I.H. Laking's Blog, page 13
August 15, 2014
Planning for The Murder at Mansfield Manor is complete!
It’s been quite a weekend in Melbourne so far, and I’m really happy with how my free promotion of The Vanishing Villa is going. Almost 100 people have downloaded it so far, which is fantastic. Feel free to grab a copy (and review it?) if you like – just click here!
In other news, I’m happy to report that I’ve laid down the major characters, plot outline and setting for The Murder at Mansfield Manor! It’s going to be back to a more traditional mystery style, as opposed to the more adventure/fantasy feel of The Vanishing Villa, which was a tough write at times.
The major issues I had around The Vanishing Villa were tying things together, so with a clear plan for the upcoming story, I’m confident things will be much simpler. In saying that, we’ll see how it goes!








August 14, 2014
The Vanishing Villa is Live!
After a month of writing, The Vanishing Villa is finally out there for the world to enjoy… or despise. Either way I’m happy.
The novella length was unexpected, and I ended up having to leave out some parts I had intended to add to the storyline – thankfully these are going to now play out in the third (and final for now) story that I’ve just plotted out.
Anyways, in celebration of the release, it’s free all weekend, so head on over and check it out – but with one condition: I need reviews! They’re like the secret sauce that gets people buying. So if you’re reading this, help me out and review the story for me. Thanks in advance!
Click here to get your free copy: The Vanishing Villa.








August 11, 2014
Hemingway App: The Vanishing Villa.
I’ve spent this evening running The Vanishing Villa through the Hemingway App. It’s been an interesting experience, and I wiped over 100 words off easily in just one section.
I don’t love every suggestion it makes, but it’s certainly helpful. I used its functions for simplicity (did I really use “very” that many times) and passive voice spotting most. Some of my sentences still need work, but overall my writing is much better for it.







