Hello, Writers!

This year, I’ve decided to start my podcast by looking back at everything I achieved in 2022. After that, I will discuss the products I loved in 2022 and will continue to use in 2023.

I will also not dive too deeply into metrics like hours or word count because that’s not helpful. In fact, as a coach, I hate metrics because it doesn’t contribute anything of value, especially in the writing space. Everyone writes differently. Some people need to write slowly, think and research as they write. And if that’s you, it’s okay to write that way and slowly build your backlist.

But I’ll hop off my soap box now.

So, without further ado, let’s get into the show.

Third Edition of Missing

Yes, I know this will sound ridiculous, but in 2022 before the release of book two, I created a third edition of Missing under a new title. This new title is Suspicion. The third edition was released at the end of July. I guess you’re wondering why—why create a third edition of the first book in a series?

The answer is two-fold. To improve read-through from books one to two in the future, that’s the most important reason. But another important reason is I wanted to use Maximilian Nicholls in another series, and I couldn’t with the previous ending of this short novel. Over time, I realised that I didn’t like another character I created but enjoyed writing from Maximilian’s point of view. And I guess there’s a third reason as well; I wanted to improve the average rating to above 3.65 stars, and I felt that attempting that with the second edition would be an uphill battle.

So, I enlisted the help of beta readers and a copy editor which was a wrong fit for me which led me to turn back to the company that I used for the candidate for a  line edit and a final proofread. Next, I gave the book a new cover, but with the same colour palette; I did this on purpose so readers would recognise the book but also get that it was a third edition. Then, I used ARC readers found on Book Sprout and another programme I will not name, to source early reviews. The reviews I received on Book Sprout were honest and fair and came from actual readers who enjoyed reading in the genre.

Writing The Locked Room into the Dark

During the rewriting and revision stage of Duplicity, I had a lightbulb moment. I finally admitted that I hate revisions and was ready to try writing into the dark. So, I purchased a Writing into the Dark course and another on Writing Locked Room Mysteries, both by Dean Wesley Smith.

This prompted me to start writing a short story into the dark, which will now be a novella. I know this story is a novella because the story needs a lot of setting up before the body is discovered. In addition, the story I’m writing ties into an event briefly mentioned in Duplicity, and it’s titled, The Locked Room. And once I figured out the title, I purchased this premade psychological thriller book cover from my store. I wanted it to be a legitimate transaction because it was originally an asset that I wanted to make money from, so I paid for it at its usual price, £60.00 from my book royalties. Also, I changed the colour palate because it was too close to another short story that I published.

As of a couple of days ago, I’ve reached 18,699 words, and my protagonist, James Lalonde, has just discovered some information that has changed everything for him. So, I’ve reached the third act of the story. But I could be wrong about that—it might be a novel; I just don’t know. Once I’ve finished writing and publishing this story, I will discuss my experience with writing into the dark at length.