So it’s been a rough time these last few weeks, or should I say, months. I have to admit there have been more occasions during the writing of Scotch Mist: a Dottie Manderson mystery novella than usual for me to get hysterical, shout, swear and throw things, or descend into despair. I’m honestly surprised to have got through it, largely due to support from friends and family.

Writing a novella has been so much harder than I expected, too. Usually I write full-length fiction. And even in a text of 80,000 or 100,000 words, I can waffle quite a bit, and have to really cut out a lot of what the industry calls ‘padding’, and I call ‘chapter 47’ or ‘chapter 54’. Therefore I was convinced a ‘mere’ novella would be a doddle.

I had originally intended Scotch Mist to be around the 30,000-word mark. When I finally typed those magic words ‘The End’, it was almost 40,000 long. And as the word limit crept higher and higher, I was tempted to go ‘What the hell’, and write another 30,000. But I didn’t. Mainly because of time constraints, and the fact that the book has already been promoted as a novella, and because it would have required a lot more plot!

But, now it’s done, and I can sit back and relax for a few days before I crack on with something else. Not quite sure what. The next Dottie Manderson book is waiting in the creative wings: it’s already got the title of The Last Perfect Summer of Richard Dawlish, and I hope to have it ready for an autumn/winter publication this year. Or shall I write something else? Something new, fresh and exciting? I’ve even got completed manuscripts lying in a heap in a dark dungeon somewhere. All they need is a bit of TLC and extensive rewriting 🙂

We will have to wait and see how and when the muse strikes me when I come back to work the week after next. Meanwhile I intend to read some books, drink some wine, and plant my tomatoes and some herbs. Have a lovely weekend everyone.

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