February Newsletter

My New Year resolution was to be consistent with my social media, including posting my monthly newsletter on the 1^st of every month. Unfortunately, the whole house came down ill by morning, so I've been writing this underneath a mountain of tissues!

I still managed to keep my promise, so I guess this is a lesson to keep charging on no matter the roadblocks 😊

The end of January is marked down in writers' diaries, as they get to see their Public Lending Rights statements. This is when authors find out how many times their books have been borrowed from UK and Irish libraries. 

My People’s Friend pocket novels, Lord Winterton’s Secret and The Rogue Redcoat, which were republished in large print under the Linford Romance line, are available to borrow and I was so excited to see this:

This was actually my first time seeing this, as I had only signed up for PLR shortly before the British Library experienced a cyberattack and didn't have access to my account for ages.

Thank you so much to everyone who read my books!

Publication and Writing News

Another one of my short stories was published in The People’s Friend. It’s a coming-of-age tale inspired by the rural new year tradition of Plough Monday. Ploughing On, which featured in the January 11th issue, can still be read via the Readly App.

Also, the longer historical series I’m working on, which cannot be revealed yet, had six more parts approved in January. I’m now polishing off the final parts.

More can be found out about it in my writer of the week interview with The People’s Friend: Writer of the Week: Kitty-Lydia Dye

With such a large project coming to an end, I’m now thinking about what to write next. I’ll be returning to my timeslip trilogy, but I always like having several projects on the go.

I’m still in the mood for longer pieces, perhaps set in a later time period, Edwardian, and the location being the Broads 😉

Writing Tip

Last month, I suggested trying out new genres. Of course, you’re not going to love everything, but it can still benefit your writing.

Start a list detailing what happened in the book that made you put it down. When writing your own stories, you can go back to that list as a reminder of these pitfalls. 

For example, a book I read recently had too obvious a twist that took too long for the reveal, leaving an already indecisive main character frustratingly oblivious to who the culprit was. It became immensely better when the reveal happened and I got to enjoy the fallout.

An opposite list, one focusing on what you enjoyed in a book, can also be used. Another book I read was snappier when it came to the characters moving to different locations, the main character was also more direct in her wants, something which helped me tighten up a meandering middle in one of my own stories.

See you all next month!