I'm quite looking forward to this week, workwise, as all I've got planned is editing of the second novel. Last week, what with the giveaway for Driven to Distraction finishing and getting the books signed and sent off to the winners; and also answering a number of questions for an author interview on a review website; I didn't get as much editing time as I wanted.

I didn't quite realise how high postage costs are. Nine of the ten giveaway winners live overseas from the UK and the postage was more than it cost me to buy the ten copies from my supplier. Still, the one UK winner actually lives in my home town and as my parents are driving past the end of her road today, they're popping it through the letterbox for me so that's saved a few quid.

The review website that I mentioned above should be printing a review of my first novel in the next couple of weeks. When it does I will supply details/links to it here. They have a vast number of questions for author's to answer for an interview and suggest answering a minimum of twenty.

It was answering these questions that got me thinking about advice. Similar to a question I answered here on Goodreads, there was one asking if I could give any advice to aspiring writers. I was almost reluctant to answer as I feel I still come under the heading of 'aspiring writer' myself; but perhaps advice coming from someone going through the process of publication and trying to get a book noticed is better than from a successful author who has just had their tenth book hit the top of the bestseller list.

The last thing a writer like myself wants to hear, just after receiving their thirtieth rejection letter, is to hear a successful author say, "Yes an agent is key to getting published. Of course I was lucky that the first agent I approached wanted to take me on..."
I'd rather hear from the writer turned down by every agent in town to find out what they did next to try and find success. It's like being told, "Beauty is only skin deep" by a person so gorgeous that people faint after one look at them.

I read about one author's experience of obtaining an agent in an article a while ago. I can't remember who it was but he'd gone to a book fair of some kind and was standing in an aisle, looking confused when someone came up and asked if they could help. It turned out it was an agent who had stepped off of her stand to provide assistance and she ended up taking the guy's piece of A4 paper with his jottings on it about his book (she even had to ask him to add his contact details) and the agency eventually took him on as a client.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm happy for the guy. If anyone is able to attract the attention of an agent then all power to them, but really; it's difficult reading that someone else stood in a crowded room looking forlorn and found a literary agent when you've just received your latest rejection letter.

I hope when my author interview appears it does prove useful to people. I think the best advice I can give to aspiring writers is not to give up, keep at it and, thinking about the guy I mentioned above; hope for a big dollop of good luck.