Final chapters, wine, an awards ceremony and a call for writers

There's something very civilised about travelling through the countryside on a train with a fellow writer and chatting about writing, books and exchanging stories.

I'm a day late this week updating my Operation Author: 365 Actions to Succeed as an Author because of our excursion.

My friend and fellow writer Heather Reed was shortlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize for her brilliant crime novel, with a working title of 'Puff of Madness' and I went along to the awards ceremony with her for moral support - and as drinking / shopping / eating partner.

Although she didn't win the overall prize she had a special mention from Literary Agent, Broo Doherty and that made her day.

We celebrated with plenty of wine, we both have a weakness for Rioja!

We did some networking with fellow writers and are going to make connections with Exeter Writers through our own network, Southville Writers. So that's another action from the week.

Heather and I have been in a race to finish our manuscripts this week, and she's beaten me - I still have have half a chapter to go on Solomon's Secrets. So most of my actions this week have been ticking off the chapters. I aim to finish the first draft next week.

We are going to critique and edit each others work, so agreeing how we will do that is another action.

I've drafted a simple cover for the book so that when it's ready I can get a couple of proof copies print on demand for editing - so that's another action.
 

I still need two more writers to be involved in a blog tour. So my next action is to put a shout out:

Calling all writers and bloggers - 

Would you like to take part in a blog tour?

Email me: amy@tomcatdesigns.co.uk for details.

Basically; I put a shout out, links and profiles for three writers on my blog and those writers then put a shout out for me then link to three other writers. The idea is to link up and support other writers and also to help readers to discover new writers.

The deadline for my leg of the blog tour is Saturday 29th March, ready for my post w/c: 31th March

My final action this week was to submit a guest post for a fellow writers blog, a prolific and talented writer of psychological thrillers, Maggie James. My article on not judging a book by its movie is on her brilliant blog:  http://www.maggiejamesfiction.com/2/post/2014/03/dont-judge-a-book-by-its-movie.html

Back to writing Solomon's Secrets. 

I've set up a Pinterest board of images of actors that I imagine when I picture and 'hear' my characters in my head. I look like some kind of Clive Owen, Kate Winslet and Tom Hiddleston celebrity stalker but I find it genuinely useful to have the board up on one of my screens while I'm writing.  

I spent far too long updating it last night: http://www.pinterest.com/amymorse184/solomons-secrets-my-characters/

And finally, here's another snippet from the book for your reading pleasure, enjoy...