Thursday 10 October 2024

Check out Chapters One & Two of Ordinary Girl for FREE!

My soon-to-be-released new book Ordinary Girl (A Viking Bandits Novel) has yet to go through its final edits, but, fingers crossed, it shouldn't be too long before that happens. You can, however, read the first two chapters for FREE right now. 👇


*Please be aware that these teaser chapters include some strong language*


(Also be aware that, as mentioned above, this book has yet to go through any final edits so, you know, if you find any typos, remember this is not the final draft. Any mistakes will get sorted. ðŸ™‚)





One

 

 

Sofia

 

“Ana! Ana, come on! Are you up yet? I have to leave for work in ten minutes so if you want a ride…”

“I don’t need a ride. I’m going into Copenhagen, I’ll get the train.”

“Copenhagen? I thought you were working with Lea in the shop today?”

Headstrong and too street-smart for her own good, I should be proud of my daughter, that she’s turned out this way. I am proud of her. After her father walked out on us when she was just five years old it’s been hard trying to juggle work while bringing her up on my own. I’ve tried to keep her close, make sure the decisions she made were the best ones for her; tried to make sure she grew up confident, not scared to make her own way in the world, and I think I’ve done okay. She’s twenty-two now. The same age I was when her dad left. She’s making her own way in the world, and I’m terrified that, one day, she’s going to leave me. One day she is going to leave me. I can’t make her stay with me forever, even if that’s the way I’d like it to be. We’re a team. Me and her against the world. The way it’s always been.

“Lars and I are meeting with a guy from the company who supply the leather off-cuts Lea uses to make our wrist cuffs. They’re big sellers, we’re buying more and more stock from them, so, we think it’s time we struck a better deal.”

“And you’re having this meeting in Copenhagen?”

“At Nyhavn Quay. Not every business meeting has to take place in an office.”

“Yes. I get that.”

“We do things differently, that’s all.”

I watch her as she looks in the mirror: runs her fingers through her long, silver-blonde hair. With her ice-blue eyes and her stunning smile she’s every reason why I still feel the need to protect her. Men love her, that’s understandable. And she likes the attention, of course she does, she’s young. She’s beautiful. She’s all grown-up, and that’s what scares me. But she’s also super-smart, she’s sensible. She runs her own business – a small bohemian clothes and accessory shop in Vesterbro – with her best friends, twins Lars and Lea Janssen. It’s successful, they’re making money, and I know that for sure because I’m their accountant. And I’m insanely proud of all of them. But my daughter – she has a weakness that concerns me. Bad boys. Men I wouldn’t necessarily want her to be with, but I can’t watch her twenty-four-seven. I can’t make choices for her. She’s been hurt before, and I can only hope that she stays careful. That she doesn’t let anything distract her from the good life she’s building for herself.

We do things differently?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

She turns to face me, a slight smirk on her face. “Our generation.”

“I’m only seventeen years older than you, missy. You should think yourself lucky you’ve got one young, cool mama.”

She comes over to me, stands up on tiptoes and kisses my cheek, and I catch her waist: pull her against me for a hug. My baby girl. My whole fucking world.

“I love you, Mama.”

“Yeah. Right back at ya, kiddo. Go on. You have a good meeting, and keep me in the loop, okay? Remember who controls your finances.”

She shoots me a smile and runs out the door.

She’s going to work. So am I.

Her business isn’t struggling. Mine is.

Another day of keeping my head above water is about to begin.


 

Two

 

 

Skip

 

“What you got for me, Joel?”

Joel closes the meeting room door behind him and throws a pile of papers down on the table.

“All done. Rik isn’t gonna do shit, we’re clear.”

“How much?”

“A thousand. And he wants paying in US dollars. Wade’s transferring the money now.”

“Krone not good enough for him, huh?”

“As long as he keeps his side of the bargain I don’t care what the fuck we pay him in.”

I flick through the papers, throwing them back down on the table. I’m satisfied. “We need Rik with us. Jakob being transferred left us vulnerable, but that place, Jesus, it’s full of fucking saints and do-gooders now, not like the old days. Finding a replacement was one major headache I’m in no hurry to go through again.” I get up, stretch my legs: start pacing the length of the room. My club means everything, it’s my haven. My home. I spend my days doing anything I can to protect it. Keep it safe. Keep it running. “He understands that that payment, it was a one off. Anything else, he has to earn it. He has to prove his loyalty before we fully trust him.”

Joel leans back against the wall and flips a cigarette between his teeth. “He understands.”

“Good. We need a lawman on board, and he’s the only option we’ve got right now. Let’s hope he doesn’t fuck us over.”

“He knows that wouldn’t be a sensible decision.”

“Keep eyes on him as much as you can. Get a couple of the prospects on to it.”

Joel blows smoke up into the air before stubbing his half-smoked cigarette out on the wall behind him.

“Jesus, Joel, use an ashtray. What are we? Fucking animals?”

“Most of the time, yeah.” Joel grins and drags a hand back through his hair.

Joel Madsen. One of my closest, most trusted friends. We met over twenty years ago, when he came to this chapter a messed-up sixteen year old with no direction. No clue where his life was going. Now he’s one of the most lethal brothers this club has known, the Vikings made him the man he is today. A man I rely on to help me run this chapter, I’d trust him with my life. We’re as close as blood, yet there are still things I keep from him. When it comes to some aspects of my life, I’m a fiercely private man.

“I’ll get Kit and Jep on Rik’s case. I’ll be in the workshop if you need me.”

Joel leaves, closing the door behind him, and I make my way across the room, to the window that overlooks the compound. My compound. Now.

I wasn’t born into the biker world, even though my father had once belonged to a club, one based just outside of Malmo, Sweden, before he crossed the bridge into Denmark. That’s where he met my mother. She was the one who’d persuaded him to leave the life behind, settle into normality, and he let his dick take the lead on that one. He did what she wanted. They bought a house close to Christianshavn, got married. Had me. He never returned to the biker life, preferring instead to run a small bar and restaurant in the Copenhagen suburbs before returning to Sweden. I’d been seventeen, hadn’t wanted to go with them, and they’d reluctantly let me stay. Denmark was my home, I had friends. A life. I’d started hanging out at a bar frequented by a local biker gang – The Viking Bandits. Started to hang out at their clubhouse. Their world became one that fascinated me, and by the time I was nineteen I was a fully patched-in member, I was all in, a true brother. I had a place where I belonged, I had focus. And now I’m president of the club I love, and I think, deep down, even though he never told me as much before he died – I think my father was secretly proud of me. I was living his life. The one he never got to fully experience. He was happy, with my mother, but I know there was always a part of him that missed this world. So, I owe it to him to be the man he never had the chance to become. The best man I can be in a world that can fuck with your head, but sometimes the shit it throws at you is worth all the crap.

This is my world.

But it’s not one I live in constantly.

My father had another side. I have one, too…



©MichelleBetham

Ordinary Girl will be released December 2024.

Tuesday 10 September 2024

Fade To Grey - An introduction to my Newcastle-upon-Tyne-set, 1980s timeslip romance...

Right now, I'm working on a number of different projects, all at the same time, which is something I've never done before but a lot's changed in the past few years, and this method of writing is one that absolutely works for me. Now. But, because of that, it's difficult to say which of those books is going to be the next one to be released, it all depends on which one is finished first. So, I thought it would be a good idea to give a little introduction into all of those books here on my blog, just to let you all know that I'm not lying when I say I'm working on all these different projects. Because I am working hard. I promise. 😊

Newcastle Upon Tyne - Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Anyway, let's begin with the book I happen to be working on this week. Fade To Grey. And this one I'm describing as a fantasy, time-travel/time-slip romance that is set in my neck of the woods - Newcastle-upon-Tyne in North East England. It takes place in both 1983 and the present day...


Thea Connelly doesn't have a bad life. She runs a successful hairdressing business with her best friend, Joe. She has a nice house in a decent part of town and enjoys spending time with her elderly neighbour, Albie, who recently moved onto her street. But, despite all that, she's also still getting over a break-up with a man she thought could have been "the one", but turned out to be very, very far from that. And it's the fact that, three years on from that break-up, she's still giving him headspace that prompts her to think that even though she has a good life, maybe there's something more for her out there. 

Photo by Ross Sneddon on Unsplash
And then, one day, whilst on a day out with Albie and Joe, something happens to Thea that turns her entire world upside down. One fleeting moment near an unassuming archway on a cobbled back street not far from the centre of town. A place nobody would think was special in any way. But for Thea, it  changes everything, thrusting her into an unfamiliar decade, six years before she was even born...


I'm over halfway through writing the book now, and looking back at a decade I experienced, and loved, it's become a huge nostalgia fest, with a playlist I have adored putting together. Here are just a few of the songs that are providing the soundtrack to this project...


Image by Alexander Antropov from Pixabay

Adam & The Ants - Antmusic

Tracey Ullman - They Don't Know

Duran Duran - Planet Earth

Kim Wilde - Water on Glass

Odyssey - Going Back To My Roots

Visage - Fade To Grey

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Spellbound


So, there we have it. A basic introduction to Fade to Grey. And now it's time to disappear back into a haze of 80s nostalgia and finish this book... 😊 Watch this space for details on more of those books I'm working on. Oh, and if you want to listen to some of those 80s tunes that are inspiring this story, you can check out my Fade to Grey Playlist HERE over on Spotify!


Michelle x

Thursday 30 November 2023

It's Publication Day for Back To Us!

 

Yes, book number 37 is finally out there. It's time to tell Travis and Reagan's story, and I can't wait for some of you to read it, and hopefully enjoy it. 

Want to find out more? Well, you can try before you buy read Chapter One of my brand new small town, second chance romance right HERE, and see what you think. 

Or check out the book blurb below  👇

When Reagan Crowder finds herself back in Buick, the small town she’d grown up in, after vowing never to return, she has every intention of making her stay a short one. She’s come home purely because her brother, country music star Casey Crowder, needs a break from Nashville, which has been their home for almost five years now. Five years in which Reagan has tried to forget the reason why she left Buick in the first place. Why she joined Casey in Nashville, because that hadn’t been her plan. She’d had every intention of staying in Buick, starting a family, marrying the man she’d been in love with forever. Until something happened to change that. Until she experienced the kind of betrayal that almost destroyed her. And now she’s back, a very different woman to the one who left all those years ago, but despite what she looks like on the outside, inside Reagan can’t ignore the memories being back in Buick kicks up, but it’s okay. They’d also left town, to start a new life together, Reagan had assumed. The man who’d betrayed her. The friend who’d betrayed her. Two people she'd thought she could trust, they’d hurt her in the worst possible way, but they’d left Buick, too. Only, as Reagan soon finds out, they’ve also returned. And that means Reagan has to deal with a whole lot of feelings she’s pushed aside rather than faced up to. Can a visit back to her old home town help repair old wounds, or deepen them…?

Travis Harlow came back to Buick to bury his daddy. No other reason. But finding out their father had left the ranch to him and his brother Jackson: that his dying wish was for him and Jackson to run the place together, what was he supposed to do? A big part of him wanted to run back to Dallas, get out of this town that held nothing but bad memories, but another part of him felt that pull toward family loyalty. He didn’t want to let his daddy down. But this town, there was nothing left for him here. Until she walked back into it. Reagan Crowder. The woman he’d loved. Lied to. Lost. Seeing her again brought back all the guilt. All the pain. Her return meant he now had to face up to everything he’d thrown away, for what? He still couldn't answer that question. And now she’s back, can Travis persuade Reagan to give him the second chance he so desperately wants? With a woman he never really stopped loving…


So, there it is. My latest book baby is finally out in the world. And like I said before, I just hope a few people will take a chance on this story, and make one indie author a very happy writer. 😊

Back To Us is available to download now over on Amazon.

And if you have Kindle Unlimited it's absolutely FREE to read. 


Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon AUS / Amazon CA


OK. That's all for now, but watch this space for news on more new stories coming your way in 2024.

Have a great day, everyone!


Michelle x




Monday 27 November 2023

Looking for fellow authors to highlight. Fancy doing a guest post...?

I used to feature guest authors quite a bit on my last, now sadly defunct, blog. But then the pandemic happened, I lost a lot of my confidence, and I took a step back from the whole writing/marketing thing for a little while. But, I'm back now, and I've started to realise how much I miss helping out other authors, and how much fun it was getting to know more about them and their books.

So, in the hope that I can get back to doing that: helping out other authors in whatever small way I can, I want to start doing guest posts here on my new and still growing blog. It's not much, granted, and it probably won't help any author sell copious amounts of their books, but, like I said before, I really just want to get to know more authors, and learn about their own presonal writing journey. Their experiences. I really do miss that. 

Okay, so, do any of you out there fancy doing a guest post, then? Any author. Any genre. Indie or traditionally published, it doesn't matter, I just want to know your stories. You can plug your books, and yourselves, in any way you want to, be that with a post about your writing journey; a post about your latest book or your books in general; a teaser chapter, maybe, or a snippet of your book. Whatever you want to do, it's totally up to you, I'd just love to hear from you. And if enough of you respond, I'll make guest posts a regular thing. I promise I'll do my best to get the word out, on all my social media platforms, and fingers crossed it helps in even the smallest of ways because, believe me, I know how much even the tiniest amount of help can mean. 

I also want to start up, again, something that used to be quite popular back when I did it a few years ago, and that's a Meet The Author slot. This would take the form of a Q&A, just basic questions about how your writing journey began, do you have a writing space, that kind of thing. 

Anyway, if anyone is interested in finding out more, or if you fancy doing a guest post here on my blog, just let me know. You can leave a comment here on the blog, or message me on X (Twitter), or Facebook. Or you can visit my website HERE with links to all my social media. I really would love to hear from other authors out there because working together helps, even if it is just a little bit. 

Have a great day! Sending lots of love and luck.


Michelle x

Wednesday 22 November 2023

Back To Us - release date and pre-order details. Yes, there's another new book on the way! 😀

Finally! It's taking a little more time than usual to both write and release new books these days, but there's a brand new one on the way, and it's not long now before its release date.

Back To Us will be out on November 30th! 

And if you want to find out a little bit more about it, check out the book blurb...

When Reagan Crowder finds herself back in Buick, the small town she’d grown up in, after vowing never to return, she has every intention of making her stay a short one. She’s come home purely because her brother, country music star Casey Crowder, needs a break from Nashville, which has been their home for almost five years now. Five years in which Reagan has tried to forget the reason why she left Buick in the first place. Why she joined Casey in Nashville, because that hadn’t been her plan. She’d had every intention of staying in Buick, starting a family, marrying the man she’d been in love with forever. Until something happened to change that. Until she experienced the kind of betrayal that almost destroyed her. And now she’s back, a very different woman to the one who left all those years ago, but despite what she looks like on the outside, inside Reagan can’t ignore the memories being back in Buick kicks up, but it’s okay. They’d also left town, to start a new life together, Reagan had assumed. The man who’d betrayed her. The friend who’d betrayed her. Two people she'd thought she could trust, they’d hurt her in the worst possible way, but they’d left Buick, too. Only, as Reagan soon finds out, they’ve also returned. And that means Reagan has to deal with a whole lot of feelings she’s pushed aside rather than faced up to. Can a visit back to her old home town help repair old wounds, or deepen them…?


Travis Harlow came back to Buick to bury his daddy. No other reason. But finding out their father had left the ranch to him and his brother Jackson: that his dying wish was for him and Jackson to run the place together, what was he supposed to do? A big part of him wanted to run back to Dallas, get out of this town that held nothing but bad memories, but another part of him felt that pull toward family loyalty. He didn’t want to let his daddy down. But this town, there was nothing left for him here. Until she walked back into it. Reagan Crowder. The woman he’d loved. Lied to. Lost. Seeing her again brought back all the guilt. All the pain. Her return meant he now had to face up to everything he’d thrown away, for what? He still couldn't answer that question. And now she’s back, can Travis persuade Reagan to give him the second chance he so desperately wants? With a woman he never really stopped loving…

And if you want to check out the first chapter of Back To Us, you can read that right HERE.

And don't forget, if you want to, you can pre-order Back To Us right now over on Amazon.


Amazon UK / Amazon US / Amazon AUS / Amazon CA


I really can't wait for you to read Travis and Reagan's story. But for now, it's time to crack on with another new work-in-progress. Lots more new stories to write... Have a great day!


Michelle x

Monday 30 October 2023

Are self-published authors really taking the easy way out...?

Because that's what one very well known, traditionally published author hinted at in a recent post on TikTok. And I'll admit, I didn't see the actual post because I don't do TikTok, I just saw all the subsequent posts on X talking about what had been said. But, from what I can gather, she was telling authors not to self-publish because traditional publishing rewards those who don't choose "the easy way out." 

OK. So, let's talk about this. And, firstly, can I just say that, as someone who started out self-publishing, then had a couple of years with a traditonal publisher, and am now back self-publishing, that trad publishing absolutely does not reward authors like me in any way. If anything, I found the pressure rose after I was signed. Pressure to market, pressure to garner reviews, pressure to organise my own interviews and blog tours because, believe me, unless you are a mega-selling author with that publishing house then you are still very much out on your own as far as marketing is concerned. The rewards were few and far between. It didn't catapult me into the realms of success, not even close, because you still have to put the work in. The same work I was doing as a self-published author, but with less control. There's even a part of me that regrets signing with a trad publisher, because I've lost control of books that I love. One in particular, a previously self-pubbed book, that I absolutely adore. They took it, changed the cover to something I grew to hate, and even changed the story, making certain parts of it something that actually became a problem for some readers, but I couldn't do anything about that. It was a book that was actually doing pretty well as a self-pubbed book but I had a dream about signing a contract with a traditional publisher and at the time I would've done anything to realise that dream. Would love to have that book back under my control, though. It really is a huge regret of mine.

Anyway, back to the question. Are self-published authors really taking the easy way out? Well, once I'd stopped laughing at the sheer absurdity of that statement, I got angry. No. Self-published authors are NOT taking the easy way out, far from it! Firstly, all I ever wanted was for my stories to be read, and I know that, for a lot of other authors, that's also the case. Waiting for a trad publisher to sit up and take notice of your work, well, that could take forever. It can also be soul destroying, knock your confidence, and make you want to give up, because your stories just aren't good enough. Right? Wrong! there are some incredible books out there by indie authors, people who are writing different, interesting stories that no agent or trad publisher would look twice at, because they aren't commercial enough. Aren't what they think readers want. 

Self-publishing is the hardest, bravest thing an author can do. Doing everything yourself, or finding someone out there to help you achieve your end game - getting your book out there - that takes a lot of guts, a lot of patience, a lot of money, time and effort. I'm lucky that my husband helps me with all the technical stuff, without him I don't think I could've done this. But if I didn't have him, I'd have to find someone who could do all that for me, and that isn't easy. Or cheap. 

Doing all your own marketing, again, especially if, like me, money is very much an issue, that's also exhausting. I've never been good at blowing my own trumpet, so to speak. I think I write damn good stories, but when it comes to telling the world that? I find it excrutiatingly difficult. Which is why self-publishing is brave. We're putting our work out there for people to read and judge and tell us what they think, without the backing of a publisher. We're already on the back foot, but I wouldn't have it any other way.


What this well known author should understand is, at her level, yes, she is being rewarded. But I don't think she fully understands the world: the mindset of the indie author. What we have to do in order for our work to be seen. And there were people who said she was mistaking vanity publishing for self-publishing when they are two completely different things, so maybe she needs to go back and think again about what she said. Self-publishing is not the easy way out. It's the opposite. And if anybody wishes to argue the toss with me on that, please feel free. But I've seen it from both sides, and I chose to stick with self-publishing. Chose to continue to take the hard route, because this is where I'm confortable. I don't want to be "rewarded", because it just doesn't happen for the majority of trad published authors. I want to write what I want, when I want, and create the stories I think people might just want to read, and yes, finding those readers is a hard, hard slog but in the end, when I look at all the books I've written; all the stories I've created, when I read back some of the reviews I've received over the years for the books I put out there myself, I'm proud to be an indie author. And every other indie author out there should be proud, too. Snobbery in publishing is something I detest, so let's just stamp it out. Write books because that's what we love to do. And don't believe that trad publishing is the bee all and end all, it's just as hard for the majority of authors, with very little reward. But, again, it's a personal choice. It wasn't for me because I couldn't be that author they needed: the one with a huge social media presence, an army of fans and friends and family to help spread the word, that just wasn't and never is going to be me. My books could be the best stories they'd ever read, but if I can't help that publisher sell them, I'm not really what they want. And I don't think it was personal, that's just the way it works. How it is. So be prepared, neither route is easy, not at my level. Just write because you love it, and the stories will come. Put your books out there because you want them to be read. And I hope that, for all my fellow indie authors, some lucky readers find their stories, because they all deserve to be read.

Have a great writing day!

Michelle x

Wednesday 18 October 2023

I'm a multi-genre author - good idea, or big mistake...?

So, yeah, I'm a multi-genre author, and that isn't unusual, a lot of authors write in many different genres, but sometimes they use pen names. Pseudonyms. They separate their books, and those different genres out by writing under different names, and whilst I did do that, once, for my One More Chapter-published domestic thriller The Wife, all of my own self-published books are all written under the one name. Because, quite honestly, to separate them all out I would've needed about four different names and that, in my opinion, is even more confusing. 

So, what genres have I actually written, then? Well, my first two books were what I like to describe as Hollywood bonkbusters. And considering my absolutel idol is Jackie Collins, that was always where I was going to start, with a story that had lived in my head for decades before I finally found the confidence to write it, and then publish it. 

I've also written romcoms; rock star romances; erotica; dark, romantic suspense involving biker gangs and drug cartels; super-sexy romances and Christmas novellas. The only thing I haven't delved into, because I don't think I'd pull it off and the competition out there is ridiculous, is crime fiction/physchological thrillers, and historical romance because I don't think I've got the attention span necessary for the sheer amount of research that's needed. Oh, and horror. I just couldn't write horror, I wouldn't know where to start. I'm sticking to what I know, and all those genres I mentioned above, I love writing them all. But, is it confusing, to have them all written under the one name? Does it alienate readers? As an author, I can't put myself into any particular category, so, is that a bad thing? A mistake? It means readers can't rely on me to churn out the same kind of book time after time, because I just don't work like that. Now I'm back self-publishing I can write what I want, when I want, and that's kind of what I'm doing. The days of me trying to write what I think readers want, they're gone. So, yeah, I guess a lot of readers may avoid authors like me because they never know what they're going to get, and when it comes to marketing I don't really have a core audience to target, so, that makes that job a lot harder too. 


But, in reality, do readers really just stick with one genre? People have favourites, of course they do. I myself love reading horror, but I also love a good Jackie Collins/Jilly Cooper-esque dose of pure escapism. I read a lot of physchological thrillers, and I'm always up for a good old romcom, sometimes even a cosy romance every now and again. Just as I write to suit my mood, it's the same when it comes to the books I choose to read. Surely I'm not the only person who feels that way? Or the only writer who works that way?

So, is writing multi-genre books under the same name a big mistake? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe I have readers out there, in fact I know I have readers out there who read all of my books, and have enjoyed them, and they are the very readers who keep me motivated to carry on doing what I do. So, what does it really matter? Every author is on their very own, very personal writing journey, and this is the way I've chosen to go with mine. I love the fact that, I can be listening to a song, or watching something on TV; I can overhear a conversation at the checkout in Aldi, that's all it takes, sometimes, to inspire me: kick-start a new story, and I love that. I can't work any other way, so, I guess I'm going to continue writing all those multi-genre books, and just hope that all those very different stories reach readers who'll enjoy them, and maybe even be compelled to pick up another, very different book of mine. 


Anyway, talking of writing, I have a brand new book almost ready for publication, and a brand new story I'm about to start writing, and yes, both of those books are very different genres, but that's just the way I roll... 😉


Michelle x

Wednesday 4 October 2023

Is it really worth carrying on with my writing journey...?

That's a question that's been running around in my head for a little while now, but this morning in particular I woke up with it playing on my mind a lot more than usual, possibly due to the atrocious sales, or lack of, lately. The low amount of page reads, I don't know. All I do know is that the landscape for indie authors like me has changed over the past few years, and it's changed a lot. 

In reality, there are two types of indie authors anyway: ones like me, who plough on, day after day, chasing sales and page reads, feeling relieved at any scraps of recognition we can salvage from any wonderful reader who's willing to give us a chance. And then there are the indie authors who are hugely successful, sell thousands upon thousands of books and quite frequently appear at author workshops to give a talk on how other authors  - the ones like me - can become as successful as them by just sticking with it. Believe me, I've been to a couple of these workshops, listened to a few of these talks, and it doesn't actually work like that. It takes more than a bit of hard work and a perfectly structured story to become a bestseller. And I have no idea how these authors manage it - is it having enough money to throw at marketing? Having the clout of the Amazon algorithms behind them? I don't know. All I know is, being an indie author like me is fast becoming exhausting. 

Some of my self-published books, all free to read with Kindle Unlimited.

I've been around since the very early days of self-publishing, and back then, I sold quite a few books on a regular basis. Because the competition wasn't anywhere near as fierce as it now. I also put my books out there to publishers, because it had always been my dream to be a published author, and I was lucky enough to be signed by an imprint of one of the biggest publishers out there. Six books later, and I was back as an indie author, and it can be BRUTAL when you're dumped by your publisher. It's literally like being ghosted. That's it. No word, no contact, and I get that, I do. I wasn't making them money, therefore I was surplus to requirements. So, yeah, I completely understand why it happened to me. I also learnt that online presence is everything when you're an author, and especially if you want an agent or a publisher to take notice of you. I honestly believe that you can write the BEST book out there, an incredible story, but if you don't have that online presence, no one is going to be interested. And me, well, I just didn't have the online presence necessary to push my books forward, because don't think for one moment that having a publisher behind you means you don't have to worry about marketing anymore. Quite the opposite. I was asked, quite freqently by my editor when a new book was released, to ask friends and family to help with the promo, leave reviews, help get the word out. What they didn't realise was that I don't have a big family, or a huge circle of friends, I am, basically, doing this alone. And that doesn't work in this world. I don't have a huge amount of confidence either, which may sound weird for someone who's quite willing to do one of the hardest things as an author, and that's put your book out there for people to read, scrutinise, and review. But, self-doubt is something that will always plague me, which is why I find navigating social media as an author, and especially as an indie author, incredibly difficult. I would love to engage and connect with other authors, but making those connections is hard for someone like me. Especially as, during the pandemic, and then the menopause hitting like a smack to the gut, I left writing behind for a couple of years. And coming back to it, it's like having to start over, from scratch, and it's been way, way harder than I thought it would be to do that. And then we have the dwindling sales. The lack of page reads. The loss of engagement with readers I used to have, it's all gone, and I have no clue how to get any of that back, so I'm just concentrating on writing more stories instead, because that's what I do. What I love to do. So, I guess that brings us back to the initial question: Is it really worth carrying on with my writing journey? In this new and much tougher landscape? As an indie author at the bottom of the pile, is it worth all the time and effort it takes to write and release a book that only a handful - if I'm lucky - people will read? The answer, for me, is yes. This is all I've wanted to do, all I've ever wanted to do. Ever since I could pick up a pencil all I've ever wanted was to write stories; be an author. It was my dream. And maybe my dream didn't turn out the way I'd hoped it might, but I've still written over 30 books. I got the chance to be traditionally published, even if that, also, didn't quite turn out the way I'd hoped. And I need to stop thinking of myself as a failure because of that, I'm still writing. And I'm good at it, yeah, that's me blowing my own trumpet for a change because, quite honestly, if I don't do it, who else will? 

My latest book, Saving Grace, is still struggling with sales and page reads.

So, to all those other, struggling, indie authors out there. Stick with it. Do what you love, keep going, for you. And most of all, the advice I was asked to give to new writers when I was doing interviews back in my trad published days, that hasn't changed: find your own voice, and learn to love it.

Michelle x

Tuesday 3 October 2023

Let the edits begin...

It's that time again, when I get to read through the final version of a new book, and make those all important, and absolutely necessary tweaks. And I know some people really hate the editing process, but I actually like it. Having once been traditionally published, I learnt a lot from the notes I was sent by my editors, which, I hope, has stood me in good stead now I'm back to self-publishing.


Anyway, the final edits for Back To Us are underway, with an eye to a November release. So, if you want a break from all the Christmas books that'll be out there by that time, well, you know what to do. 😉 

I really can't wait for you to read Reagan and Travis' story, and welcome you to the (fictional) small town of Buick...

Have a great day, whatever you're up to! 💗


Michelle x




 

Monday 19 June 2023

Monday June 19th - Diary Post. What's going on in my world today...

I said, in the very first post on this brand new blog of mine, that some posts would take the form of diary entries. This is one of them. I like the idea of them, to be honest. As someone who spends a LOT of time alone, holed away in my writing cave with only my Spotify playlists and a vivid imagination for company, it's sometimes nice, and a little necessary, to just, you know, get your thoughts out there. No matter how random or pointless they may be. Sometimes it's helpful. And, you never know, there may actually be a day when one of these posts could prove useful to someone else. I've been doing this writing thing for almost twelve years now, both indie and traditionally published, and I've got a lot of s**t to share on my experiences of both sides so, feel free to ask any questions. 

OK, what's happening today, then? Well, as usual, this day's begun like every other day begins - I check my, quite honestly, utterly depressing Amazon sales figures. But, it's not exactly surprising that it feels like I'm going backwards rather than forwards in the grand writing scheme of things. I took time out. Stopped using social media. People forget who you are, of course they do. So, in some respects, it's like I'm having to start all over again but that's the price you pay. And once you accept that you were, quite obviously, never going to hit the heady heights of the best seller rankings, you just get on with it. So what if only two people (yes, 2!) bought my latest release. 👇

The book that could do with a few more readers... not that I'm begging or anything... 

At the time it was incredibly upsetting. You spend so long writing these stories, making sure they're the best they can be, so that people, hopefully, enjoy them, and to see on release day that only 2 people bought copies, well, it's gut wrenching. No other words for it. And, yeah, for a while I wondered if it was worth wasting my time writing all these other stories that I've got living in my head if no one was going to buy them. But, I'm a sucker for punishment. Of course I'm going to write them! And I might try and put myself out there a bit more, I'm just bloody awful at the whole social media thing. Mainly because my life is so incredibly boring, I mean, who wants to know that I, basically get up, walk the dog, have a bowl of cereal while watching 'King of Queens' repeats on Channel 4 before cleaning the house, walking the dog again: spend the afternoon (trying to) write before making the tea, grabbing a quick shower, and watching TV all night before going to bed only to wake up and repeat the cycle! Not exactly going to take Tik Tok by storm, is it? And, OK, maybe that was a slight exaggeration (only slight, mind) of how boring my life is, but I really don't have anything that interesting to share at the minute. And the fact I loathe having my picture taken, can't take a decent selfie to save my life, and hate being the centre of attention (I'm the world's worst Leo, I swear, but that's because I was born 2 weeks early and should have really been a Virgo, which is much more me) means that social media and me really don't mix all that well. But I'm trying.

So, back to today. Is there anything even vaguely exciting happening? In a word, no. After I've written this post I'll be going back to that brand new project I started last week. Well, to be honest, I started it last year but then put it to one side - along with the 8 other manuscripts I started in lockdown and never had the motivation to finish, until now - but it's full steam ahead on that particular story now. It's a new biker book. A dark romantic suspense set in Denmark, hence the name of the biker club in the story - The Viking Bandits. And, this book will be the first to be written under a new pen name, which I'm not revealing yet but I absolutely LOVE the name! It's the name I'll be writing all my much more darker romances under from now on. I just wanted to try something new, and if it doesn't work, well, I gave it a go. But, fingers crossed, something might come of it. 

Anyway, I think I've probably rambled on enough for one day, and there are no photographs to make this post even mildly more interesting so, I'll love and leave you for one day. But, you know, if anyone out there feels the need for something new to read, there's a link on the left hand side of this blog that will take you straight to my book page on Amazon. 👈 And if I can't do some shameless self-promotion on my own blog, then where can I do it? 😜 Have a great Monday, people! 💖


Michelle x

Wednesday 31 May 2023

It's Publication Day for 'Saving Grace'!

It was a long time coming, but here we are. Another publication day for another brand new book - 'Saving Grace'. And this one's a little different to the books that have gone before it, but like I talked about in a previous post, my writing seems to be changing as the years go by, and not being tied to a publisher anymore means I can just go with my gut and write about whatever is inspiring me at the time. And this story - I don't know. It's difficult to say what drew me to it, to these characters, all I know is it's a story I loved writing. And all I can do now is hope that some people out there enjoy reading it. It's all any of us authors can do. Anyway, check out the book blurb below, and see what you think...


Book Blurb

Grace

For a long time I’d been fascinated by The Bridge. By the man who headed up this clandestine community in northern California. An enigmatic figure, Emmet Brooks was fiercely protective of his late uncle’s legacy, so when I became one of the few “outsiders” granted permission to step through its gates, I knew I was lucky. Privileged. And what I found was a beautiful place full of love and peace and happiness. I found a man reluctant to open up his version of paradise to anyone other than those who chose to live in his world. Did he have something to hide? Was this commune really too good to be true? And why, after just a few days, did I feel so comfortable in a place that still felt almost unreal?
I didn’t see it, at first. I didn’t see it because I hadn’t wanted to. But
 he saw it. Emmet Brooks. He saw what I’d chosen to ignore. He knew why I’d really come to The Bridge. And that’s when everything changed…

Emmet

The Bridge wasn’t just my uncle’s legacy, it was his life’s work. And it became mine. I knew nothing else, it had been my home since birth. My family. Of course I wanted to protect it! Keep it safe from the outside world, one that had the ability to infiltrate and destroy everything we had here. Everything we’d built. Created. So, yes, I was reluctant to allow Grace Tyler in. And she arrived with the usual skepticism I’d been expecting from someone who was armed only with snippets of things she’d read. Rumors she’d heard. But the more time she spent with us, the harder it became for her to ignore the reality.
She’d always been destined to come here. Fate had played its part, but she didn’t want to hear that. She didn’t want to believe that sometimes things happen for a reason. There was a reason she came to us. To me. I could see it as clear as day, or, I’d thought I could. But sometimes we need to look a little closer. Think a little deeper. Not be scared to face a truth we might prefer to keep locked away.
I’d thought Grace Tyler had needed saving. I was wrong. She wasn’t the only one who needed saving. She wasn't the only one...


Avery

The Bridge was my home. My sanctuary. Emmet and I, we’d grown up together. Brothers in all but blood. I lived in a place that, to anyone looking in from outside, maybe seemed too good to be true, and yes, nothing’s perfect. But some things come pretty damn close.
Yasmin Rivera came to The Bridge an outsider, hired by me to help us promote our community to the wider population, something Emmet struggled to accept, but in my eyes it was necessary. We had to move on. Change the way we were viewed outside of The Bridge’s gates. And Yasmin, she was key to helping us do that. We worked together a lot, grew closer as time went on, but Yasmin was fiercely private. Surrounded by barriers she was reluctant to lower it wasn’t easy getting to know her as anything other than a work colleague. But I wasn’t going to give up without a fight. If I’d known then what I know now, though, would I have fought as hard? I don’t know. I really don’t know…


Yasmin

I didn’t come to The Bridge by chance. But this job, it was nothing more than a foot in the door. A reason for me to be next to him. Close to him. Avery Wilder. I came to The Bridge because of him. And he needed to know why, but telling him the truth was never going to be easy. Falling for him was never supposed to have been an option, it was wrong on so many levels. But the best laid plans don’t always work out the way you want them to. Mine certainly didn’t. But I should have tried harder to get them back on track.
My mistake was thinking that the truth didn’t matter. That he didn’t need to know why I’d really come to The Bridge.
The truth 
does matter. It mattered to all of us. Every single one of us. The truth, it changed us all. It changed everything…



Saving Grace is available to download now.

Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited.

Click HERE to check out Chapter One.


Amazon US  /  Amazon UK / Amazon AU / Amazon CA


OK. So there we are. Another book is out in the wild, and for me it's time to get cracking on another brand new story, one that will, hopefully, not take quite as long to see the light of day. Keep your fingers crossed. 🤞😄



Michelle x

Check out Chapters One & Two of Ordinary Girl for FREE!

My soon-to-be-released new book Ordinary Girl (A Viking Bandits Novel) has yet to go through its final edits, but, fingers crossed, it shoul...