Author Image by Sunflowers Photography “The summer I started to develop Precious You, I consumed best-selling thrillers to understand agent, publisher and reader expectations on things like pace and twists and reflected these in my draft.” Author Helen Monks Takhar offers five reasons she dared to dream that her novel, Precious You, would get published. […]
Author Hannah Tovey on the importance of seeing your novel with fresh eyes
Author Image by Krishanthi “I asked my agent to put a pause on submissions and I took some much-needed time away from the book.” After facing rejection, writer Hannah Tovey took six weeks away from her novel. But would the subsequent draft finally land her a book deal? Everyone told me that getting an agent […]
The Silence author Susan Allott on writing, rejection and never giving up
“I refreshed my email and double-checked that I’d submitted to the correct addresses.” After her novel was rejected by agents, Susan Allott considered abandoning her writing dreams. Now, on the publication of debut The Silence, she tells why she’s very glad she didn’t. This is something I haven’t told many people. My agent doesn’t know. […]
Author Rosie Sawicz on the importance of self-forgiveness
“I learned how destructive it is to tear yourself apart with guilt for not writing, or stare at a blank page wishing you could be anywhere else.” Forgive yourself if you don’t have the headspace, says the thriller writer, and trust that your moment will come. In 2010, I decided it was time to take […]
Author Peter Humphreys and the stop start nature of becoming Unstoppable
“The hard work began with the acceptance that it will never end.” After an over confident start became a trap, author Peter Humphreys found his way back to his craft with debut novel, Hong Kong Rocks. As a young writer, I fell into a trap from which I was reluctant to escape: I was told […]
How to be Unstoppable: Kate Willis-Crowley on the near-breaking point of new born plus book deal.
“That first book didn’t break me. The second came very close.” Children’s author Inky Willis tells how parenting while writing taught her to pace herself. ‘Children’s author’ and ‘parent’ seem like two complimentary hats don’t they? Or maybe not. Maybe nothing’s easy anymore once kids are on the scene, but you’d think a creative ‘child […]
How to be Unstoppable: Philippa East on the relentless rewriting of Little White Lies.
“I’d already written this book 12 times, working on it non-stop for almost two years. But it wasn’t enough.” Thriller writer Philippa East tells how she dug deep to do multiple redrafts to land her agent and a book deal with HarperCollins. Not so long ago, when tidying out a cupboard, I came across a […]
How to be Unstoppable: Claire Sheldon on surviving the rollercoaster of getting published
“Somehow I managed to pick myself up and start the submitting journey again.” The author of thriller Perfect Lie tells how she bounced back from disappointment to see her debut published by Ruby Fiction. 2019 was a rollercoaster year. It began with me getting some interest in my debut novel which at the time was […]
How to be Unstoppable: Gill Thompson on how personal pain can turn into poignant fiction
“If I hadn’t experienced loss, anxiety and – often – sheer despair, I might not have managed to draw on those emotions in my writing.” Author Gill Thompson tells how she draws on her own difficult experiences to do justice to her heart-wrenching novels. Fifteen years ago my life was in a complete mess: my […]
The winner of the inaugural Comedy Women in Print award for COW GIRL reveals her writing journey.
“I’ll be forever grateful to Helen Lederer, the brainchild of CWIP for shining a light on funny female fiction.” Novelist Kirsty Eyre tells how she survived radio silence, rejection and writing in the car park to become an award-winning novelist. Last year, my debut novel ‘Cow Girl’ won the inaugural Comedy Women in Print prize […]