Daynote - Thu 12 Dec

Three months as a published author.

Daynote - Thu 12 Dec
Photo by Jonathan Ricci / Unsplash

Back in town this morning and a nice long writing session first thing. And I've just noticed it's the 12th of December, which means it has been three months since A RELUCTANT SPY came out. Here's what I wrote at the two month mark. Not much has changed since I wrote that post, except that the book has continued to sell well, going to a second hardback printing at the start of this month. That's a really good sign. I have great hopes for the Christmas book-buying period, since this book, I reckon, makes an excellent gift for the thriller aficionado in your life.

ON DECK: An hour and a bit in a cafe this morning netted me -995 words cut from the draft, which brings me that much closer to my target number. I'm now editing newer scenes that have not had half as many passes as the older work, so I'm finding more to cut in shorter scenes. But it's going pretty well I think.

TOOLS AND PROCESS: Shoutout to Due app, the simple reminder and timer app with excellent presets for persistent nagging reminders that I'm using to remind myself to drink enough water and move around during the workday. I've had it turned off this week as I'm not in my normal routine, but that's made me realise how useful it is.

LISTENING: Really enjoyed this interview with screenwriters and novelists Alex Michaelides and Suk Pannu on Crimetime FM.

WATCHING: More SILO last night, which is just getting steadily more intriguing. I'm so tempted to look up the central mystery because I just want to know what the hell is going on, but I'm enjoying the (very) slow reveal.

READING: More JUSTICE OF KINGS on various trains yesterday. Still excellent.

LINK: Cheeky self-promo - did you know I've renamed my newsletter? It's now called The Decrypt.

UP NEXT: More editing, more waiting for Decisions. But not much year left for either. Onwards we go.