Journey's End

So I'm pretty much at the end of Immune, I've linked chapters and edited it to death and I'm as good as done.

Now I can't even begin to describe the feeling of finishing to anyone who has not been on this journey themselves. Elation, excitment - wonder, a million different feelings all in one burst!
I printed it all out and I sat and looked at it and then I re-read it to myself and I cried, I couldn't help it.

Here it was at last after so many months of work, here was the story that had only existed in my head for so long - here was the final reality for my characters, here they were - really alive!

I had brought them to life.

And you know when I sat with it in my hands and toasted it with a beer I realised something else, I realised that even if this baby doesn't get published (and it bloody well will) I have created something I am very proud of, I've created a new world, new people - a new story.
And that is something few people ever get to experience.

So here is saying a big thank you to Jess and Leo and Grey and all my other characters, thank you for letting me tell your story and thank you for letting me bring you to life. x

Ha ha another unsuspecting customer...

Now I tend to do quite a bit of self promotion and marketing for Immune. Some might argue that as the book isn't actually published yet I might be wasting my time but I don't think so.

I post messages on my social networking sites to drive traffic to my website, I haunt reading groups, I hassle my daughter to tell her friends, I lurk in Waterstones and talk to customers in the YA section... I've become very good at this if I do say so myself...

'Hi' I say to a unsuspecting browsing customer.
'Hi' They say back politely.
'Hmmm you're reading @~:~' I say, they nod.
'If you like that sort of stuff.' I say casually, 'you should totally check out this writer.'
And then... if they express a slight, tiny smidgeon of interest - out comes my little card listing my web address and contact details.
They thank me and I move on to the person in the next aisle...

The thing is I want people to be aware of the book, when it is published I want a dim bell in their head to ring and for them to think, hmmm, I've heard of that I'm sure... and then go and buy it.

It's all about building the interest and being ready for that moment when it hits the bookshelves, then I'll be there as always, lying in wait... only instead of handing over a card I'll be thrusting the actual book into their unsuspecting hands and chuckling quitely to myself in victorious delight!

Thanks for the Memories

So I went to a school reunion Saturday night... it's been ooo 12 years since I left school and there I was in a room full of people... who I didn't actually remember!

Now I have known for some time that my memory and I do not get on very well, it's a tricky little blighter that likes to confuse me and annoy me. I have a whole selection of cringe inducing memories (think late Saturday night for instance) that I really wish my memory had not stored in such excruciating detail. Then there are the things I wish I could remember better, like the people from Saturday night (then I might have known who I was actually speaking to and may not have offended lots of people by calling them the wrong name!)

Another thing I have learnt from my fickle friend called memory is that when I'm writing it's absolutely essential to keep notes.

Backstory is one of my musts for every book I write - otherwise how else am I supposed to remember this character's birthday or that character's cat's name? Every time I include a detail of a charcter or place or timeline in a story it's written out pronto by hand and stored in a designated file.
It's a fantastic way to work, laptop for the actual writing and a big fat bumper file of paper notes that I can peruse at my leisure.
As an added benefit I get to shop for sparkly stationary!

I think even if my memory was a bit nicer I would still go down this route, it's been an integral part of my writing life for too long now to change it and I would recommend the system to any budding writers.

Of course the only danger is that if I lost the file... gulp... well I have a sneaky suspicion my memory would make sure I remembered nothing... all characters wold be born in April, all people's cats would be called Fluffy and I, well I'd never get published!

And I'd never forget that one...