De-blog

OK, so I missed it by a few minutes in BST as it's technically now the 21st August, but let's assume it's still the 20th for me as it still is for many of you. Today I released Meredith's Dagger - my fiftieth novel - on my fiftieth birthday! Both of those facts are quite hard to believe. I made it to fifty! Woot! And fifty books? Well, I wrote most of them in the last ten years, not sure how... I'm going to keep this short and give a little background to  Meredith's Dagger , which I originally wrote in 2011 but then set it aside while I did further research into the relevant local history. Then I got caught up in all that research and it was a bit overwhelming, so I let it rest awhile to work on other books. I've come back to it several times over the years since and made it through the first few chapters before I reached the point where I wanted to slap Julian - you'll reach that point too, but he's not so bad really once you get...

It's been a really busy day. That's what I've been telling everyone, along with mumbled explanations about uploading books, putting together covers, writing reviews and blog posts and so on and so forth. What I've really been doing - spent an inordinate amount of time doing, in fact, is... Finding somewhere to hang my bunting. I kid you not. I probably don't strike you as a bunting kind of person, but this is no ordinary bunting. Oh no. This is homemade, meticulously stitched and ironed(!) bunting. Don't believe me? Well, feast your eyes on these splendiferous triangular beasties! Good, eh? :D The bunting is a lovely release day gift from Dawn Sister - one of my fellow authors in  Seasons of Love   anthology, which is released 31st July (officially - it's already out). Thank you, Dawn. I intend to keep it up for at least a month. Then I'll carefully fold it away into its bag and bring it out again same time next year, and the year afte...

All of the news! I've been so busy this past couple of weeks, I didn't blog at all last week, and my house is wall-to-wall dog hair, but... Goth of Christmas Past is written, and alpha-read! Thank you, lovely husband :) Nige is a sound/lighting tech, which is very  helpful when it comes to feeding back on a story that extensively features a recording studio ('you mean haze, not smoke, never tell them it's smoke or they cough and complain', and 'why is he up a tower when they've got programmable lights?' and 'try re-patching cables instead...' and so on and so forth), except that now he wants a job there, LOL. It's also with the first beta-reader, who tells me it's got a good start. Cheers, Al. x That's...a good start! :) My next mission— aside from 'hinting' that I need more beta-readers —is to come up with a series title. Why? Well, this is part of Hiding Behind The Couch , but it's kind of a spin-off too...HBTC...

WIPpet numbers for 31st January, 2018: 3+1 = 4 paragraphs  Goth of Christmas Past WIPpet Context: I’m still snipping  Goth of Christmas Past . This follows more or less straight from last week’s snippet  in which Jay was contemplating vending machine soup. Note (to explain the second paragraph): Hadyn has OCD, although he has just been handling a dusty Christmas tree… Emma—my wonderful illustrator—has come up with a second version of Jay and Krissi, which is awesome, and now I’m in a dilemma whether to keep the original (pictured) or go with the new one. I think I know what to do, but I”d appreciate your thoughts. QUESTION: Based on the current cover, what kind of story would you expect? * * * * * Here’s the snippet: [Jay] “Is the hot chocolate working?” “It was earlier.” Hadyn was already on his way upstairs and continued in a hasty but controlled manner all the way to the toilet. Jay eyed the machine and then the coins in his hand. He’d either g...

WIPpet numbers for 24th January, 2018: 24-1=23 || 8-1=7 … 237 words Goth of Christmas Past WIPpet Context: I’m still snipping  Goth of Christmas Past —another snippet of Jay. I’ve moved on quite a bit to skip over Jay’s reminiscence of goth adolescence. In this snippet, Hadyn—Jay’s flatmate and sound engineer—has dug out the fibre-optic Christmas tree at the studio… * * * * * And here’s the snippet: Hadyn unwound the cable and plugged in the transformer. The tree illuminated in a brief, glorious wave of purple verging on ultraviolet…and went off. “Poop. I’ve got my soldering iron upstairs.” “Wouldn’t it be easier for us to buy a new tree?” “Easier, yes, but they’re mega-expensive.” “How much?” “A hundred and fifty quid.” It was a lot for a tree, but the studio could afford it. “Order one,” Jay said. Hadyn took out his phone. “Actually, order two. We can have one down here and one upstairs.” “You’re full of festive spirit this year,” Hadyn ribbed without...

WIPpet numbers for 17th January, 2018: (18-17) + 1 = 2 paragraphs from  Goth of Christmas Past WIPpet Context: I’m still snipping  Goth of Christmas Past —and also still playing around with the cover to see if I can increase the readability of the title. I might get it to something I’m happy with before December… This is another snippet of Jay. It comes a few paragraphs after last week’s , so again, there is passing reference to self-harm. Here’s the blurb for further context: Black hair and band hoodies had a lot to answer for. That day, eleven years ago, when Gothboy mooched into their business studies class for the very first time, Krissi had taken one look at him and thought, What a freak. He’s so cool! Now in their mid-twenties, Krissi Johansson and Jay Meyer are successful businesspeople and still best friends. But while one of them is moving forward with their life, the other is sliding ever backwards…revisiting the past and wallowing in regret...

WIPpet numbers for 10th January, 2018: 10 sentences from Goth of Christmas Past Sorry…again…to my fellow WIPpeteers for my tardiness. I had a spider-related mishap last Wednesday, so I’ve been, well, dopey, mostly. Antihistamines…ugh. WIPpet Context: I’m still snipping Goth of Christmas Past —this is another snippet of Jay. It falls a little after last week’s snippet , and I realised, while trying to select a suitable excerpt, that this story will need content warnings. I think people who have read my work before know I don’t write about mental health and illness for shock value. I write about what I know from personal and professional experience, but I try to tell the stories that aren’t usually told. There’s a kind of amusing anecdote that follows on from that. When I was working as a high school teacher, the headteacher at that time called me to her office and asked if I would be willing to mentor a group of Year Eleven pupils (age 15–16). I agreed without hesitation...

WIPpet numbers for 3rd January, 2018: 3 paragraphs from Chapter 3 (which happens on 1st December) from Goth of Christmas Past WIPpet Context: I’m still snipping Goth of Christmas Past  which is finally taking shape. This week, I’m switching from Krissi to Jay—the other main character. They’re the two people pictured on the cover (the magificent work of Emma Pickering). Here’s the blurb for further context: Black hair and band hoodies had a lot to answer for. That day, eleven years ago, when Gothboy mooched into their business studies class for the very first time, Krissi had taken one look at him and thought, What a freak. He’s so cool! Now in their mid-twenties, Krissi Johansson and Jay Meyer are successful businesspeople and still best friends. But while one of them is moving forward with their life, the other is sliding ever backwards…revisiting the past and wallowing in regret. Worse still, it’s Christmas—happy joy joy everywhere! Yay. >.< * * * * ...

Before I forget…you can download my books for FREE or at 50% discount in the Smashwords Christmas sale (ends 1st January): Hiding Behind The Couch series Checking Him Out series When Skies Have Fallen (novel + Christmas short) Debbie McGowan on Smashwords (i.e. all books) * * * * * WIPpet numbers for 27th December, 2017: 12 x 27 = 324 words from Goth of Christmas Past WIPpet Context: I’m still snipping Goth of Christmas Past , and I decided, seeing as ’tis the season , I’d reveal the real cover. The artwork is by Emma Pickering and it’s so perfectly Krissi and Jay. I could hardly believe it when Emma showed me what she’d come up with. The novel won’t be out until next Christmas, but I’m getting quite a bit of it written now. I also successfully persuaded Nige to alpha-read the first 11k to make sure the structure works. He says so! Plus, he bought me a Goth of Christmas Past t-shirt (black with black print) for Christmas. Cheers, dude. :D T his snippet  is...

WIPpet numbers for 20th December, 2017: 12 paragraphs from Goth of Christmas Past WIPpet Context: I’m still snipping Goth of Christmas Past . The pictured cover is NOT the  cover, which is finished, but I’m keeping it to myself for now. This novel won’t be out until next Christmas, but it’s fun writing it at this time of year. :) Apologies to my fellow WIPpeteers for not getting around to you all last week. Work, urgh. Sorry. This snippet coincides with events in the first season of Hiding Behind The Couch (which you can download for free:  http://hidingbehindthecouch.com/?n1=where_to_buy#free ). This conversation occurs a few days after the one in last week’s snippet . * * * * * “What do you think about DNA tests?” Kris squeezed the teabag against the side of the cup and lifted it out. “What do I think?” “Yeah. If I could narrow it down to a few suspects…” “Too much CSI , is what I think.” She tutted but didn’t dispute it, seeing as that was wher...

WIPpet numbers for 13th December, 2017: 13(th) + (20)17 – 12 = 18 paragraphs from Goth of Christmas Past WIPpet Context: Over the weekend, I wrote a short story, which I’ll blog about separately once it’s ready for release, because it’s one of those quickies with no pre-release shenanigans. For now, I’m still snipping Goth of Christmas Past . The pictured cover is NOT the  cover, which is finished, but I’m keeping it to myself for now. :) It’s likely this novel won’t be out until next Christmas, because it’s nowhere near done and I’m looking forward to writing on it during my Christmas–New Year downtime. This snippet coincides with a scene that happens in the first season of Hiding Behind The Couch (which you can download for free:  http://hidingbehindthecouch.com/?n1=where_to_buy#free ). This conversation happens away from the original focus of the scene but is overheard by another character. It’s a long snippet, but I didn’t want to leave it dangling. * *...

WIPpet numbers for 6th December, 2017: 6 + 12 = 18 sentences from Goth of Christmas Past WIPpet Context: I’ve not had much time to write so far this month. To Be Sure  is out tomorrow—part of Never Too Late , which is a collection of nine stories featuring LGBT+ characters aged 50+. Anyway…I’m still snipping Goth of Christmas Past . The pictured cover is NOT the  cover, which is finished, but I’m keeping it to myself for now. :) In this snippet , Krissi is lying in bed, pretending to be asleep, and her parents are talking just outside her door. * * * * * “She’s asleep,” her mum said at a slightly lower than normal volume but still loud enough that she’d know Krissi could hear. “What time did she get home?” That was Kris. “Half past three.” No way… “She’s not going to want to come with us, is she?” “We could postpone it until next week.” This was grossly unfair. She thought she was probably still drunk, never mind hungover, and really tire...

WIPpet numbers for 29th November, 2017: 11 sentences from Goth of Christmas Past WIPpet Context: I haven’t ditched  Tabula Rasa , but I am taking a break from it to write for NaNoWriMo . Thus, I’m snipping from my very new (and rough) WIP Goth of Christmas Past , still on target and one day to go! The pictured cover is NOT the  cover, which is finished, but I’m keeping it to myself for now. :) In this snippet , Jay and Krissi are at the park, sitting on swings, and Krissi is swinging. * * * * * [Jay] “It’s Christmas. Why aren’t you bouncing around like you’ve got springs on your shoes. Actually…they’d be kind of cool.” “Until you fall flat on your face,” Krissi grumbled on her next pass. She was moving fast enough that Jay listened for a doppler shift. He decided it would be better not to respond; he’d only say something sarcastic, and if he managed something more sincere, she’d think it was sarcasm anyway. “So…I’m single again.” “Are you?” He hadn’t...

WIPpet numbers for 15th November, 2017: 15 lines of dialogue from Goth of Christmas Past WIPpet Context: I haven’t ditched  Tabula Rasa , but I am taking a break from it to write for NaNoWriMo . Thus, I’m snipping from my very new (and rough) WIP Goth of Christmas Past , currently on target at 25,000 words. The pictured cover is NOT the  cover, which is finished, but I’m keeping it to myself for now. :) I also have a draft blurb! :o Black hair and band hoodies had a lot to answer for. That day, eleven years ago, when Gothboy mooched into their business studies class for the very first time, Krissi had taken one look at him and thought, What a freak. He’s so cool! Now in their mid-twenties, Krissi Johansson and Jay Meyer are successful businesspeople and still best friends. But while one of them is moving forward with their life, the other is sliding ever backwards…revisiting the past and wallowing in regret. Worse still, it’s Christmas—happy joy joy ever...

WIPpet numbers for 8th November, 2017: 11+8=19 paragraphs from Goth of Christmas Past WIPpet Context: I haven’t ditched  Tabula Rasa , but I am taking a break from it to write for NaNoWriMo . Thus, I’m snipping from my very new (and rough) WIP Goth of Christmas Past . The pictured cover is NOT the  cover, although I think I might recycle it for something else (which would require me to write something else ^_^). The wonderful, incredibly talented Emma Pickering (designer of the cover for Champagne ) is currently working on the cover art. The main bit of it is done, but it still needs the background and…and I’m so  excited! Like a kid at Christmas! :D Emma—you are a superstar. Thank you so much! Onto the WIPpet: this is the beginning of the first scene of the Prologue/Chapter One (whatever it turns out to be). I’ve already had to rejig the characters once, so anything could happen! Some readers might recognise these guys… * * * * * Bursts of stro...

It's here! Release day is finally here! I bet you're all really pleased about that. :D That's the trouble with social media; no matter how many times we share our news, there will be some people who miss it entirely whilst others are thinking enough of the constant bombardment already! So, yeah - sorry if you fall in the bombardment camp. The Making Of Us is a story I didn't foresee, but in truth, I realise now that - like When Skies Have Fallen - it's a story I needed to tell. Back in 2014, when I wrote the first instalment of the Checking Him Out series , it was my first foray into writing M/M Romance, and it was intended to be a tongue-in-cheek, quirky story - and a one-off! It's my most-read story, helped in no small part by being free - I'd have made a 'real' bestsellers' list had it not been free. Checking Him Out is about Sol and Adam - two British guys (competitive, annoying, alpha-male types) who meet in the US, fall in...

Brief explanation: I’ve switched back to snipping from The Making Of Us for a couple of weeks, as the book is out on Tuesday June 20th. :) Preorder Links: Beaten Track [Paperback] • Beaten Track [eBook] • Amazon [Kindle Edition] • Smashwords [eBook] • Barnes and Noble [eBook] • Kobo [eBook] You can read previous snippets  here . The Making Of Us  is first-person, told from Jesse’s perspective. ‘Sarah’ (referred to in this snippet) is the uni LGBT+ society president. I’ve edited to keep it free of major spoilers. Here’s the snippet: “That’s what I meant before,” Leigh said. “You’re not what Sarah thinks queer looks like.” “That’s ridiculous.” I meant Sarah’s attitude, not what Leigh was saying, because now they’d spelled it out for me, I could see for myself. “I’m too introverted for this,” I joked. Kind of joked. I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life sharing personal information with strangers who didn’t need to know. “Yep.” Leigh turned...

The Making Of Us (Checking Him Out #4) June 20, 2017 Available to preorder - http://www.beatentrackpublishing.com/themakingofus Beaten Track [Paperback] Beaten Track [eBook - various formats] Amazon [Kindle Edition] Smashwords [eBook - various formats] Barnes and Noble [eBook] Kobo

Brief explanation: I’m switching back to snipping from The Making Of Us for a couple of weeks, as the book is out on June 20th. :) Preorder Links: Beaten Track [Paperback] • Beaten Track [eBook] • Amazon [Kindle Edition] • Smashwords [eBook] • Barnes and Noble [eBook] • Kobo [eBook] You can read previous snippets  here . The cover’s also changed slightly since I last snipped. The Making Of Us  is first-person, told from Jesse’s perspective. In this scene, Jesse is sitting with Leigh on Leigh’s bed, and they’re having a deep conversation about Leigh’s family. Jesse’s ‘dream come true’ is in this snippet, which I posted a while back . Here’s the snippet: “My feet probably stink. Sorry.” I leaned down and sniffed the one closest to me. “They don’t,” I assured them, as what I’d dreamed of—was it only three weeks ago?—became reality without me really thinking about what I was doing. “That feels nice.” Leigh sighed and smiled, looking a bit dopey. ...

The Making Of Us (Checking Him Out #4) June 20, 2017 Available to preorder - http://www.beatentrackpublishing.com/themakingofus Beaten Track [Paperback] Beaten Track [eBook - various formats] Amazon [Kindle Edition] Smashwords [eBook - various formats] Barnes and Noble [eBook] Kobo