WRITER'S DREAM; 25 Years An Author

 

"There will inevitably be people around you who are indifferent to your goals and your success. Don’t take this personally. Most people are all wrapped up in their own lives and they might be too busy working on their own transformation to give a hoot about yours! That’s okay. You don’t need cheerleaders. You have the power to motivate yourself and to get ahead under your own steam." 

It is a blustery day, alternating sunshine and showers as I settle in at my escritoire desk to write this post. My study is lit with strawberry scented candles and the occasional glimmer of sunshine, which brings to life the crystal sun-catcher in the window.  As we move deeper into autumn, with the equinox soon to be upon us this weekend, I am looking forward to another dark season of writing and creativity. 

Writing is, for me at least, a daily habit. It is something that I have always done from a young age.  For decades now I have produced a daily word count, working on various projects from books and columns, to music and essays.  I have written for various publishers, in various formats - but I have always written every day, regardless of whatever else might be going on in my life. 

I have been a traditionally published author now for over 25 years. That's half my life. It means that I have spent the biggest majority of my adult working life in the publishing industry, as a core-contributing author.  That is quite an achievement, especially when I recall that I was once thought of as someone who couldn't stick to anything and who hopped from job to job! But the fact is, that I have actually been in the same job for over 25 years - the career of authorship. 

This longevity in publishing is something that people tend to gloss over, especially when they are wondering how on earth I have managed it, asking themselves;  How has she managed to be repeatedly published, across many formats, for over two decades? They are imagining an overnight success story, where everything has been handed to me on a plate, but nothing could be further from the truth. 

The answer is simple and rather more mundane. I prioritized my writing above everything else, from the age of 20. I spent the first few years being rejected by publishers, but I stuck to my goal. I remained steadfast and dedicated to my true calling, even when everyone else told me to 'stick to a real job'.  Well, I've actually had a real job as a published writer for 25 years now - and I'm still working as an author, all these years later. It's not really the kind of job that you ever retire or take a sabbatical from. It's a dream of a job and I certainly don't plan on giving up! I will always be a writer. It's a deeply ingrained part of my psyche. 

In my newly published book that was released earlier this month, Wicca for Self-Transformation, which is a blend of both Wiccan and Psychotherapy practices, I have stated that it is in our daily habits where we create our own success or failure in life. We can be self-disciplined or self-sabotaging. My habit of achieving a daily word count is the self-discipline of being a professional writer.  Someone who prioritizes dating, or holidays, or kids or the rat-race, is unlikely to reap the same literary results as I have, because their habits are geared towards a short term outcome, rather than a long term career goal in publishing.  You have to prioritize the life you dream of, over the life you currently live, focusing on long term goals, rather than short term gratification. 

Different people will have different priorities, but for me, it has always been the writing. My writing comes first and that is why I am still being commissioned to write new books, 25 years on. I have worked hard at my craft and while no author can possibly please every reader, all the time, I have a reputation within the publishing industry for creating good, clean copy to a tight deadline and my work is well-recieved. Again, this professional reputation is something that I have built over the past two and a half decades. It certainly didn't happen overnight, but people often prefer to believe that it did, or that my success is all down to luck.  It isn't. Luck might play a small part, but it simply doesn't last this long.

It's down to habits and priorities and strategy. 

It's down to being dedicated to my authorial path from the age of 20.

It's down to self-discipline.

It's down to eight consecutive years in higher education, culminating in a Masters Degree in Creative Writing. 

It's down to having a daily writing practice, no matter what. 

As my first two Psychotherapy based books are released this autumn, I am feeling very content with my writing life. I have achieved the goal I set for myself way back in 2013 of publishing a book that draws upon my psychotherapy training, practice and experience in counselling clients. This autumn, I will realize that goal not just once, but twice over, yet it has taken ten years to achieve it.  Most people would have given up. 

Instead, I kept going. I believed in the books that I wanted to write and I knew I just needed to wait for the right editor and publisher to come along - one who could also see the value in the topics I wanted to explore in my Psychotherapy based books.  In publishing, nothing happens overnight. The long waiting time is what separates the wheat from the chaff, as those who write on a whim expecting instant results, simply fall by the wayside. Publishing is a long game, not a get rich quick scheme. 

The publishing landscape has also changed considerably in the 25 years I've been writing books. Its no longer feasible to learn on the job, as it was when I started out, and the 16 year old cub reporter is a thing of the past.  Also inclusivity is essential if you want your work to be seriously considered by editors, and anything that sniffs of cultural appropriation is frowned upon, unless you're writing in a historical context about cultures of the the ancient world, rather than a current modern day culture. So a lot has changed in the past two decades. 

I'm very proud of my two Psychotherapy books. They were fantastic fun to write and I greatly enjoyed the process. I hope to do more of them in the future. For now, I am enjoying the glow of a major goal achieved. My second Psychotherapy book, The Wiccan Guide to Self-Care,  is released next month and I am even more excited about that one, as it is the book that I planned to write all along, throughout my psychotherapy training. Seeing it in print for the first time is going to be quite a surreal experience, because it is something that I have been dreaming of and working towards for a decade. That's a long time to hold a goal in your heart and move steadily towards it. It will be fantastic to finally hold the finished book in my hands. 

In the meantime, I have been writing more of my magical work this year, but with a mythological twist! It's always great when an editor asks you to write on a particular topic, especially when its a topic that you have enjoyed studying and reading over the years. 

This dark season, as the weather turns colder,  I am planning to spend my days tucked away in my snug candlelit study, deeply absorbed in world mythologies and their various ancient pantheons. It's so interesting and a very engaging topic, one that I have enjoyed for many years. Curled up in the buttoned-leather chair in my little library, laptop on my knee, immersed in the Classics by candlelight, gives me all the scholarly, dark academia vibes that I adore.  

Being commissioned to write projects is one of the best aspects of my job.  It's such a privilege to work with a talented and creative editor. I love the projects that we come up with together, batting ideas back and forth until we find the sweet spot and we know we've hit on an idea that will work. It's not something that I ever take for granted. I know how fortunate I am - but I also know how long and hard I worked to get here. No-one else did it for me and I didn't use anyone else to manifest these opportunities.  I got here all on my own.

It is strange how life has a habit of working out. If you'd told me when I was a young woman that not only would I achieve my dream of writing and publishing a book, but that I would still be writing and publishing my books in 25 years time, I probably would have laughed. It would have seemed too good to be true. But it is true, because for 25 years I have prioritized my writing. 

Now, over thirty published books later - I'm still reaping the rewards of my stubborn single-mindedness, despite being told by people, my own grandmother among them, that it wouldn't last and it was probably all just a flash in the pan. My Nan actually wanted me to apply for assistant manager in her local supermarket instead as it was a more secure job! Glad I didn't take her advice on that one!  

Yet still, I spend my day to day working life surrounded by crystals and scented candles, spinning out written webs of magic, mythology and oracular fortunes, working away in my cosy little house.  

It is a blessed life indeed and I am very grateful for it. 

25 years an author.

Not bad for a flash in the pan - and I wouldn't have it any other way. My Nan would be so proud - and probably a wee bit gobsmacked! 

BB Marie x 

AD - Wicca for Self-Transformation is out now in hardcover, digital and audio formats. 

         The Wiccan Guide to Self-Care is released on Oct 1st 2023, available for Pre-Order

BOOK NOOK; In These Hallowed Halls

 "The campus is breathtakingly beautiful during the winter months much in the way gorgeous women are unapproachable and cold, though the way I first saw Delphi is how it'll always be burned in my brain - that collegiate idyll of verdant vines and Gothic spires, autumnal foliage rustling on the whisper of a temperate breeze."

from Pythia by Olivie Blake

I have been waiting for a book like this! I was extremely excited to receive an ARC of it from Titan publishers and I have been engrossed in it ever since.  In These Hallowed Halls is a Dark Academia anthology of short stories and I'm sure I'm not the only Reader who couldn't wait to get their hands on it! 

Dark Academia is a relatively new genre of fiction, being part dystopian, part thriller, with a heavy Gothic influence, set in traditional academic surroundings. Think prestigious seats of learning such as Oxford, Edinburgh or Cambridge Universities, lost in swathes of autumn mist and mystery and you get the idea of what this genre is all about. I have been reading DA books for a while now and they are usually fairly long novels, so I was intrigued to see how this trope would play out in a short fiction format.  It works beautifully and I couldn't stop turning the pages, reading late into the night, until I had finished the book. 

I always loved school stories as a child, so the adult DA genre is right up my street. This collection has everything that my scholarly heart yearns for - Gothic buildings, dusty old books, cosy common rooms, glowing fire-lit libraries on stormy winter afternoons, hot buttered toast, copious amount of tea and coffee and of course, mysteries to unravel and solve.  It transports the reader to the very epicenter of elite education and top drawer universities, where wealth and intellect are the only currencies that count.  It is a book that makes you want to step into that world, as new teacher, Mia, discovers in X House;

"Miss Tavish opens a door, and Mia steps inside her new world. It is surprisingly cosy; A fire in the grate crackles merrily, a thick, warm rug covers the wide plank floors, a sofa with a cushion that sags towards the left arm offers a welcoming embrace for evening reading and tea."

Written by some of the top DA authors of modern publishing such as Olivie Blake and M L Rio, the student angst rolls off the pages amid tales of sinister Artificial Intelligence, missing students and the odd murder. The collection starts off strong with 1000 Ships, a story about sexual misconduct and plagiarism, and it goes on from there, remaining strong throughout. In these pages you will find dangerous hazing rituals, initiations, secret societies, supernatural shape-shifters, school shootings and a gifted musician with a taste for greatness and murder mystery. 

In These Hallowed Halls is a fantastic collection, being both sinister and cosy at the same time, as all the best Dark Academia should be. My favorite stories in the collection are 1000 Ships, The Hare and the Hound, X House, Phobos and Playing.  These stories held me on the edge of my seat and they are the ones that have stayed with me upon finishing the book. 

Each story features a skillful use of pathetic fallacy to build atmosphere and a strong sense of place. It is obvious that you are reading authors who are at the top of their game and who have made this genre their own. To distill all the complexities of Dark Academia into a short story is no easy task, but the authors of this collection have done just that, seemingly without effort. 

It's a gripping book - one to read curled up in a cosy armchair, with a plate of hot buttered toast and a cup of tea, or a bag of sweeties - but no more than three sweets a night, or things turn sinister! If you like Dark Academia or the Gothic genre then you will probably love this book, and if you are new to DA, this is a great introduction. I highly recommend it and I am sincerely hoping that Titan publish a second volume, because this one was so much fun to read. It is ideal reading for all adults who are bitten by 'back to school' nostalgia at this time of year. 

Check your doors are locked, snuggle up by the fire, and enjoy these murderous collegiate stories! 

Happy Reading.

BB Marie x

AD; This book was sent to me by the publisher, Titan, for the purposes of review. It will be released on the 12th September 2023 and is available for Pre-Order now in both digital and hardcover formats. 

BOOK NOOK; Upon A Frosted Star by M A Kuzniar

 

"And there began the oldest story.  Of a heart that quickened. It's owner, unaware."

A couple of winters ago, I read a wonderful novel called Midnight in Everwood, which was a retelling of the Nutcracker ballet. I enjoyed it so much, that I knew I would look out for other books by the same author, so I was delighted to receive an ARC from Harper Collins for Kuznair's new novel Upon A Frosted Star. The cover is stunningly beautiful, instantly grabbing my attention and as it is a retelling of my favourite ballet, Swan Lake, I knew I just had to read it immediately.  I have spent a happy couple of days completely engrossed in this magical, wintry fairytale.

In this novel, we follow a male protagonist called Forster, an artist who has lost his passion for painting, until one evening, he sees a ballerina dancing at a party. He becomes besotted with her and begins to paint her, transferring the images in his mind onto canvas in an attempt to hold onto their brief encounter.  His new paintings sell well and he decides to find out more about the mysterious ballet dancer, Detta, and the annual winter party at which she performs.  But all is not as it seems, and Forster uncovers a far more dangerous and magical mystery than he ever could have anticipated.  

This is a novel of star-crossed lovers, with a very unique take on a long-distance relationship! It perfectly illustrates the pain of a difficult love affair - of being separated, time and time again from the one your heart yearns for above all others. The slow and steady chipping away at the heart and soul of the lover who constantly gets left behind is expertly suggested here. Just like Swan Lake, this is an epic, heart-rending tale of magic and enchantment, love and loss.  

What I most love about this author is her ability to make a novel read like a dream. She truly is a visionary author. Her prose sings off the page, the world building is just mesmerizing and fellow bookworms will appreciate the literary references made throughout the book. In this story we have glittering winter parties, invitations that fall from the sky along with the snow, rivers of chocolate cream, chocolate fountains and champagne saucers with secrets hidden in the glass.  Just like Midnight in Everwood, this is a confection of a novel that will make your mouth water for champagne-fizz and dainty petite four cakes in pretty pastel colours, as Forster, Detta and their friends dance their way through 1920's London, York and Paris.  When the story progressed to a castle in Wales, I did wonder if there was to be some reference to Merlin, but that connection was never made by the author. 

 I loved every page of this novel and I feel like I have discovered a new favourite author. I hope that she continues to write in this style and re-imagines more famous ballets in future books - Le Sylphide, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, The Firebird etc - what wonderful novels she could craft from such a rich theatrical heritage! And how wonderful would it be to have a whole collection of these stunning winter novels, each retelling a classical ballet in visionary, fairytale style, all sat together on a bookshelf?  I really do think that this could be the start of a series that bibliophiles and collectors are going to go crazy for. 

I can't wait to see what this author comes up with next. I find her books so enchanting, they always make me smile and I plan to re-read both her snowy novels again this coming wintertime.  Upon A Frosted Star is definitely a book worth reading if you like magical realism, fantasy or fairytale re-tellings. Enjoy the wintry magic of the Lake!

Blessed Be

Marie x

AD; This book was sent to me by the publisher Harper Collins for the purposes of review. It is released on September 21st 2023 and is available for Pre-Order now in hardcover, audio and digital formats.