I haven’t been blogging for the last couple of months because I wanted to focus on my latest book. It wasn’t easy, but two months of grafting and intensely focusing on one project helped me speed up, and 74,284 words later I finally have the first draft of ‘Madison’ completed.
Madison huh? So I’m guessing it’s about a girl…
It is, but it’s not what you think. Madison is the guy’s stepdaughter. It follows her life through the the stepfather’s eyes. I always try to do something different with every book I write, and with this one I thought it would be interesting to write from a first person point of view but from one of the secondary characters.
Is it any good?
I don’t know, it’s not for me to judge. But initial feedback has been pretty good though.
OK, so how many books have you written now?
I’ve written eight, but this is actually book number seven
…Stop speaking cryptically!
It’s quite a long story; I started writing this book three years ago but lost the file when my laptop died (about 10,000 words in, so I hadn’t made any back-ups yet). I left the book and began to write ‘Stranded’ instead (Which was published last year. Link below) before finally coming back to this book.
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Oh god, you’re going to post a blog link to when you stopped writing this book all those years ago aren’t you?
Way ahead of you…
https://sirlewisofclarke.wordpress.com/2015/10/01/book-7-has-been-shelved/
< sigh >, OK, so was this book just a word for word copy then? Since you said you wrote 10,000 words of it before.
That was the plan at first. I still had all my notes, so I wanted to write the same book. But as any writer knows books tend to write themselves. So as I had an original plan about where I wanted to take it, that went pretty much out the window about 15,000 words in. Including getting rid of key plot twists and replacing them with completely different ones that took the story in a whole different direction.
This actually worked in my favour because being three years older I could write things that would never have crossed my mind three years ago, so even though it sounds super cliche with extra cheese it was like I was supposed to lose that book and write it later on in life.
What do you mean?
Well, I needed to do a lot of research for this book about subjects that I weren’t familiar with, for example one of the subjects was Zimbabwe. I got most of my research online, but all my first hand research was from people who didn’t exist in my life three years ago. It makes me wonder how this story would have played out if my laptop didn’t die in The Philippines back in 2015.
So… Is this book ready to buy now then?
Oh no! It’s only in the first draft stage. This one won’t be ready until at least mid 2019. I need a mental break from it, then to approach it with a clear head in a few months time. There will be obvious plot holes and contradictions that I need to fix, plus the overall flow of the book. This means adding and deleting scenes, and tweaking certain aspects of the story so it is one enjoyable read rather than just a load of information happening one chapter after another. But my other 6 are available to buy on Amazon if you are interested in taking a look:
- Posted earlier on today on my wordpress blog:
https://sirlewisofclarke.wordpress.com/2018/08/13/ive-finally-completed-my-latest-book/
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I was debating on whether to post this on here, but in the end I thought this is another group of people I can reach with the same post, so there's no harm in sharing it here as well. Who knows, I might get some extra sales out of it!
I would love to read one of your books, I would love to write my own book, I would love to stop being so envious that you have written so many books! Seriously I love reading but I usually only read free stuff on Amazon Kindle, not that I haven’t actually paid for a book, but that was quite a while ago when vodka wasn’t so expensive and my car wasn’t falling apart.
I clicked the link for “Stranded” because I sent my 19 year old son to the UK a few months ago and he’s all alone and his girlfriend just broke up with him and I though the book might cheer me up but it says “This title is not currently available for purchase” which got me to thinking about the correctness of the grammar used in the sentence and how much dedication it takes to write a whole book and then go back and read it over and over and edit it and rework it and I realised that being an author is like being a preschool teacher or a lawyer or a hairdresser, it’s usually a gift you’re born with.
Thanks for sharing, I’m glad you did!
Hi @emeraldearth, haven't seen you in a while (mainly because I've not been blogging much recently) so it's good to hear from you! First of all a lot of people have issues buying the book(s). The first issue may be that I post the .co.uk version because it has the most reviews. Switch the .co.uk to .com and it might start working.
If it doesn't, throw a TV remote at the wall, preferably someone elses. Then if they ask you if you know why their remote doesn't work you can either look at them innocently and shrug your shoulders, or go full on Rick Sanchez mode and verbally destroy them until they are about to burst out crying, then carry on with your life as if you genuinely don't give a shit...
Another issue could depend on which country you are in, or the fact that I only have my books on Kindle at the moment. Or it may simply just be a broken link. I'll take a look at it and then spout empty promises in your direction...
I do have paperbacks of the first four (The Price of Fame, Destiny, The Butterfly Killings and Talk To Me) as well, but I haven't worked out how to distribute them properly yet.
I know a couple of the books are free with Kindle Unlimited, so if you have that you can bag yourself a couple of freebies. Sales are great obviously but if I can reach out to more people who enjoy my work as a result, then I'm more than happy to give away a couple of freebies.
Anyway I'm kind of going off on a tangent, but thank you for your kind words. It can be draining doing 5 or 6 edits of the same book. But it is essential so the whole book flows properly. Hope you are well and if you do ever get a chance to read one of my books let me know what you think. I'd love to get some honest feedback :-)
p.s. In Thailand they have a sweet rum that kinda tastes like a whisky called Sangsom. It's £3 for a small bottle and great to just chill with after a long day. If you ever end up in Thailand give it a try. It's a bit moreish though...
I too have been mia from Steemit for a while but nothing as noble as writing a book! It was also good to see you back here with your delightfully witty repartee, and if your comments are anything to go by then I’m sure I’d love to read any of your books – unless they’re written by your very boring and sober (minus sangsom) alter ego, which I highly doubt, as you seem more than able to challenge the pesky surfacing of any such wimpy affront to your bodacious true self!
Yes, I’m sure the .co.uk replaced by the egomaniacal, self-proclaimed no.1 world power .com will do the trick, without destruction of personality or property, as I currently use it for the other freebies I shamelessly consume without reviewing or buying the next book in the series.
(BTW what is a TV remote? I don’t watch TV and therefore am no longer familiar with the associated accessories, our lounge is strictly a children and dog zone and I try not look in that direction when passing by)
But, by all means, if you feel it might be of some benefit, go checking for possible broken links, (if you haven’t already done so) which you can then use as an excuse for breaking any current pending promises:
Landlord: “Have you paid your rent like you promised?”
You: “No, I was busy checking Amazon for broken links to my book.”
Nope, paper books are not my thing anymore, they make me sneeze, but I’m sure you could post out some autographed copies for sentimental value via amazon, although this probably requires a publisher – I do know of someone in the uk… who published a friend’s book, so could pass on the info if necessary.
Well my tangent has closely followed yours, I hope you noticed, and it’s been great fun! But to bring things to a close as soon as possible, I’ll see if this month’s budget allows for the purchase of one of your books and I’ll be sure to track you down electronically and share my absolutely honest opinion about it without resorting to any underhanded rick and morty impersonations.
P.S. I don’t think there’s a chance I’ll end up in Thailand anytime soon but interestingly enough I left my birth country for the first time a couple of months ago and travelled to Oxford for a family visit, which is almost the same as going to Thailand isn’t it? We stopped at Thaikhun for a quick drink and I had a Muay Thai Kick which is disaronno & mekhong thai whisky with lime, triple sec and pineapple juice, YUMMY!
P.P.S. if you ever consider a trip to South Africa, you could buy decent rum for a very similar price (about £8) including our very own local (kwazulu-natal) Zulu Rum…if it’s ever back in stock again. Most alcoholic beverages are moreish...😆
Oh I won't be here for long. Steemit has changed and is not the platform I signed up for anymore. I'll post once in a blue moon about my books and possibly blog posts from my original blog (as I guess there's no harm in posting it in here as well) but I'm not 'back for good' as 'Take That' might put it...
If you are after comedy, then I recommend 'Destiny'. (I've posted the .com link. Hopefully this one works...)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UXKPA0C/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
It's my least selling book, but still solid nonetheless. All the other books have an element of comedy in them, but that one is the only one that is specifically a comedy. I think that one is one of the freebies on Kindle Unlimited as well, although I'm not 100% sure
I did check the links, but it might be OK for me because of the country I'm in or the computer I'm buying it from. I've checked Google (Because you know, I'm high tech and shit...) and it says that some items on Amazon aren't available to buy in South Africa. Come to think of it I don't think I've ever sold a book in South Africa before, so that's a possible problem. Either way, thanks for the multiple excuses to throw at my landlord like custard pies. (Not chocolate cakes. That would be blasphemy...)
I would love it if you posted a review in character pretending to be either Rick or Morty! But if not, I'd be more than happy just to know that you enjoyed the book. I've had a few reviews that blew my mind, and that's why I write in the first place.
You went to Ingerland? I've never actually been to Oxford believe it or not so you've been to places in England I haven't! That drink sounds pretty nice, I might have to give it a try the next time I go back home.
I would like to go to Africa one day. My original plan was to travel all around Africa by land, but as I've gotten older the trip sounds less appealing. Maybe I'll visit a few random countries when I start making more money. But for now I need to get my head down and start saving, maybe saving to try that Zulu rum...