Opportunities!

      I am a great believer in taking advantage of any opportunites that come my way.  Recently, through one of my wonderful Facebook writing groups, ‘For Writers only who want to Write without Fear of Rejection,’ I heard about a writing competition that has been organised by Writing Magazine and teaming up with Lulu.com and Authoright.  One lucky entrant will receive a complete publishing package which sounds awesome.  Since I have almost finished my re-write of my next crime novel ‘Survival At Any Cost,’ I think that I’ll enter.  I must admit, I am rather nervous since I haven’t entered any writing contests since being an adult, but I have nothing to lose.  I do still have to complete my marketing plan to go with my entry but I am fairly certain that I will get that done in the time remaining before the deadline.  Whatever happens I will have gained valuable experience and my novel will be complete and ready for publication.  If you want to find out more about this competion either for curiosity or entering yourself, please follow this link writers-online.co.uk.

      I am quite pleased that my writing schedule is fairly on target.  The hardest part of my writing journey is marketing and getting myself known.  It is a very slow process but I am getting there.  As I have said before, reviews are very important to writers, so if you have read my debut novel, ‘A Few Bad Boys,’  could you please leave a review either on Amazon or /and on Goodreads.  The links for these are Amazon, Goodreads.  If you haven’t read it yet, it is still available free on Kindle Unlimited, follow this link A Few Bad Boys.

      One of the downsides of writing is that you spend a lot of time sitting.  It is so important to keep up with exercises and walking.  My early morning walks aren’t as long as I would like at the moment because it is really quite cold walking by the sea early in the morning – I don’t want to end up with pneumonia.  I look quite a sight wrapped up in so much clothing whilst walking, especially when the other day I saw someone in the sea at 8 in the morning – it made me cold to watch.  Anyway I am sorting out a new exercise routine that will suit me and keep me agile.  My writing den is still a work in process but at least I can get in there now.  I have actually thrown things away and sorted out some, never ending, paperwork.

      I am also on target for my Goodreads reading challenge.  I am trying to read as many new authors to me as possible this year and my target is 50 books.  In my last blog I was reading ‘Murder on the Oxford Canal’ by Faith Martin which I have finished and did enjoy.  Since then I have read ‘Safari Ants, Baggy Pants & Elephants’ by Susie Kelly.  It is far from the genre I write but it took me on a wonderful safari without leaving home.  I am currently reading ‘Bad To The Bone’ by Tony J Forder.  I am so close to finishing it and am desperate to find out how it ends, but I had to really be strict with myself and put it down so that I could get on with writing.  Every book I read this year I will make the time to write a review.

      I do have a very full writing and reading calendar this year but I am lucky that I have found a calling that I really love.  I think whatever we do in life, we should enjoy it and definitely get every aspect of our life balanced.

Until next time – keep chasing your dreams!

NICOLE