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5/12/2024 0 Comments Publication day! Today 5th December is publication day for my fourteenth book, which is book four in the Lakeside Cottage series. The story is a standalone tale, set within the beautiful Cumbrian landscape so it doesn't have to be read alongside the other Lakeside books - though some readers like to read in publication order.
Remember you can sample the opening chapters by visiting Amazon and selecting the 'sample tabs' beneath the book cover. The reading sample gives you access to the first 38 pages of the book ... enough pages to try before you buy! The audio sample gives you a five minute section - so grab a coffee and enjoy! Book blurb: Welcome back to the Lakeside Cottage . . . a place to come together, or be driven further apart? It's that week between Christmas and New Year, and sisters Kate and Selena, and their friend Paisley, are meeting for an all-girls mini-break - no men allowed. But Affie, Carlos and Joseph have a similar idea, involving a sports channel, plenty of beer, and absolutely no women. Somehow, there's been a double booking. Paisley just wants to escape her worries, to recharge and reset for the coming year. The last thing she needs is complications. Kate, the elder sister, is a people pleaser, used to making things run smoothly for her CEO boss, but even she can't fix this, can she? Selena, meanwhile, may have a hugely successful career and be about to turn thirty, but she's her own worst enemy, and, as per usual, this mess may well be her fault... To make matters worse, Paisley and Joseph have history. Can the six of them find a way to navigate nearly a week together? Can the past be left behind and a new future found? The Amazon link: www.amazon.co.uk/Reunited-Lakeside-Cottage-heart-warming-uplifting-ebook/dp/B0D5QQPL8J
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2/12/2024 0 Comments DrawingI’m a creature of habit as many of you may know. I’m a firm believer that you achieve in what you repeatedly do rather than what you occasionally do – which pretty much explains my daily routines. I like to incorporate many of the interests that make my heart sing for 20-30 minutes each day rather than having to wait until the weekend for a three-hour session. Previously, I always found the inevitable occurred and my planned weekend activity was pushed aside and it might be three weeks until I had the desired free-time. That’s no good for me. I need time to enjoy myself each day - I’m not entirely sure how many I’ve been assigned! You've probably heard that 18 minutes a day equates to over a 100 hours a year - hence the improvement at any task or skill. Having a scheduled downtime each day to enjoy my art enables my brain to slow, my thoughts to flow and supports my creative writing – you’d be amazed how many of my plot points have occurred whilst I draw or paint. You’ll remember back in October that I took up the challenge to draw each day. I know I promised to share but they were little itty-bitty sketches which were fun to do in the moment but not entirely finished, so I didn’t share. I might when I’ve improved them a little. The month-long challenge proved worthy as I managed to sketch for the majority of the days. I’ve decided to continue with my daily practice by focusing on one main piece. Which brings me around to my current drawing – a combination of graphite pencil and coloured pencils, which I'll update as I progress.  A fabulous free service for reading groups meeting within Warwickshire, or its neighbouring counties. There’s over 300 titles to choose from – including mine!!! How lovely is that! I was thrilled to bits to discover Warwickshire libraries have been kind enough to include my last book ‘Retreat to the Lakeside Cottage’ - have you seen whose company I’m keeping? I’m honoured!
How to Join
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How to Return You can return your reading group box at any time during library opening hours. Please return items on time so that other groups can borrow them.  Since the Covid pandemic, many organisations have started to schedule virtual events enabling a wider audience to participate on-line. I’ve attended numerous events organised by Jane Austen’s house in Chawton and last night was able to view the latest exhibition called ‘Jane Austen and the art of writing’.
It was an hour long talk for the price of £6.50 – which I think is a bargain. At one point an audience of 60 people, from across the globe, were connected and listening to the talk – which was certainly informative and entertaining. The curator led us step by step through the latest exhibition, explaining each item in detail and sharing the relevance to Austen’s work. We saw booklets of paper that Austen used for her hand-written manuscripts, additional pages pinned inside as a means of editing her draft but the piece de résistance for me was the first editions of all six of her books displayed together – something for me to look forward to seeing on my next real-life visit. In addition to the treasured objects shown, it’s the snippets of information, the insight into Austen’s home and ultimately, her imagination that fascinates me. There’s numerous events comping up and many more planned for next year, Jane Austen's House link: janeaustens.house/visit/whats-on/ 22/11/2024 0 Comments NaNoWriMo - daily update III My NaNoWriMo 2024 continues at a steady pace this year, I have kept to my original plan. Though the end is in sight once day 20 has arrived! This is the section of NaNoWriMo that is my second favourite phase, the first being the initial start. I've had another day where the words didn't flow which I put down to being tired on that day. I simply stuck at it and finally, I reached my daily goal. Such things happen now and then, usually caused by other factors - I've learnt to live with those days. Plus, reaching the deadline feels even sweeter!
20th - 1711 words 21st - 1719 words (37,643 words so far) 22nd - 2081 words 23rd - 1783 words 24th - 1711 words 25th - 1703 words 26th - 1721 words (46,642 words so far) 27th - 1716 words 28th - 1732 words (50,090 - goal!) 29th - 1764 words 30th - 1806 words (51,896 month total) I'm delighted to have finished this year's NaNoWriMo though my current project isn't quite complete so I'll continue to write for a few more weeks. I'm hoping this current project is complete by the end of January 2025! 16/11/2024 0 Comments Social media - where's Erin? I’m sure you don’t need to hear yet another explanation this week, but if you’re wondering where I am – I’m here! Sharing my writing journey, publication updates, reading books, jogging sessions, quotes and daily inspirations!
Twitter: @ErinGreenAuthor Instagram: @Erin_Green_Author BlueSky: @eringreenauthor.bsky.social Threads: erin_green_author Facebook: Erin Green Author (www.facebook.com/ErinGreenAuthor/) 15/11/2024 0 Comments How time flies! Two years ago today, I had one of my darkest days. I’d struggled throughout 2022 with health issues, exacerbated by a prescription error which caused additional problems. That morning, I’d been advised to decrease my social interactions in order to lessen the chance of contracting covid as my surgery was imminent, within seven weeks. I remember sitting in the armchair with the weight of the world on my shoulders - not knowing how I was going to cope. I forced myself to venture into town to make a start buying essentials for my self-imposed lockdown. The world didn’t feel good that day. Apart from one moment of sunshine that occurred late in the day, it was a tempestuous day.
Today, I can’t believe how much has changed since then. Good health is restored, ill effects have been treated, on-going tests and monitoring are complete and life is much brighter. It seems hard to believe that time passes so quickly - a simple reminder to always seek out the glimmers of sunshine, even on the darkest of days. 14/11/2024 0 Comments NaNoWriMo - daily updates II We're near to the half way mark and so far, so good for this years NaNoWriMo. I've paced myself this year by aiming for 1700 words per day to experience a more balance approach towards the annual challenge. Previous years, I've written each day as the flow has taken me and the knock-on effect has been some staggeringly high word counts but depleted enjoyment - this year I was aiming to address that. Thankfully, the past fortnight has been a joy. I've only had one day so far where it felt like pulling teeth but I persevered and reached my daily count. Every other day the words have simply flowed and my sense of achievement has followed.
12th - 1701 words 13th - 1709 words 14th - 1702 words 15th - 1707 words (total so far: 27,154 words) 16th - 1923 words 17th - 1707 words 18th - 1726 words 19th - 1703 words (34,213 words so far) 14/11/2024 0 Comments JoggingOver the years I’ve developed an exercise habit for jogging twice a week. I’m not a natural for such a pursuit but I have always recognised the need for a healthy, active body. In my younger days, I was always a gym membership type of gal – filling my week with fitness classes and gym sessions. For several years, I taught the said fitness classes and was a gym manager for a time. So nowadays, I can’t hide at my desk as I know a healthy body and healthy mind are essential to life. I switched to jogging purely for the freedom it gave me regarding activity time and duration. Attending a gym session was two hours out of my day, with travel time included. I’m jogging within five minutes of leaving the house and can be back home within the hour or sooner, if I wish. Jogging also feeds my love of nature, the changing seasons/weather and obsession with trees. I was surprised to discover that jogging supports my writing too. The rhythmical action helps to free my mind allowing me to muse over plot points, work out loop holes or find inspiration for additional details. The three Bronte sisters used to march around their dining room table prior to writing, as a means of seeking inspiration. Other authors I know are great hikers when plotting and planning is required. I’ve lost count of the times, I’ve returned home with a head full of ideas all generated, as if by magic, during a jogging session. When I’ve dashed up to my writing room to note down specific details before they’re lost from my memory. It also works wonders on ‘unknotting’ your joints/muscles after sitting for too long at my desk. I tend to track the seasons with a snap taken whilst out jogging - quite amazing when compared. 4/11/2024 0 Comments NaNoWriMo - daily update I'm asked each year how I organise my daily word count for NaNo? Is it my only writing project? Are the words created in one sitting? Do I work late into the night? Answers are: no, no and no.
This year, I have a NaNoWriMo project which all 50,000 brand-new words will belong to, but I have a second manuscript that is nearing completion. I work on my NaNo project during several slots each day. This morning I've written 906 NaNo words before ten o'clock then reverted to my other project for a couple of hours. I'll return to NaNo later in the day to complete my 1700 daily word goal. If I go over my daily goal, then fine - it's a bonus day but I don't aim to. I can't work late into the night on NaNo as midnight naturally closes each day. Apart from the initial opening and closing nights of the annual challenge, I don't write into the early hours of any day - its not necessary. Note: blog words don't count for my NaNo total. 4th - 2746 words 8th - 1832 words (total so far: 15,159) 5th - 1710 words (total so far: 9,919) 9th - 1702 words 6th - 1703 words 10th - 1711 words 7th - 1705 words 11th - 1763 words (total so far: 20,335) |
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