Lucy Mitchell's Blog, page 20

The secrets of meadow Farmhouse #bookreview @KatieGAuthor #thesecretsofmeadowfarmhouse

Wow – what a fabulous book!

I could tell this book was written from the heart. Books are different and almost magical when the story comes from something embedded deep inside the author. As readers we pick up on things like this and I do think those stories which come direct from the heart make the books vibrate at a different frequency to others. I know it sounds woo woo but I read a lot of books and I can tell which ones are fuelled by something else other than a story, plot and characters. It’s usually these books which stay with us in our minds.

Once I got to the end and read the acknowledgements I understood why this book had had such a profound effect on me. This book was inspired by by the author’s great-grandparents’ heartrending romance.

I finished this book and felt like I had experienced something. The author had slipped me into the shoes of her characters and allowed me to live out parts of their life.

Here’s the blurb:

Escape to the countryside with a heart-warming new novel from Katie Ginger, author of Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage.
Amelia loves her life in Paris. But with the surprise inheritance of her childhood home, Meadow Farmhouse, she has no choice but to return to the small village of Meadowbank to restore her great-aunt’s old farmhouse. However returning to Meadowbank means she has to confront her past, including old flame Adam.

When Amelia discovers a locket hidden in the farmhouse, containing the picture of a mysterious World War Two soldier, she starts to uncover the secrets of her great-aunt’s past and is drawn further into village life. Shocked by the warm welcome from the villagers and her own surprising feelings for first love Adam, Amelia is suddenly confused as to where she truly belongs.

Can Amelia finally confront her own past and find where her heart truly calls home?

Fans of Rachael Lucas, Cathy Bramley and Jenny Colgan will fall in love with Katie Ginger!

Here’s my review:

This book tugged on all my heartstrings.

The prologue to this book was beautifully written and the ending will leave you in shock. I read this prologue while eating a huge piece of cake and I tell you the ending left me open mouthed and my wedge of cake hung in mid air. I want to talk about the name of the character who left me in this state but I don’t want to ruin it.

I loved the main character of Amelia. At the start of the story she’s living her best single life in Paris. News of the death of her Great Aunt Vera is the catalyst which sends her back to Meadow Farmhouse and it also awakens memories of her difficult relationship with her late Great Aunt Vera and life at Meadow Farmhouse when she was younger. I particularly like Amelia’s arrival back into the little village where she spent her teenage years. Everyone one was surprised to see her back and the village gossips were out in force. Throughout the book there was this great contrast of her old Paris life and the new life which was on offer to her in Meadow Farmhouse.

During this book I was determined to find out some key things: what secrets had Great Aunt Vera hidden in the farmhouse, when was Amelia going to get it on with hero Adam, her old flame, because the chemistry between them was making me sit by my electric fan and was Amelia going to stay in Meadow Farmhouse and not go back to Paris? Oh my goodness these 3 things kept me glued right till the end.

The story kept unfolding in this book which I loved. It was like something mysterious being carefully unwrapped.

I loved Adam. He was brilliant and such a keeper!

Fabulous read and one I won’t forget in a hurry. Such a good story and my advice to you – have a box of tissues ready

Purchase Link – https://amzn.to/2SIzxIU

Author Bio –

KATIE GINGER lives by the sea in the south-east of England, and apart from holidays to very hot places where you can sit by a pool and drink cocktails as big as your head, she wouldn’t really want to be anywhere else. The Secrets of Meadow Farmhouse is her seventh novel. She is also the author of the Swallowtail Bay series – Spring Tides at Swallowtail Bay, Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay and Winter Wishes at Swallowtail Bay, Snowflakes at Mistletoe Cottage and the Seafront series – The Little Theatre on the Seafront, shortlisted for the Katie Fforde Debut Novel of the Year award, and Summer Season on the Seafront.
When she’s not writing, Katie spends her time with her husband and two kids, and their dogs: Wotsit, the King Charles spaniel, and Skips, the three-legged rescue dog. (And yes, they are both named after crisps!)

For more about Katie, you can visit her website: http://www.keginger.com, find her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KatieGAuthor, or follow her on Twitter: @KatieGAuthor..

Things You Think About When Your Draft Novel Is With Beta-Readers #writer

Let’s all take a moment to feel grateful for beta-readers. They are special people who kindly agree to read our draft books and give us much needed reader feedback. Their feedback emails are so valuable…once we have recovered from their initial thoughts about our beloved stories.

I have had some wonderful beta-readers and without their feedback on my novel Instructions For Falling In Love Again, my book wouldn’t have done so well.

Once you press send on your email to your beta-readers you can expect a few sleepless nights, several solitary walks in the rain and a period of what can only be described as nervous reflection.

Here are some things you consider during this troubling time:

Changing your name and assuming a new identity. “Lucy who?”Having a sudden bout of much needed Writer Amnesia. “I can’t recall anything about writing a romance novel!”Making a knee jerk genre change. “The moment I pressed send on my email to my beta-reader was when I decided to make the natural leap from writing romance to serious political thriller…”The amount of time you have spent writing or editing that damn story. This will be where your brain kindly creates an inner film reel of your writing journey with this particular story; the day you got the idea whilst buying veg in your local supermarket, the ear to ear smile on your face as you pushed your trolley into the frozen food aisle, the joyful day you got to ten thousand words, the tears spilt over your keyboard as twenty five thousand words broke you, the excitement of finishing your first draft, the painful second draft which still gives you nightmares and the amazing third draft where it all came together. The nagging doubts you had at the back of your mind about those dodgy chapters from twenty-three to twenty-eight and the dull minor character which you have happily ignored whilst writing or editing.Will those crafty, eagle-eyed beta-readers pick up on these issues which lurk at the back of your mind?The painful lessons you learnt from the last draft novel you sent to beta-readers. You will never forget how your beta-reader’s honesty made you spend the afternoon sat behind the garden shed, with a glass of wine, reflecting on your entire writing career. How the hell you managed to even complete the last draft with your daily family dramas, your teenager’s rocky love life, your limping dog, the hole in the kitchen ceiling and the shocking amount the mechanic thinks it is going to cost to repair your old car. Maybe your beta-reader needs to know all the things you were experiencing whilst writing your story? Whether or not you should email your beta-readers and talk them through the final steamy scene, which is now making you cringe every time you think about it. Perhaps it might help your cause if they knew that steamy scene was NOT based on your own love life?Your husband’s verdict on the steamy scene when you made the mistake of telling him about it. His word, ‘unrealistic’ echoes inside your head. Maybe you should email your beta-reader and tell her NOT to read that steamy scene. Maybe your draft novel needed more stewing time? Maybe it wasn’t ready to fly the nest?Writing something new. Visualising two scenarios; you reading their email and crying with joy as they loved it. You reading their email and crying into your soft egg with toast soldiers. They didn’t connect with your story. Whether you should contact your local church group and ask them to pray for you and your draft?

This is something we all go through and it can be really nerve wracking. I have had varied responses from beta-readers on my stories over the years. From the joyous, ‘LOVE IT!’ to the bowel clenching, ‘WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THE DRAFT I LIKED???’

I am about to search for beta-readers for the first book of my new series – The Roxy Collins Diaries Series, so wish me luck.

My advice to all writing problems is just keep writing x

#BookReview Harper’s Highland Fling #Romance @lizzie_lamb #bookish

Anyone fancy reading a classic romance story with a lot of fun and adventure?

Look no further as I have the perfect book for you. Harper’s Highland Fling by Lizzie Lamb is one you will love. It’s got all the ingredients for a good read. I could honestly see this story turning into a film with it’s fun romantic set up and the entertaining road trip.

I hadn’t read Lizzie Lamb before prior to picking up this book. After reading this book I know I will be reading a lot more from Lizzie.

Here’s the blurb:

After a gruelling academic year head teacher Harper MacDonald is looking forward to a summer holiday trekking in Nepal. Her plans are scuppered when her wayward niece, Ariel, leaves a note announcing she’s running away with a boy called Pen. The only clue to their whereabouts is a scribbled footnote: I’ll Be in Scotland.

Cue a case of mistaken identity when Harper confronts the boy‘s father – Rocco Penhaligon – accusing him of cradle snatching her niece and ruining her bright future. At loggerheads, Harper and Rocco set off in hot pursuit of the teenagers, but the canny youngsters are always one step ahead. And, in a neat twist, it is the adults who end up in trouble, not the savvy teenagers.
Can Cupid convince Harper and Rocco that they have found their soul mates?
Fasten your seatbelt for the road trip of your lifetime. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Here’s my review:

There’s so much to enjoy in this book; a road trip from Cornwall to Scotland, a couple of runaway teenagers, a gorgeous male lead and a female lead who excels at being a headteacher but struggles to look after her teenage niece.

I loved the set up to the romance between Harper and Rocco. Harper’s a high flying head teacher who is looking after her niece, Ariel, whilst her sister is in LA. Rocco is the single father of Penn, the teenage boy who ends up running away with Ariel. Harper calls upon Rocco to help track down the teenagers. My hat goes off to Lizzie Lamb as I thought this was fab.

This story is very entertaining and I thought Rocco and Harper were great characters who had lots of chemistry. This book is one of those where you tell yourself you are only going to read a chapter and then three hours later you are still reading.

A good classic romance read with loads of fun twists and turns.

Purchase Link – http://mybook.to/HarpersHighlandFling

Author Bio

After teaching her 1000th pupil and working as a deputy head teacher in a large primary school, Lizzie decided to pursue her first love: writing. She joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers’ Scheme, wrote Tall, Dark and Kilted (2012), quickly followed by Boot Camp Bride. She went on to publish Scotch on the Rocks, which achieved Best Seller status within two weeks of appearing on Amazon and her next novel, Girl in the Castle, reached #3 in the Amazon charts. Lizzie is a founder member of indie publishing group – New Romantics Press, and has hosted author events at Aspinall, St Pancras and Waterstones, Kensington, talking about the research which underpins her novels. Lizzie romance Take Me, I’m Yours, set in Wisconsin, also achieved BEST SELLER status >travel>USA.

Her latest novel – Harper’s Highland Fling – has been declared her ‘best one yet’ by readers and reviewers. In it, two warring guardians are forced to join forces and set off in hot pursuit of a runaway niece and son. She has further Scottish-themed romances planned and spends most of the summer touring the Scottish Highlands researching men in kilts. As for the years she spent as a teacher, they haven’t quite gone to waste as she is building a reputation as a go-to speaker on indie publishing, and how to plan, write, and publish your debut novel

Lizzie lives in Leicestershire (UK) with her husband, David.
She loves to hear from readers, so do get in touch . . .
Lizzie’s Links
https://www.amazon.com/author/lizzielamb
http://www.facebook.com/LizzieLambwriter
lizzielambwriter@gmail.com

Does Your Story Require More Cooking Time? #AmWriting

Your story idea is busy cooking on the creative stove inside your head. It will bubble away nicely under a steady heat as you go about your daily business. One day you will get a delicious whiff of your story in the form of an interesting scene or a quirky character and your excitement will start to build. Before you know it you find yourself getting carried away, chucking on your literary apron, removing your story idea from the stove and deciding to do something with it. Your writer’s intuition will kick in, like an annoying family member or relative who likes to interfere when you are in the kitchen, and they will whisper to you your story needs a bit longer cooking time. This is where you roll your eyes and tell your writer’s intuition that you know best.

At this point if you were truly honest with yourself you would open up the story pot and see you have a hint of a structure and a few rough ideas about the cast of characters but not enough to make a proper start. The temptation to work on your half-cooked story idea has got the better of you.

Sometimes story ideas need to cook a little longer inside your head, in a notebook or a folder. It’s nothing to feel ashamed about. Some ideas need more thought and cooking time.

There are a couple of reasons why some story ideas need more cooking time:

The idea is not fully formed. Even though you have a load of notes and a gang of boisterous fictional characters inside your head – the idea might still require some more thinking time. This is sadly one of the reasons why we hit Writer’s Block during a first draft.You are not ready to write the story. You are either not in the right mindset or stuck on your current project and looking for something new and exciting to work on. We have all been here. You’re getting carried away with instant gratification. We live in a world where everything is now now now. Sometimes this instant gratification desire spills into our creative work. We dive into writing ‘chapter one’ just so that we can get our creative need met quicker. I am going to hold my hand up to this one as well. You have one eye on your story pot and your other eye on social media where two writers you know are shouting about their new book deal, another writer has just written their 90k draft in a less than a fortnight and someone else has uploaded a video of themselves doing an impressive cartwheel (legs straight up in end air) after hearing their book is a bestseller. You don’t have time to sit and watch your story cook.

I have been the impatient cook with some of my stories so many times. It’s so hard these days to just think about your story ideas and not do anything with them. Social media and instant gratification have made me take my stories off the stove when really they should have cooked for longer.

I am starting to see the benefits of letting a story cook for a bit longer. When I find myself holding the lid of the story pot and gazing longingly at my half-cooked story I have started to train myself to pop the lid back on it and walk away.

Story ideas are like special recipes and not all ideas should be cooked the same way.

Have you experienced the story that requires more cooking time?

Stay strong, writer x

#BookReview Flying Duo @Zoe_Writes #holidayromance #amreading

Excuse me for a sec as I need to fangirl one of my favourite author heroines, Zoe May who always writes great romances with memorable characters. One day I hope she runs some romantic comedy writing masterclasses as she knows what readers crave. If you have never read one of Zoe May’s books I strongly recommend you do so and if you one day dream of writing romantic comedy take notes on how Zoe May approaches her stories.

Back in September 2020 I loved the first book in this series, Flying Solo, so much I almost inhaled it. The story of Rachel following her boyfriend, Paul, to India to see if she could persuade him to return to their almost perfect life, and once out there going on a journey of self-discovery which made her view their relationship in a whole new light, had me totally hooked. It also had me giggling as Rachel has quite a culture shock as she gets used to ashram life. So, when I saw Zoe had written a second book, Flying Duo, in the series I was beside myself with reader excitement.

I loved the hook – can true love go the distance? It’s something we have all experienced – that amazing holiday romance where the earth moves for you several times in a hot, foreign country and once the feelings of sweaty lust calm down the mental torture begins. You can’t stop asking yourself – is this just a holiday fling?

Here’s the blurb:

Can true love go the distance?
London lawyer Rachel Watson has wound up in an Indian ashram with hippy heartthrob lover, Seb.
A high-achiever, Rachel has always lived life according to her Life List, ticking off goals along the way. But now that she’s in India, Rachel is going with the flow, or at least trying to…

Rachel’s visa is running out and it’s time to decide whether her relationship with Seb is a holiday romance or built to last.
The pair embark on a trip to Nepal for an Everest base camp trek, but will their relationship survive this gruelling expedition or is it time to part ways?

Flying Duo is the second romantic comedy in the ‘Flying’ series, following on from bestseller, Flying Solo, which was described by the Daily Express newspaper as ‘a must read that will appeal to fans of Sophie Kinsella, Beth O’Leary and Mhari McFarlane’ ★★★★★

Here’s my review:

I loved being back with Rachel and new love Seb. It was like catching up with old friends. I had an inkling things were not going to run smoothly for them because their love for each other needed to be tested. So I braced myself early on and then…they both went to Nepal. Oh my goodness, what a test to a new relationship – hiking up Everest. I couldn’t imagine doing this with any of my old holiday romances from back in the day. It was at this point I hugged my cushion, prayed things would work as both Rachel and Seb have a sizzling chemistry and tried to distract myself with the vivid descriptions of Nepal.

The hike is good as it allows both Rachel and Seb to do a lot of inner soul searching. I thought it was a clever tool used by Zoe May to test them both.

This book was funny in places and it left me with a smile on my face. There was a good cast of supporting characters and some memorable book moments involving ankle biting leeches, a bad case of Delhi Belly and horrid blisters. I won’t be forgetting this story in a hurry. It also gave me a yearning for travel and a longing for adventure.

I won’t give the game away about what happens as you need to buy and read it. Great read

Purchase Links:
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08C8Q8FZM
US – https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08C8Q8FZM

Author Bio:
Zoe May is an author of romantic comedies. Zoe has dreamt of being a novelist since she was a teenager. She worked in journalism and copywriting in London before writing her debut novel, Perfect Match. Having experienced the London dating scene first hand, Zoe couldn’t resist writing a novel about dating since it seems to supply endless amounts of weird and wonderful material!

Perfect Match was one of Apple’s top-selling books of 2018. It was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Joan Hessayon Award, with judges describing it as ‘a laugh out loud look at love and self-discovery – fresh and very funny’.

As well as writing, Zoe enjoys walking her dog, painting and, of course, reading! She adores animals and if she’s not taking a photo of a vegan meal, she’s probably tweeting about the dairy industry. She is half Greek and half Irish and can make a mean baklava. Zoe has a thing for horror films, India, swimming, hip hop and Radiohead. She has an encyclopaedic knowledge of handbags having spent several years working in fashion copywriting and could probably win Mastermind if this was her specialist subject!

Social Media Links –
https://www.twitter.com/zoe_writes
https://www.instagram.com/zoe_writes
http://www.facebook.com/zoemayauthor/

http://www.zoemayauthor.co.uk

What Grabs Me As A Reader? Guest Blog Post by @TheTerribleHook #TheHookReads

Good news if you like reading. I have decided to do a regular guest post blog post for readers and let them tell us what things in books grab their attention. All genres welcome and the only stipulation is that my guest blogger must love to read books and is happy to share their reader insight on my blog.

If you are an avid reader and fancy taking centre stage on my blog please get in touch.

I am going to introduce you to Robert Hookey, one of my twitter author friends. He gave me the idea for this regular blog feature so when I have famous celebrities beating down my door to get on my blog and tell everyone what grabs their attention when they are reading, I shall blame him…lol.

Over to you, Robert.

First off, I want to thank my host, Lucy, for opening her virtual home to me. It’s just as I’d always imagined it; tastefully decorated with plenty of natural light.

Now down to business. I am here to share some of the things that grab me as a reader of fiction. “If you’re going to write, first you have to read.” My daughter said that to me as she dropped a pile of books in front of me. She knew I was about to start working on my first novel, Into The Dark, and she knew what I didn’t; if they’re going to create the best work they possibly can, a writer needs to write from the heart. They have to be passionate about the subject matter. By the way, to be clear, my daughter would never drop a pile of books; to her that would be like kicking a puppy, something else she’d never do. Let’s move on, shall we?

What grabs me as a reader?

ONE: Characters I can relate to. Sure, I may never have a thirst for human blood, or be born with the Shining, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be able to identify with Vlad The Impaler or Danny Torrance, right? They both have tortured pasts and major family issues – I can certainly sympathize with that. As a veteran of the hospitality industry in Niagara Falls, Canada, I’ve wanted to impale at least a million human souls that have crossed my path by now. And my own father resembled Jack Nicholson with an axe at every holiday gathering I haven’t gotten around to repressing yet.

TWO: Action! I’m a guy, that can’t be changed. Well, okay, technically it can – but that’s not going to happen, so let’s just go with this, okay? Nothing against cerebral writers, but watching characters fight their way past insurmountable odds that turn out to be surmountable after all gives me hope. And as a wise man once said, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And we’ve all had enough of bad things by now, haven’t we?

THREE: Characters that evolve. Let’s face it, in the so-called real world bad people rarely become better. Sure, they’re capable of being kind and generous at times, but for the most part, once we become fully-formed adults, we’re locked into specific identities and traits. But as authors we can change the rules. Bad characters can become better if we want them to. Or at the very least, they can try.

FOUR: Inclusion. Our minds are capable of creating worlds filled with characters of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds, preferences and any other qualities we can conceive. I’ve been a bellman for over twenty years and one of the best things about my job – besides the cheddar, of course – is the knowledge that every new day will bring encounters with different people from all over the world. How boring would the literary world be if all it offered us was white people doing white people things? It’d be an endless CPAC.

FIVE: A satisfying resolution. I’m not suggesting a story end with a character dying of old age in their bed, thus bringing their tale to a definitive conclusion, but I want to see Luke blow up the Death Star. I want to see an adventure bought to a conclusion of sorts. I don’t want a literary LOST. If you’re not familiar with the story, the series finale of LOST sucked rocks. Hard.

This concludes my guest post/TED talk. My eternal thanks to my host, Lucy Mitchell, for being so gracious and welcoming. Be seeing you, fellow humans.

Robert is also a blogger and I have added the link to his blog. Click on the word blogger. It’s called You’ve Been Hooked.

When he’s not blogging and reading Robert is an author. Here’s a link to his author profile on Amazon.

If you have something to say about things which grab you when reading please get in touch.

Author Newsletters – My Top 10 Tips @eroyalauthor #MondayBlogs

I have been threatening to do a newsletter for sometime but haven’t felt like I know enough about the subject to whip one up. So, you can imagine my excitement when historical romance author Emily Royal told me she had a guest blog post for me on the subject of newsletters. Now, I am on Emily’s newsletter distribution list and I love them. They’re filled with photos, info on her new books and a lot of Emily Royal book vibes.

This blog post is packed full of Emily’s top 10 tips for newsletters and I am so grateful she’s here today.

Right I know you are keen to read on. Please give a warm welcome to Emily Royal:

Many authors have a newsletter, and you might be wondering whether it’s worth the effort—or even what it involves. A newsletter is basically an e:mail which is sent to a list of people who have signed up to hear from you, and could be anything between a couple of paragraphs, to something a bit longer with images and links. The benefit of having a newsletter is the direct contact with readers—you’re not advertising through Facebook or Amazon, or using a service which sends details of your book out to its own list (such a bookbub)—you’re contacting your own readers, so you have total control over what they read, and when they get it. To me, a certified control freak, that sounds ideal.

Newsletter frequencies vary. I know some authors who send one out at the same time, on the same day, each week. Others send newsletters out monthly with perhaps the extra one slotted in if there’s major news such as a cover reveal, a special offer, or a book launch.

But for many of us, the prospect of staring a newsletter is, frankly, terrifying. Will anyone sign up? Are they going to get annoyed with me clogging up their inbox with my nonsense? What should I include in my newsletters? Will they all hate me? (Ok, that last one stems from my chronic imposter syndrome, but I’m sure many authors can relate to that).

This time last year I had 34 subscribers to my newsletter and no real content to give them. I had a few books out, but no idea what to say without appearing crass or fake. I’d been running my newsletter for about six months, and didn’t know where to go with it.
Fast forward a year, and my subscriber list has multiplied by 50—OK, not spectacular by any means, but I now know what I want to achieve with it, other than “having a newsletter because it seems like the thing to do,”—and I have an increasingly active list of subscribers who I love engaging with.

If the thought of setting up a newsletter makes you run for the hills, here are my top ten tips for making a newsletter work for you.

Get started – the first step.
As with most things, the hardest step is usually the first. But it needn’t be scary! Dedicated newsletter services will handle all the technology for you. They’ll enable you to create weblink for your sign-up page, collect addresses from there, and store them for you, as well as send out your newsletters without you having to copy hundreds of addresses into your “to” field. Most services have free plans up to a certain number of subscribers (usually 1000-2000), and offer some functionality, to enable you to get used to how it all works. The most popular services include Mailchimp, Mailerlite and Sendfox. Don’t agonise too much over which one to choose, as you can migrate your subscriber list to a different system if you want to change. Just pick one and get cracking!
Tip: Just do it! You’ve nothing to lose by signing up to a newsletter provider. Ask around in author groups on social media if you want advice or help.Comply with anti-spam law
Anti-spam laws sound scary, but you must abide by them. I’m not a legal expert, but one principle is that you mustn’t collect e:mails that haven’t been willingly handed over, neither can you re-subscribe, or contact someone who’s unsubscribed (basically, “don’t be a dick”). You must also show a postal address in your newsletters. Many people are reluctant to give their home address, but there are workarounds. Use your work address (if you have permission), a PO Box, or some companies will provide an address service for a modest fee. Some authors use their publisher’s or agent’s address.
Tip: Be aware of anti-spam laws, but know that they’re not scary! The main newsletter systems are set up to ensure that anti-spam laws are met.Size doesn’t matter!
Don’t be scared of the prospect of sending an email to thousands of strangers. And don’t worry about nobody signing up, either! When you start out, you can sign up yourself and perhaps persuade friends and family, and a handful of obliging author pals to sign up and give you feedback on your first newsletters. The process is exactly the same for 5 people as it is for 5000. As my flying instructor at university once told me, the principles of flying are just the same for a 2-seater glider as they are for an airbus A380. It’s only the passenger numbers that differ.
Tip: Write your newsletter as if you’re e:mailing a friend who’s interested in your books – and interested in you. Don’t think about the crowd!Content does matter!
You’re a writer, so content should be easy. But a newsletter is different to a book – it’s more personal. This is your opportunity to show readers a little bit of yourself. Your newsletter is part of your brand, and brands need consistency. So, think about the sort of content and style you want to go for. I never planned this, but I’ve ended up including a bit about me and what I’m up to outside of writing, a bit about writing projects, and a bit of promotional stuff with links to new releases or special offers. Personally, I don’t want to hit my subscribers with repeated sales links. My non-writing material is a mix of photos and text, such as snaps of the countryside where I live or photos & recipes of my baking experiments.
Tip: Think about your brand and aim for a consistent style of material. Go for a balance between promotion and other information. Sign up to other authors’ newsletters to see how they do it.Magnetic attraction! Getting subscribers to sign up
How do you persuade someone to give you their e:mail address? Your e:mail address is an asset. You wouldn’t give it to just anyone—not in this day and age when unscrupulous agencies are collecting and selling personal data (see 2. above). So a reader needs an incentive to give you their address—something other than the simple fact that you’re an author. This is where a “reader magnet” helps, ie a free book for subscribers. Remember all those insurance adverts when they’d offer you a free pen if you took out a policy? An e-book is better than a free pen because a) it’s highly relevant given that you’re an author and b) it’s a scalable gift because it costs the same to send to 10,000 subscribers as it does to 1. My “magnet” is a novella, tied in with a series, formatted like a proper e:book, with a fit-for-purpose pre-made cover. It’s exclusive to subscribers, and, only accessible via the link in my welcome e:mail—which gives it a bit of extra intangible value. (I’ve also got a stack of buy links at the back of the novella, so anyone who enjoyed reading the freebie can buy the rest of the series).
Tip: Have a magnet such as a free novel/novella to give subscribers – exclusive is best. You don’t have to spend a fortune, but a decent cover and a good edit & proofread ensures you have a professional product, gives a taste of your writing, and shows your readers you mean business.Down the funnel – getting visibility
This is the tricky one. You’ve got your magnet, but it makes little difference if nobody knows about it! Tweeting or posting on social media about your newsletter can feel like shouting into a void. But there are ways to get readers to notice. Here are just a few:
Front and back matter in your books: If you’re self-published, include a sign-up link at the front and/or back of your book. My formatting software makes this easy. When a happy reader finishes the book, a call to action immediately after “the end” could land you a subscriber straightaway. Even if you’re traditionally published, your publisher might be willing to include a link to sign up. After all, it’s in their best interests too, if you gain a fan.
Website: If you have a website, or blog, make sure your sign-up link is prominent, and on every page (eg in the side bar) Make it clear what you’re offering, eg “for a free book, click here.” Some authors use pop-up windows. Personally I find them irritating, but it works for some.
Ask a friendly author to cross-promote: Check out author groups on social media in your genre to see if you can find someone happy to swap sign-up links with you. Don’t worry if your list of subscribers is small. Every author started at some point, and many are willing to share links.
Promotional platforms: Services such as bookfunnel, booksweeps, or story origin enable authors to sign up to bigger joint promotions which gather e:mail addresses. Some of these, (such as bookfunnel), incur a cost, but it’s worth it. Bookfunnel has plenty of genre-specific promotional events happening, run by authors, as well as providing technical support for readers wanting to download your book—which means you don’t have to answer endless “my download hasn’t worked, can you help?” messages. The promotional events are like mass author newsletter swaps, so it pays to sign up for promotions specific to your genre to get the right readers. The event will gather e:mail addresses for everyone downloading your book, and you can add them to your mailing list.
Tip: give your signup as much visibility as possible, but make sure it appears in the right place for your genre. Newsletter swaps with other authors, whether individual, or organised through services such as bookfunnel, can boost your subscribers significantly.What about freebie-hunters?
Ah – the dreaded double-dippers! There will always be people just wanting a free book. I get a lot of subscribers who download the free novella, then unsubscribe as soon as my next newsletter goes out. But that’s Ok. My magnet is there to encourage people to sign up, rather than to make money, I’m happy if people download it for free – that’s what I want them to do! And many of the new sign-ups will stick with me and stay subscribed.
Tip: Don’t let it get to you if people download your magnet then unsubscribe. It’s not personal, and happens to everyone.Regular Spring clean—keeping readers engaged
You may have heard of open rates, click rates and so on. These statistics tell you how successful each newsletter is. Some newsletter providers show you comparable statistics for authors in general. The higher the open rate, the more people were interested enough to open and read your newsletter. If your open rate starts to reduce, you might want to check your content. Is it interesting and varied enough, or is it just salesy spiel? Is it on brand, or have you changed your style? What about the e:mail header? Is it enticing enough to want someone to open it?
Some readers will be unengaged no matter what you do—the ones who signed up for the freebie and never opened a newsletter since, or who’ve just lost interest over time. Mailing list providers will charge more for larger lists, so unengaged subscribers can cost you money as well as lower your open rates.
You should be able to filter your address list to identify who’s not engaged for a while. You could then either send them a targeted e:mail asking if they’re still interested (eg ask them to click a link, and if they do, keep them on the list), or you could simply delete them from your list. I’ve recently removed the least engaged subscribers from my list, and my open rate has risen.
Another benefit of having a “clean” list is deliverability because the system recognises that you have good engagement. Cleaning off the really uninterested individuals also reduces the risk of abuse reports (see 9. below).
Tip: Spring clean your list to remove the unengaged. This helps with overall deliverability in the future, keeps costs down, and minimises the risk of complaints.Help, help, I’m being abused!
Abuse reports happen when someone marks your newsletter as “spam”. This is often done accidentally, or as a lazy way to unsubscribe. If you get an abuse report, don’t panic, but do consider why it might have happened. Have you been sending too many e:mails? Or, bizarrely, too few? If you go months without sending a newsletter, your readers might forget you and mark your next e:mail as spam because they don’t know who it’s come from. Is your content too repetitive and filled with a volley of “buy my book” posts? Check your brand and style to ensure consistency, so readers get what they’ve come to expect.
I had a couple of abuse reports a few months ago and since then I’ve added a more prominent piece at the bottom of my newsletter, reminding readers why/how they signed up and pointing them to the unsubscribe link. If you get too many abuse reports, your mailing list provider might contact you asking for proof of how you collect e:mails, and could even suspend your account while they investigate. I don’t know anyone this has happened to. I think it comes back to the rule “don’t be a dick”. Clearly I don’t know any authors who are dicks!
Tip: Don’t panic if you get an abuse report – just review your content for next time and clean off the unengaged subscribers to minimise the risk of it recurring.Two-way street
The best thing about a newsletter is having contact with readers. I consider it a win if readers respond back and strike up a conversation, and I’ve chatted to several really lovely people through my mailing list, as well as recruited an ARC team. If, like me, you love engaging with readers, then look for ways to make your newsletters more interactive. Ask them a question, or ask for suggestions such as running a competition to choose the name of a character in your next book. I once shared an ice-cream recipe and asked for ideas for flavours for my next batch – and received some great suggestions! I also run giveaways, asking readers to respond with a screenshot, or comment, or even just to click on a link, to be in with a chance of getting a gift.
Tip: Be interactive! Asking your readers a question, or running competitions and giveaways, can boost engagement. Communication works both ways.
So that’s my top ten tips! I’ve only been running a newsletter for a year, but I’ve been having such fun with it, so why not give it a go? Everyone has their own style or preferred approach, but I hope these tips have given you some ideas on how to get started and what to watch out for.

Social links:
Website http://www.emroyal.com/
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/emily-royal
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/eroyalauthor
Twitter https://twitter.com/eroyalauthor
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14834886.Emily_Royal

Author Newsletters – My Top 10 Tips @eroyalauthor #AmWriting

I have been threatening to do a newsletter for sometime but haven’t felt like I know enough about the subject to whip one up. So, you can imagine my excitement when historical romance author Emily Royal told me she had a guest blog post for me on the subject of newsletters. Now, I am on Emily’s newsletter distribution list and I love them. They’re filled with photos, info on her new books and a lot of Emily Royal book vibes.

This blog post is packed full of Emily’s top 10 tips for newsletters and I am so grateful she’s here today.

Right I know you are keen to read on. Please give a warm welcome to Emily Royal:

Many authors have a newsletter, and you might be wondering whether it’s worth the effort—or even what it involves. A newsletter is basically an e:mail which is sent to a list of people who have signed up to hear from you, and could be anything between a couple of paragraphs, to something a bit longer with images and links. The benefit of having a newsletter is the direct contact with readers—you’re not advertising through Facebook or Amazon, or using a service which sends details of your book out to its own list (such a bookbub)—you’re contacting your own readers, so you have total control over what they read, and when they get it. To me, a certified control freak, that sounds ideal.

Newsletter frequencies vary. I know some authors who send one out at the same time, on the same day, each week. Others send newsletters out monthly with perhaps the extra one slotted in if there’s major news such as a cover reveal, a special offer, or a book launch.

But for many of us, the prospect of staring a newsletter is, frankly, terrifying. Will anyone sign up? Are they going to get annoyed with me clogging up their inbox with my nonsense? What should I include in my newsletters? Will they all hate me? (Ok, that last one stems from my chronic imposter syndrome, but I’m sure many authors can relate to that).

This time last year I had 34 subscribers to my newsletter and no real content to give them. I had a few books out, but no idea what to say without appearing crass or fake. I’d been running my newsletter for about six months, and didn’t know where to go with it.
Fast forward a year, and my subscriber list has multiplied by 50—OK, not spectacular by any means, but I now know what I want to achieve with it, other than “having a newsletter because it seems like the thing to do,”—and I have an increasingly active list of subscribers who I love engaging with.

If the thought of setting up a newsletter makes you run for the hills, here are my top ten tips for making a newsletter work for you.

Get started – the first step.
As with most things, the hardest step is usually the first. But it needn’t be scary! Dedicated newsletter services will handle all the technology for you. They’ll enable you to create weblink for your sign-up page, collect addresses from there, and store them for you, as well as send out your newsletters without you having to copy hundreds of addresses into your “to” field. Most services have free plans up to a certain number of subscribers (usually 1000-2000), and offer some functionality, to enable you to get used to how it all works. The most popular services include Mailchimp, Mailerlite and Sendfox. Don’t agonise too much over which one to choose, as you can migrate your subscriber list to a different system if you want to change. Just pick one and get cracking!
Tip: Just do it! You’ve nothing to lose by signing up to a newsletter provider. Ask around in author groups on social media if you want advice or help.Comply with anti-spam law
Anti-spam laws sound scary, but you must abide by them. I’m not a legal expert, but one principle is that you mustn’t collect e:mails that haven’t been willingly handed over, neither can you re-subscribe, or contact someone who’s unsubscribed (basically, “don’t be a dick”). You must also show a postal address in your newsletters. Many people are reluctant to give their home address, but there are workarounds. Use your work address (if you have permission), a PO Box, or some companies will provide an address service for a modest fee. Some authors use their publisher’s or agent’s address.
Tip: Be aware of anti-spam laws, but know that they’re not scary! The main newsletter systems are set up to ensure that anti-spam laws are met.Size doesn’t matter!
Don’t be scared of the prospect of sending an email to thousands of strangers. And don’t worry about nobody signing up, either! When you start out, you can sign up yourself and perhaps persuade friends and family, and a handful of obliging author pals to sign up and give you feedback on your first newsletters. The process is exactly the same for 5 people as it is for 5000. As my flying instructor at university once told me, the principles of flying are just the same for a 2-seater glider as they are for an airbus A380. It’s only the passenger numbers that differ.
Tip: Write your newsletter as if you’re e:mailing a friend who’s interested in your books – and interested in you. Don’t think about the crowd!Content does matter!
You’re a writer, so content should be easy. But a newsletter is different to a book – it’s more personal. This is your opportunity to show readers a little bit of yourself. Your newsletter is part of your brand, and brands need consistency. So, think about the sort of content and style you want to go for. I never planned this, but I’ve ended up including a bit about me and what I’m up to outside of writing, a bit about writing projects, and a bit of promotional stuff with links to new releases or special offers. Personally, I don’t want to hit my subscribers with repeated sales links. My non-writing material is a mix of photos and text, such as snaps of the countryside where I live or photos & recipes of my baking experiments.
Tip: Think about your brand and aim for a consistent style of material. Go for a balance between promotion and other information. Sign up to other authors’ newsletters to see how they do it.Magnetic attraction! Getting subscribers to sign up
How do you persuade someone to give you their e:mail address? Your e:mail address is an asset. You wouldn’t give it to just anyone—not in this day and age when unscrupulous agencies are collecting and selling personal data (see 2. above). So a reader needs an incentive to give you their address—something other than the simple fact that you’re an author. This is where a “reader magnet” helps, ie a free book for subscribers. Remember all those insurance adverts when they’d offer you a free pen if you took out a policy? An e-book is better than a free pen because a) it’s highly relevant given that you’re an author and b) it’s a scalable gift because it costs the same to send to 10,000 subscribers as it does to 1. My “magnet” is a novella, tied in with a series, formatted like a proper e:book, with a fit-for-purpose pre-made cover. It’s exclusive to subscribers, and, only accessible via the link in my welcome e:mail—which gives it a bit of extra intangible value. (I’ve also got a stack of buy links at the back of the novella, so anyone who enjoyed reading the freebie can buy the rest of the series).
Tip: Have a magnet such as a free novel/novella to give subscribers – exclusive is best. You don’t have to spend a fortune, but a decent cover and a good edit & proofread ensures you have a professional product, gives a taste of your writing, and shows your readers you mean business.Down the funnel – getting visibility
This is the tricky one. You’ve got your magnet, but it makes little difference if nobody knows about it! Tweeting or posting on social media about your newsletter can feel like shouting into a void. But there are ways to get readers to notice. Here are just a few:
Front and back matter in your books: If you’re self-published, include a sign-up link at the front and/or back of your book. My formatting software makes this easy. When a happy reader finishes the book, a call to action immediately after “the end” could land you a subscriber straightaway. Even if you’re traditionally published, your publisher might be willing to include a link to sign up. After all, it’s in their best interests too, if you gain a fan.
Website: If you have a website, or blog, make sure your sign-up link is prominent, and on every page (eg in the side bar) Make it clear what you’re offering, eg “for a free book, click here.” Some authors use pop-up windows. Personally I find them irritating, but it works for some.
Ask a friendly author to cross-promote: Check out author groups on social media in your genre to see if you can find someone happy to swap sign-up links with you. Don’t worry if your list of subscribers is small. Every author started at some point, and many are willing to share links.
Promotional platforms: Services such as bookfunnel, booksweeps, or story origin enable authors to sign up to bigger joint promotions which gather e:mail addresses. Some of these, (such as bookfunnel), incur a cost, but it’s worth it. Bookfunnel has plenty of genre-specific promotional events happening, run by authors, as well as providing technical support for readers wanting to download your book—which means you don’t have to answer endless “my download hasn’t worked, can you help?” messages. The promotional events are like mass author newsletter swaps, so it pays to sign up for promotions specific to your genre to get the right readers. The event will gather e:mail addresses for everyone downloading your book, and you can add them to your mailing list.
Tip: give your signup as much visibility as possible, but make sure it appears in the right place for your genre. Newsletter swaps with other authors, whether individual, or organised through services such as bookfunnel, can boost your subscribers significantly.What about freebie-hunters?
Ah – the dreaded double-dippers! There will always be people just wanting a free book. I get a lot of subscribers who download the free novella, then unsubscribe as soon as my next newsletter goes out. But that’s Ok. My magnet is there to encourage people to sign up, rather than to make money, I’m happy if people download it for free – that’s what I want them to do! And many of the new sign-ups will stick with me and stay subscribed.
Tip: Don’t let it get to you if people download your magnet then unsubscribe. It’s not personal, and happens to everyone.Regular Spring clean—keeping readers engaged
You may have heard of open rates, click rates and so on. These statistics tell you how successful each newsletter is. Some newsletter providers show you comparable statistics for authors in general. The higher the open rate, the more people were interested enough to open and read your newsletter. If your open rate starts to reduce, you might want to check your content. Is it interesting and varied enough, or is it just salesy spiel? Is it on brand, or have you changed your style? What about the e:mail header? Is it enticing enough to want someone to open it?
Some readers will be unengaged no matter what you do—the ones who signed up for the freebie and never opened a newsletter since, or who’ve just lost interest over time. Mailing list providers will charge more for larger lists, so unengaged subscribers can cost you money as well as lower your open rates.
You should be able to filter your address list to identify who’s not engaged for a while. You could then either send them a targeted e:mail asking if they’re still interested (eg ask them to click a link, and if they do, keep them on the list), or you could simply delete them from your list. I’ve recently removed the least engaged subscribers from my list, and my open rate has risen.
Another benefit of having a “clean” list is deliverability because the system recognises that you have good engagement. Cleaning off the really uninterested individuals also reduces the risk of abuse reports (see 9. below).
Tip: Spring clean your list to remove the unengaged. This helps with overall deliverability in the future, keeps costs down, and minimises the risk of complaints.Help, help, I’m being abused!
Abuse reports happen when someone marks your newsletter as “spam”. This is often done accidentally, or as a lazy way to unsubscribe. If you get an abuse report, don’t panic, but do consider why it might have happened. Have you been sending too many e:mails? Or, bizarrely, too few? If you go months without sending a newsletter, your readers might forget you and mark your next e:mail as spam because they don’t know who it’s come from. Is your content too repetitive and filled with a volley of “buy my book” posts? Check your brand and style to ensure consistency, so readers get what they’ve come to expect.
I had a couple of abuse reports a few months ago and since then I’ve added a more prominent piece at the bottom of my newsletter, reminding readers why/how they signed up and pointing them to the unsubscribe link. If you get too many abuse reports, your mailing list provider might contact you asking for proof of how you collect e:mails, and could even suspend your account while they investigate. I don’t know anyone this has happened to. I think it comes back to the rule “don’t be a dick”. Clearly I don’t know any authors who are dicks!
Tip: Don’t panic if you get an abuse report – just review your content for next time and clean off the unengaged subscribers to minimise the risk of it recurring.Two-way street
The best thing about a newsletter is having contact with readers. I consider it a win if readers respond back and strike up a conversation, and I’ve chatted to several really lovely people through my mailing list, as well as recruited an ARC team. If, like me, you love engaging with readers, then look for ways to make your newsletters more interactive. Ask them a question, or ask for suggestions such as running a competition to choose the name of a character in your next book. I once shared an ice-cream recipe and asked for ideas for flavours for my next batch – and received some great suggestions! I also run giveaways, asking readers to respond with a screenshot, or comment, or even just to click on a link, to be in with a chance of getting a gift.
Tip: Be interactive! Asking your readers a question, or running competitions and giveaways, can boost engagement. Communication works both ways.
So that’s my top ten tips! I’ve only been running a newsletter for a year, but I’ve been having such fun with it, so why not give it a go? Everyone has their own style or preferred approach, but I hope these tips have given you some ideas on how to get started and what to watch out for.

Social links:
Website http://www.emroyal.com/
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/emily-royal
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/eroyalauthor
Twitter https://twitter.com/eroyalauthor
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14834886.Emily_Royal

The Writer’s Other Half – Job Description #MondayBlogs

If you think being a writer is difficult…think about what your loved one or other half has to endure.

Can you imagine how they must feel listening to you huff and puff over the opening paragraph of your first chapter?

Ever wondered what it must be like to sit and watch the person you love spend their entire day editing the hell out of three sentences?

I think we can all agree on this, the writer’s other half is a special human being with many interesting qualities.

So, I have given some thought to what the job description might look like for the writer’s other half. 

Job: Vacancy 

About The Role: 

An exciting romantic opportunity has arisen for a self motivated, patient and enthusiastic individual required to love a writer.

Hours:

Can change and will be dependent upon:

The writer’s love of social media. Hours will vary according to the peaks and troughs of the writer’s social media accounts. Must be prepared for all communication to stop if the writer’s work is being tweeted or re-tweeted a lot. On the other hand they must be willing to put in the extra hours if their social media accounts have gone quiet. The stage the writer is at with their WIP. If their beloved writer is enjoying the heady and thrilling days of their first five thousand words less hours will be required. On the other hand if their writer is in the bleak wilderness of thirty thousand words their other half will be required to work extra hours and to ensure the hot drink and biscuit conveyor belt is kept running.

Location:

The job will be based at home with the writer.

Key Duties / Responsibilities: 

Must be able to view tweeting, scrolling, browsing, liking and adding a thought provoking GIF to a tweet as important writer work.Must be able to view sitting at a blank screen for hours on end as vital writer work. Must be willing to accept that they will be written into the writer’s fictional stories in some shape or form.Must be happy to wait for hours outside a bookshop as their writer struggles to find a book to read for…pleasure. Must be experienced at having weird conversations during pillow talk. Must be willing to dive into interesting topics such as the creative ways a writer could describe a kiss, possible relationship issues after two weeks of dating, romance problems in the [enter historical era of choice], things a loved-up couple could physically do in a cramped Viking long boat and brainstorming for the writer’s experimental thriller which involves someone murdering their other half. Must be able to support the writer through episodes of fictional trauma.Must have an extensive knowledge of the writer’s favourite cakes or flowers and know how to get them quickly for when rejections make them cry. Must also be willing for pillow talk to include an assessment of the writer’s latest idea for a future bestseller. This conversation will be one-sided and any romance that follows will depend on changes in facial expressions and the number of gasps of delight while the writer explains the premise. Yawning during this tense time could result in a romance ban. Must be willing to accept the house pecking order: the writer, the writer’s fictional characters (an array of needy invisible people), writer pets, kids and finally the writer’s other half.Must be able to step in with the children, pets, housework and needy relatives if the writer is in the middle of a writing binge.Must be able to sense when their exhausted writer needs a break from the literary coalface. Must be able to accept that advising the writer their draft novel needs more work could lead to divorce.Must be willing to physically act out scenes the writer is struggling with.

About YOU:

You will be an expert at walking on eggshells.Your tea and coffee making skills will be world class.You will excel at cheerleading.You will have a good working knowledge of the book publishing world and your writer’s chosen genre. Your peace making and diplomacy skills will be advanced and you will be able to resolve the following chaotic and troubling situation with ease: your writer will be close to finishing their latest draft and cannot be disturbed, the leak in the kitchen ceiling is getting worse and looks like a waterfall, every child is crying for a different reason, your mother-in-law is banging on the front door, your teenager is playing their music so loud the house is shaking and your writer’s beloved pet has a limp.

Salary:

Paid via the salary of love

Perks: 

You might get a book dedicated to you…although you will be in competition with your writer’s beloved pet for this.You will get the kudos of saying you are romantically linked to a writer. You will NEVER be short of reading material.You will always have someone who will listen to your life problems and troubling feelings. They might even scribble down some notes whilst you talk.You will always get an invite to your writer’s book signing event…as long as you buy a copy

To all the loved ones and other halves of writers out there – we really value and love you x

The Writer’s Other Half – Job Description #Writer

If you think being a writer is difficult…think about what your loved one or other half has to endure.

Can you imagine how they must feel listening to you huff and puff over the opening paragraph of your first chapter?

Ever wondered what it must be like to sit and watch the person you love spend their entire day editing the hell out of three sentences?

I think we can all agree on this, the writer’s other half is a special human being with many interesting qualities.

So, I have given some thought to what the job description might look like for the writer’s other half. 

Job: Vacancy 

About The Role: 

An exciting romantic opportunity has arisen for a self motivated, patient and enthusiastic individual required to love a writer.

Hours:

Can change and will be dependent upon:

The writer’s love of social media. Hours will vary according to the peaks and troughs of the writer’s social media accounts. Must be prepared for all communication to stop if the writer’s work is being tweeted or re-tweeted a lot. On the other hand they must be willing to put in the extra hours if their social media accounts have gone quiet. The stage the writer is at with their WIP. If their beloved writer is enjoying the heady and thrilling days of their first five thousand words less hours will be required. On the other hand if their writer is in the bleak wilderness of thirty thousand words their other half will be required to work extra hours and to ensure the hot drink and biscuit conveyor belt is kept running.

Location:

The job will be based at home with the writer.

Key Duties / Responsibilities: 

Must be able to view tweeting, scrolling, browsing, liking and adding a thought provoking GIF to a tweet as important writer work.Must be able to view sitting at a blank screen for hours on end as vital writer work. Must be willing to accept that they will be written into the writer’s fictional stories in some shape or form.Must be happy to wait for hours outside a bookshop as their writer struggles to find a book to read for…pleasure. Must be experienced at having weird conversations during pillow talk. Must be willing to dive into interesting topics such as the creative ways a writer could describe a kiss, possible relationship issues after two weeks of dating, romance problems in the [enter historical era of choice], things a loved-up couple could physically do in a cramped Viking long boat and brainstorming for the writer’s experimental thriller which involves someone murdering their other half. Must be able to support the writer through episodes of fictional trauma.Must have an extensive knowledge of the writer’s favourite cakes or flowers and know how to get them quickly for when rejections make them cry. Must also be willing for pillow talk to include an assessment of the writer’s latest idea for a future bestseller. This conversation will be one-sided and any romance that follows will depend on changes in facial expressions and the number of gasps of delight while the writer explains the premise. Yawning during this tense time could result in a romance ban. Must be willing to accept the house pecking order: the writer, the writer’s fictional characters (an array of needy invisible people), writer pets, kids and finally the writer’s other half.Must be able to step in with the children, pets, housework and needy relatives if the writer is in the middle of a writing binge.Must be able to sense when their exhausted writer needs a break from the literary coalface. Must be able to accept that advising the writer their draft novel needs more work could lead to divorce.Must be willing to physically act out scenes the writer is struggling with.

About YOU:

You will be an expert at walking on eggshells.Your tea and coffee making skills will be world class.You will excel at cheerleading.You will have a good working knowledge of the book publishing world and your writer’s chosen genre. Your peace making and diplomacy skills will be advanced and you will be able to resolve the following chaotic and troubling situation with ease: your writer will be close to finishing their latest draft and cannot be disturbed, the leak in the kitchen ceiling is getting worse and looks like a waterfall, every child is crying for a different reason, your mother-in-law is banging on the front door, your teenager is playing their music so loud the house is shaking and your writer’s beloved pet has a limp.

Salary:

Paid via the salary of love

Perks: 

You might get a book dedicated to you…although you will be in competition with your writer’s beloved pet for this.You will get the kudos of saying you are romantically linked to a writer. You will NEVER be short of reading material.You will always have someone who will listen to your life problems and troubling feelings. They might even scribble down some notes whilst you talk.You will always get an invite to your writer’s book signing event…as long as you buy a copy

To all the loved ones and other halves of writers out there – we really value and love you x