I am so pleased that I managed to complete NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year. 
I was very late starting my project, Fierce Revenge, and on the final day, my daughter Phoenix ended up in hospital. Once we finally got home and I got everyone settled, there were only a few hours to go until the deadline. With only 1,300 words to go, I had to go for it. Despite being exhausted, and nearly falling asleep at the keyboard, I did it. When I hit the target of 50,000 words I felt not only relieved, but also quite proud of myself. With enough determination, you can do anything that you set your mind to.
My only regret with NaNoWriMo
this year, is that I didn’t get as active in the NaNoWriMo community. I had so much going on, including visitors and illness, but next year I will plan my November more carefully. Through the challenge, in previous years, I have met some wonderful people and we support each other. We all have a common goal and interest and try to keep up the momentum. We give each other advice and help those who hit the dreaded, ‘writer’s block’. I feel so happy when others cross the finish line. It is a very tough goal to reach and some of my writing friends didn’t manage to finish, but at least they made a start at a new project.
My project this year, Fierce Revenge, took me on a wonderful journey and I have noticed how my writing has developed, even under pressure. Fierce Revenge still has a lot of work to be done on it, but I will put it to one side, until I have finished my second novel, Survival At Any Cost. I have been asked by numerous people to write a sequel to my debut novel, A Few Bad Boys. I am sure that there will be a sequel, but at this moment, I am not sure when it will happen.
Writing a novel is not easy and it
does take an enormous amount of time. When you finally write, ‘The End’, at the bottom of the novel, it is a huge relief, but then you remember that it is the first draft. You then have to face more research, the re-writes and the edits, get it published and market it. Like everything in life, if you want to achieve something, you have to work hard. Although it has taken me a long time to get published, I have enjoyed my writing journey so far, and am really looking forward to all the future adventures that I will have. It amazes me how attatched I have become to some of my characters in my novels.
I have 
decided that from now until after the 6th January (The Three Kings, here in Spain) I will focus on improving my author pages etc, make a plan for 2018, and finalise my book trailer for A Few Bad Boys. I also want to read more. I love reading but it has had to be put to one side quite often this year. Finding a way to rectify the situation is a priority to me, since I feel that I am missing out. I also find that reading helps me relax. There are so many books out there that I want to read, but I find it hard to decide where to begin. If you are looking for Christmas presents for readers, you could get them my debut novel, by clicking this link A Few Bad Boys.
Until next time – keep chasing your dreams!
For those of you that were expecting a blog from me last week, I do apologise but unforseen circumstances arose. If you follow my blog you will already know that I have entered NaNoWriMo this year, the National Novel Writing Month. During the month of November writers around the world participate in this event and try to write 50,000 words within the month.
I have managed to start Fierce Revenge, and I am enjoying the time I do find, but whether or not I will be able to reach 50,000 by the end of the month, remains to be seen. Looking at my current word count I feel that I may need a miracle to complete the challenge but I haven’t given up yet. I can see that for rest of this month I will be getting up even earlier than I do already, (if that’s possible), but it has to be done if I have any chance of reaching the goal of 50,000 words. If I don’t complete the challenge I will be disappointed because I have completed it for the previous five years, but it won’t be the end of the world. Whatever I manage to complete will be a very good start for Fierce Revenge.
complete, and when you read Fierce Revenge, you will feel the same and not want to put it down. Of course this is just the first draft that I am working on at the moment so it will be quite some time before it is published.
Writing is like everything else, the more you do it, the better you get. A writer really needs to know their characters because if they don’t, neither will their readers. I really breathed Lucy Fratelli from A Few Bad Boys whilst I was writing it, and I am falling in love with Doctor Paul Ramsay from Fierce Revenge.
I have to confess that, recently, I have not contributed as much as I would have liked to towards my writing journey. We have had a constant stream of visitors, including my son James, which has been brilliant but now it is time to get back to hard work and focus.
and a great way to crack out a first draft. This is the 6th time I have entered and I am hoping to keep my track record of always completing it. My debut novel, A Few Bad Boys, began as a NaNoWriMo project. This years entry is called, ‘Fierce Revenge’ and I am planning to start it later today or tomorrow. I am trying not to get stressed out that I am already behind on my word count. I find it really exciting when I start writing a new book. I enter a different world with my adrenelin pumping and raring to go. Although I know where the book is going, I wonder what journeys the detours will take me on.
already read it please leave a review, either here, on Amazon, on Goodreads or anywhere else you can think of. If you haven’t read it, it is available on Amazon as a kindle and a paperback. You can get it by following this link.
deadlines, I tend to get extremely annoyed with myself. I have finally realised that getting annoyed with myself is so counter productive because I then waste time on being annoyed instead of completing my targets. I know how long it takes to write a book and I knew that I would have to put in a lot of work to market my first novel, but I didn’t realise how much. I have recently felt that trying to market my first novel whilst trying to complete my second novel, is an impossible task and I have even contemplated giving up. Then I remember that I am not a quitter!
‘Why do I write?’ I write because I enjoy it and it enables me to enter a creative world. With this in mind, writing should never be a cause of stress in my life. I have a great need to write something daily, it’s my calling. Recently I have not written as much as I would have liked because I spend so much time marketing my first novel. I appreciate that I have had to learn, and still am learning, everything about self publishing, but I really didn’t realise how difficult it would be. I am sure that the more I learn the easier this journey will become. In my last blog I said that I was aiming to complete my second novel, Survival At Any Cost, by the end of October, so that it could go to my beta readers in November. I feel that this target may now not be achievable since my son James is coming to visit me from Norway on Monday. Naturally, I want to spend as much time with him as possible. Obviously writing will be done whilst he is here, but probably not enough to complete ‘Survival At Any Cost’.
currently planning a book trailer for ‘A Few Bad Boys’ and am hoping that James will be able to help me complete it because he is brilliant at things like that. He will no doubt tidy up my computer for me and hopefully get me a little more organised. Over the years he has realised that I am not very good with computers. He was amazed when I set up my own Facebook account, without help, some years ago.
pressure on myself! I will continue to write daily and if that eats into the time I have allocated for marketing, I will have to accept it. A number of people have suggested that I get an agent but finding one will take up even more of my writing time. If any agents happen to read this blog, please feel free to give me a nudge.
Needless to say this has hindered my writing journey, which has really annoyed me. I am a positive person and believe things happen for a reason, although sometimes it hard to find the reason, and have realised that getting annoyed isn’t going to help me progress. Being annoyed only stresses me out and wastes even more time.
this event, but for those that aren’t, the idea is for participants to write 50,000 words in the month. It is a difficult project but it can be done and it can be lot of fun. Anybody can participate and it is free to join, so if any of you think you want to write a novel, I suggest that you give it a go. Even if you don’t reach the 50,000 word target, you will have at least started it. If you are interested, pop over to their website for more information, 
I love reading books from a wide range of genres. Recently, someone told me about the Norwegian author Jo Nesbo, so I thought I would read one of his books (in English, I hasten to add). I have almost finished reading The Devil’s Star, which I have found quite gripping. Although it hasn’t caused a problem, I wish I was reading his books in order. He is a mystery crime writer, and The Devil’s Star is part of a series that evolves around a detective called Harry Hole. Although we are both crime writers, we both have very different styles. So once you have read, A Few Bad Boys, if you haven’t already, I would highly recommend novels by Jo Nesbo. Jo Nesbo has a lot of other talents. He has written other novels and a series of children’s books. 
Some of his books have led to TV series and films. He is also a talented singer and songwriter and used to play football, until an injury put a stop to it.
If you fall into this category, you are wrong. We all have days when we feel that our efforts aren’t recognised or days that we feel so drained that we don’t even want to get out of bed. It is at these moments that you have to push yourself harder and remind yourself that you can achieve what ever you set your mind too. You need to get motivated and let the inspiration flow.
The yoga helps me clear my head and the other exercises are to get me back into shape after a summer of eating a ridiculous number of ice creams. Last week I started going to physiotherapy for an hour an a half twice a week, which is not only exhausting and at times painful, but also time consuming. Some of the exercises I have been taught, I have now incorporated in to my morning routine at home, so I have to get up even earlier!
Some of you may live near other oceans, seas, lakes or mountains and I think it important to get out there with nature and feel the energy around you. Even if you live in a city or town, a walk by a river or in a park can have the same energising effect. I value my morning walks immensely and feel inspired after having one. A good start in the morning sets me up for the day ahead.
out about it doesn’t get it done. I am sure many of you have felt the same at some point. If things get too overwhelming it is ok to take a break. A lot more can be achieved and you will feel more inspired, if you try to detatch yourself from the task in question for a while, and then approach it with a fresh and more inspired mind.
into a film and would like to read a sequel to it. He seemed disappointed that my next novel, Survival At Any Cost, is not the sequel to, A Few Bad Boys. A number of people have given me the same reaction regarding writing a sequel and turning it into a film, which is very encouraging and inspiring.
She is really looking forward to the new school year which is a relief, since after beginning secondary school, her enthusiasm for school deteriorated. Since I love reading and writing, I have always encouraged and helped both of my children with every aspect of their education, and when they were young, always read them a bedtime story.
At first I tried hard not to compare her to James because all children develop at different speeds. I encouraged her daily and tried not to draw too much attention to her level of reading. It was when she began school that the depth of her problem was revealed and I thought that she might have dyslexia. Eventually she was diagnosed with dyslexia and did receive some extra help. When she progressed to high school, gradually her enthusiasm for school faded, due to being belittled for having dyslexia. Some teachers would force her to read aloud in class, which led to her being laughed at by her peers, which reduced her self esteem. Although she did receive some extra help, her teacher thought she should not be in a mainstream class. This would have been disastrous for Phoenix, not only at the present time, but also her whole future would be at stake. I took drastic measures and changed her school. I am so impressed how Phoenix excelled last year at her new school and although she still requires extra help, her confidence has returned, her grades have improved dramatically and she even talks about career opportunities for the future.
If you can’t read something, how can you possible answer the questions? Exams have always caused Phoenix problems. I would help her revise and ask her questions at home and she would get them correct but when it came to taking the exam, she would forget everything and even become physically ill. Gradually, taking exams is improving. Phoenix does excell with projects and learns from experiments and demonstations. Although her reading has improved she still has problems with comprehension.
I find that the more organised she is, the better she copes with dyslexia. When Phoenix was younger, I used to write names of household objects on stickers and place them on the corresponding items. There are many ways to help youngsters with dyslexia and dyslexia is definitely not the end of the road. Many famous people have dyslexia and have gone on to achieve great things, for example, Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Henry Winkler, Muhammad Ali, F.Scott Fitzgerald and the Prime Minister of Norway, Erna Solberg. The list of famous people with dyslexia is endless, but it shows that dyslexia has not stopped them achieving their goals.
Dyslexia is frustrating and emotionally painful. Thankfully it is now recognised and there is not such a big stigma attached to it. All parents should encourage their children to read, write and study – if you have a child with dyslexia, you just have to try harder and be extra patient.
Whether you are a stay at home parent or go to another place to work, if you really want to write, you will find the time. I have found that it is all down to organisation and being focused. It is also very important to set yourself realistic goals. It is not easy to write 2,500 words daily, so don’t set yourself that kind of target. You may only have time to write 250 words a day (or less). Set yourself a small target and reach it. Once you have established a routine for when you write, you may feel that you can increase your target. The most important thing is that you enjoy the time that you spend writing and whatever happens, if you don’t reach your target, don’t beat yourself up because there is another day. Any words you write are an achievement and a step closer to completing your novel.
Whilst writing this blog, my daughter, Phoenix, asked me for something and I had to take a few deep breaths. My son, James, is currently a DJ in Norway and he video calls me numerous times a day, which I love, but inevitable the calls do, at times clash, with my writing – that just happened!
I may have had to juggle more (if that is possible), when I write or do writing related activities. Since I recently published my debut novel, A Few Bad Boys, I naturally have to market it, which is very time consuming. I am still cracking on nicely with my second novel, Survival At Any Cost and I am blogging, fortnightly at the moment. My brain is constantly thinking about my writing projects. On my birthday I went to my favourite restaurant and sold a signed copy of my book to the restaurant owner. When I am on the beach I scribble down ideas or use my dictaphone, if I am waiting for an appointment I update my social media, when I exercise I plot stories in my head etc. etc.
Today I am here to move forward with my blog. I am hoping that my blogs will help others to achieve their own goals, in any field.
which I am hoping to release in October.
Nicole The Author 