I have been a little quiet on the blog side of things, and I do apologise for that – it’s been a busy and emotional few weeks.

The details I will keep private to protect those I love but suffice to say, I’ve been bereaved about a fortnight ago and it’s been an emotional journey. Writing during such a time becomes challenging for two reasons: firstly because your head is simply not in that creative space, and secondly because there are so many other things demanding your attention.

So how do you keep writing during the hard times? Well, I typically follow a rule of three (always easier to remember!):

1. Never guilt-trip yourself. When going through an emotional upheaval, the last thing you should do is punish yourself because you don’t reach some vague standard. Be kind to yourself.
2. Set reasonable goals. Whatever you think you can do that day, half it. Maybe half it again. See point 1.
3. Be honest with those around you. When you’re struggling, it’s easy to try and hide your difficulties – but people who love you want to help you, and they cannot if they do not know your situation.

They may not help you, but remembering these three points has helped me navigate the last few weeks, and I am sure they will be helpful for me as we enter 2020.

If you are going through a difficult time, my heart is with you. If you’re trying to balance it with writing, I completely understand, and you are not alone.

I’ve written over 25,000 words this weekend (!) because I was desperate to finish book 3 of a new series which will be coming out next year. The words were just flowing from my fingertips and although I will of course lose some of them in the editing process, I’m glad to get so many of them down.

And yet the bit I found the most difficult?

The ending. Like, the actual ending.

Not the happily ever after bit – definitely got a gorgeous wedding scene in there. What I found difficult was deciding what the very last word on the page should be.

You see, when I finish writing a book, I want to leave my readers with a strong emotion. Usually it’s a sense of happiness, a feeling of rightness with the world. Sometimes I want to make them smile, and occassionally (!) I attempt to make people laugh out loud.

The strange thing is that I’ll never find out if I will succeed. My readers span the globe, but (so far) no one has finished one of my own books in front of me. I read the reviews and I am thrilled when someone enjoys my book – but that lasting emotion right at the end of the book. Do I hit the mark?

And that is why I spent two pages trying to finish this book. I knew I needed the right emotional beat, the perfect wording to end a very emotional journey for both my hero and heroine. But it took over twenty minutes to find the right ones, and they may change again in the editing process.

I’ve just got to do the best I can, and continue to improve my craft. After all, the perfect ending to a romance will always be:

And they lived happily ever after.

I don’t want to confirm any stereotypes of England…but it’s been raining for the last six days.

In June! SIX DAYS!

It’s so grey here near Bath that I’m finding it difficult to write. All my creativity seeps out of my ears and all I want to do is put my dressing gown on (check), put the kettle on (check), and curl up with a good book.

The trouble is, I want to read one and not write one – and I’ve got deadlines to keep! Thankfully my friends, family, and most importantly readers are getting me through. Their little notes of encouragement keep me putting finger to keyboard to create the next most amazing love story.

And as the last book in my Ravishing Regencies goes on pre-order (which you can grab here!), it’s a nice way to end one era and start to plan for another.

As I sit here on the sofa, looking out of the window at the rain, I’m reminded that there are so many amazing things that happens because of rain.

The trees are now green, that sweet smell of wet earth, and the refreshing of crops – all this can only happen because of rain.

So here’s hoping that this rain will bring after it a renewed sense of creativity. I can’t wait to get started on the third (!) book in my new series for 2020!