Good evening all,

In all day, bliss!

Broke the electric saw today! Only got the bench to cut up now so the manual one will need to make an appearance.

OMG read more of Hunter’s Moon, I love it. A bit more marketing work today, looking at the keywords which are working and which aren’t.

Had a catch up with my colleague Helen today and a previous colleague Karen from my last job. It was nice to talk.

Quite a chilled day which is what I needed.

Stay safe.

Good evening all,

Great news! My furlough has been extended until the end of June, barring the company needing me back. So I can relax and crack on with another six weeks of writing etc…

So, today went and picked up my bike from my mechanic and the price was less than I’d expected but mainly because he didn’t charge me for more than 2 hours of work and it was clear he’d done significantly more than that. On the way home I dropped my parent’s clean washing off and then went to do my food shopping. Don’t get me started on the lack of social distancing!

When I got home I had a lovely surprise on my doorstep, a bouquet of flowers from my friend Emma and her brothers for doing the shopping for their Dad.

This afternoon I settled down to read more of Hunter’s Moon and spent a number of hours chatting on the phone. Where has the day gone?

Stay safe.

Good evening all,

As the time for me to go back to my full-time job approaches with the speed of Concorde I started to think about how much more I have to do and wondered whether I’ve squandered my time in lockdown. The answer is no. I haven’t done everything I wanted to do but that wouldn’t be possible in such a short space of time. What have I achieved:

• Sorted most of my digital photographs into one place
• Sorted most of my house, with a few small areas which need work
• Pulled down and cut up two broken fence panels, a shed which was falling apart, wooden garden furniture which were of no use to man or beast and hacked back a honeysuckle bush which had taken over a huge amount of my garden. There is more to do but it’s more manageable now.
• Completed an online Amazon Ads course
• Set up 35 Amazon Ads and have sold significantly more books – not yet at a profit, but heading in the right direction.
• Got my head around blurb writing, which was the thing I hated most after marketing. I may not be an expert but I am definitely writing more on point blurbs and ad copy.
• Finished the first draft of Illicit Love, the first edit and working through a second one.
• Found peace of mind and certainty that I want to make a living from my books.

I think it’s not too shabby a list and I feel proud of how I utilised my time.

Today was housework day so nothing exciting there. Went for a short walk. Read more of Hunter’s Moon by Sherri A Wingler, half way through it already and I was so hooked I didn’t want to work on my own books today.

Stay safe.

Good evening all,

Started my day with a nice walk to and around Hounslow Heath, it’s lovely down there walking through the wood and hearing the birds’ singing. I popped into the local Sainsbury’s in an attempt to get some biscuits my mum has wanted since the lockdown, and a few essentials for me of course.

A couple of loads of washing done, bed stripped – looking forward to fresh clean sheets.

Worked on editing again today. Yesterday on one of the Facebook groups I’m on an author reminded us as we’re growing our self-publishing business to look how far you’ve come in the last two months, which I needed to hear. It’s easy to feel as though you’re not doing well when the growth is slow. I looked back to my sales from March, 6 books sold and about 8-9 read through Kindle Unlimited. This month, so far, I’ve sold 20 books and another 10 through KU and we’re only half-way through the month.

One of my favourite authors, Sherri A Wingler, also a friend, posted that she needed some readers for the third book in her series set around an adult take of little red riding hood. Needless to say I jumped at the chance. I’m already reading a book and have an ARC for my editor’s new release which is out in June – but I dropped everything and I’m 16/111 pages in. Love it.

Made a lovely concoction of Chicken, Bacon, Avocado and rice noodles for dinner. In hindsight I should have added some baby plum tomatoes. It was yummy though.

Right I’m heading off because Hunter’s Moon is calling my name. If you want to check out the first two in the series, I’m adding a link for book one.

Crimson Moon by Sherri A Wingler

In the old days, people whispered about the wolf, said he came only at night, and only by the light of the full moon. They locked their doors and huddled close to their fires, safe in the knowledge they could prepare for his coming. The truth is, no one is safe, because the wolf walks in the skin of the man. Always.

Harlow Hayes is a runaway, thief, and failed Southern belle. Forced to grow up fast after what her mama delicately referred to as, ‘the incident,’ she learns the hard way not all strangers are kind, real monsters hide in plain sight, and family can be found in the most unexpected places.
Harlow Hayes is about to meet the Wolf.

Stay safe.

Good evening all,

Stayed in today all day, yay! Didn’t get a call from my mechanic so have no idea what the damage will be to my pocket. Hopefully I’ll hear tomorrow.

Spent the morning polishing my blurb again for A Boy from the Streets. Count up how many times I’ve said that since lockdown and it will give you an idea of what goes into the writing process.

Worked more on my keywords for advertising for Boy and editing on Illicit Love.

I did clear up more in the garden and can see an end of the wood chopping soon. Yay!

Cooked one of my favourite childhood meal, kedgeree, today. Yummy.

Stay safe.

Good evening all,

As busy day today. Headed to Tesco’s for 9am to do the food shopping for my parents and my friend’s dad. After that I rode to Hammersmith to drop my motorbike off with my mechanic as it needs a new exhaust – and a few other things! Dread to think what that particular bill we come in at. I had to go on public transport to get home as it’s way too far to walk, especially in bike kit which isn’t made for walking. The downstairs of the bus wasn’t an option as there were enough people down there, so I headed upstairs and there was only myself and one other. I have to say I couldn’t do it in rush hour. Didn’t like being on there in the first place.

This afternoon was all about editing and cutting up some more wood outside. Getting closer to finishing that now.

Half the street were out again to clap for the NHS/Keyworkers.

Stay safe.

Good evening all,

Went out for a walk to Hounslow Heath, it was nice to be out and about in nature and also good to get my 10,000 steps in and beyond given I’ve had two days of not getting anywhere near my target. But feeling really drained today and completely out of sorts as the uncertainty of when I head back to work.

Uploaded a new blurb for Sins of the Father and worked on the second round edit of Illicit Love.

Made a lovely Gluten Free, olive and sun blushed tomatoes Flatbread and a coconut and dark chocolate mousse, both of which were yummy.

Had a Zoom catch up with my colleagues at work this morning and getting ready for the quiz which I’ll lose on shortly.

Stay safe.

Good evening all,

Food shopping this morning to Lidl, had to have words with a woman who stood closer behind me than I would have been comfortable before Covid19. Why on earth the government have faith that people will do the right thing is beyond me.

more time spent working on the blurb for the back of Sins of the Father this time but waiting on feedback before I publish it.

Not sure where the rest of the day went to but feeling a little up in the air as I’m waiting to find out when I return to work, can’t quite settle – my peace of mind has gone.

Stay safe.

Hello all,

Spent most of the day working on my blurb after reading Bryan Cohen’s book How to Write a Sizzling Synopsis and posted it onto one of his groups. Feedback from one person recommended a couple of changes but someone else said they liked it all. Let me know what you think?

A heartbreaking discovery. A twelve-year-old boy is desperate to survive. Family secrets which could destroy them all.

Pedro dreams of being more than an orphan on the streets of Brasil, but there are few opportunities for a boy forced to beg and steal for a living. Staying alive is hard enough.

Jose is a sensitive boy, cushioned from life’s hardships. After learning he was adopted and has a twin Jose runs away, hell-bent on finding him. However, the streets of Rio are not safe for a boy who’s used to luxury.

Thrown together by a twist of fate, at first, the brothers struggle to bond. When Pedro hatches a plan to return Jose to his adoptive parents, will temptation cause him to betray his twin and take that life for himself?

Jose is forced to open his eyes to the brutal life of a street urchin, but despite the horrors, he discovers acceptance and love. Can he go back to his old life, when the price to pay will be the loss of his twin?

A Boy from the Streets is the heart-breaking first novel in The Children from the Streets family saga.

If you like a gripping page-turner, with twists, turns, and realistic characters, who will tug at your heart-strings, you’ll love Maria Gibbs’ inspiring series.

Buy A Boy from the Streets today, to find out whether the boys survive the deception, betrayal, and hidden truths that haunt this family.

Thanks to Chris Witty for clarifying Boris’ waffle. I have to reiterate I think what they are doing is fundamentally wrong at this stage.

A week into my healthy eating/weight loss programme, 4lbs lost. Yay!

Not going to hit my 10,000 steps target today but I will ensure I make these up over the course of the week.

That’s me done!

Stay safe.

Good evening all,

I was up until 1.30am talking to my sister as we looked through our family tree and we made a little break through as we think we found our nanna’s nan. We forwarded the details to my cousin in Australia who has spend years doing this tree and she picked it up and was able to match some DNA. Exciting discoveries. It has definitely sparked a strong idea for a book series.

Bit of housework today, bit of editing, workout done but have felt really on edge knowing today the PM will be making his speech about the lockdown. For the first time I am very disappointed in the government for their wishy washy speech. Yes I get some of the restrictions lifting will be dependent on the IF factor but the rush to get workplaces back up and running is going to cause a second spike in my opinion. There should have been a phasing back, so a clear guidance of which sectors could go back.

Stay Alert! Really Boris, come food shopping with me and you’ll see that there is very little awareness as people lean over you and rub passed you.

Anyway I’m heading out of here as I’m slightly miffed.

Over and out.

Stay safe.