Hello! I’m delighted to be back, sharing this blog post after a brief, unscheduled break. During this time, my focus has been on crafting three new novels. They’re all works in progress, and I’m thrilled to have found the inspiration to write again.

It started as an idea after reading about developing narratives and characters and reimagining the outlining of the plot for my book A Coven Lost. I’d built up the first part of the book, introduced the characters, and felt that my readers would have a sense of the two main characters who tell the story in sequence. Through them we meet the other members of the coven and the fabric of their relationships, tensions and overarching themes become apparent. However, I was now manoeuvring my way through part two, which is the fact-based side of the narrative, where the research and factual aspects of this historical fiction were to be put into some semblance of structure and order.

Admittedly, I found myself grappling with a particular challenge. Whenever I attempted to pen chapters that delved into the historical foundation of the narrative, my attention wandered elsewhere. It was frustrating, but I could not find the determination or indeed the words to describe the events that unfolded in 1618. Despite these obstacles, I persevered, closing my document and spending time creating ideas for my novel’s cover instead, getting lost for hours building the elements that I think would best capture my book’s essence, ensuring this was relevant and in keeping with the first book of the Coven series, The Last Coven.

I needed this time away from writing A Coven Lost and I wanted to explore other ideas and narratives that were beginning to live rent-free in my mind. So, I read Save The Cat! Writes a Novel to improve my structure, narrative, and character development before I began to construct my new idea on the page. This latest novel was complete fantasy fiction, and where factual events had structured my previous books, creating a narrative that was all of my own ideas was something I was keen to do but until now did not dare to go on. The factual events were a crutch, if you like, that helped guide and shape my previous novels. The idea of completely inventing a new fantasy world with characters I had never dreamed of creating was a little nerve-wracking, but the prospect was utterly exciting. I was about to embark on a journey into a world of my own creation, and the thought of it was exhilarating.

Save the Cat was fantastic and reassuring in that it ensured I had included all the elements of fantasy and fictional structure potential readers would look for. As much as I had naturally included many of these aspects in my outline, I could see where I may need to develop more attention to detail to particular parts without losing the structure and plot of my narrative. Within a few days of starting to write the first part of my new book, I had 14,000 words written, a setting which took us from reality into fantasy and a female protagonist my family and friends already cared about and could not stop thinking about as they awaited the next few chapters. Based on Scottish and Celtic mythology, the world and mythological characters I was beginning to shape were coming alive on the page, and I could not write those first chapters quickly enough.

I took time to build the world, considering the aesthetic I wanted to achieve while allowing the readers to become invested in Mae, the 20-something university graduate whose world was suddenly crumbling as she lived in the fantasy worlds of the fictional novels she read to escape. It was not just exciting, but also exhilarating to be lost in the writing again. I would enjoy every moment of this journey, every word I put on the page, and every character I brought to life. My writing process involves immersing myself in the world I’m creating, living and breathing the characters and their stories. I hope this passion and dedication is evident in my work when it is ready to publish.

I worked a little more on my children’s novel The Curious Tales of Grim, about a witch’s cat who always finds himself in trouble, usually involving magic or potions gone wrong! I then returned to A Coven Lost, ready and determined to write those factual chapters and get part two of the book well underway. I am now steadily working through my outline. The chapters flow off the page, the words and events coming together to create drama, intrigue and highlight the darkest period in Scotland’s history. The Witch trials of Scotland in the 17^th and 18^th centuries were considered barbaric and cruel as innocent people, mainly women, were put to their deaths often without evidence and certainly without proper representation.

I hope readers will become fully aware and incensed at the torment and brutality when they read The Last Coven and the prequel A Coven Lost. It highlights some of the people of Ayrshire who lost their lives and sheds a light on the practices and torture that were handed out at the command of the church. These events serve as a backdrop to the narrative, shaping the characters and real life people who were executed for their actions, most of which would have been linked to healing and midwifery or just being deemed different. I have these characters and people come together as part of a fictional coven that serves as the basis for bringing these people together in the same novel. I hope that even as coven members, readers will see that the coven was not to be feared or ostracised, but only highlights the cruelty they faced. It puts a different spin on our thinking… even if they had been ‘witches’, did they deserve to die?

I look forward to revealing more about my fantasy novel, including my synopsis and book covers soon. In the meantime, I can’t wait to hear your thoughts and reactions. Take care and be happy!

If you’d like to read The Last Coven please follow this link.

If you are a budding author who might benefit from some advice, see this link for Save the Cat!