Happy Blogiversary to Me!

Doesn't the time fly?

A year ago today, I created this blog with the idea of documenting my mission to becoming a writer, following my dream of becoming a published author.

With two publishing contracts under my belt - and not forgetting I turned down a three-book publishing deal - to say I'm chuffed would be a massive understatement.

So, now seems like a good time to announce the release date for my debut story, Christmas in Cancelled...

If all goes to plan, Christmas is Cancelled it will be released on December 21st, just in time for Christmas to help you get in the festive spirit. It should be available for pre-order before then so keep your eyes peeled for my updates.

Then, in March, my debut writing as Allie A Burrow comes out. My short story, For One Night Only, will be featured in a Serviced (military-themed) anthology. Adults only though ;-)

What's next?

I have to say, I am unbelievably excited by the project I'm working on at the moment!!

I am working on not one book, not two books, not even three books, but a contemporary romance series consisting of FOUR books. A modern twist on a common historical theme, the series is based on the lives and loves of Lords and Ladies of the English peerage in the twenty-first century. The working title for the series is 'Peer Pressure' but it's not set in stone by any means.

And even more exciting, I am planning to self-publish it, putting me firmly in the driving seat. I've made enough contacts now to have access to editors and cover artists, and I'm no slouch when it comes to computers so foresee no issues with the formatting and uploading to the various portals. By self-publishing, I will also be able to offer a print option as well as digital format, and would love to see my books on the shelves of the local bookstore and beyond.

Not only is this my biggest project to date, pushing all my other projects down the pecking order, it will also be my most challenging. I need to create a group of characters who will each get their stories told, with the fourth book in the series being a male/male romance. I only hope I can do it justice because I would love to see more 'mainstream' non-erotic male/male romance stories. With the issue of civil marriages and courtesy titles for gay spouses of peers having been in the news this year already, it felt like I would be cheating my series by not exploring this as a potential storyline.

And at least I only have to please myself (and my Beta-readers) if I'm self-publishing...

I'm still in the midst of NaNoWriMo, as blogged yesterday, but with the introduction of new characters and a fourth book to foreshadow, I'm at a scratching-my-head point whilst I figure out how to handle the curveballs I've been thrown. Instead of sitting here blogging, I should be outlining and getting some writing done. Oops!

Thank you to everyone who follows this blog regularly!

The next year will also see the introduction of more guests and interviews, and hopefully more giveaways so I'd love it if you stuck around with me a while longer.

And now it's back to work...