As the end of the year draws nearer, I thought I’d give you an update on how things are going and a quick roundup of what I’ve achieved in 2022.
It’s been a bit of a strange year for me, I started the year working in childcare, but, as you know, it became impossible for me to manage both. So, I left the job I had loved doing for the past twelve years and took a leap of faith into the world of the self-employed.
I love being a full-time writer during the week. Working in a local library on the weekends keeps me in touch with the real world and I enjoy being surrounded by books and helping people.
Regarding my writing, my late Georgian series, Men of Trade, is almost complete. I have to re-write sections of book four, currently titled The Scandalous Heiress. Unfortunately, I can’t give you any idea about when the series will be published. Books one and two, The Whitney Heir and The Daring Dowager, are with my editor, and I’m waiting for feedback. Book 3, The Reluctant Earl, could do with a few beta readers to provide feedback and help me work out any kinks. If you’re interested, send me an email at contactme@biancawhitewrites.com for more information.
While you’ll know I’ve done lots of reading from my book reviews this year, I’ve also spent a lot of time reading about sales and marketing. Next year, I hope to put some of that into action. I’ve already been actively planning 90-day, monthly, weekly and daily jobs to help me remain consistent and productive. One of my favourite tasks was designing my logo, which I hope you all love as much as me. You’ll be seeing it a lot while I try to build my brand in preparation for when my books are published.
Until then, you’ll be able to enjoy my short story, featured in the Austen Tea Party Anthology, which is available to pre-order now. All proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and every short story features a character from a Jane Austen novel. I’ll give you a clue. My Austen character is a bit of a vulgar, but kind, busybody, and I enjoyed writing her into my short story. I hope to get some feedback from my critique group in January, but you can look forward to reading the story in August 2023.
September and October were a write-off for me because of illness, but I’m happy to say I am well on the mend and wrote 50,000 words for National Novel Writing Month in November. I’m still finishing the draft of what will be book two in my time slip trilogy. By the way, I have previously called it time travel, but during my research, I learned that “time travel” referred to a deliberate choice to travel through time using science. An accidental journey through time is referred to as a “time slip”. So, my character, Lydia Harding, experiences a time slip, when magical water sprites send her back to 1812, and she must learn to survive during the Regency. This is a story I’ve had churning around in my head for over ten years, and I can’t wait to finish the trilogy.
Before the end of the year, I’ll be posting another piece of flash fiction and some facts about the history of the Christmas Pudding (my favourite part of our Christmas meal). After that, I’m taking a break until January, and I hope you join me for whatever 2023 may bring.
Thank you for your support this year and accept my best wishes for 2023.
Love,
Bianca.
You’ve been really busy
looking forward to reading the article on Christmas pudding