Many authors identify as either plotter, someone who plans the whole plot and all the details before they start writing, or a pantser, someone who flies by the seat of their pants.
I am a proud plantser, so somewhere in between. This means I have a general idea of where the story goes, writing out general plot ideas before I start, but I’m often surprised by my characters.
I tend to scribble notes as I write, reminding myself that the love interest has green eyes and what his middle name is. The scribbles become my ‘bible’ so that I can edit for continuity. K.M. Allan blogged about creating a series bible, but I recommend creating one even for stand-alones, especially if you’re a plantser like me.
Another thing I’ll do before I start is to choose the setting. Setting is extremely important to my writing, almost becoming a supporting character, and I only write about places I’ve been to and know. Yes, I still have to research. I’ll look back over my photos and read my travel diaries and blog posts, and I become a Google savant. For the book I’m currently writing, I’ve been on Google street view, travelling down the roads in the tiny Oxfordshire village my aunt lives in – just to get the details right.
The last thing I always do before I start writing is ‘cast’ my book – always the main character and the love interest, and sometimes supporting characters. This makes it so much easier to write, because I just imagine them in those places and sometimes whole scenes will play out in my head before I write them down. Actions become easier to write when I have the setting and the characters visually locked down.
So, I thought I would share some of my casts – just for fun.
One Summer in Santorini(and the sequel, One Summer in Love): Sarah, James and Josh
My next book, That Night in Paris: Cat (Sarah’s sister) and Jean-Luc
My work-in-progress is a Christmas book about three childhood friends from Australia, Colorado and the UK: Lucy and Will; Lauren and Matt; and Lisa and Archer
And the next next book is set in Bali and Scotland
Jaelee and Alistair
So, there’s a little of my plantser inspiration for you…
This weekend I am honoured to be able to share a beautifully-written short story by a fellow romance author, Laura McKendrick, who also writes under the name of Eilidh Lawrence.
Author bio
I am an aspiring romance author, songwriter and contributor to the Pink Heart Society (PHS) e-zine. I was a co-founder of #UKRomChat, a weekly live Twitter chat for romance writers, and co-hosted the chat for its first year. In 2018 I finalled in the TARA and WisRWA Fab Five romance writing contests. I’m a former prosecutor and hold a Diploma in Forensic Medical Sciences, but, no, I would not rather be writing crime! I’m all about happy-ever-afters.
She recently entered the (UK) Woman’s Weekly Fiction Short Story Competition, which was co-sponsored by Mills and Boon and she was one of the runners up with her story, Hunger. I loved it and wanted to share it with you.
Hunger by Laura McKendrick
Image by Alan Poulson Photography
The Oregon Trail, near Fort Hall, Idaho, 1849
“Your cooking smells of home.”
The unfamiliar voice drew Órlaith’s attention from the pot where she stewed elk over an open fire. It took a moment for her to realise the man had spoken in Gaedhilge. Shadows danced across his gaunt face. A face she didn’t know.
“I’m Liam.” He bent closer, offering his hand. “From Donegal.” His fingers were long, his grip firm. His dark hair contrasted with his pale skin.
“You’ve the charm of an Irishman, to be sure,” she replied in English. They were in America now. “But we both know half the women in this camp are stewing game tonight. It was a good day for the hunting.”
He laughed, a sound she didn’t hear so much these days.
“Well, there’s none cooking it as well as you.”
A charmer indeed.
She returned her focus to the stew. The scent of wild garlic mingled with the ever-present woody, smoky smell that had clung to her hair and dust-coated clothes for months now.
“It really does smell good.” He hesitated. “Can I buy some?”
She studied him. “I’ve not seen you before.”
“No. We joined you today. My boy was exhausted. We rested, the two of us. Our party went on.” He shrugged. “That’s how it goes.”
“Your boy?” There were so many children on this wretched journey. “How old is he?”
“Danny’s but four years.”
“You both must eat with us. As our guests. No charge.”
“Us?”
“My brother Ruaidhrí and I.” She paused. “We’re all that’s left that were still in Ireland. And there’s my babby, Hope. She’s asleep.” Órlaith nodded towards their canvas-covered prairie schooner. The wagon was the closest thing to home little Hope had experienced so far in her hard, infant life.
“I’m sorry.” A respectful silence hung in the air. The clicking of the cicadas seemed clearer. Then he smiled. “Hope’s a pretty name.”
“Will you sit?” she invited, and he did. “I always wanted a baby girl called Caoimhe. But then I had Hope on the crossing. A babby born on the Western Ocean. Who would’ve thought? We were bound for America. Caoimhe seemed too…”
“Irish.”
A moment of understanding passed between them.
“Yes.”
“And what do they call you?”
“Órlaith.”
“Was it The Hunger took your people, Órlaith?”
“Disease.”
The fire crackled.
“I see.” A horse whinnied, and he turned towards the sound. When his face returned to Órlaith, she saw sincerity etched across his strong features. “My Nancy, she made it through the workhouse. Made it through near-starvation. Made it through the crossing. But she didn’t make it beyond Boston.” A single shake of his head conveyed loss and disbelief. “Cholera. Little Molly too. Buried three thousand miles from home.”
He did see.
“We none of us would’ve expected this, when we were young. This loss.” She picked up a stick and poked the fire. It sparked. “My sister and her husband left in ’44. Went to Oregon to farm. I could never leave, that’s what I thought then. But when my husband Ciarán and my parents died everything became so bleak. It didn’t seem like life would ever get better.”
A dark time. It wasn’t the smoke that caused tears to well in the corners of her eyes.
“There’s such misery in our country,” she continued, a catch in her throat. Their eyes met. Her pain was reflected in his. “That’s when Mary finally convinced us to come join them. My brother-in-law arranged it all. It was a good boat, at least. We were lucky.”
He looked away from her and tugged at the left cuff of his worn shirt. Had he not been on a good boat? She knew of the coffin ships and thanked God she hadn’t given birth in those squalid conditions.
From behind them, Ruaidhrí coughed. “I see you’ve met our new friend.”
She hadn’t noticed her brother’s return.
Ruaidhrí stepped from the edge of the fire’s light and slapped Liam on the back. He made friends easily, always had done.
“Well, I’ll get back to my boy.” Liam stood. “We’ll take you up on your dinner offer.” He glanced at Ruaidhrí. “If your brother doesn’t mind.”
Ruaidhri grinned. “The more the merrier.”
She was in dire need of merriment.
“You’re both very kind.” Liam lingered. “And Órlaith, perhaps later, I might have a dance?”
She looked at the Irishman, tall, not yet old, a survivor. But gentle too, and familiar. Like home. She smiled. “That’d be grand.”
Thrilled that Sarah from One Summer in Santorini is featured in this fabulous blog post by Lucy Mitchell, author of Instructions for Falling in Love Again.
Sarah suffers from anxiety attacks and her self-esteem has taken a beating. Her trip is about falling back in love with life again.
Today is the last day of the book blog tour for One Summer in Santorini, and it has been a blast. I first learned about BBTs last year when I was an indie author and I knew I wanted one for my first novel with HarperCollins.
My agent, Lina Langlee, was across BBTs from her experience in the world of publishing-marketing, and she helped by walking me through critical steps. Once I told my publisher I was working on a BBT, they reached out to bloggers they work with regularly – and they created the banner above.
I had support and I learned a lot, so I wanted to share what I learned. Whether you are an indie author or are being published by a publishing house, a BBT will require a lot of hard work and dedication from you. But I think this it is worth it. I think it helped me reach a larger readership.
WARNING: This is a really long post – but it includes everything I learned. Here’s what to do, including step-by-step instructions.
Plan ahead. A book blog tour takes time to set up. Give yourself a minimum of three months, two if you are extremely efficient and you already have a strong network of bloggers and fellow authors.
Read (blogs) widely. If you want to create a fabulous book blog tour, start by reading book blogs. Ask readers and authors in your genre who their favourite book bloggers are. When you find one whose style you like the look of, follow them on social media and see which book blogs they read. You are building a wishlist.
Be an active online community member. Subscribe to your wishlist book bloggers’ sites. Follow them on social media, respond to their content, and share it. There are many terrific book bloggers – people who genuinely love books and who are creative in how they support the author community. Support their work.
Be a supportive member of the writing community. This has to come from a genuine place. Seek out other authors in your genre, or who share a common connection. While I am connected with many romance authors through our writing community, I am also connected with authors in other genres through the Australian writers’ community, through my agency, and through my publisher.
Many authors (like me) blog. If you like an author’s books, subscribe to their blog. There are hundreds of Facebook groups and Twitter communities for authors. Find your tribe and participate. Offer support, even if it’s just a well-time tweet. If you have a special skill related to the profession, offer to help. Be a beta reader, edit a blurb, connect an author friend with a graphic artist friend.
You will grow a professional network and it’s very likely you will make friends. I have dear friends whom I’ve only engaged with online.
And when it comes time to create a blog tour, you can ask authors who blog to join in.
Think outside the box. Not every post on a book blog tour must be a review. Once you’ve created your wishlist of bloggers and authors, make note of those who also post interviews, ‘share a scene’ posts, essays on writing, or other innovative ways to engage your readers.
On my recent blog tour for One Summer In Santorini, fellow author Belinda Missen challenged me to describe the perfect Greek dinner party. That post was a blast to write.
It may be easier to get people commit to the tour, if you are doing the heavy lifting with regards to content. For my recent blog tour, I wrote nine different pieces.
The practical stuff for a DIY blog tour
Create a spreadsheet for your wishlist (Excel or Google Sheets will work) and include:
The name of the blog
The URL (web address) – make it a link
The name of the blogger/author
Their email address or a link to the contact page of the blog
Any other information that may be useful when you contact them
Columns for tracking data: date email sent; date of reply; format of blog post, etc.
Write your reach out emails (the templates). You will want slightly different versions for bloggers and authors. The emails should be friendly, clear, and succinct:
If you are not yet connected with the person, introduce yourself and explain why you’d be thrilled/honoured to have them be part of the tour
Give a brief synopsis of your book
Give the proposed date range for the tour
Be explicit about the type of post you’d like and if you’re offering to create the content for non-reviews
Ask them to RSVP before a particular date, so you can start assembling the tour
Link to your website or most public social media profile(s) – they may want to see how much reach you have
Edit your reach out emails and get feedback if you need to
Carefully send the reach out emails:
Ensure that each one is addressed to – and is specific to – the person you are emailing
Wait:
As you receive responses:
Reply with a thank you (for every response – even ‘no’)
Update your spreadsheet
If it is a yes, mention you will be in touch soon with more information
When you’re close to the deadline, send a quick follow-up to any non-responders
Schedule the blog tour:
Use a tool such as Doodle (free to use)
Set the date range
In the settings, limit to one or two blog posts per day
Send a notification email (through the tool) to all bloggers/authors who said ‘yes’ – include a ‘due date’ and follow up as you get closer to it
As people respond, update the spreadsheet with the dates for each blog post
Note if you need to create content and set up calendar reminders
Most bloggers and authors will tell you in their email what they require from you – if not, ask
Email each blogger/author to confirm their date for the tour
Prepare assets and content:
Book Blog Tour Banner
If you have a publisher, send them a succinct spreadsheet with the book bloggers/authors (often their Twitter handle or website address) and dates
Ask them to create a blog tour banner
If you don’t have a publisher, you will want to create a banner with the book cover, blogs and dates. Search online for what these look like.
Triple check the names, dates and other information on the banner
Author photo (high resolution), book cover (high resolution), book blurb, buy links, your social media links, and any other ‘assets’ you have been asked for
Write content you have promised or answer interview questions
Email the blog tour participants individually and send assets (and content)
Give them as much notice as possible
Refer to the spreadsheet and previous email exchanges to ensure you are sending each person exactly what they need/have asked for
Count down to the blog tour on social media to generate hype – tag the participants
Once it starts:
Post your blog tour banner each day of the tour, tagging that days’ blogger(s) and thanking them for participating
Like and share their social media posts
Save the links to their blog posts about your book
Grab quotes from their posts and use these to reshare their posts on social media
Comment on their blog post with a thank you
Loop back to previous posts and share these, tagging the blogger
A year ago, Ben and I were about to embark on a journey back to the Greek Islands, revisiting some of the places we discovered together in 2006 – when we met.
Our skipper from the sailing trip in ’06, Patrick, would be at the helm again. We’d get to see new places, we’d make new friends, and we’d celebrate a decade since we first met on the pier in Santorini.
This is about where the winds take you…
There’s something rather magical about going where the wind takes you, quite literally. The cares and stresses of everyday life ebb away, and the present becomes everything. Briny air, inky blue swells, and a wind that carries you and your fellow sailors to the next port. It’s freeing.
Seven people, one yacht, five Greek islands and one incredible week.
A huge congratulations to one of my dear writer friends, Lucy Mitchell, on the launch of Instructions for Falling in Love Again. I read an advanced copy of this wonderful drama-comedy-romance. It’s beautifully written and it will lift your soul – highly recommended.
I first published this meme in March 2008, borrowed from the Sunday newspaper supplement. So little has changed that I’m re-posting it almost intact. Anything in blue is new.
My earliest memory is being in hospital. I was 18 months old, and was there because I had stopped breathing. I was sitting at a small wooden table with other kids, eating Weetbix for breakfast. Later I went missing. They found me in the men’s room, peeking into the showers. (I started young.)
At school I was bossy, too smart for my own good, and a bit of a loner. I excelled in handstands and asking too many questions. In high school I quit the handstands, but was still hugely unpopular, because I had a Texan accent (from living in Texas – not just for fun), and wore makeup in a school full of Aussie chicks who preferred sneakers with skirts and bare faces.
My first relationship was with Shane (I forget his last name). We were 10 years old. He let me look at his Star Wars book, which had photographs from the film. I secretly wanted to be with Mark Hamill, but we were together for almost a whole month.
I don’t like talking about injuries, surgery, childbirth and other gory stuff. Just talking about it creeps me out.
I wish I’d never worn glasses without lenses in them, because I thought they looked cool. It was the 80s. Enough said.
My parents always told me that I could tell them anything, and that I should travel widely and pursue my dreams.
I wish I had straight hair. (still true)
I wish I hadn’t obsessed about a boy called Jeremy all through high school.
My last meal would be in Greece: fresh bread, tomatoes, tzatziki and olive oil. (still true)
I am very bad at ball sports. Just don’t throw it, kick it or pass it to me.
Friends say I am funny, naughty, talented, bold, generous.
The song I would like played at my funeral is Nessun Dorma. For some reason, this used to be Wonderwall, by Oasis.
If only I couldmake a living solely as an author. (soon, I hope)
The last big belly laugh I had was with Ben yesterday – he has a terrific sense of humour. The response from 2008 was about Ben too.
What I don’t find amusing is inconsideration. In traffic, at the gym, in shops. Not funny, not cool, not nice.
Cat or dog. Cat. I miss having a cat.
If I were a car I’d be Seriously? This is a question? Why not, ‘If I were a tree I’d be’? Or ‘If I were an animal I’d be’? (A Peugot 307, a camouflage gum, a turtle – just in case you were wondering). Silly question. (still all true though)
I often wonder how things will work out. They always do – often better than I could imagine – but it doesn’t stop me wondering.
I love to read. In fact, I have discovered that my desire to write is affected greatly by whether or not I am reading regularly. When I read less, because I am too busy to carve out the time, I write less. When I make time to read – and I read diversely – I find that creative impulses kick in more frequently. I even write stuff in the middle of the night, if that is when inspiration strikes (like last night).
This meme, as with many of the others I have done, comes from Charlotte, whose humor and insight also inspire me.
The task: Name 15 books that ‘stick’ with me – in 15 minutes. Okay, so this took me 45 minutes (sorry Charlotte).
IT by Stephen King Truly the most terrifying book I have ever picked up. I could only read it in daylight, because it scared…
2016. Ben and I had just returned from another sailing trip in Greece.
My manuscript called to me from the desk drawer. ‘Hey, remember me? I’m about falling in love on a sailing trip in Greece. You could, um, you know, give me a new lick of paint or something?’
I ignored it.
I’d had an agent the year before. He’d loved the book, but he couldn’t get any takers. I was done with it. I was done with the whole ‘being an author’ lark. I was giving up on my dream.
Then we saw La La Land.
La La Land, which will forever be known as ‘the film that changed my life’.
Yes, really.
You see, towards the end of the film [spoiler alert, but really, you should have seen it by now—it’s incredible], Emma Stone’s character, Mia, is at the point where she wants to give up on acting. And Ryan Gosling’s character, Sebastian, convinces her to go to this one particular audition.
She does, and it is a beautiful audition. La La Land is a musical, so she sings it—a song called ‘The Fools Who Dream’. In a perfect Oscar-winning moment, she lays it all out there, her heart bare and raw.
[MAJOR SPOILER] She gets the part and she becomes a huge star.
The rest of the film devolves into a flash forward and then completely the wrong ending, but that scene!!!!
After the film, we caught the tram home and I couldn’t speak and I couldn’t stop the tears streaming down my face. When we got home, I told Ben I wanted to be alone, and sitting at my desk, I had a serious talk with myself.
No one was going to knock on my door and ask if I had a completed manuscript lying about. No one was going to ever read it if I didn’t do something—if I didn’t at least try.
This was my dream. I was a fool who dreamed, and if I didn’t give this everything I had, it would never happen and I would always be heartbroken that my dream hadn’t come true.
So, I had to try—again.
And I did. I re-wrote the book and self-published and queried it and wrote more books and queried those. I kept going. I gave it everything I had—all because of that one scene in that one film. Yes, eventually I may have had a nudge from somewhere else, but I will always remember La La Land as the film that changed my life.
It’s been four months since Ben and I moved back to Melbourne post-sabbatical, and it has been anything but dull.
Since arriving in late January:
We apartment hunted for the perfect rental and were elated to get a place in the heart of the city with an incredible view. It has an office for me, enough space for Ben’s VR set-up, a guest room, a winter garden and a wrap around balcony. I love it.
our view
I job-hunted and landed a plum role in professional development (a field I love) at my pre-sabbatical employer, which just happens to be across the street. As in, my commute is about one minute (please don’t hate me). So far, I haven’t bothered to wear a coat or take an umbrella, because, well, one minute – plus most of the walk is under cover. My work has already taken me to Adelaide (twice) and I work with incredibly smart people, who maintain an impressive chocolate stash in the office (this may be why I choose to work from home a couple of days per week – too much temptation).
This was my desk when I arrived at work on my birthday.
Ben has become an Australian! I wept like a weeping willow throughout the ceremony, but at least had the presence of mind to take photos. When the Lord Mayor of Melbourne had the Aussies in the gallery stand up and make the oath to Australia, just like the newly-minted Australians, I could barely get the words out. #ProudAussie #SoProudofBen
We’ve caught up with friends. Our friends in Melbourne are our family-away-from-family and we adore them. Especially fab are the ones who popped around to put together flat-pack furniture, although they all assured me that they love doing it (weird). My bestie personally made our couch from scratch – impressive stuff. I promise I plied them all with good food and booze for their efforts.
We’ve had visitors! We love having people come and stay with us. The most recent guests spent the week of my birthday with us, my dad and step-mum. They helped me celebrate a milestone birthday with style. Here’s my pre-party dad rocking a fab new outfit at the age of 71.
We’ve planned a trip across the country. This week we head of to my home state of WA to celebrate some more milestone birthdays in the family, and my belated birthday trip. (I have pretty much perfected the concept of the birthday festival, which can extended several weeks in either direction from my actual birthday.) We’ll be catching up with family and friends and then heading south to the stunning wine region of Margaret River. I’ve checked the forecast and can’t believe that the first week of June (winter down here in Oz) will be sunny and 25C (high 70s).
From our last time in WA
Maybe not so surprisingly, we haven’t been in a hurry to travel. Home is so precious to us post-sabbatical. This is our first trip together since we landed back in the country in January.
And there’s the author stuff. I’ve secured an agent; I’ve written more than half of my fourth book; I’ve edited my first book for my publisher, Avon Books; I’ve been marketing my little bum off: organising a book blog tour with my agent, doing interviews, securing quotes from other (amazingly supportive) authors, planning a book signing, and engaging with readers daily on social media; and I have celebrated all the little milestones on the journey to publication – T-minus 3 weeks and 6 days for the ebook and just under two months from the print version being in my eager little hands. Squee!
So, yes, 2019 has been an incredible ride so far. We’re looking forward to the rest of it.
Day One
Sandy Barker | Author 
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