Alexandra Peel's Blog

I wrote a piece on substack a while back – Game of Groans: Navigating the Endless Editing of a Fantasy Epic. Subtitled, ‘Can I stop now please?’

The Endless Task of Writing and Editing a Fantasy Novel

Writing and editing a fantasy novel is a journey that can feel like an endless quest itself. Much like the heroes in the story, I embarked on an adventure that was both thrilling and painstaking. The dream of creating an immersive world, filled with magic, myth, and mystery, often clashed with the reality of long hours spent alone in front of a screen, wrestling with words and ideas. For those who dare to write fantasy, the task is far from simple; it’s a continuous cycle of creation, destruction, and reinvention.

At the heart of any fantasy novel lies world-building—the cornerstone of the genre. We craft complex universes, sometimes with intricate systems of magic, detailed histories, and cultures as rich as the characters who inhabit them. It’s easy to get lost in this part of the process, as the world feels limitless. The problem is, the more I built, the more questions arose. Does the magic system hold up logically? Are the cultures consistent? Can the geography of the world support the plot?

This constant need for expansion and refinement means that no matter how far I progressed, the world always demanded further exploration… and there was always the nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right—whether a plot inconsistency or a character’s motivation left unexplained.

But that was only the beginning. Once the first, second and third drafts were written, the real work began: the editing process.

As anyone who follows me here, or on Substack, knows – I despise editing. I despise it with a passion. I often found myself deleting whole chapters, changing entire story arcs, and rewriting major character motivations. Editing is supposed to be where the magic of the story comes to life, or where it dies. But in fantasy, there’s an added complexity: the rules of the world must be adhered to, which means every edit must be examined through a different lens. If I tweaked a character’s power, for example, did it unbalance the system? If I changed the stakes of the plot, do they still resonate within the universe I created?

This balancing act can feel like a never-ending cycle. There are always new ways to improve a character’s depth, tighten a plot thread, or add layers to the setting. It’s a battle between perfection and completion. When I posted on Substack, someone responded – ‘hit print’! I had my Beta readers, of course, and it wasn’t until one in particular had given it the green light, that I felt confident to do so.

The toughest part of the fantasy writing and editing process, however, is the emotional toll it takes. Fantasy novels are, for me, deeply personal creations. I am that character when I write his or her scene. I put them through the mill, or so I hope. I ran the gamut of emotions they felt.

I wrote the first draft three years ago and put it aside until last year. I took it apart and tried to create three books – there’s enough material. It didn’t work. I reassembled and added a better ending. It expanded like the dreadful pudding in a children’s story I read decades ago. It felt like a battle to create a finished book. But I did it. I finished this behemoth. The finished book is 218,726 words, 669 pages long. It will be released on Amazon soon.

In the end, writing and editing a fantasy novel is not a race but a marathon—one that requires patience, perseverance, and a love for the craft. Though the task may never truly feel finished, there’s beauty in the process itself. After all, every page written is a small victory in the ongoing adventure of creation.

https://alexandrapeel.substack.com/

The Schimmering Paperback and e-book covers

Three of our members recently took a table at a local craft fair.

Hulme Hall, in Port Sunlight, regularly holds fairs in one of its larger rooms. They do tend to vary according to season, so there was the hint of tinsel and a whiff of nutmeg in the air as THAT season approaches.

Mike, Alexandra and Tom shared a table and displayed their wares – Mike had his Sphere of Influence trilogy, plus other sci-fi titles, as well as his humorous travel series. Tom brought A Step Beyond, his collection of short stories, and Alexandra brought five of her titles of different genres.

There were a couple of sales — nothing to write home about, But it was an experience.

We talked about the unsuitability of the fair and how there is nothing on the Wirral dedicated to writers. There is an annual Arts Festival that includes, music, visual art and a poetry event. The idea was mooted to approach someone involved in the organising of that Festival to include something for writers.

We may look around for suitable venues, such as the Floral Pavillion in New Brighton, and enquire if anyone would be interested in running a writers event. A book fair for local authors perhaps.

Watch this space!

They say not to judge a book by its cover but I need you to do just that. If you liked the cover of my book, HAFT, please vote for it for the Cover of the Month contest on AllAuthor.com!I’m getting closer to clinch the “Cover of the Month” contest on AllAuthor! I’d need as much support from you guys. Please take a short moment to vote for my book cover.

Many thanks in advance.

P.S: did you know that indie authors rely a lot on readers leaving reviews? More than traditionally published books. So, if you read Haft and enjoyed it, do please consider leaving a review on Amazon.

If you already did, then thank you for your interest in my work, you are a wonderful human being!

New Sci-fi Novel Release

Hello there,

Apologies for my tardy post, I have been preoccupied with the new ‘toy’, SubStack. I’m finding it a jolly easy place to navigate and create posts and find stuff I want to read about – predominantly writing stuff.

I just wanted to pop in to say I have a new title being published. It was meant to be Tuesday 2nd July, but between my getting locked out of KDP on my laptop so resorting to my phone, and my fat fingers, the e-book was published ahead of schedule.

Haft is another world. A planet not disimilar to ours, with the difference of having 3 distinct humanoid types. The Thrope, the Baft, the Hoyuk and the Wudu. Each have particular physical and emotional features that tend to direct the kind of activities and employment they engage in. For example, the Wudu are distinct from the other species in that they are a humanoid-fungoid hybrid. They don’t have hair, they have gills. They are emotionally calm, unlike the stocky Baft, and lean towards fellowship, and ecological preservation. The Hoyuk are an enigmatic, creative and aloof race, whilst the Thrope are the closest to Earth humans.

Though this is classed as sci-fi, for isn’t that a broad term? Haft isn’t about technology, and you won’t find star ships, battle ships, or extreme technology. It is a sub-genre termed soft sci-fi, often the phrase speculative is coined in relation to this style of sci-fi.

Haft is dying. Resources are dwindling. Mining has grown exponentially. We folllow our reluctant, lazy and apathetic hero, Jago Bressel, on a journey of discovery.

You can get your electronic version of Haft on Amazon now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/HAFT-Alexandra-Peel-ebook/

The paperback is out on 2nd July.

Hello friends.

It has been a while since I last posted anything, but I do believe indolence was mentioned in my home page!

Anyway, things have been moving around and as well as getting a short story published in New myths, I have started a Substack account.

You can find me here –

Thank you for following me this far, and I do hope to keep scrawling rants and so forth here. But I would be delighted if you could join me on the stack of subs!

Have a wonderful day.

Are you bullying yourself?

How kind are you?

How kind are you to strangers?

How kind are you to yourself?

Most people tend to be kinder to friends, colleagues, and associates than themselves.

I don’t pretend to have an answer to the reason for this, but it does seem to be difficult to differentiate between selfishness and self-care.

At this time of year, I keep hearing about people feeling down, exhausted, and burned out. This isn’t a new phenomenon. It has happened every year in my memory. It has been recorded throughout history. Some people live in far less comfortable situations than I do (UK). But isn’t the way we treat ourselves akin to bullying? Are you ignoring the small voice that says, ‘I need to rest’?

The expectations we place on ourselves do not always equate to the way we treat other people.  The expectations we place on our own children are not the same as what we expect from other people’s children, even those related to us. Why are we harder on ourselves?

Whether you are performing physical or mental labour, it is around this time of the year, post mid-winter, post-Christmas, when all the parties and joyous activities are done, that many people find themselves taking a dip in energy and feeling unhappy, or miserable, or worse.

There are many things to be grateful for – but thinking this doesn’t always help lift us out of the ‘Blues’. People are leaving the professions that they once loved. People are on a variety of medications. We are told that we are more stressed than previous generations.

When we are exhausted, we experience an energy deficit. There is a temptation to do less, doing less can turn into doing nothing quite quickly. Doing nothing does not re-energise us.

What you need to do is self-care, which can take many forms. You may have heard of the Scandinavian concept of Hygge (rhymes with cougar) – real fires, candles, and snuggly jumpers probably spring to mind, but the idea is about protecting oneself from the outside world.

How to recharge? Recognise the signs of weariness, exhaustion or burnout – preferably before it happens, and then simply TAKE TIME OUT FOR YOURSELF. What sorts of activities give you joy? Do that. Find yourself a new hobby, and do a little every week. You have to bring the joy back into your life. Everyone needs respite and peace sometimes.

There are a couple of English words for what I often do – pottering and pootling. To recharge relax and escape the stresses of work, your new activity must be carried out in a semi-engaged, casual and pleasant way.

I’ve put together an alphabet of hobbies to (maybe) start you off: I tried to make them reasonably inexpensive and accessible (Ice-hockey isn’t available to everyone for example!)

Oh, and you do not have to be any good at your new activity – as long as you ENJOY IT.

Art

Bookbinding

Cooking

Decoupage

Embroidery

Fishing

Gardening

Home Brewing

Interior Design

Journalling

Knitting

Lego

Music (learn an instrument)

Nail Art

Origami

Pen Pals

Quilting

Role Playing Games (TTRPG)

Scrapbooking

Tye-dye

Upholstering

Video games

Writing

Xiangqi (Chinese Chess)

Yoga

Zumba

So, be kind to yourself. Take a moment to think how well you treat yourself day to day. Learn to treat yourself.

By the way, from the above list, there are only 2 activities that I have not tried over my lifetime, maybe you will find your new relaxation passion for 2024!

Take care.

And remember…

I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas, I’m sure there’s still plenty of food in the fridge! The days following Christmas day can be a bit odd, feel empty to some, a come down for others, and a relief that it’s over for a few. It was agreed by all, in our household, that we had the perfect Christmas. Here’s how…

Firstly, we are a family of three. Now, this is evidently going to be easier than dealing with a family of 5 plus, as there are already less personalities in the mix.

Second, our daughter is 25, all grown up and living with her boyfriend, so no tantrums (or are there?)

Finally, we have few ‘rules’ for Christmas, the main one being, relax.

What to wear?

Never mind Father Christmas – try Pyjama Christmas!

So, everyone likes to get dressed up for this holiday season, don’t they? Or do they? In my limited and brief personal research, I have discovered that although people do get dressed up in their best togs and like to flash new clothes and a bit of bling — that’s just all talk. Most people roll their eyes when they talk of wearing a new outfit. Most people cannot wait to get out of these items of clothing when dinner (or the King’s Christmas speech, if you’re that way inclined) is over.

How did we resolve this issue? I shall tell you our secret.

Every Christmas, I buy a new set of pyjamas for the three of us. Nothing fancy, sometimes silly, but always comfortable. After a shower on Christmas morning, we don our new pyjamas, and spend the whole day in them! It’s comfortable, we’re physically relaxed, and there’s room for the waistline to expand! We love it, and sit there having a good old laugh at everyone we have heard complain about getting ‘dressed up like a stuffed turkey’.

Eating

Preparation starts on Christmas Eve. What shall we prepare in advance? Whatever will reheat easily, and we can be bothered doing. We all chip in — with a drink to hand. On the day itself, we all chip in again — with a drink nearby. It’s not an orderly operation by any means. We don’t have a set time to eat. When it’s ready, is our motto. And that can be anything from 13:00 to 17:00, depending on how long something needs to cook for. This year, I made a semifredo on Christmas Eve – as me and daughter don’t like Christmas cake, or pudding, or mince pies.

Of course, there are plenty of nibbles to pass the time, so no one is desperately hungry.

Nice and easy does it.

Guests

No.

Simple as. This is our family time. We don’t get to see each other too often and we are, all three of us, averse to outsiders. Even other family members. In the past, we have had family for dinners, both sets of parents and a sibling, making it 8 at the table, but we never have enjoyed it as much as when it’s just us three.

Guests can come before and after Christmas, but the day is for us, to do whatever we want, whenever we want.

So many of us feel obliged to invite people over, because that’s what you do, isn’t it? Who says so? Why do we have to stuff our homes with people? Why the stress of entertaining people with disparate tastes (TV and music as well as food). We work with people all year long, so privacy and isolation at Christmas is our joy.

Timings

Now, I well remember that early rising on Christmas Day morn with a small child. Little kids like to open their presents at some ungodly hour, and mum and dad better be there to supervise, otherwise, everyone’s gifts get opened and no one knows who bought what for whom!

But, once the teen years are passed (Hallelujah), there’s a lovely, cosy lie-in. In fact, our offspring hates being disturbed before midday when she is off work. Twenty-something ‘tantrums’ can be fearsome. So, avoid them, does it really matter what time everyone gets up, as long as they don’t miss dinner? A gentle awakening with a cuppa by the bedside, some gentle rustling about the house, reading in bed, doing the crossword, breakfast in bed. We didn’t have to be anywhere. We weren’t expecting anyone. So it didn’t matter.

As it was, we were all opening our presents by 11:30. That’s civilized in our book.

Pyjamas on. Bucks Fizz in hand. Peruse the vegetables and meat.

Entertainment

What does everyone want to do? Do it ALL! Why not? A bit of this and a bit of that isn’t going to harm anyone. Christmas quiz of the Year, board games, silly novelty toys, music in the background — everyone gets to choose something at some point throughout the day. TV. If one or two people aren’t that bothered, then go with the rest. Daughter wanted to watch something, I didn’t mind, hubby didn’t care. so we watched her choice. It all fell apart later when we got drunk and ended up watching some old 80s tat. It didn’t matter. It was funny because we all knew it was terrible. We were united in our hilarity and smugness.

In Conclusion

I cannot recommend highly enough, the wearing of pyjamas on Christmas Day. It’s freeing, it’s relaxing, and it’s funny (to us).

You may think about those in need (we do). But being grateful for what we have and where we live makes everything warmer and enjoyable.

Don’t do it if you don’t want to. This is the one day of the year when you aren’t answerable to anyone (unless you’re under 18). Let it go. Stop organising. Chillax. Have a drink (or a smoke!) Sit back. Enjoy being by yourself or with a limited number. No one should be obliged to feed every aunt and uncle and cousin in sight – unless you want to.

Keep it simple. It’s not about the money. It’s not about showing off. It’s about enjoying yourself.

Did I mention pyjamas?!

Not to scare you or anything, but – There’s Ten Days to Go!

There are ten, yes 10, days left in the NaNoWriMo event. For those who have ploughed ahead with great focus and commitment, and have met the target, well done!

Fifty thousand words isn’t a huge amount in the scheme of things, the average novel is between 80,000-100,000 words. It’s not simply the amount that can be intimidating, but the time in which you produce it. One month, thirty days. Not long at all, especially if you work, have family commitments, or attend a weekly club. It all eats into those ‘precious’ minutes.

Ten Days to Go!

We had a visit one day from a couple of relatives. Like most sane individuals, they work ‘regular’ jobs with regular hours. They have weekends to do whatever they want, so they do not understand that, even though I have had a full morning to write, I desperately need the afternoon too.

You see, I can’t type fast. In fact, I’m not trained, so I tend to use only the first two fingers of both hands – occasionally dipping into the ring finger for the letter ‘A’. Even if I could type faster, I can’t do it continuously all day long. I have been known to slam out thousands of words in a day, when I am deeply involved — in the zone, as sports people say. But I can’t keep this up day after day and often sit staring at the screen internally screaming ‘Get on with it!’

Ten Days to Go!

Studies have shown that attention spans vary according to age, with younger people (this surprised me) having the longest. There has been some surprise in education quarters when told that information cannot be processed after a certain period and that talking to students should last no longer than 10 to 15 minutes. Attention depletes after this period and so nothing is going in.

I imagine that authors who have been writing for many years, like all creative types, have learned to focus attention and have therefore been able to expand this span over longer and longer periods. The average human attention span is now said to be… 8.25 seconds, (some of you have become bored already and stopped reading).

The average attention span for 16 years plus, is said to be 32 to 48 minutes. Let’s say one needs a break from it every half hour, perhaps, make that 10 minutes, that removes 1 hour and 20 minutes, in an 8-hour day you could write for 6.66 hours. If you can write nonstop, without loo breaks, tea breaks, or lunch, that’s a lot of words. But unless you’re a machine, that ain’t going to happen.

Ten Days to Go!

 Which is why aiming for 50k in this month-long event is a challenge. One does not rewrite, one does not edit, and one does not do research in the middle of writing. Nothing else is meant to happen except a great outpouring of words. Sometimes, the way you have arranged those words will not make sense. Sometimes you will write a scene that will never make it to the final cut. Often, and most commonly, you will have a horrible sensation of incompleteness or rigidity as each day dawns and another one and a half k words need to be unloaded into your machine or book.

At the stage I am at, if I can write 1.5k a day until the end, I can make it. If I can overcome the two sticking points in my story, I can make it. If I can make sense in my head of what I have written so far and add to it, I can make it. If I knuckle down on those days when I don’t work and slam out more than the daily requirement, I can make it.

Ten days.

The clock is ticking.

You can make it too!

Good luck!

https://www.thetreetop.com/statistics/average-human-attention-span#:~:text=Average%20Human%20Attention%20Span%20Statistics,than%20goldfish%20(9%20seconds).

Genre: Crime, Thriller

Pub Date: 12 Oct. 2023

Publisher: Pegasus Crime

Length: 288 pages (HB edition)

Hardback Edition: £24.86

Geneva is a debut novel described as ‘A bold and unpredictable debut thriller set in the biotech world (and deceptive beauty) of Switzerland, by acclaimed actor Richard Armitage.’ 

Synopsis:

Nobel Prize-winning scientist Sarah Collier has taken a step back from work to spend more time with her family. Movie nights with her husband Daniel and their daughter Maddie are a welcome respite from the scrutiny of the world’s press. As much as it hurts, it’s good to be able to see her father more too. He’s suffering from Alzheimer’s and needs special care. Sarah has started to show tell-tale signs of the disease too. She’s been experiencing blackouts and memory loss. It’s early days but she must face the possibility that she won’t be there to see her daughter grow up. Daniel, a neuroscientist himself, is doing his best to be supportive but she already knows that she will have to be the strong one. For all of them.

So when Sarah is invited to be the guest of honour at a prestigious biotech conference in Geneva she declines, wanting to stay out of the public eye–that is until Daniel shows her the kind of work that the enigmatic Mauritz Schiller has been developing.

This was a ticketed event run by Linghams Bookseller of Heswall, and took place at the Birkenhead School in Oxton (Wirral). The hall was pretty much filled to capacity with a surprising mix of ages – twenty-somethings to seventy-plus, at a guess. Clare Mackintosh; a successful crime writer herself, was our host and interviewer for the evening.

Armitage is known for his film and TV work, but I was unaware that he was also a narrator. He told us that he had been narrating since before Audible was a thing. He enjoys reading, and reads aloud even when reading by himself, it is to do with hearing the sound of words, he told us. Now, this is the amazing thing – especially if you are a struggling writer of novels (like I am), and one might get a bit envious, jealous, even cynical, about how this book came to be written.

Amazon approached Armitage and asked if he would like to write a thriller. He said yes, because he didn’t think it would actually happen. Had he ever written before? Not books, but he has a habit of writing out character profiles and backgrounds for those he plays. Amazon offered him a ghostwriter, which he refused. They asked for samples of his writing, which he duly sent them. So, how does this happen? Armitage himself laughed and said he thought there was some weird algorithm that Amazon uses – probably checks how many people downloaded his narrated works.

So, anyway, he completed the book; on flights, train journeys, travelling between filming. He planned it the way moving image producers plan filming – with a sort of ‘Call Sheet’ – everything in each scene of each chapter in a sentence.

The book – what was I expecting? Not a lot to be honest. When someone is asked to create something in a craft that isn’t their own, I have my doubts. Let’s be honest, would Amazon have asked if they didn’t think his name would draw the punters? I think not.

However,

I was pleasantly surprised. This is a fairly solid debut novel. All the references to Harlan Coben, and his (Coben’s) endorsement, did put me off. (I have read Coben’s work and it’s okay, and I have not enjoyed any of the TV adaptations of his work.) Fear not, Armitage has come up with an intriguing set-up. World-class professor, Sarah Collier, is suffering from Alzheimer’s. She is to attend an important event in Geneva to endorse new technology that will forever change how illnesses of the brain are treated. But Sarah is slowly losing confidence in her abilities. She cannot be sure of what is real anymore and who she can trust.

It’s not brilliant. It’s not going to be a classic, in the true sense of the word, but it is good writing. I finished it in two days, it’s not long, and the story kept me engaged throughout. I wasn’t sure how believable some of the plot twists were, but by the time I questioned them, I’d moved on. I did want to find out what happened to everyone in the story, and I was taken by surprise as it neatly rounded to the opening scene.

It’s a fun and engaging read. I’m  giving Geneva 4 stars.

Genre: Literary Fiction, Thriller
Pub Date: 6 July 2023
Publisher: Atlantic Books
Length: 432 pages (HB edition)
Hardback Edition: £14.39

This event took place in July – I am waaaay behind with this post.

The West Kirby Bookshop is a new(ish), independent bookshop in the heart of West Kirby on the Wirral. Indi bookshops need the same love and attention as indie authors, and with that in mind, I made my first visit in July this year. The staff are very friendly, and knowledgeable about books. I bought two and was convinced to buy a ticket – which included the book, for a reading by Colin Walsh, who I had not heard of before.

Kala is a debut novel described as ‘A gritty heartbreaker of a thriller… Part heartfelt coming-of-age tale, part brutal Irish noir, this is a spectacular read for Donna Tartt and Tana French fans’ – Kirkus

Synopsis:

Three old friends are thrown together in the seaside town of Kinlough, on Ireland’s west coast for the first time in years. They – Helen, Joe and Mush – were part of an original group of six inseparable teenagers in the summer of 2003, with motherless, reckless Kala Lanann as their group’s centre. Soon after that summer’s peak, Kala disappeared without a trace.

Now – fifteen years later: Helen has reluctantly returned to Ireland for her father’s wedding; Joe is a world-famous musician, newly back in town; and Mush has never left, too scared to venture beyond the counter of his mother’s café. But human remains have been discovered in the woods. Two more girls have gone missing. And as past and present begin to collide, the estranged friends are forced to confront their own complicity in the events that led to Kala’s disappearance, and to try to stop Kinlough’s violent patterns repeating themselves once again…

At this moment of writing (far from the actual event! Apologies) I cannot recall the name of the woman who ran the question-and-answer session. Walsh came across as a lovely, one might say shy, individual. He had an air of quiet self-assuredness, which I found pleasantly startling and refreshing in a man who I thought quite young. (I have no idea how old Walsh is, but to my ageing eyes he looked like a very young chap). He read extracts, answered questions about the process and then questions from the floor. I asked if he thought the Ireland he portrayed might offend some, as emigrants often view the old country with green-tinted spectacles, a romantic Ireland of days gone by. Walsh agreed that this was a view many held about Ireland and that he was unperturbed by potential nay-sayers. He came across as thoughtful, his answers considered, respectful and frighteningly mature. He spoke of the psychology of the Irish and young people and those who have been damaged by an experience (as Mush is, both psychologically and physically).

For a debut novel, this is excellent writing. Walsh honed his skills through short story writing, for which he has won awards.

The book – It is set against the backdrop of a town suffocating on its own secrets. Kinlough is one of those places where visitors come for the view, for the craic, for a scent of typical Irishness; a festival, put on by Joe; the returning musician, draws the locals and visitors alike. We get a wonderful portrait of each of the prime actors in the tale, not just physically, but their ongoing mental states; the disappearance of their childhood friend has left deep scars. There isn’t any out-and-out action, there aren’t any scare jumps or sudden astonishing reveals, but it is written so well, that one is pulled along and into this world of damaged young adults that you are there with them when they succeed and fail.  The story builds slowly, begins to simmer and boils to a climax.

I think Kala examines the cost of belonging, to a country, a town, a clique. Some people move on regardless of what occurred in their past, but most of us carry that baggage in some form or other, and we might feel betrayed, hurt or vindicated through our own response.

I really enjoyed this novel. I like Walsh’s style of writing. I enjoyed the suggestion of danger, the way people disguise themselves as something else, the smattering of humour.

I’m giving Kala 5 stars