New book - book 14!

Finally, I've started to write my new book for the Lakeside Cottage series. I've had to overcome some stumbling blocks this month like the driveway incident known as 'I'll never do again', a cast of characters who didn't like their chosen names or was that me? Plus, a few days of copy editing which didn't go as I wanted but hey ho, I'm there now. This morning, I wrote a thousand words straight off in one sitting. My fingers were dancing across the keyboard just as fast as my brain could give instruction - well, almost.  

The names thing threw me, as I'd chosen the entire cast from my collated list but after days of mulling them over they didn't gel as a group. That probably sounds mighty weird if you aren't a creative bod, but others will get it. I'm a funny one regarding names. If they sound clunky, or prickly, or too mellow, or too pretentious it doesn't sit right with me. I've got to live with these people for the next five months or so. It's the first time that I've thrown the entire cast out though, usually I simply replace the ones that are irking me. This time, I started from scratch by going on walks to my local graveyard and reading the inscriptions on memorials and headstones, searching with fresh eyes. That gave me three of the six names, I needed. A TV series promo gave me another. The royal family another name. And a Facebook post named my final character - which is a surprising but beautifully unique choice, as I'd never heard of it being given as a name before! Don't say you're surprised by my choice of unique names - you know I love um! 

So, I've made a start with writing book 14 - which is excellent. Though I am still polishing book 13 which I desperately want to hand over by 30th September. Though I do have a good excuse for juggling both, given that tomorrow, 21st September, London Writers' Salon are launching their 100 days until the new year challenge. 'I can write draft 1 of book 14 in that time,' she says!

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