Overused Words
As a writer, I’m more concerned with telling a story and taking characters and readers on a journey than I am with monitoring how many times I use certain words. However, once the first draft is set down and the editing process begins, then the spectre of ‘overused words’ rears it’s spectrely head like a spectre from another world entirely habited by spectres…
What is a Sex Index?
There have been many great contributions to the world of literature. Gutenberg invented the printing press, Shakespeare invented romantic comedy, and J K Rowling invented Harry Potter. However, all of these achievements pale into insignificance compared to my contribution - the sex index. Seeing a hole, I filled it. Finding a gap, I plugged it. My invention of a sex index at the back of a romance novel is hands down the most exciting new development since the Kindle. So join me, readers and fellow authors, to drill down into what a sex index is, and what it can do for you…
Behind the Scenes in Evie Land – July 2021
We’re half way through 2021 and I thought I’d celebrate by finishing book four, having a near-death experience, buying a broken mobility scooter and destroying the garden with a ninja farmer. If you want to know more about this, plus meeting the SAS, seven foot blue aliens with ridged penises, and the latest on Highland Games, then read on!
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!
Three things I wish I knew before I started writing, and three things I’m glad I didn’t.
Writing is a deceptively complicated business. I’d devoured books all my life and spent my life using words in one form or another. How hard could it be to put them in an order that resulted in a book? Here are the three things I wished I had known before I set sail in HMS Blissful Ignorance to write (and actually finish) my first full length story.
The dangerous internet search history of an author
What does the internet search history look like for other authors? How weird could it get? How dodgy could it look? I asked around the writing community, and holy guacamole there are some good stories out there.
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.
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...
