Deadly Obsession - How I Did It.

A few people have asked me how I’ve done it, so I thought I’d start sharing my experiences in this blog whilst I write my next novel. I’ve learnt an enormous amount about so many things on this journey. And the only thing I’m absolutely certain of is... I’ve so much more to learn!

Deadly Obsession started in January 2006 when I woke at four in the morning with the story idea. 



Grabbing for my notepad and pencil next to the bed, I scribbled with my eyes half mast. Wide awake by page five, I swapped my bed for a chair and my notepad and pencil for my laptop and I just kept going. By that afternoon I had an eighteen page story outline.

It took three months for me to finish the first draft between my day job and an active social life. Writing ‘The End’ was a really good feeling. For me, writing is like what I do in my ‘real/day’ job – I manage a project from the beginning, through the ups and downs in the middle and then deliver it to client at the end.  It’s the same principle.

Three people read it and made comments.  Mostly, it was fix a typo here, make sure Casey is the same age on page 15 as she is on page 50, etc. I made the changes and thought, now what.

I need to get published. I found an agent through Amanda Patterson of Writer’s Write after attending a couple of her creative writing courses. But there were no takers for my book, and so I let it sit. My agent moved to Australia and decided not to be an agent any longer. Every now and then I’d whip it out, have another pass at it, make a few changes, and try another round of seeking to be published. In 2008, I moved to the UK, life happened and I left it for another couple of years.

In 2010, I paid a small fortune for a bona fide, ‘worth every penny’ editorial review.   A real editor read Deadly Obsession, and wrote eighteen pages of comments, feedback, and recommendations. It seemed to me then that there was hope. He/she – I was never privy to the name or gender – liked my plot, suggested certain characters needed work, and said ‘show, don’t tell’!

That’s when I thought, I’ve got to do it. Its time...

And along came sassy Sally... one of my book club girls. We started a little writing coffee morning just the two of us. She writes extremely well, and although I felt quite dowdy in comparison, I knew she’d be a good editor. Incorporating as many of the real editor’s recommendations and as I felt worked and Sally’s feedback, I started in October 2011 and finished at the end of December 2011. And so you have it ....  Deadly Obsession.

Bring on the comments, I'd love to know what you think.