Thinking time...

On Sunday, the title for a new novel popped into my head! Oooh, I thought with grinning anticipation, this is exciting. But then I realised I only had the title. (I'm not going to tell you what it is, because I love it so much I don't want to share it just yet!)

So while some of you might be frantically scribbling ideas at this stage of the process, planning, shaping characters, and doing all those things that authors do, I'm walking around the streets, repeating the title over and over to myself (yes, I admit, sometimes out loud, and sometimes within earshot of other people...) waiting for the characters to tell me what their story is. In fact, I'm actually waiting for the characters too.

This morning I woke up with two thoughts: chocolate and tattoos. I don't know how or if this relates to my new idea (or perhaps I just want both in real life... actually, yes I do!) but it's pretty interesting watching these disparate parts come together.

I'm starting to think that the first draft of this story is worthy of the handmade notebook that my kids bought me several years ago, and which has been waiting for the right story ever since. If any of you have a similar notebook/journal, then you'll know that this is quite a big deal.

And now I just have to wait for the characters, plot, theme, and story to appear.

Ladies and gentlemen, this isn't just pantsing, this is ultimate pantsing. 

New Web Site

I've been busy... I've set up a new web site!

Annalisa Crawford, Author.

I'd be delighted if you want to check it out. I'm open to advice and criticism.

In other news, I'm two-thirds of the way through my novel, and I've already started thinking about the next one. This is a badly timed because I really need to focus on the current one. It's not easy getting into the head of this current character - he's a bit odd, to say the least! Every so often I get the feeling he's not as bad as I need him to be, so I have to go back and re-write to stop him handing himself into the authorities or disappearing into the sunset with a trusty side-kick.

Do your characters ever work against you?

How to do pull them back into line?

The final day of the tour

I've made it all the way to the end of the tour. The eleventh and final guest post is over on Michelle Wallace's Writer-in-transit blog, and I'm discussing the title story of the collection, That Sadie Thing.

I've had a great time on this tour, so thank you to everyone who's supported me and commented on my many posts.

Tomorrow, I start on the final 20,000 words of my new novel... and then I'll start to panic about what to do with such an odd tale. Ah, the writer's life... I wouldn't have it any other way!

Popping over to Rachel's, and a sneaky photo of Kyra Lennon

Today the tour takes me to Rachel Schieffelbein's Writing on the Wall blog, and I'm talking about The Girl who is Good. If you really want an insight into the weirdness of my mind, this is the story to read!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You all know that Kyra Lennon and I did a book signing/fund raising extravaganza on Saturday, because I've been telling you about it for weeks. It was a really great day, and I met some lovely people. And we both the chance to give advice to a budding writer... It was almost as though I know what I'm doing.

I did keep forgetting to sign my postcards for people, and Kyra kept reminding me. But I did a great job at handing out my badges!

We didn't take as many photos as we were expecting, but here are a couple of self-edited ones!

Kyra, me and the table of prizes - and our book cover t-shirts!

My giveaways and my cider

Kyra signing her book

Kyra's books looked great on the table

If you want to read more about the day, Kyra's written a post about it on her Write Here, Write Now blog - and she's having a giveaway of her signed books, bookmarks and fridge magnets! So, pop over to Rachel's, pop back, and then pop to Kyra's!

I'm on real life tour

Okay, so I realise that going to one town doesn't make a tour, but I have to get a bus and a train to get there, so it sort of counts, right.

By the time this post goes live, Kyra Lennon and I should be nicely settled into the Smugglers pub, where hoards of people destined to become devoted fans will be queuing up to buy Kyra's signed books and grab freebie badges from me.

And that's not the only thing they - and you - will be able to get free today!! That Sadie Thing is FREE for the weekend. Grab your copy here, if you haven't already got it. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell the lady who works in your local shop, tell your dentist, share the Sadie love!

You can get your copy of That Sadie Thing here

Have a great weekend!

Beth meets Clare

Yay, it's Friday! I hope you've all got that Friday feeling.

The blog tour hits Clare Dugmore's blog today, and I'm going to explain the thoughts and ideas behind Beth.

Once again, I'm having Saturday and Sunday off, and then there are just two stops next week. To celebrate the end of the tour, and the book reading/signing with Kyra Lennon, That Sadie Thing will be free to download from Amazon this weekend. If you've been intrigued by my posts about the individual stories, why not grab yourself a copy here from tomorrow. And, while you're there, please check out my novella Cat and The Dreamer.

Have a great weekend, and I'll see you on Monday!

Lurking in the shadows

It's another first for me today - I'm visiting DL Hammons's blog, Cruising Altitude 2.0, and I'm talking about one of my personal favourite stories, Shadows of Autumn.

In the real world, I'm going to start practising read out loud, because I'm off to see Kyra Lennon on Saturday - yes folks, it's almost time for our book extravaganza! Nervous? Me? Noooooooooo... (or, yes...)

Anyone for a hot chocolate?

Hello, are you still touring with me? If so, thank you so much for all your support, and I hope you're enjoying the posts.

If this was a real tour, I'd be at that stage of needing a lot of Red Bull to get me up in the morning. However I'm going to settle for a hot chocolate with a friend.

Today's post is over on TF Walsh's blog (if you don't know her, she's the lady with the fantastic hat!) I've already posted about my first published story, so today I'm talking about one of the first stories I ever wrote.

The story that made me blush

I'm back in Britain today, visiting Linda King's Excuse Me While I Note That Down... blog, and I'm talking about the story that made me blush to write it!

In other news, I'll be attempting a personal best deadlift at the gym this morning (a feeble PB, but one nonetheless) and hopefully editing/additing my WIP. I actually made it to halfway yesterday, until I realised that I'd lost the voice again, so I'm going to have to go back and figure out why that keeps happening.

How are your current projects going?

Happy Monday!

I hope you had a great weekend. I listened to some great music and sat out in the sun drinking Pimms and cider - a very British summer!

And now I'm back to sharing my soul, and the soul of my stories.

Today, I'm over at Elizabeth Seckman's Use Your Words... blog explaining how much of myself I put into the character Gypsy.

The end of the first week

I've made it to the end of the first week of the tour, and I'm only a little behind with following up the comments. I hope you're enjoying hearing about the stories, and what goes on in this head of mine.

Today, I'm over on Julie Flanders blog talking about Portrait of the Painter, which is the home of a character I can never quite let go of.

Today, #2 son has a day off school (those teachers apparently need more training!), so I'll be trying to entertain him. Luckily the sun is shining, so we've got plenty of options!

The tour will take a break for the weekend - it'll be back on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Going to South Africa...

Today, I'm going due south to visit Murees Dupe on her blog, and talking about my story Open Windows - a short and sweet post today to match the story... well, the short part, you'll have to decide for yourself if you think the story's sweet.

In reality, I'm going to be out on a training day learning about some cool fitness equipment that our gym won't be getting. Still, I work with some great people so it should be fun... apart from the envious silence on the way home!

Thanks for all the comments on my IWSG post yesterday - I'll get around to commenting some time today hopefully. Just when I need to be at home with my computer 24/7, I get super busy!

I hope you'll pop over to Muress's... and drop in and say hi when I get home.

The circle of insecurity

I'm taking a break from my blog tour to drop in on this month's IWSG. If you want to take part, click on the logo in the side bar somewhere over there on the right to take you to the linky list to visit other members and to sign up for yourself  --->

So, I'm currently in the middle of edits and rewrites - and this is the little voice in my head:

"This novel's great... this novel's terrible... actually it's not bad... no it really is terrible..."

Sometimes I love it - the voice is compelling, there's tension and conflict. The characters are unique and interesting. And boy, I'm using fantastic vocabulary. I'm a genius!

And then, at other times, I think the story sucks, the characters too bizarre to be identified with, the premise is silly, someone must have told this story better and with more depth than I'm giving it, I'm not making my point clearly enough.

And all of this can happen within a few hours. The morning goes well and the words are flowing - but then I stop for lunch and suddenly I'm writing the worst novel in the whole of human history.

It's okay though, because tomorrow it'll be great again. It's a circle after all...

It's Kyra's turn...

I'm over on Kyra Lennon's blog today, which is virtually my second home. Kyra is so super supportive of all her bloggy friends, and is always the first person to offer her help.

I'm also really excited that in a couple of weeks' time, we'll be having our joint book signing/book reading/awesome charity fundraising that Kyra has organised single-handedly. No doubt you'll hear more about that between now and then, and also quite a lot about it afterwards too!

These are the great badges I've had made for the occasion. And if no one wants them, I'm going to pin them all over Kyra and take lots of photos!!

Kicking off at Christine's place

Today I am mostly going to be drinking coffee with a friend and gossiping in the sun, while That Sadie Thing goes off on tour.

Today I'm over on Christine Rain's blog talking about Tasting the Grass, which was my first ever story to be accepted, a whopping 19 years ago. While I curl up into a tiny little ball and bemoan the passing of time, why not pop over and see what I have to say!