P. Wish's Blog, page 2

The Doppelgänger now available for Pre-order

I've got some exciting news to share with you all. The Doppelgänger is now available on amazon Kindle store for pre-order. Click on the image to buy.  Click here to watch trailer

My Favourite Books of February 2016

February was the month of 'love' with Valentine's Day falling on the 14th. Needless to say,  I overdosed on romance novels this month. I also read quite a few business book and am steadily moving towards my yearly goal of 60 books. 

1. Public Displays of Affection by Susan Donovan: This is my first Susan Donovan book and I loved it. The heroine was very relatable with insecurities of her own. The hero was 'perfect' but he too had some issues. The climax was forestalled a lot but it was good when it came. Susan is funny and a sharp observer of everyday life. I grew to like the small town of Minton and the characters in the heroine's life. Overall, a realistic and funny rom com. 
2. About that Night by Julie James: I like anything this woman writes. Her prose is witty, her stories are sexy and her characters are amazing. About that Night is the story of a US attorney and the guy who stood her up on a college date (who is now a millionaire tech tycoon and an ex-convict). The characters and side characters were interesting and it was all topped off by James' wit and sizzling prose.
3. Traction: A startup guide to getting customers: This has to be me favorite book this month. This book explores the nineteen channels of traction and helps you use them to grow your business. The book also implores to overcome bias for certain channels and focus on 50-50 (product development-traction) during the startup stage. I found the tips useful and actionable. The book opened my eyes to many new channels of traction. Will be re-reading this book over the year. 

That's all for today. I might've read more books but I don't remember them. February was not the greatest month as far as reading goes. I've been very busy with my business and book release. Don't forget, my debut psychological thriller, The Doppelgänger releases this month (24th March 2016). I can't believe it's already March! 

Stay tuned for more book updates and recommendations. Share this post with your friends if you liked it. 
 
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The Doppelgänger: Trailer Reveal

I'm proud to present the official trailer of my upcoming book, The Doppelgänger. 
The Doppelgänger releases on 24th March 2016.
Please share, comment and rate. 

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The Doppelgänger Diaries: The Third Re-write

So, I’m on the last step- finally! As you all know, I’ve been waiting to write this post. I sent my book to a professional editor, and I was waiting for his comments. I used BubbleCow, an editing service to get my book edited. The editing package comprised of both developmental and line editing. 
They sent me two documents- a copy of the edited manuscript and an editor’s report which was around three pages long. They advised me to start with the editor’s report before going on to the details. They also advised I take some time off to digest the advice before I begin the re-write. I got these documents on February 17th, 2016, which was the estimated day of delivery. 
I’ve read horror stories about editing from authors. Many writers have spoken about how terrifying an experience it was to have their ‘baby’ ripped into pieces (writers do exaggerate!). I’m on a very tight deadline for this one (less than a month to go!), and I didn’t know if I’d have the time to work through everything if there were a lot of comments. 
However, my fears were unfounded. I wouldn’t say I found the edit encouraging (nobody ever does), but I found it helpful and more importantly, actionable. The editor pointed out macro plot issues that needed work and advised that I work on them first. That included the chronology, setting, and characterization. He also suggested how these problems could be remedied which helped me cut down the time I spent on the re-write.
I took two days to follow his advice. I made a list of events like he suggested. I also decided to change the setting (you’ll know that when you read the book). I spent two days researching the new setting. I also did some research during the re-write.
I then began editing the manuscript using the comments he made on track changes. I made a lot of amendments- cut down scenes, chapters and tightened the plot and dialogue. I can’t tell you how easy the edit made my life. If I had to spot all those issues by myself and think about how to improve them, I’d be a very stressed person. 
The amount of time I spent on the re-write per day varied depending on the workload. Some chapters didn’t need as much editing as others did. The second half of the book, in general, needed more work. A load of music R&B music played in rapid succession got me through the experience. And let’s not forget chocolate (and cakes and cookies and tarts and candy bars)- nothing motivates like sugar. 
Compared to the first two edits, this one was more relaxed. I just had to follow instructions and switch my brain off. I also fixed a time slot for editing which took the guesswork and anxiety out of the picture. I find that the further I move in my writing journey, the easier it gets. 
That’s it for today. I will be sending the manuscript to the proofreader this weekend. If you missed my previous post (The Doppelgänger Cover Reveal), you could find it here. I hope you all have a good weekend. I’m going to visit the bakery and treat myself to some sugary goodies this weekend. I’ve been eyeing that Japanese cotton cheesecake for way too long (TMI). 
The official teaser for The Doppelgänger is up on my youtube channel. You can find it here if you missed it. I will be sending the first three chapters of the book to all my newsletter subscribers so if you haven’t subscribed, enter your e-mail address below and join the party.
I will be back with another post next week about marketing, updates, cover designing and all that good stuff. 
Until then, have a great week. Click here to learn more about this bookSubscribe to my newsletter to get the first three chapters of The Doppelgänger #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */Subscribe to our mailing list

Cover Reveal! The Doppelgänger

I'm excited to share the cover of my upcoming book, The Doppelgänger with you all. The book is a psychological thriller that releases on 24th March, 2016. In the meanwhile, you can checkout my Books page for more information. Stay tuned for more details. 
​Let me know in the comments box what you thought of the cover. 
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My All-Time Favourite Romance Novels

​Valentine’s day is two days away and I figured this is the best time to write a favorite romance novels post. I am a die-hard fan of the romance genre (all subgenres included) and over the years, I’ve read many amazing novels. Today, I’m sharing the crème a la crème with you.
 Paradise by Judith McNaught: and Perfect and Almost Heaven and Whitney, my love and….okay, you get where this is going. Judith McNaught is one of my favorite romance writers. One of my friends recommended Paradise to me and loaned me her book. I was blown away. Nobody writes hot, passionate mainstream romances like Judith McNaught. I’ve read all of her books and am eagerly waiting for her next one. If you like contemporary romances, do not miss Paradise.Nobody’s Baby but Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Nobody’s Baby but Mine is a romantic comedy that revolves around a physics professor and a quarterback is filled with wit and humor. Honestly, I love all the books from her Chicago Stars series. I recommend It had to be you and Match me if you can. If you’re a lover of funny, contemporary romances, give this series a shot.Just the Sexiest Man Alive: Okay, being a law graduate, I have a weak spot for lawyer romances. Julie James, a lawyer turned romance writer kicks things up a notch. Just the Sexiest Man Alive is sizzling, witty and hits all the right notes. Practice makes perfect, her other standalone, is also a great read for those who like lawyer main characters. Julie’s dialogue is always witty, sarcastic and on point. I’ve read almost all her books since this one and she keeps getting better.It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas: After Judith McNaught, Lisa Kleypas takes the crown for the best historical romances, in my opinion. The Wallflower series was one of her best works. I also like her standalones Suddenly You, Then came you and Dreaming of You. Lisa Kleypas writes passionate historical romances with strong heroines and irresistible heroes.Can you keep a secret? By Sophia Kinsella: This is probably one of Sophie Kinsella’s few books that I can categorize as romance. Sophie Kinsella’s laugh out loud humor, relatable heroines and lots of funny situations make this book enjoyable. If you want a modern, funny read with some romance, Can you keep a secret? is your book.Face the Fire by Nora Roberts: The Three Sisters Island trilogy was one of the first series I read by Nora Roberts. The other two books in this series are excellent too. Nora Robert’s romances are realistic, relatable and nostalgic. I’ve read many of her books but this series has a special place in my heart. 
I decided to strictly stop the list at six entries because I could go on and on. Instead of an all-time favorite books post, this became an all-time favorite series post. If you want recommendations by sub-genre (paranormal, historical, second chance, neighbor romance, lawyer romances, chick lit, erotica etc.), let me know in the comments section below.
 
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5 Ways to Improve your Writing Productivity

This week, I decided to share a few ways to write faster. These tips have helped me make my writing sessions more productive. Here we go. 

1.    Outline: Outlining your story is crucial to writing success. An outline is the foundation of your story. If you’re more of a pantser, go with a more general outline. Brainstorm and get your ideas together before you sit down to write. Jot down a few points about your characters, main plot elements-the beginning, the middle, the end and the hook or climaxes and chapter summaries and you’re good to go. Making a plan helps you fight writer’s block and sagging middles. It will keep you on track when you drift off. Outlining is the best stage to conduct research. Outlining will help you narrow down the areas which need research.
2.    Timetable: Now that you have a basic idea and outline in mind, it’s time to get the ball rolling. Try creating a timeline for your writing. There are many ways to fit writing into your timetable. You could either choose the amount of time you can spend on writing each day (say, 2-3 hours every day) or a fixed time slot (3 pm -5 pm) or a daily word count goal (like 2500 words) and write until you hit your daily goal. Fixing a time slot works because it helps you make writing a habit. Either way, you need to commit to writing by sticking to a writing goal. Make sure your timeline is flexible to account for sickness, unexpected trips and unproductive days. 
3.    Identify Writing Triggers:  You become more aware of your writing triggers as time passes. For example, I’ve been listening to Adele’s 25 when I write for almost two and a half months now. Now, every time I hear her voice, I automatically pull out my manuscript and begin typing. Something in my brain just goes off. My mind links Adele’s voice to writing. Another of my triggers is a fixed time slot.  I write 10-12 every night. Even if I’m not working on a book, I write a journal or a blog post. That’s because it’s a habit now. Habits are great triggers. Once you settle into a routine, these little triggers will help you stay on track. Now, when I want to write, I put in Adele’s 25 and my mind goes into ‘writing mode’.
4.    The Writing Session (3-2-1): It is very tempting to sit down and start typing away on the keyboard. Even if you’ve created a comprehensive outline, you need to gather your thoughts first. Your mind is still thinking about the last thing you did when you sit down to write. For example, you may have been eating or sleeping or exercising, and your mind is still thinking about that. To ease the mind into writing, I recommend using the first twenty minutes of your writing session to brainstorm, outline and fine tune the section you’re going to be writing today.  Thinking helps increase productivity. I came across this method in Chandler Bolt’s book, Book Launch and I’ve been using it since.
5.    Get Away: Writing can be very monotonous, so you need to take some time off. No matter what genre you write, every writer’s work is influenced by their experiences. You need to get out there and live life. Try a new activity, meet your friends, go to a party, watch Netflix- do anything that is not writing. These experiences will help you approach your writing from another perspective.
If you feel like you need to improve your writing, read a book on writing or take a course. I tend to read a lot of books on plotting, writing and style when I get stuck. Reading books help you identify the issues with your story and correct them.
You could also use this time to read your favourite books. Notice how those writers tackle plot problems. Aside from being motivational and entertaining, books are a great way to improve your craft.

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5 Best Books I read in January 2016

Today, I'm sharing a list of the best books I read this month. January has been a great month for reading. I signed up to read 50 books this year and I'm headed on the path tp completion. Here's the list of the five best books I read this month:  Before I go to Sleep by S.J. Watson: The book had me hooked from the first page. S.J Watson’s style is surreal and fast paced. You become a part of the character’s life and begin seeing things from their point of view. The author conveys the female protagonists feelings extremely well. S.J. Watson creates suspense and thrill without venturing into 'hardboiled' territory. The characters are realistic which increases the impact of the story. I loved the book and would recommend it to all fans of psychological thrillers. The Book Launch Blueprint by Tim Grahl: I got this one for free because I subscribe to Tim’s newsletter (Heads up: subscribe to my newsletter to receive a free copy of my next book when it comes out). I enjoyed this book more than his first one. The book is fairly short at 89 pages but filled with practical, actionable book launch tips. I can’t wait to put his advice into action. This one is a must-read for all self-published authors in the process of releasing a book. Howdunit: Forensics by D.P. Lyle: The ultimate guide to forensics for the mystery writer. As you all know, I’ve been working on The Ghost of Robert Brown, my next mystery novel. D.P. Lyle has authored many other books on Forensics and mystery writing. I thought anybody who wants to learn about forensics would benefit from this book. Though the book targets mystery writers, its content us universal. The book was extremely well-researched. I liked how the author explained the scientific theory behind each process. Howdunit: Police Procedure & Investigation by Lee Lofland : This is another book in the Howdunit series. Police procedure is written by an ex-policeman which makes is very accurate and easy-to-read. Not only does the author offer the theory and legality of police procedure, but he also writes about his personal experience. The author’s insider point of view helped me understand the functions of various police departments and legal offices better. Another must-read for thriller and mystery authors. #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso: I picked this one up fairly recently. If you don't know, I'm in the process of launching my online t-shirt store. I picked up this book after coming across it in a list of recommended books for new fashion entrepreneurs. #Girlboss is inspirational. Filled with gritty, humorous prose, #Girlboss is for anybody who wants to succeed in life. Sophia's story is inspiring. Her energy and go-getter attitude are infectious. The book is funny, well-written and entertaining. I recommend this to anybody who wants a kick of motivation. 
Thank you for reading this post. I will be back with another post next Friday. Until then, I hope you have a great week and reads lots of books. Sign up to my newsletter below to get updates about my upcoming book. 
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Writing Update and Store Launch

​Today, I want to share some important news with you. I have been working on various projects this month. This post is an overview of what you can expect from me in the next few months.  

January has been a great month as far as reading goes. I began the year on a high note by reading ten books this month. Since there are a few more days to go before January ends, that count is likely to go up. If you follow my Booklikes review blog, you know that I’ve reviewed almost all of them there. If you haven’t, check it out here. 

First of all, I would like to share some exciting news with you all. I am currently in the process of launching my online T-shirt store. The store will go live in February. You will be able to buy T-shirts with my book prints as well as some other classic, book-inspired designs. I can’t explain how excited I am to bring this store to you. The shop will be a separate entity, but I’ll add purchase links here on my blog for your convenience. For more updates, check my Twitter and Facebook accounts. 

On a different note, I have been working on my next book, The Ghost of Robert Brown. This one is a mystery set at a boarding school. More details will be available in May/June. The novel is scheduled to release sometime in late-July or early-August. I will update the books page of this website in Early February with the covers and other information. 

The Doppelganger is still with the editor. I will write the third post in The Doppelganger Diaries series once I get it back and finish revisions.

That's all for today. I will do a post on the best books I read in January next week. 

Share your thoughts ad questions in the comments section below. Click here to see upcoming booksSubscribe to my newsletter to be notified about my latest book releases. #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own MailChimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */Subscribe to our mailing list

The Doppelgänger Diaries: The Second Draft

As I promised, I am back with a new installation of The Doppelgänger Diaries. This week, I’ll be discussing the emotional process I went through to get my second draft done. Perhaps I should start with the quote that got me through this: Writing is re-writing. 


I did a post on surviving novel re-writes last year. You can read it here (hyperlink) for more tips. That one explained my survival techniques. This post focuses on the emotions involved in the re-writing process. 


As I mentioned in my previous post, I wrote The Doppelgänger without any planning. I took almost a week off after writing the first draft before proceeding to the second one. After a week of overdosing on romance novels and chocolate, I was back in action. I had it all figured out. I would polish the first draft within the week. Then, I’d send it to the editor by 15th December and possibly get the re-writes done by February end. Soon, I realized how unrealistic that was. 


The book was nothing near what I wanted it to be. I took an objective look at my revised first draft and flipped. I wanted to give up. It was an absolute mess. I decided that perhaps this book was not meant to be. Maybe I’m not cut out to be a writer, after all. Every word I read confirmed my feelings. The plot holes were so big that I could jump through them. The character was little more than a cardboard cut-out, the scenes had no structure, there was no climax or thrill. The novel was too short, and a story of that complexity needed a sub-plot and more words to give it depth. As if this overload of faults wasn’t enough, I began reading books on writing. Each book was a nail in the coffin of insecurity- technique, consistency, structure, dialogue-I was failing miserably at getting anything right. 


I told myself to write another book, perhaps one I bothered to plan before I started writing. But, I couldn’t give up on this one. Not yet. All first drafts suck. That’s why there are second drafts. Around this time, I read Jodie Renner’s Fire up your fiction. It was one of the books that helped me whip that sagging story into better shape. I reviewed the book here. The book offered solutions to common problems. 


I began my second re-write the very next day at the pace of 2 chapters/ day. I started from scratch. I wonder why I even wrote the first draft because most of it disappeared by the end of the re-write. I re-wrote almost 70% of the book. The final word count was around 80,000 (79,317 to be exact). I added sub-plots, cut characters and scenes, modified the backstory, and cut useless scenes. I had one hell of a time cleaning that mess up. Almost a month later (January 6th, 2016), I was done with my first major re-write. Phew. 


When I finished the second re-write, I did another ‘happy dance’ and filmed a video of it. By that time, I was already over my tolerance threshold for this story. I can make an endless list of the faults that remain in the second draft but, I’ve decided to draw the line here. The manuscript is now with the editor. 


Overall, despite all that self-doubt, I enjoyed the second draft way more than the first one. By the end of it, I felt more hopeful- enough to keep me going. The bad news is, this is only half of the process. Lots of chocolates, ballads re-writes and hear-tearing awaits me. I’ll go through this cycle all over again and again until I release the book out on 25th March 2016 (keeping my fingers crossed). 


So, there it is- the story of my second draft. The third post in this series will come out in the first week of March since the editor needs some time to check the manuscript and I need some time to re-write it. By then, I should hopefully have the trailers and book cover up on my blog. As always, thank you for your support and thank you for reading through this post. I’ll see you in March with the third installment in this series. Stay happy and productive!
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