The XY Factor

‘Me in bed… with Johnny Sloan of all people.’

 

What a weekend it has been. At the moment I have at least five things going on – cooking dinner while ironing my son’s uniform, running his bath, responding to email, all the while I’m trying to stay sane…. and hard boil eggs for the decorating of the Easter eggs – this year it’s celebrities, of course. It’s a quiet night I have to say.

If you haven’t guessed it yet I’m a self-employed single mum. But those are only details, a little bit of an icebreaker to introduce you all to who I am. My passion in life is writing – duh! – has been for as long as I can remember and I’ve always tinkered away. Time gets in the way or more appropriately life and so it’s always been something just for me.

I turned 30 this month, and so the truth is out, and I wondered what I’d been waiting for. I have a whole library cluttering up my hard drive. And while pondering this milestone in my life I tried to look forward rather than back – because my child can never know the things I got up to in my youth. My own mortality didn’t faze me but the realisation that when I wander off this mortal coil so will all of the characters I’ve created brought a lump to my throat. So I set to work and got one story out there – see above – I want you all to have the chance to get to know the characters as I have. Often what’s said is that the characters choose the writers and not the other way around, and most of the time I believe that.

And so to my tagline, it is easier writing fiction than living life. As an author you are in control of what the characters say, what they do, if they live or die, triumph or founder, and that has an impact on life. To a writer the most mundane of tasks can be enthralling. I find myself mentally writing actions as they’re taking place whether it’s within me or outside of my control. People in my life who don’t write don’t get it, my son for example when he’s not doing as he’s told, a friend, or family member when you find yourself wishing for a moment that you could be in control again – make them accidentally fall over themselves, talk gibberish, or something Like right now, if I was writing this moment my character would already be on her way to bestseller lists the world over, but in reality I have to work hard – life’s not much of a fairytale.

But enough with that melancholy. This weekend I’ve had a crash course in self-promotion, which isn’t entirely natural to me. But I thought as I took this journey I would keep a diary of sorts, of my experiences, and of my work (not my business my writing) because all weekend I’ve been clamouring to get on with the novel I’m writing at the moment while trying to promote this one, and thinking about getting another of my novels out there – I have a specific one in mind (and it’s not Nick and Bella).

So anyway, apologies that this isn’t the most concise piece, I will get better… I hope. If you have any questions, queries or hints, and tips please be in touch. Thank you all!

Scarlett