Life's Complicated - the sequel to Life Happens

Today I have just published my sixth novel - Life’s Complicated.

I can’t quite believe I’ve written six books, to be honest. When I did my MA in Creative Writing at Bath, I never imagined I could write one whole novel, never mind six, but I discovered a love of writing and now I can’t seem to stop!

Life’s Complicated is the sequel to Life Happens; I felt there was more to say about my three friends, Rachel, Grace and Jen when I finished the first part … and here is the sequel. It’s certainly full of complications for them all.

I have no illusions about my books – they are not great masterpieces – but they are the sort of books I myself like to read when I’m on a beach: easy to read, easy to follow and hopefully entertaining. You’re not going to learn about ancient civilisations; you’re not going to struggle to follow the sentence structure or the vocabulary and you’re certainly not going to study my books at A level. I’ve aimed them categorically at women who may be able to empathise with my characters – older women who’ve lived a bit, who’ve had their own difficulties and who enjoy reading about the ups and downs of life and relationships.

Don’t ask me where the ideas came from – I’ve no idea! I’d thought about writing about three friends for a while and slowly the characters formed in my head. They’re not based on anyone I know but I suppose they must be an amalgam of everyone I’ve ever met. I never have a plan when I start a novel. I’m not one of those writers who map out the entire novel with cards, sticky notes and timelines. I have a (very) vague idea which develops, literally, when I type. Things change all the time. I recently told someone that writing a novel was a bit like doing a jigsaw puzzle, for me – I have all these pieces in my head which eventually slot together to make a whole. I reckon it’s an excellent way of fending off old age and dementia; my brain is always on constant alert.

I have been known to cry when I eventually write ‘The End’. It’s such an achievement and feels like an emotional weight has been lifted; I’m happy to have finished but sad that it’s all over.

But the end of the writing is just the beginning. You spend as much time marketing, as a self-publisher, as you do writing the story in the first place! I gather that even large publishing houses expect you to do all their work for them these days; you need a large following on social media to even be considered. I like the freedom of self-publishing though – everything is my choice. It all comes down to my decisions: the story, the characters, the cover, the blurb – all me! So I’ve only got myself to blame if it all goes horribly wrong!

I feel I must be doing something right though, as my sales continue to go up each month. I get a real kick from thinking about all those people reading my words. Okay, some people will hate it and write a horrible review, but I get so much great feedback, I’m beginning to be able to ignore the nasty comments. I just imagine asking them – have you ever put yourself ‘out there’? Have you ever written a cool 75,000 words? If the answer is no, then I’m not interested in your opinion, thank you very much!

It’s so easy to criticise and I criticise myself all the time, so I don’t need anyone else to add to my own doubts. I always remember the saying ‘if you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say nothing at all’ courtesy of Bambi’s mother in the Disney film. Such a good saying for anything in life, I think.

So, there we are - Life’s Complicated has flown the nest and gone into the ether and into the iCloud to be consumed, hated or loved by anyone who wants to read it. I’m now going to ‘let it go’ … and start the next one!

Thank you for reading this and if you’ve read any of my books, thank you for that too!