My writing calendar

We're fast heading for the new year, so I figured I should probably make some attempt at getting organised (which has never been one of my strong points!).

In 2017, my goal was to publish a book a month, and I've done that, although December's release will be a box set rather than a new story. For 2018, I plan to slow down a little to allow me to have better balance in my life, get more sleep, and keep up with answering my emails. At least, that's the theory!

At the moment, my starting point looks something like this:

2018

January – White Hot (Blackwood Security #9)
February – (My birthday! *not sure whether to toss confetti or hide*)
March – Rhodium (Blackwood Elements #4)
April – Dali & Other Stories (Charity anthology incl Nate & Carmen's story)
May – Shallow Graves (Blackwood UK #3)
June –
July – Cursed (The Electi #1)
August –
September – The Scarlet Affair (Blackwood Security #10)
October –
November – Spooked (The Electi #2)
December –

Depending on how much writing/editing I get done, I'll shuffle things around and add extra books where possible 🙂

Dali is with my beta readers already – this is definitely not the final cover!

How I write

One recurring question I've seen in reader forums is how come some authors are so prolific? The answer is: that depends entirely on the author. It could mean anything from using a ghostwriter to never sleeping to having a system in place that allows you to maximise your time.

Me? I take the second approach. *Kidding* Sometimes I even fall asleep while I'm writing, and believe me, an iPad hurts when it hits you in the face.

No, I have a system. Writing gets priority over everything, and as it's the part I enjoy most, I can't complain about that. I usually have about twenty book ideas floating around in my head, and once I've picked what I want to write next, I jot out a loose outline – usually about two thousand words.

When I start on the book, the first half is always the hardest because I'm getting to know the characters and filling in all the plot holes. Plus side characters are writing themselves in and sometimes the hero or heroine decides to do something totally unexpected. I usually rewrite my outline three or four times and stop myself from throwing the whole damn computer out of the window at least twenty. I'm writing about two or three thousand words a day at this point, as well as fitting in admin and editing.

**Fun fact: I write all my first drafts with my thumbs on an iPad Mini.**

If you squint hard enough, you can read the beginning of Cursed 😉

Suddenly, the story just clicks. The characters start talking, and from that point on, I just write, write, write. The rest of life takes a backseat, and my other half has to remind me to shower and eat. Now I'm writing four to six thousand words a day, and the book doesn't take long to finish. Writing this way, a book in a month is no problem.

**Fun fact: I wrote the first draft of Roses are Dead in six days and it nearly killed me.**

And while I'm writing, my support team is doing their thing. I have two editors, three proofreaders, fifteen beta readers, and a cover designer to help me out. Publishing a book isn't a linear process, it's more like a big jigsaw puzzle with parts that need to be fitted together at certain times. From start to finish, a book takes about six months, but I'll most likely have five or six on the go at the same time, all at different stages of the process.

Right now, I've finished drafting all of my planned 2018 books except one (Spooked is my current WIP), plus another three that are pencilled in for 2019, and while they get edited, I'll be writing ahead for 2019/20 🙂

**Fun fact: Joker in the Pack was inspired by an old Beatles song, Eleanor Rigby, and this is where Aunt Ellie got her name.**

None of my books are the same. I fit the stories to the characters rather than trying to write to the same trope over and over again (which would bore me to tears and probably most of my readers too), and that means the voice and style of my books varies even within a series. A book starring Emmy is going to be very different to a book featuring Tia, but I still wanted to tell both of their stories. One recurring theme is that I like to write about strong women, although not necessarily in the all-guns-blazing sense. For example, Emmy's strong physically, but at times, she can crack under the strain. And in Roses, while Max may be the one who rescues Lily physically, but she's stronger inside and rescues him emotionally.

I've started two new series – The Electi, planned as five tales of paranormal romantic suspense. I rarely venture into the supernatural world, but these stories were crying out to be written, and initial feedback has been good, which is a relief!

**Fun fact: The setting for the first book in the Electi series is based on a real building in England – see the picture below. Much easier to write the details when you can literally walk through the place!**

The second, tentatively called Blackstone House, is my most ambitious project yet. Eight romantic suspense novels, each with its own plot, and a bigger plot stretching over the whole series. Girls, guns, dirty hot dudes – I'm having a blast writing it.

**Fun fact: I named one of the characters Alexa after the Amazon widget because she knows everything.**

Blackwood will be back too, of course. After White Hot, I have eight more books I need to write across the whole series, and when I say need, I mean that I'd write those whether I published them or not. I just love telling stories, even if it's only to myself. But if people still want to read about Emmy and co., I've set up plenty of ways I can continue with that world after that 🙂

**Fun fact: I'd written 13 novels before I published my first.**

Which of my books do you like best? What would you like to see more of? I always love to hear from readers, and your thoughts can help to shape my future writing plans 🙂