Just a quickie...

I'm 10,000 words into Airtight. The story is coming together well and I'm pleased I've decided to write in the third person interspersed with first person journal entries. It makes for very interesting reading and will be a pivotal part to the conclusion of the story. I may even leave the reader on a cliffhanger... I've not made my mind up yet! That's what I love about writing. You can literally do anything you want!

This week has also seen me proof reading the finished, designed pages of my new magazine column and breast cancer screening article. It reminded me of the days I used to work on magazines and seems weird being the person being asked to approve their work rather than me asking others for their approval! The first issue of Queen Bee is due to hit the shelves in June. I wish the ladies behind it loads of luck. I'm sure it will be a major hit!

Oh no. Chat over. The dog has hijacked my lap / keyboard again. Which means it's cuddles then walkies. Bloody dog :)

Competitions and Stuff

It seems as though I haven't updated my blog for months! I've been very busy finalising my entries for this years The Bridport Prize and at last I've submitted my work; a flash fiction piece and a 5000 word short story. I am very pleased with them both and will be over the moon to be shortlisted, let alone to win. With so many entries each year, however, I'm not holding my breath!!

I've completed the synopsis and plot line for book number three, working title Airtight. I had a flash of inspiration during the night this week and came up with the most brilliant book title. Of course, when I woke up properly I couldn't remember it and still can't so I'm feeling a little bit frustrated! It's at times like these when I need to keep a notebook by my bed...

I am extremely excited about writing this book. I was going to write a children's book instead and put Airtight on hold but I can't. The storyline is niggling away inside me like a parasitic worm and I've got an overwhelming desire to get it down on paper – just as I did when I bumped into my 'ghost' behind the village church and the seed was set for the storyline that developed into The Charm :)

So this weekend I shall put the wheels in motion. Exciting times! I'm definitely at my happiest when I'm living in a literary dream world :)

Tracy x

A week of firsts!

I have had such a busy two weeks off work. Not only have I suddenly turned into Jessica Ennis – ok, slight exaggeration but I have been cycling, swimming and walking most days and have managed to wear out my right hip, so much so, I think I now need a hip replacement – but I have also managed to write every day too.

I've finished The Fourteen Years Between Us and, at last, I'm happy with it. I've renamed it too. It is now called Destination: Vega which is much more fitting to the the story and will relate well with teenagers. 

I've also written my first short story, that's if you don't count the several thousand I wrote as a child! I am extremely pleased with it. It's 5000 words long and based on the relationship between psychotherapist and patient. I will publish it on my blog once I've entered it into some competitions and the closing date has expired.

On top of all that, I've written an article on the importance of breast cancer screening for a new women's magazine (a subject very close to my heart) and my very first magazine column! I've been signed up by Queen Bee as their monthly columnist and I'm really excited about it! I'm going to be my usual self, frank, honest and at times a little controversial, but hopefully I'm not going to get into too much trouble ;)

I've been a very busy bee and am looking forward to getting back to work for a rest!

It's Competition Time!

I've decided to start entering some literary competitions on the advice of an author I spoke to on Monday. I've started by writing my very first piece of Flash Fiction, which is a style of fictional literature of extreme brevity. My piece has just 250 words and I am extremely proud of it, considering it's my first effort! I will publish it on my blog after the competition closing date has expired.

I am going to write my first short story this week too, and have had a great idea for one based on a strange experience I had at the weekend involving going for a walk by myself and seemingly encountering the same person at different intervals along the lane!

Yes... my imagination does go into overdrive even when I'm taking the dog out for a quick stroll! :)

Nook Book!

The Charm is now available to download for £2.99 on Nook! If you read it, please could you also leave a review? Thank you x

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1120005514?ean=2940151637480&itm=1&usri=2940151637480

Wattpad!

For those of you who want to read The Charm but are too tight-fisted to buy it, I am being extremely generous and kind and am publishing it for FREE on Wattpad! So there's no excuse not to read the best book about witches in town! Ten chapters published so far... twenty-one to go! Oh and please leave little comments about the book. They would make my day. But only if they are nice :)

http://www.wattpad.com/story/30635066-the-charm

A quick update!

I've only just read The Tent, The Bucket and Me by Emma Kennedy... it came out five years ago! What a brilliantly funny book. Easily a-laugh-a-page. I hear it's been bought by the BBC and will appear on our screens sometime this year as a six-part series. I can't wait!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Tent-Bucket-Emma-Kennedy/dp/0091926793

As for me, I've decided to change the ending to Book Two and completely re-edit it. I've not taken the decision to do so lightly as this will be very time-consuming for me but I want it to be absolutely perfect before I approach agents with it. The original ending didn't sit happily with me and I wanted the story to be about Loveday and Sam – the two main characters – and nobody else. So I'm changing it. Because I can! The teenage market is very fickle and trending writing styles can change very quickly, hence you can be in and out of fashion in the blink of an eye. I'm aiming to get all the work done over the next few weeks because I've spent a long time on this novel and I'm itching to start writing my next book!

I've temporarily put Book Three on hold. This isn't because I don't want to write it. I can't wait to write it! Just not now. It's quite a dark, complex thriller and after the rubbish year I've had so far, I want to write a happy book :) I've had a children's book in my brain for several years now and a couple of weeks ago I outlined the entire plot line and am now ready to write it.

So this spring and summer I shall have my head filled with the Fens and farms and bogs and secrets and magic... it's going to be a bit like reverting to my childhood :)

PS. Nine chapter of The Charm now online...

http://www.wattpad.com/story/30635066-the-charm