutbooks (http://www.standoutbooks.co.uk/), and had my first three chapters content edited by Bronwyn, that I realized that the rest of my novel needed a much more comprehensive edit.  Unfortunately, my finances did not permit me to have this done professionally so my father took on the job of content editing my manuscript.  As before, I took on board all the suggestions made, which not only involved corrections, but also shortening certain scenes and adding some scenes and paragraphs.  Following this, both myself and my father repeated this process twice – I then submitted my manuscript to Bronwyn for a professional proofread – I once again made corrections, my father and I read through it making further corrections, and then Bronwyn checked it again before it was finally ready.  So, even if not using professional content editing, save the pennies for professional proofreading.

A solid marketing strategy is fundamental, so explore the possibilities and utilise what feels right for you.  Writing is a creative endeavour but to sell your book it also important to treat it like a business venture.  I have a website www.eternaluk.com  which features information on my book and myself, a photo gallery, trailers, a blog, a newsletter, sample chapter downloads, a media kit and links to retailers selling Eternal.  I also use Twitter, Facebook, Google + and Pinterest. Guest blogs on literary sites and reviews for your novel also garner much more publicity and exposure for your book.  Additionally, I have a listing on http://findagoodbooktoread.com/fiction-book-list.php,  author interviews, guest blogs and hopefully a forthcoming professional book review.  Especially important if selling on Amazon is to obtain a few positive reviews – this will help to improve your ranking and potential future sales.

Writing is my passion and provides an escape route from real life allowing me to indulge in my imagination and fantasies.  When I am writing, I am living vicariously through my female protagonist, feeling her emotions and thoughts.  I believe this really helps create an authenticity and realism that would not otherwise be there.  However, although I find writing provides solace, it can also be quite isolating at times; this is part of the reason I enjoyed making my trailer – it was a wonderful experience to work with others who shared my vision and we had a lovely camaraderie between us.

However, one more essential that should be implemented is a professional, beautifully presented website.  For me, the trailers were also imperative as they provide a visual representation of my book and allow readers to experience the world I have created in my novel.

Another author gave me a great piece of advice: your family and friends are your greatest asset.  Friends and family provide a great network of support and offer great scope for future sales as they are more vociferous in helping to promote your book through writing informative reviews and spreading the words to their friends, who in turn will hopefully tell other friends and so on.

One final word: establish a good support network.  A life/work balance is important so spend time with family and friends and enlist their help.

A little romantic tale for Valentine's Day ...

Vala and Elvar are twin souls, so when asked about their ideal Valentine's date, both replied that any time spent in each other's company would be idyllic, no matter where they might be or what they might be doing.

However, Vala admitted that Elvar's surprise for their first wedding anniversary was pretty special and a date she would never forget.

It was a typically sunny Saturday morning in Avalonia.  Vala was gently awoken by a comforting warmth on her face and patterns of amber light dancing across her eyelids.  She inhaled deeply and stretched, slowly opening her eyes to seek out Elvar. She was disappointed to find herself alone in the bed, but as Vala sat up, she noticed a large flat box covered with ivory damask and a wide lilac organza ribbon.  She pulled the box onto her lap and opened it - inside was a long sleeveless empire line lilac silk gown; the bodice was embroidered with a swirling cream brocade and the skirt had a chiffon overlay.

As Vala was admiring the gown, her reverie was interrupted by a knock on the door.  Elvar stepped inside, smiling as he drank in the sight of Vala.  Carrying a tray of steaming Amarivir porridge and hot chocolate with Chando pods, he slipped into bed beside her.  They breakfasted together, cocooned in a romantic haven of bliss. After eating Vala snuggled into the familiarity of Elvar's arms. The nearness of Vala's body was electrifying.  His hands ran over her curves and they hurriedly undressed each other, making love for the remainder of the morning. 

In the afternoon, with his satchel and her dress box under one arm and Vala under the other, Elvar literally whisked her off her feet as they ascended high into the air, finally alighting in a deep canyon at the mouth of a grotto from which emanated a deep blue glow.  Removing their shoes and socks at the entrance, Elvar led Vala inside, directing her into a hollow with a wooden door, and handed her a bathing costume as he changed into a pair of swimming trunks.  He took an intrigued Vala by the hand and they stepped into another chamber - it was a subterranean thermal spring, the waters magically illuminated by the deep blue light seen from the entrance.  The atmosphere was calming and relaxed. Elvar and Vala took the time to swim, talk, and play.

In the evening, Elvar took a blindfolded Vala dressed in her lilac gown to the beautiful verdant valley of their very first date.  Alighting at the edge of the lake and whispering an incantation, he removed Vala's blindfold.  Her vision was dazzled by a spectacle of lights in a myriad of colours, some seemed interwoven into the foliage, but others were magically suspended in the air.  The contrast against the ebony sky was breath-taking and Vala squealed in delight, excitedly wrapping her arms around Elvar's neck and kissing him fervidly.  After Vala reluctantly released him, Elvar knelt down, touched the surface of the water and transformed it into a field of ice. Re-enacting their first date, they stepped onto the ice and danced to a variety of music including Vivaldi's ‘Winter’ movement and Adele's ‘To Make You Feel My Love’ - both had featured as part of their wedding day.  The music was not provided by magical means however, but by Vala's phone.  Following their dance, they enjoyed a moonlit picnic.

To end an already perfect day, Elvar flew with Vala to the cave at Fantasy Falls - the tropical paradise where they had first made love.  He carefully slipped off Vala's gown and laid her down on a Furlomyn coverlet.  Removing his own clothes, Elvar snuggled in beside Vala, curling his body around hers, and they slept in the starlight till morning broke and a new day dawned.

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2015! I have a good feeling about this year and all the amazing potential it holds.

Whilst reflecting on the past can be both nostalgic and sad, it is important to look forward - we can't change what once was, only what may yet to be.  For me, I have set personal and professional goals that I will strive to achieve; yes, there will always be obstacles, but if we accept them as challenges and as an opportunity for growth - a learning curve - then this can only be a positive experience in the long term, even if it's excruciatingly annoying at the time!

I have already started this year with a long 'to do' list!  However, I will now refine it and prioritise what is truly important to me first - my son's birthday preparations being right at the top!

Take care of yourself, because if we don't look after ourselves, we can't be at our best for anyone else - it's like running a car on an empty fuel tank.

Lastly, watch this space  for my new book, 'Re-awakened' - not quite ready yet, but hopefully not too long either!

Wishing all my readers a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy 2015! Please forgive my absence of blogs this year - it has been a challenging time due to personal issues and major house renovations - more to come in the new year! ❄

Up for grabs this month is an amazing opportunity to win a fabulous, romantic Valentine's Day bundle of prizes, which include: a copy of 'Eternal', a signed storycard, a luxurious box of Valentine's Day chocolates and indulgent caramel lip butter for super soft, kissable lips!

To be in with a chance of winning, just 'like' my Facebook page and enter your details below.  Please feel free to leave a comment, maybe on your ideal Valentine's date! Good luck!

The masterpiece below is, alas, not my own but that of my very talented young son, Andrew.  It is inspired by Edgar Allen Poe.  Enjoy!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!

To be in with a chance of winning one of five copies of Eternal, enter your details as indicated below.  Good luck!

The inception of Eternal arose from a combination of two primary factors: the depths of my subconscious mind and a fateful game of Rory’s Story Cubes with my son (see my biography for more details).  Once I started writing, the story unfolded naturally as though it already existed and was just waiting to be transcribed.  Of course, once it was written, there was the usual editing process, which not only involved corrections, but additional scenes and paragraphs.

 The characters of Vala, Elvar and Amalia formed almost instantaneously, with Jelly and Max closely following.  The characters took on a life of their own and the story just flowed; I did not actually have a fixed story outline from the outset – I just wrote a scene and the next followed, though I did have the key points of the story in my head throughout.

Vala, my female protagonist, is ostensibly a younger version of myself, and Elvar, my male protagonist (and Vala’s love interest), possesses all the qualities of my ideal man.  When I am writing, I am living vicariously through Vala, feeling her emotions and thoughts.  I believe this really helps create an authenticity and realism that would not otherwise be there.  Again, Vala’s relationship with her parents, is similar to my own.  However, her friends and the other characters are not directly based on real people – I just drew upon certain attributes and personality traits and the characters simply materialised; it was as though they already existed in some alter dimension, just waiting to be actualised as part of my story.  The antagonist of Eternal is an amalgamation of fear, nightmares, terror, and ancient evil, personified into a powerful adversary.

As mentioned earlier, the character of Vala is based very much on myself – we share many attributes and insecurities, though I have not yet got the hang of soul-mirroring or miraculous healing prowess.  Elvar is ostensibly my ideal man – I am unashamedly in love with him.

I am currently working on book two in the Eternal trilogy, 'Re-awakened'.