Behind the scenes…

I’ve thought for a while about doing a ‘Day in the Life’ post on Instagram or TikTok but the reality is my life as a newly published indie author isn’t that exciting.

August looks a little different due to my child being on school holidays, so instead of rushing to get dressed into uniform and get to school on time, it’s a question of packing a bag, remembering a healthy-and-nutritious-nut-free-packed lunch (note: I am not a chef, so unfortunately that means crisps and pasta salad with a large helping of fruit) and then rushing to whichever camp we’ve got booked for the week.

Then I commute, on the London Underground, to my day job in the City. ‘The City’ refers to the Square Mile of London - where the banks, law firms, and other professional service firms were traditionally located.

Fun fact: the boundaries of the City of London are marked by cast iron dragons. I go past a dragon every day on my way to work.

I do a full day’s work in my corporate job, which is nothing to do with creative writing, then it’s back on the tube to collect my child from camp and then home. Typically I’m home around 6pm. I spend the next couple of hours with my child and husband. And looking after my two Siberian cats, assuming they will grace me with their presence.

I don’t start writing until after my child is asleep. Typically that means I’m opening my laptop about 8.30 pm and then working until my eyes feel like they’re popping out of my head. I’m working on Book 2 - Empire of Capital - at the moment. I’d actually written it before I released Sterling but I’ve been tweaking a few bits here and there… I’m excited to share it with you all.

If I was a stronger person, I wouldn’t then hit ‘refresh’ multiple times on my KDP dashboard to see how many pages have been read in KU or on Goodreads to see if I have a new rating or review. However, I am not a strong person and I do visit both sites multiple times.

I write until about 11 pm, sustained by peppermint tea and chocolate, and then it’s bed to read. My husband goes to bed early, but I HAVE to read in bed before I can get to sleep. So, yep, if I’m reading a paperback that means I have to put on my head torch (the bedside table lamp is too bright apparently). I do have a kindle but sometimes what I’m reading is a paperback (or, God forbid, I’ve forgotten to charge the kindle).

Then it’s a 6.30 am wake-up, by the cats jumping on me, and off we go again :) I told you it was a glamourous life!