I’ve come to a crossroads. I’d managed to finish two novels so far this year, both were sitting ready for editing, and I was waiting to hear whether the publisher of my first two books wanted the third or not.

Much to my disappointment, the answer was, on the whole, “not”.

A door had closed in my face, which means that the two books I have already written are surplus to requirements and it’s unlikely that in their current form either will find a publisher. I thought about self publishing them, but as I saw the costs beginning to stack up, I realised that I’d have to be able to guarantee a LOT of sales to cover the cost of a structural editor, a copy editor, a proof reader, a cover designer, and, most crucially and most expensively, publicity …

It was also becoming increasingly obvious to me that there are some staples of my chosen genre that don’t fit well with my writing style. I don’t write about cupcakes, gin, cosy cafes or Cornwall (I’ll be honest, the planned final instalment of  my Rawscar books had the unlikely working title of Killer Snake Rampage at the Cosy Kitty Cupcake Cafe!)

I don’t want to stop writing, but cupcakes aren’t getting me anywhere.

 

 

So, as the door of the Cosy Kitty Cupcake Cafe closes behind me, where do I go next?

Well, I might as well write something completely different, something that I want to write, and crucially, something that I have the confidence to publish for myself. And I thought that along the way I might as well document my progress from idea to novel. It’s not exactly an original idea, but everybody’s writing journey is different.

So just as a hint, here’s a little clue as to where this new mystery novel might be set – I’ll warn you now, it’ a long way from Cornwall!

[All images from Pixabay]