*** HAPPY NEW YEAR ***

This is a bit of a weird post because I’m going to mix up a happy new year message with some writing advice – and if you’re hoping for my publishing schedule this year, it’s at the end of the post. So, a strange assortment, but there is method to my madness.

For years, when I’ve been interviewed as an author, people have asked what my one piece of advice for new authors is. I’ve waffled. Read. Write regularly. Don’t get distracted by social media.

But recently I realised that my advice is simple and powerful, both for writing fiction and living your life. Don’t get in the way of your story.

When you’re writing, getting in the way of your story is doing things like writing purple prose (florid, exaggerated writing; e.g. her heaving bosoms were like plump marshmallow pillows smothered in white satin. Ahem). It is anything that distracts from the story and the impact of the story. So it can include structuring the story wrongly: what you show, when and how. Or other errors, such as grammar and punctuation, or simply using the wrong word. (My current pet peeve is the number of authors who think you reign in a person’s actions. Like Congress reigning in spending! Ack!!! No. REIN – no g!).

But before you get hung up on checking your writing for errors – that, too, is a temptation to get in the way of your story. Make sure your story is there on the page before you unleash your inner editor (or the one you’ve hired) to clean it up.

As Pixar says, the story is king. That’s where you put your effort. Make it strong. Make it matter to your readers. Everything else is a checklist you learn to run through.

Don’t get in the way of your story also applies to how we live our lives, and New Year’s Day is a good time for that realisation. Ask yourself, “What is my story for 2020?” What do you need to get done this year? What do you hope to do? Who are you when you look in the mirror? What will make you happy? What are the lines in the sand that you won’t cross?

Be clear about the story you want to live this year, then live it! Lots of people and events will try to distract you – including yourself! – so know your story for 2020 and stick to it. This isn’t about making resolutions. Life requires more flexibility than that. But it is about being true to yourself and respecting the power of your own story.

Publishing Schedule

It’s exciting to be starting a new decade. I’ll be kicking off a new series of books. The House That Walked Between Worlds is a blend of fantasy and science fiction. Science fantasy. House isn’t out till mid-year, but it’ll be worth the wait. No pre-order link yet. I’m still getting a few things in order.

Space Specter is out February 3. Pre-order link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XGGNLHR/

Rough Magic is out April 6. Pre-order link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XFJR2RJ/

So that’s the book publication schedule so far 🙂 If you follow my Facebook page you might have seen me mention an idea for a cozy mystery series set in space. Nun Left Behind is still percolating. It may end up being a later-in-the-decade project. A cyborg nun as the crime-solving protagonist is a bit challenging to write!

Happy 2020! May all your stories be joyous.