…from my publishers in New York City.

Basically, this is ‘the book before the book’ and the copy which gets sent round to magazines and Blogs for review… And it’s lurrrvly (if I do say so myself).

Okay, back to writing the new novel, plus a new ‘Guest Blog’ is coming up REAL soon.

Lola

Hello All,  

I hope your 2012 has got off to a great start!

I’m furiously making headway on my new fantasy novel (still untitled) as it now needs a very good ‘going over.’  So, because of this, I don’t have the time to update my blog… But never fear, as promised and as a treat to you, here is the first of my Guest Blogs!! And it’s by Bestselling author Carole Matthews.

 Here she talks about being an author and baking cupcakes – MY TWO MOST FAVOURITE SUBJECTS!!  Take it away Carole!!

Being a Successful Author While Baking Cakes- By Carole Matthews

As I write two books a year, I use up a lot of material. So I try to do lots of varied and interesting things that I can store up for future use in my books -paintballing, ballroom dancing, white water rafting. You get my drift. I once spent a whole year researching opera for Welcome To The Real World and, frankly, if I ever see another one in my lifetime, it will be too soon.  For my latest book, Wrapped up in You, we went on safari to the Maasai Mara. Doing two books every year, I use up a lot of research material. So when I had the vague idea that learning to decorate cupcakes might come in useful for a future novel, I never imagined that going along to a cupcake course would rekindle a long-lost interest in baking and turn it into an obsessive hobby.

Yep, that’s correct… I HAVE JUST FINISHED THE FIRST DRAFT OF MY NEW (UNTITLED) FANTASY NOVEL!

YES, I have been so busy over the last few weeks, sorting out the new website/blog/fantasy novel (ok, a web developer helped me with the website etc!) but I did manage to enjoy my Christmas whilst working everything out and now as I sit here typing this post, we’re into the early hours of 2012!! How time runs!!  In no time at all, ‘Being Lara’ will be out and hopefully the book I am currently writing (no name, as of yet) will be taking real shape!!

So the work continues… and as I’ll be a busy bee over the coming months, I have roped in a couple of ‘friends’ to help me keep this blog updated from time to time. Namely the wonderful bestselling authors Carole Matthews, Katy Regan and many more… so stay tuned, or logged or whatever the cyber-version is called!

Okay, so I’m off to bed soon after I finish listening to the Late Great Amy Winehouse – so I bid you good night… But do take a tour around my NEW WEBSITE and I hope you like my new look blog and… the Avatar… her name’s Lola Pagola. 

So the corrections went very well and I was able to post back the manuscript (hopefully for the last time) to New York today! Hurrah!!

But not before I spotted a flaw much bigger than a misplaced hyphen. A tiny hole in the plot that, ‘if you blink you’d miss it’ but nevertheless, was potentially bothersome. So, after a quick call to my Mum in Nigeria (where half the book is set) she was able to put me straight on a few things which I then included in the final manuscript. It was only a few lines but an important few lines ….

… but alas it’s still in Manuscript form.

     Which means one thing:

Time for the last round of corrections…. 

!!!!! (smiley face, smiley face)!!!!!!

.… just got to write the ‘beginning and the ‘middle’ bit now; AKA 70,000 plus words.
Better make a start then…

I want a cupcake. 

…erm, I’ve decided to ‘bin’ the 50 or so THOUSAND words already written on a novel I am working on.

Why?

Because I have decided to write the novel I have wanted to write for about 14 years.

I can’t say too much about it, but it’s ‘the one’.

And I am in love again – you know… thinking about ‘it’ every day; upon waking up, when I’m cooking. I have butterflies in my tummy when I hear its name… Okay you get the drift.

This is the novel I have to write.

So I begin…

So my new neighbour says; ‘Lola, I have a parcel for you…’

     Now, such sentences can at times, produce a sort of child- like excitement from within. Perhaps wondering if it’s a bunch of flowers, item of clothing or just anything with my name on it.
I wasn’t disappointed, however, because it just happened to be my COPY EDITED MANUSCRIPT – all the way from New York City!! (alas, minus a magnolia cupcake).  Looking through it, I can see the Copy Editor has done a good and thorough job. Here are some examples of the very Englishy words that were flagged up; 

Marks & Spencer

Cashmilon (if you don’t know what that is, see above!)

Entwhistle Way, Essex

Coldharbour Lane

Cul-de-sac

Felt- tip

So as my novel becomes Americanized, I realise I have a lot of work to do this weekend… And just as London seems to be in a midst of an ‘Indian Summer’ (It’s soooo sunny outside and this weekend is scheduled to be well… sunny and warm) the question becomes; will I be tempted to go out and leave my manuscript to the mercy of the ‘writing fairy?’ 

No.  

Okay, maybe a bit. But I’m on a deadline and I’m disciplined (sometimes).

That’s the thing about being a writer, one has to be disciplined. 

I want a cupcake.