To write a novel

1. Begin with jottings

2. Pen character sketches

3. Plot structures

4. Add caffeine at Southsea Coffee‘s back desk

5. Inject research

6. Draft. Type up. Redraft. Redraft.

7. Add cake at The Tea Tray in the Sky

8. Readers’ reactions (thanks Vikki Cookson, Tessa Ditner, Jonno Sutton, Noel Le Bon, Mirko Sekulic, John Lloyd & more)

9. Redraft. Redraft. Edit. Edit. Edit. Line edit. Copy edit. (Thanks, Miranda.)

10. Add caffeine at Canvas Coffee Shop

11. Draw map with Rebecca Lea Williams

12. Receive book from Titan Books

13. Workshop with Doodle Club at the Wave Maiden (thanks, Kendal)

14. Launch with fanfare & biscuitry at Blackwell’s in Portsmouth with Head Case Curios‘ help

15. Toast at Le Cafe Parisien Portsmouth

16. Do it again at Forbidden Planet

Available from today 12 July 2016 from reputable bookshops and Amazon.