Keeping cool

I envy my little grandson Jackson, sitting in his paddling pool. I complain when it's cold and now I'm complaining because it's too hot. But the truth is, I write better in the cold. I've been going over an oldish story - trying to twist the hero and the anti hero - and I'm not sure it works yet. I need more from my heroine's point of view. Why choose one guy over another? They're both shits to her. She really shouldn't pick either but I'm a writer of romance - I have to let this book have a happy ending, even if it's a suspense story and not a true romance. But how? Well, I'll sleep on it. See if something occurs to me overnight. I actually think it's harder to rejig something you've already written than write new. But I don't want to let this story go because I've put so much effort into it. Sadly, it's going to be hot again tomorrow. So another bad day for writing but a good day for the paddling pool.

Resurrection

I started writing a long time ago. Mostly short stories based on TV series but in my twenties I wrote my first novel. It was called Unnatural Selection. I thought that was such a cool title but of course, there are lots of books with that title now. It was set in the States and at that time, I'd never been there. It was about the mafia - of which I knew very little. It was a woman in peril story - of which I'm particularly fond. The heroine - Kate - yes another Kate - sorry faithful readers - is rather young and I'm thinking - could this be resurrected, polished, edited, sexed up and possibly published?
I'd always sort of thought it should stay in the closet but I have a hankering to get it out and read it again and see if it's maybe not as bad as I remembered. I know it's gloomy so I'll have to lighten it up a bit but maybe I can bring it back to life.
I just better finish the one I'm writing first.

Is it cos I is an author?

I'm in a book club. We meet roughly once a month at each other's house for two hours and discuss the book the host has chosen. Well - we discuss the book for about thirty minutes and then chat about all sorts of things while we eat and drink. It's not often we find a book that all five of us like and it's a reminder to me about how tastes differ and how authors can have a very different take on a book to a reader.
I spent three years at university doing little but criticise and analyse. It ruined the classics for me for years and also stopped me reading so called trashy novels. It was only after I left uni that I was able to read for pleasure again. It was long time before I could pick up a 'serious' book. Now I find myself reverting back to my student days and thinking why a book didn't work for me. In other words, I have my critic's hat back on because I'm well aware that others out there are criticising my books.
I find I can't read and enjoy or dislike and set aside without thinking - what was good about that, what didn't work? And I'm well aware that I'm getting more and more critical, not less. I've downloaded a lot of books onto my Kindle ap - and 90% get deleted after a few pages. I don't have time to waste on stories that don't grab me by the throat almost immediately. Some - that others have raved about - I keep trying and then giving up on but don't delete. Not yet anyway.
Tonight our book club is discussing Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler. Do I like it? It's okay. I don't love it so I'll have to explain why to the others. I'm always the most critical one.


And because I like to put pics in - this is one of my books that has sold in very small numbers. I don't know why. I think it's better than a lot of my others. Cute characters and a bit different. Sigh. Maybe I was trying too hard with the title but it so fits the story of my rain dancing faerie! I'd like to offer a commentator a copy of this book with the hope they might leave me a review!!!