Whew! After a very long Christmas break with my family in California, I’m back in London breaking promises to myself. Before I went to California, I made a mental list of all the incredible things I would accomplish: write a second draft of my manuscript, plot out two new novels that are bouncing around in my head, write queries for agents, and spend quality time with the fam.
Only one of those things happened. And it was the one that had nothing to do with writing.
So I returned to my freezing cold flat late on Wednesday night, endured two jet-lagged days at the office, and told myself I’d get back to writing this weekend.
Unfortunately, I won a book. Yes, it should be a good thing to get free stuff. Even better, it was a bloody fantastic book. But that meant I couldn’t put it down until I finished it twenty minutes ago.
I haven’t even unpacked.
Back in December, Dear Author hosted a Berkley Holiday Giveaway and I won Pieces of Sky by Kaki Warner. It was a beautifully written historical romance set in New Mexico, one of the most romantic places I’ve ever been.
From a writer’s point of view, it was a fantastic lesson in showing, not telling. The backstory and characters’ motivations are revealed slowly, and the relationships between all the characters are developed in such a way that you can truly believe in the depth of love between them – not just between the hero and heroine.
I absolutely loved it, and knowing that it’s Kaki Warner’s first novel inspired me to sit my butt back down and give my all to my dreams. The book was published a few days ago. Seriously, I can’t wait for the next in the series to come out.
And I’ll be following Kaki’s blog to find out her progress on it.
Happy new year, Kaki and everyone who’s stuck with their dreams. And for those of us who are sometimes sidetracked, let’s get back down to it.
Happy New Year to you, too, Katrina. As I mentioned in an earlier email, all the nice reviews in the world don’t mean as much as enthusiastic responses from readers. Thank you so much for these generous accolades. As a newly published author, I’m still not sure any of this is really happening, and when I hear from satisfied readers, I feel that all the angst and rewrites and soul-pouring was worth it. Keep writing. And if you truly believe in your story and your characters, never, EVER give you. Good luck!