Writing a synopsis and sticking pins in eyes comes to mind

OK, to clarify I of course mean sticking pins in my own eyes, not just randomly running up to someone in the street and attacking them with implements from my sewing box. No, I genuinely would rather gut myself than have to write this... But I've done it anyway.

Now, there are some agents who want a full synopsis consisting of no more than 4 pages, and then there are others who want no more than 500 words. Meh (my brain gags at the thought) if I could keep things under 500 words than I'd be writing short stories too.
1) Pick out key points... My whole book is key points.
2) Convey character emotions... In 500 words are you joking?
3)Don't lose the plot - Did that years ago.

So, after a short break away visiting family and friends, and a painfully long journey back on the M6 (which is another story), I sat down and began.
I started by writing the synopsis as Girl meets boy, boy does this, girl does this, boy screws up etc. I then changed boy and girl to the characters names, and then worked on it until something somewhat decent was left. That was 487 words. A few people have read it over and they have said it can be cut more. More? Would a synopsis of 'They meet, they fight, and then the twist..' suffice? I have read so many blogs, authors, writers and more on this subject, and still it seems to be down to one thing - Sitting down and just doing it.

I have also created a spreadsheet of Agents to send submissions to, using the Writers and Artists yearbook 2016. If I can get just one asking for a full MS out of the 10 or so I'm submitting to, then i'll know I've done something right. Otherwise, I'll just try and try again. Beats sitting on my butt scratching my head and picking my nose anyway.

If what I have written is any good, then I will of course share with you what I have done, but if it's pants and ends me in the round file then I wouldn't want anyone facing the same fate through my own errors. Instead I will write a what not to send, kind of like what not to say on a first date post.

Will keep you all updated on the progress...

:-)

Watchers Chapter Three

Watchers

Chapter Three

The house was nice, with its clean walls and wooden floors, but to Ciana it wasn’t home. And more to the point, it was still filled with someone else’s belongings. Picture frames hung the walls, in them were just pictures of scenery with no one in the focal point. Ciana walked through the living room, noting how homely it felt but very empty at the same time.

“Ci,” Rhianne called from the kitchen. “Your room is the first on the left. Next to you is the spare room, that’s right we now have a spare room for visitors!” Her mum was so excited by that.

Ciana knew there was very little chance of anyone visiting. They had moved three hours away from her friends, from her school, from all the clothes shops a sixteen-year-old could want at her fingertips. Not to mention the cinema, fast-food shops and more she enjoyed with her friends every weekend. They had left that life to live here, a street where they were the only occupants. Even the Satnav had difficulty finding LittleBridge.

Rhianne walked through, carrying items to be placed in their new abode. “Your dad is unloading the van; can you start taking your stuff up to your room?”

“Sure,” she muttered.

“I know this is hard,” her mum leant against the wall. “And, I’m sorry we didn’t have much notice. You will miss your friends, but I promise this will all get easier. Once you start at the school, you’ll make new friends and this place will be perfect.”

“Sure,” Ciana muttered again. She was hurt, but there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. She picked up one of her boxes and climbed the wooden stair case.

“Ciana misses her boyfriend,” RJ laughed from the top step, turned around and ran his arms along his sides pretending he was kissing someone.

“Shut it!” Ciana warned.

“I’ll never forget you Greg,” he laughed again.

“I’m gonna kill you RJ!” On top of the box sat a mug that a friend had given her as a leaving gift. It said Friends Forever. Without thinking, Ciana grabbed the mug and threw it towards RJ’s head. It missed and smashed against the wall.

RJ laughed and ran into his room, slamming it shut so she couldn’t chase him.

She didn’t care now, she hadn’t meant to throw the gift, but she had. And now it sat in a million pieces across the floor.

“I’ll sweep it up!” Rhianne growled. Before Ciana could say anything she held her hands up, “I know, Okay, RJ is not making this any easier on you. He’s ten, and finding this as hard as you.”

“Funny way of showing it.”

“Just please try not to kill him, and please don’t break anything else. We’ve not even fully moved in yet and you’re both already trying to destroy this place.”

Her mum ushered her towards her room, and call RJ out. As Ciana closed her door, she could hear her mum telling RJ the same thing she had just told her.

The room was bigger than her old one. Against one wall was a bed, ready dressed, on the other wall was a wardrobe and a bookshelf, filled with books and other trinkets. There were more pictures in this room, each of scenery and no people.

 She dropped the box on the bed, kicking up a dust storm in the process.

“Gross,” she coughed, and rushed to open the window and air the room out. Her bedroom faced out on to the street, and the house she was looking at before. The birds were still in the trees, as she looked out the window, they seemed to turn in her direction and caw louder.

The box that sat on her bed toppled over and out fell the pictures of her friends. The photo’s that had been taken on the last day of school sprawled across the floor. Ciana picked them up, and looked them over with a sadness. Although they had promised to stay in touch, and meet up regularly, she knew it was unlikely to happen. They were all moving onto college where they would meet new friends, and Ciana would become nothing but the girl they used to know. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

“Cries don’t cry,” she whispered, and wiped them away. It wasn’t true, because Ciana had cried many times at night when no one could see or hear her. She hadn’t wanted to move, and had even been offered to live at a friend’s house. But the thought of leaving them was too much for Ciana, and even RJ who most of the time she would rather throttle, she would miss him too.

“Not too shabby, eh Grumps?” Ryan placed some boxes just inside the door.

Ciana forced a smile, trying to cover how she really felt. She placed some of the pictures against the frames, and sat on the bed.

“Well, what do you think?” Ryan asked, dusting himself down.

Ciana shrugged. Her dad had always called her Grumps, because she was apparently a grumpy baby wyo turned into an equally grumpy teenager.

“Hey, it’ll be alright,” he sat on the bed, and coughed through the dust. “Once the dust has settled,” he laughed.

Ciana smiled falsely.

“Yeah,” he stood. “A lick of paint and they’ll be great,”

“I want my room dad.”

“I know, I’m sorry. And, I’m sorry we didn’t get much time. But, Grumps, I couldn’t turn the job offer down. Plus, this house is great, and so cheap that we can afford to holiday for the next few years. One day you’ll understand why we’ve done this.”

“I know,” she sighed. “But this is all someone else’s stuff. Why is it still here?” Opening the wardrobe, she found clothes and shoes all neatly bagged as if they were new.

Ryan stood next to her, looking through the items. “I knew about the furniture, that was in with the house, but the clothes are a bit…excessive.”

“They’re for a 5 - year-old-girl.”

“Too small for you then,” he laughed. “I’ll tell you what. Unpack your stuff, and place all these bits in the boxes. I’m sure there’s a thrift shop in the town we can take them all to.”

“Don’t you find this whole place weird?” She glanced out the window, looking at the house opposite. “And, that guy Malcolm?”

“Yeah, he was a little over friendly,” Ryan smiled manically just like Malcolm had.

“Stop it,” she laughed.

“That’s better.” He clapped his hands together, “Right, let’s get this place sorted and then we’ll have takeaway tonight. Just hope your mother hasn’t unpacked the kitchen yet, we don’t want her cooking anything special on the first night!”

“I heard that!” Rhianne shouted.

Ryan grimaced and Ciana laughed. “Ok, Grumps?”

“Sure,” she smiled.

“Cool, come and help me get the rest of the boxes from the van.”

From the corner of the street Ben watched them unpacking. They seemed like a nice family. Friendly. He had heard the others talking about new people moving in, but he didn’t realise it would be this soon, and he didn’t know how many more there would be.

Ryan sat back, throwing his used napkin onto the table. “Well, that was a nice pizza.”

“Can I have another slice?” RJ asked.

Ciana hadn’t even eaten a whole slice, she’d just pushed it around the plate. “They don’t even deliver to here. Other people are scared of this place, Dad. What does that tell you?”

“It’ll do wonders for my figure, this way,” Rhianne smiled.

Ciana pushed her plate towards RJ and stood. “No, this town is such a weird place, that no one and I mean no one will come near it. Do you know where my laptop is?”

Rhianne took a moment to think, “It might be in your bag, that was in the car. Why?”

“Because I’m going to go and update my friends, and research this hell hole you’ve dragged me into.”

“Don’t…” Rhianne started to say.

Ryan stopped her, “Just let her go, she’ll be okay.”

Ciana grabbed her bag from the hallway and ran up to her room. Closing her door, she sat on her bed and emptied her bag out. The box of clothes and toys that once lined the room sat on the floor. Even with the lights on, the room gave her goosebumps. So, she stood, opened the door and simply slid the box out.

“That’s better,” she sighed, and switched her laptop on. As soon as it sprang to life, it looked for local WIFI but couldn’t find anything. She growled into the pillow which smelt of dust. Then, she spotted her phone and she realised she could use that to get on the internet. The phone was off; she hadn’t wanted to speak to people because leaving had been hard enough. Switching it on, she waited, entered her password and then stared at the bars of signal. There were none. “That’s okay, she told herself, it can take a minute.” She sat, with baited breath just waiting for a glimpse of something. Anything. “Nothing?” She shouted. “Can this place get any weirder?”

Curling around everything that had strewn her bed, she knew there was nothing else to do, but sleep.

###

Her mum was shouting, calling for her.

“What?” Ciana mumbled.

“RJ has gone out to investigate and its getting dark, can you go and get him in please?”

“Argh!” She growled, “I'm asleep.”

“Cici, please?”

Ciana grunted and she sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Her laptop was still open, the time showing she'd only been asleep for twenty minutes or so. The curtains hadn’t been drawn and it was dusky outside. She stomped down the stairs and out the front door.

“RJ?” she called, but the was no answer. “RJ!” She moved across the yard towards the street. The whole time looking for him. The crows squawked at her and fled the trees. She jumped, and watched as they circled above. "Seriously! I have jumped more times in this town than I have spoken! Shoo!” She threatened up to the sky.

The wind picked up, there was no sun anymore, just thick black clouds that caused a darkness. Ciana pulled her arms around her, trying to keep warm through the chill that appeared.

“Ryan-Junior, you come home right now!” She yelled.

It was eerie, there were no other people in the street, but she felt like a million pairs of eyes were watching her. The wind carried on, and she could hear whispers telling her to “leave” and “turn back.” The voice drifted right up to her ear making her batt them away.

As the wind blew it kicked up all the dust from the abandoned gardens, the dust travelled around her creating a fog. The further she walked the thicker it became.

“RJ, please, come on!” She called as she held her hands up to protect her face. Through the fog she could see a silhouette. Someone standing at the side of the road.

“RJ is that you?” She shouted. If she couldn't see, then he certainly wouldn't be able to. “Look there's some freaky storm coming, we have to get back. Mums going mad!” She ran towards him, tripping over the curb as she grew closer. She landed on her knees and scrambled to get up. The dust started to settle, and she could see it wasn't RJ but a man hanging from a hangman's noose. 

Ciana screamed and scrambled backwards. The dust receded more and she could see the streets were lined with people, men, women and children all hanging from nooses. Their legs swung in the breeze and their dead eyes all stared ahead.

Ciana screamed again, and again trying to move away, but everywhere she turned there were more bodies. She sunk to the floor and placed her hands to her face, screaming into the night,

Ben smiled to himself. He couldn't help it. It was the only joy he got - interfering with their dreams. His hand sat on Ciana’s forehead as she slept. She lay on the bed tossing and turning, her breath leaving in gasps as the nightmare rampaged through her mind.

"Ben?"

"What?"

“Don't tease her, it won't make her go.”

“They can't be here, Anais. It's not safe.”

Anais put her hand on his. “We just deal with the fact that they are. And, more will come.”

He removed his hand from her head, a little smile sat on his face. Ciana stopped tossing and turning, settling into a more relaxed sleep. Ben turned to Anais, her fiery red hair and fiery red eyes glowing through the dark. “The shadows are growing.”

“I know.” She stood by him and looked at Ciana as she slept. “You like her, don't you?”

“No!” He said abruptly.

“She’s one of the first new people in this town for a while.”

“Nah,” he laughed. “Just someone new to mess around with.”

Anais grinned. “Never know, you might even attach.”

“No! I don't attach. The minute I do, then I'm in danger with the rest of them.” He ran his hands through his hair, “I just don't want to see anymore taken. Three earlier, and I watched them go. They were too quick.”

“I know,” Anais placed a hand on his shoulder. “Lydia told me.”

“I don't want to hear their screams anymore. If we stop the shadows taking, maybe we will all survive?”

“Maybe,” Anais said with little hope. “Just leave her be tonight, it's their first night here, don't you think they've had enough with all that moving?”

He nodded but wasn’t convinced. “One more warning won't hurt.” Ben leant in close, his face almost touching Ciana’s. "Leave this place, and never come back!" He whispered in her ear.

Ciana felt the breath on her skin and she awoke with a start. She could see someone standing in the shadows. She froze and stared at the silhouette, waiting for it to move.

"Oh crap..." Ben whispered and vanished with Anais.

It wasn't until Ciana’s eyes adjusted to the light she realised it was her clothes hanging on the cupboard door. She let out a sigh of relief and settled back down. Within seconds she was asleep again.

Watchers Chapter Two

Watchers

Chapter Two

From the back seat of the car, Ciana just kept shaking her head. “Why here, again?”

Her mum, who was trying to concentrate on the road and the satnav, replied, “You know why! Your dad has a new position in his company, which meant moving. It just so happened the houses around here are going really cheaply, and we’re not far from the new factory.”

Ciana glanced out of the window, watching the houses go by. “I’m not surprised they’re so cheap,” she muttered. Each house that whizzed past looked abandoned. Some houses still had cars in the driveway, but the lawns were overgrown. It was weird.

“Please, just give it a chance,” her mum whispered.

“Oh cool!” RJ, Ciana’s little brother, called. “Look!”

“What?” Ciana sneered. There was nothing cool about this town, it was all weird.

RJ turned on the seat and stared out of the rear window, his arms pushing down the mountain of possessions that filled the boot. “There was an old building, with a load of the walls missing and there was a cemetery.”

Ciana rolled her eyes and shuddered, “Really cool.” She leant through to the front, “Please do not tell me that I left all my friends and our house to live here, where a cemetery is the town highlight!”

“Ciana,” Rhianne sighed with an aggressive undertone. “It’s a lovely town and a really nice house. We haven’t seen any of this place yet, just please give it a rest!”

Ciana sat back, arms crossed and sullen. She looked at her brother who was still facing out the back, he smiled and waved. She turned to see their dad, Ryan, driving the rent-a-van behind. She grimaced and faced front, popping her headphones in she turned the music on her phone up full whack.

Five minutes later the car pulled onto a drive of another derelict house, and Rhianne switched off the engine. 

Ciana pulled out her headphones and stared out the window, bemused at the house that sat in front of her. She was angry that they moved, and she was angry that they did it all in hardly anytime at all. But, most of all she was angry because most of her stuff had been thrift-ed away like she had died rather and wasn't moving with them. “I still don’t see why we had to giveaway my bed!”

Rhianne had grown tired of trying the softly, softly approach. There was only so much attitude she could take and she'd been on the receiving end of Ciana's moods for weeks. “Because the house came fully furnished. They’re re-development houses, where they’re trying to build the town up. Something to do with people moving further into the cities meant those that lived here were slowly dying through old-age and no one new was moving into the area. We’re part of the redevelopment.”

“Right.” Ciana climbed out of the car.

“Welcome!” A voice shouted, cheerily.

Ciana jumped and nearly fell back into the car.

The creepy little man had appeared from nowhere and was now staring into the car with a wide-eyed expression, and an over-sized and ugly grin. His hair was a mix of browns and greys, all brushed heavily to one side.

“Welcome!” He said again, and continued to smile. Not once did he blink, nor did his lips meet over his huge teeth.

“Hi?” Rhianne called equally as cheery, as she shut her door.

“Good morning!” He clapped his hands almost doing a little jig on the spot. He looked at each of them. “I’m Malcolm, head of the LittleBridge committee. I’m here to welcome you, and show you around your new home.”

“I think you did that three times,” Ciana muttered under her breath.

Malcolm turned his head, his expression not changing, and watched as Ryan jumped out of the van. “What’s this, welcoming committee?” Ryan laughed to himself.

Rhianne smiled, and through gritted teeth said, “Yes.”

Ryan grimaced, “Oh.”

Ciana couldn’t stop staring at Malcolm and his perfect hair. It was almost like a lego hairpiece; it was so glossy. Even his skin was so smooth and shiny, it could have been plastic.

“Now you are all here, welcome!” He led Rhianne and Ryan towards the house. “This is all yours, and we hope you will be very happy.”

RJ ran off ahead to go and check out the house, while Ciana stayed on the driveway. She leant against the car and looked at the street they were now living in. “Third Avenue,” she muttered to herself. “Not even a proper street name, just a number. And it’s so quiet. Great!”

Each of the houses all looked the same, and there were at least twenty in this road. Each of them were all uninhabited, she could tell. The silence of the street was suddenly cut through by a group of crows flying overhead. They flew towards the house directly opposite her new home, and settled in the trees that sat behind. The trees were so big, they towered over the house and Ciana could see each bird staring down at her.

“Stupid birds!” She growled, “Better not wake me in the mornings!” She noticed one of the curtains move in the house. She took a few steps closer, stepping onto the road.

“So, what do you think?” Malcolm appeared by her side, making her jump again.

“S…Sorry?” She stuttered, trying to hide the fact that he majorly creeped her out.

“About the house?” He grinned, and tilted his head as he looked at her.

“Erm, it seems…nice.”

“Good,” his smile grew wider, which seemed impossible. “You’re going to love it around here. And, there are plenty of friends waiting for you at the school.”

“Yeah,” Ciana regarded him strangely, and backed towards the house.

Malcolm followed her. “So, you must be Ciana?" 

"Yup," she grinned awkwardly. 

“Ciana Crie?” His smile was still there, and she was trying to tell if he was mocking her.

“Yes,” she huffed. She had already endured years of teasing over her name, and she knew she would have to go through it all again at this new school. Years of people saying, “Have you seen Ciana Crie?” and before anyone could answer the response would be, “Well, do you wanna?”

“Did you have anything you want to ask?”

She wanted to know why he smiled like he was a maniac, but she couldn’t. “Who else lives in this street?”

“No one.”

“So no one lives in any of these houses?”

“No,” his smile didn’t falter.

“Oh, maybe it was that flock of birds that made the curtain move.”

Malcolm's eyes flicked towarrds the house, and he nodded, "I would have thought so."

“It’s a murder,” RJ said, he too appeared behind her.

“What?” Ciana gasped.

“A flock of crows, it’s called a murder.”

Malcolm bent down and ruffled RJ’s hair, “Aren’t you a smart fellow?”

RJ nodded and Ciana sneered, “Yeah, a regular Stephen Hawking.”

“Cici,” Rhianne called from inside.

Ciana hated her name and her nicknames given by all, but her grandfather had chosen her name twenty years ago. Her grandfather was a vicar in the town where they used to live, but he had died long before Ciana was born. There was never a reason given as to why she should have that name, it was just forced upon her. But, Cici made her feel like a handbag-dog. “What?”

“Help your brother get stuff out of the car please?”

She rolled her eyes and followed RJ to the car.

“I will be seeing you around,” Malcolm waved.

Ciana turned to wave goodbye but he was gone, vanished into thin air. “Weirdo!”

“Who?” RJ asked.

“Malcolm, he’s just weird.”

“Your weird,” he replied.

“Shut it, Freak!”

RJ ran towards the house shouting, “Mum, Ciana called…”

Pulling the things from the boot, Ciana couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched. She looked back to the house where the curtain had moved, just waiting to see a face or some kind of life. But there was nothing.

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Author Interview with What Nikki Read

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Check out the link to go to my interview: whatnikkiread interview.

Many Thanks to all again who have read The Desire to Duology & thank you so much for all your kind words!

TTFN
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A Massive apology for the error in the first chapter in The Desire to Love

To all who have purchased The Desire to Love a big thank you and a massive sorry for the rookie 'twitter tag' that has somehow ended up in the book. It is being rectified and amazon will notify you of an update which will remove this from the book. I am sorry and i hope you can see past it....kicking myself at the moment after 3 editor checks and i go and screw it up (still unsure how i did that) - sorry 

Is sex the answer? - reviewers think yes!

Can you outrun the past? Ellie is trying but at 24 rebuilding her life shouldn't be the main priority. Hiding from the past she falls unwittingly at the feet of Hollywoods greatest star - can they out run the past together? Full of passion, thrills and humour! Great review left by site What Nikki Read, great review thank you!!!

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Sales going well - Thank you all

Sale Going well, Thank you to all who are taking advantage of the limited time offer. The sequel will be released soon and you will be the first to know!

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Best way to market an ebook?

This seems to be one of the most pondered questions in the Indie book market. As you will have seen i too am wondering the age old question - what really is the best way to market my ebook?
Now of course for those who are lucky enough to get picked up by an agent and/or publisher well there seems to be no problem. The book is on the shelf and every Tom, Dick and Harry that goes shopping in any retail store will likely see and buy it. But for those of us who are on the pathway to self publication what re the best ways?

1- Social Media... I have a Facebook page and Twitter account - having been told it can take up to a year for those to make 1000 likes/follwers.
2 - Free days on Amazon - Well i have used 4 of my 5 days and got well over 2000 downloads, yet actual sales seem to be slow.
3 - Give up?

No there is obviously no quick fix to this, the earlier success that other authors have had has been amazing and really spurs me on to try and conquer the market. Having had a professional cover made i was hoping to see if that boosted the sales. Alas things have still been slow - my original cover may have been something a 5 year old using paint may have been able to achieve. Now I may not be the brightest spark in the box but i prefer the term naive (a girl can dream of over night fame! as well as believe that Australasia is an actual country. I won't rush to be Prime Minister though if i was it would be most interesting!)

Anyway I persevere on, on that daunting path of trying to make a descent sale from a story i wrote and am fully in love with.

Watch this space as i try to make my way along the hard, scary and possibly exciting path of self publishing - ebook style!

If you read this please like the page on Facebook, come on people lets get me numbers boosted!