Forty-eight hours ago I published the next book in the Maze Investigations series, ‘The Soldier’. Today I have discovered that it has entered the top 100 in both the UK and the US on Amazon and sits just outside the top 30 in Australia.

This is both amazing and humbling. My first book, ‘Three Times Removed’, did reach the #1 spot in Australia on release, but this is the first time I have achieved such a high rating in the UK and the US, so I am thankful to everyone who bought ‘The Soldier’ and have given me the confidence and the impetus to keep writing, which is what I am now doing.

Upwards and Onwards
In last month’s blog I described setting off on a new book as being like a parachute jump. I am now four weeks into the manuscript and it’s feeling more like the start of the London marathon, or rather, about five miles into the marathon and realizing that the remaining twenty miles to the finishing line are a very long way!

But I have made progress.

I have mapped out more of the journey, so I now have milestones. I want to have this book finished in its first draft by the end of January 2022. Hmm. Ambitious. But, with enough dedication and hard work I think I can do it.

The plot of this novel is also clear in my head in helicopter view, but not in detail; not yet. And for me, the detail only comes as I write it.

The characters are taking shape in my head and starting to make their way out on the page. I can ‘see’ each of the main people, in 3-dimensional form. I know their individual appearance, how they speak and react and each of their backstories. I am a visual person, so I need a multi- dimensional view of where I am writing about too. This has involved a trip to a part of the country that I love – Cornwall. All in the interests of research, of course.

A fellow author once told me that she writes in ‘islands’ and can write the crucial moments of her novel long before they occur in the plot line. It sounded like a very good idea, but it didn’t work for me. I am linear. For me, plot ideas around the main story only come as I write, so although I have the start and end in my head, how I will get from one end to the other is part of the mystery, and fun, of the process.

This latest book has reached 5,000 words so far. The finishing line is still a long way off, but I see it in my mind and as I pass the milestones and remain on track, I will celebrate each one.

OK. It’s Sunday, 0820. Mental muscles warmed up. Running shoes back on. Time to hit the road (laptop) for today’s hike.

See you next month.