Why it takes me so long to write a new book...
I'm totally full of big statements like, "I'm going to write two books a year, every year, until I'm 130 years old and nothing's going to stop me." And then I look around, and, hey, who knew? I've got four kids. Plus two dogs. Plus a house that really can't get any grottier, and, as well, a cello that wants playing all of the day, and it just seems crazy that I could even write one book a year, let alone two, so I fall in a bit of a heap.
Anyway, that's what happened before. Now, it's different. Now I've got four kids at school, which makes such a difference that you wouldn't believe it. I love my youngest: she's a doll and totally gorgeous, but she can talk all day, literally. She could probably talk all night too, but thankfully I'm not there to hear it. And when someone is talking at you, all day, it's pretty hard to write anything - even a blog post.
Now she's at school, so now the work can get done. Which I love. I really do. I love making stories and writing characters and figuring stuff out, and getting the words down so that they make sense, and make beauty too.
I don't actually like the process of writing, though. I don't know if you knew that. It's long and boring and I have to make myself do it. But I love reading back over it, and I love the feeling I get when I'm close, closer, closest to the end... and then, bam! Finished.
So. The new book is nearly ready. It's Charlie Franks is A-OK and it's the sequel to Love and Muddy Puddles, written from Charlie's point of view. There's still a lot of Coco in it, for all you Coco fans, so don't worry. And Cupcake's there too, which is nice.
This is the cover:
And this is the blurb:
Unlike her drama-queen twin sister, Charlie Franks is always fine. At least she is until she has to start a new school, finds out she can’t ride her new horse, and gets told that her Mum has something totally weird wrong with her.
Charlie’s not A-OK. Not at all. And she can’t see how things are ever going to get better.
It's being released as an ebook on 12 May, 2016, so be sure to order your copy now, everywhere you get ebooks. And I'd love it if you'd leave me a review as well!