What does a book editor do? (And do I need one?)
When you can’t see the wood for the trees, an editor can bring out their chainsaw or clippers, cut out the dead wood, prune your sentences, and give your words room to breathe. Many editors also specialise in certain genres and stages of production.
Behind the Scenes in Evie Land – June 2021
Greetings from the planet Gah! If last month was Manic May then this month is Jumping off The Cliffs of Insanity June. (Ten points if you get the movie reference there…) I’ve written over forty-eight thousand words of book four, reinvented myself as a lifestyle guru, been mistaken for an angel, and burnt myself out with the intensity of a dying star. I’ve also read a ton of epic books, written a reverse virgin trope sex scene, and been introduced to the scary world of online dating. So, if you want to experience my hyper-reactive instability from a safe distance, read on!
150 Romance novel tropes
Tropes are everywhere. In Shakespeare, Austen, everyday language and your favourite TV shows. Tropes are common situations in narratives that help structure a story. ‘Enemies to Lovers’ is a very popular trope which can be found in The Taming of the Shrew, Pride and Prejudice, The Hating Game, and You’ve got Mail. Tropes are commonly used story devices that we all recognise on some level.
What Evie is Reading
This month my books are all debuts from three incredible new authors! Our heroines are a Victorian lady scientist, a Kiwi carpenter, and a young woman on the run who finds safety and solace in a tattoo parlour.
Behind the Scenes in Evie Land – May 2021
May the Fourth be with you! This month I’ve taken the sponge of intensity and squeezed it dry. If what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, then I’m currently the love child of Wonder Woman and The Hulk. So, strap yourself in, say a few words to the deity of your choice, and read on!
What Evie is reading
This time I’m going leftfield, with three books that are gloriously bonkers in very particular ways. ‘Early Riser’ takes place in an alternate reality, where each perilous winter, most of the earth’s population hibernates, ‘The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart’, shows us what happens when, every New Year’s Eve, Oona is transported to a different year of her life, moving backwards and forwards through time, and in ‘Bonk’, we learn about the real and surreal world of sex and science.
What Evie is Reading
I’ve got some awesome reads for you in this blog and I can’t wait to share them with you. I’ve got a romantic comedy with a man who joins a secret all male book group dedicated to reading women’s romance novels, a steamy hot story of two ice hockey stars falling in love, and the slowest burn romance I’ve ever read between a Hollywood power player and her assistant.
Behind the Scenes in Evie Land – March 2021
In January I finished book three. In February I went through overused words in Highland Games. In March I have been mainly on my hands and knees cleaning up puppy piss.
What Evie is reading
I’ve got a fabulous gift basket of books by (mainly) British authors for you in this blog. Pernille Hughes takes us from her home in the UK to her birthplace of Denmark in search of great beer and the best kiss in the world, Nick Spalding takes on a quest to discover why he’s so unlucky in love, and Margaret Amatt whisks us north to the Isle of Mull for a heartfelt second chance romance.
Behind the Scenes in Evie Land – February 2021
Find out what prompted me to leap naked into a freezing river at six thirty in the morning, why I was given a knife on Valentine’s day, and how many times I can write the word ‘hand’ in an 80,000 word novel. Yes folks, this month you’re in for a roller coaster ride, also featuring a live chicken trying to hop inside an oven, sunrise in PJs, and a bonafide Hot Mess. Read on, my friends...
