It’s publication day 🥳
I woke up ridiculously early like it was Christmas morning 😂
This day is the culmination of so much hard work, so much support from so many chums, so much grit and determination and joy 🧡
Shot in the Dark - you’re free 🤓
Indie bookshops between Chichester and Brighton - you need to JUMP on the chance to have Tilly on your team 😍
She’s a ridiculous reader, an incredible advocate for authors, and she fights for inclusivity for marginalised voices 🧡
Hey
#BookTwitter
. I think you hopefully all know I generally try to keep this a positive space, but I can’t really put a positive spin on how I feel right now.
My heart is broken, and I’m so disappointed in a company who won’t forgive a single mistake like this.
Diddy giveaway to celebrate the publication of Shot in the Dark 🥳
Win a signed copy, plus some bookmarks & Twixes 🥰
To enter:
- Make sure you’re following me 🤓
- Like & retweet this post ☺️
- Tag a bookish chum in the comments 🧡
Closes 31st October at 11am. Open worldwide 😍
I sent one of my author copies of Shot in the Dark to my mum and she’s just sent me this picture and told me she’s proud so please excuse me while I have a little cry 🧡
Shot in the Dark has been out in the world for ONE HECKING MONTH - can you believe it?! 🤯
To celebrate, I’m doing a giveaway of a signed copy and some other goodies 😍
To enter, make sure you’re following me and retweet 🧡
UK only. Finishing 27/11 at 11am 🤓
Who wouldn’t be hecking delighted to wake up Christmas morning to all these treats?! 😍
It could be you 🥳
This is my last Shot in the Dark giveaway before Christmas - make sure you’re following me and retweet to enter 🧡
Closes 18th Dec at 12pm. UK only. Stocking not included 😂
I am so hecking delighted to announce that I am now represented by the lovely
@saskialeach_
at the glorious
@KNLitAgency
🥳
I can’t wait to get to work on whipping my crime novels into shape and I hope my imaginary friends can become your imaginary friends too 🧡
✨ THE THING ✨
I’m so hecking happy to share that
@canelo_co
is publishing three of my books 🤓
The first - Shot in the Dark - will come out in October and I can’t wait for you all to meet Gabe and Juliet 😍
This is my dream come true - hopefully at some point it’ll feel real 🧡
For those who are inclined, here is my unboxing video 🧡
Odie is baffled throughout as to why a box wouldn’t have a toy in it, and you get to see me gazing in wonder at my book after I thought my husband had stopped filming 😂
I survived my first book signing 🥳
I was really nervous about this - what if no one came and I had to sit twiddling my thumbs on my tod? 😱
But yay! Some lovely people did come and there are also lots of signed copies of Shot in the Dark at
@wighterstones
🧡
Just had my annual bath and remembered once again how much I hate baths 🫠
I feel like they should be relaxing but I just get bored and hot and hate everything 😱
In a years time, I will forget this and try again 😂
So much of querying comes down to sheer bloodymindedness 😠
I got 3 rejections yesterday but I WILL send out more subs today because I WILL give this book the best chance of being published and NOTHING will stop me 🤓
Our books can’t fight for themselves so we fight for them 🧡
It’s so beautiful 😭
I’m hecking delighted to share the cover of Shot in the Dark with you all 🤓
Thank you
@lbrewsterprojec
for capturing the first scene so perfectly 🧡
🚨 COVER REVEAL! 🚨
#CrimeFiction
fans will relish the chance to “play detective” in the immersive, twisty new crime thriller
#ShotInTheDark
by debut author
@BrittonBookGeek
! 📚
Publishing on 26 Oct and available to pre-order now 👉
Random person: What do you do?
Me: Um, I’m an editor.
My husband: And?
Me, whispering: And an author?
🤯
This is the first time I’ve said it to a real life person and I had to be bullied into it and I felt so squirmy and weird but also maybe kinda happy GAH 🫠
It’s SO beautiful 😍😭😲
ARCs of Shot in the Dark have been and will be winging their way to loads of lovely people 🧡
I’m excited and terrified - it’s amazing to have my story out in the world but I just hope people like it and enjoy spending time with my imaginary friends 😬
I’ve had the pleasure of working with loads of writers so have seen my name IN their book acknowledgements - which is always lovely 🧡
Today, I was sent a draft of my book cover and saw my name ON a book for the first time - which is VERY different 😭
My dream is coming true 🤯
The path towards publishing my debut novel is dotted with SO MANY ‘pinch myself’ moments, but seeing my book on the
@Waterstones
website is a biggie 😲
I’ve dreamt of becoming a published author for so long and it’s coming true 😭
At what point is a TBR pile out of control? 📚
Like - how many books do you have waiting in your home to be read? Mine is creeping up towards 30 and it’s beginning to gently concern me 😂
In other news, I just ordered five books 🙃
Had some RATHER GOOD bookish news yesterday so shall spend today alternating between grinning and crying over the fact that a dream I’ve had basically since I understood what a book was is a step closer to coming true 🧡
Had my in person launch this evening. It was wonderful and intense and I’ll spam you with more photos once my brain is back online 🫠
These are the only two pictures my husband took 😂
I’m in The Guardian today chatting about PTSD 🗞
It’s an honest article, which in itself was a tangibly brave thing to write 🧡
(It is also in the print version, but newspapers haven’t quite made their way to the Isle of Wight yet this morning 😂)
While on submission to publishers, I’m keeping a diary of what’s going on so that I can share the ins and outs of what happens in this generally secretive time 🤓
This is both to shed light for others but also because I need an outlet FOR ALL THE THINGS I WANT TO TELL EVERYONE 😂
Going to write a blog post all about my experience of querying and I want to give ALL* the details - a literal blow-by-blow of how I got ready, when I started, when the rejections came, how I felt when full requests came - BUT is this interesting to people? 🧐
*no agent names ☺️
My heart is so full & I think it’s because I’d been querying agents for so long & it wore me down to the point that I didn’t think I’d make it - if this is you, I see you & I know it hurts, but keep pushing & loving writing your stories - one day wonderful things will happen 🧡
Just had my first royalty statement through and I want to say such a massive hecking THANK YOU to everyone who has paid money to own and read my book 🧡
It still blows my mind that my book is actually published and people can read it, but this makes it feel a bit more real 🤯
Some lucky
#CrimeFiction
readers will get the chance to “play detective” with our proofs mailing this week of the immersive, twisty new crime thriller
#ShotInTheDark
by debut author
@BrittonBookGeek
! 📚
Publishing on 26 Oct, this is the first in a new detective series👌
Been feeling raw since announcing my book deal and I think it’s because I’m struggling to get my head around the idea I’m going to be a published author 😭
I’ve had a rocky road to get here and at times wondered about giving up so my bruised heart is taking a while to catch up 🧡
I’ve seen a few disappointing climaxes in client’s stories recently (cue childish giggling), so thought I would share some ideas to make sure your story climaxes are as satisfying as possible (cue more giggling) 🤓
#EditingTipsFromAnna
Sometimes I need a random person on the internet to tell me this, so I’m telling YOU as well:
✨ keep going with your writing dreams ✨
There’s a story inside of you that will one day be a reader’s favourite - keep fighting to get your words out into the world 🧡
Chasing writing dreams is really pucking hard 😭
Whether you’re trying to finish a draft, querying agents, subbing publishers, awaiting your debut, working on a series, self-pubbing your first or tenth title… it’s all hecking hard 😳
I reckon it’s okay to feel that sometimes 🧡
My TBR pile 😱
I know it’s not as numerous as some, but I think I’m going to pause buying/borrowing books until it can fit on the shelf again 😂
What should I read first? 🤷🏻♀️
14 years married to this absolutely lovely man 🧡
He’s my best friend, biggest cheerleader, and the person I have the most fun with - the goodest of eggs ☺️
I hope the Rejected Writers’ Club podcast will be helpful to writers who are struggling with rejection at any stage in their career - it happens to all of us and in so many different ways 🧡
If you’d like to listen to the first couple of episodes, the link is in my bio 😘
There’s a poster for my book and first signing event up in my local
@Waterstones
😍😭
I cannot get over how supportive
@wighterstones
is being of my debut novel 🧡
Just want to put it out there that when someone who doesn’t have children (and especially if you don’t know the reason for this) is going through a hard time, one of the worst things you can say to them is, ‘Well, at least you don’t have any kids to worry about.’ 🙃
Chums chums chums - I’ve calmed down a sufficient amount so now I feel I can talk coherently about the BEST email I got yesterday from my agent:
she thinks we are ready to go out on submission, which is WILD 😲
My dad (who hasn’t read a book in the last 40ish years) proudly told me today that he’s on page 39 of Shot in the Dark ☺️
He said I must be good at describing things because he can imagine the people and places really clearly 🧡
I love being honest about all aspects of my writing, but find it way easier to chat openly about the tough things than my successes 🤦🏻♀️
It’s especially hard when I’m not sure what the ending will be 🤷🏻♀️
That’s where I’m at right now - I’ve had five full requests from agents 🎉
Feeling a bit wobbly today (the response to my blog about parting with my agent has been lovely, but it’s left me feeling quite exposed and vulnerable) so starting the day with some writing to quiet my soul 🧡
The unboxing video 🧡
So exciting to hold finished copies of Close to the Edge in my grabby hands 🤓
It’s publishing 12th September - but you can preorder now via the links in my bio 😘
Dad reading update: he’s finished it 🥳
He started Shot in the Dark the day it was released and read a few pages each day - I loved hearing his theories along the way 🧡
My dad hasn’t read a book since before I was born, so him pushing himself to read mine means so much 🥰
Getting an exciting delivery later 🤓
It might be books 😲
It might be MY books 😱
Cannot wait to see my PINK NAME 😍
How can I be expected to get anything done today?! 😵💫
My incredibly calm response when my local bookshop told me they’d sold OVER ONE HUNDRED copies of Shot in the Dark 🤯
That may not be a huge number to some, but
@wighterstones
showing such support of my debut book is so kind 🧡
So bizarre to see myself and my words in newspaper - thank you
@guardian
for creating a space where people can talk authentically about mental health 🧡
I debated whether to share this, but I don’t just want to SHOUT about the good times - today I did a signing and only one person (a chum) bought a copy of Shot in the Dark 😔
I think this is a rite of passage for all authors, but it’s not a very fun one 🫠
1/2
Have just sent off 5 submissions and in my current (strangely optimistic) frame of mind I feel like this is 5 chances to kick off my writing career - and that’s pretty freaking exciting 🤓
Rejections are brutal but every query sent is taking a chance to get what we want 🧡
Waiting for the latest of many appointments to do with possible infertility feels quite sad and lonely, but sitting surrounded by pregnant people and their partners (as my local hospital lumps all such things together) feels needlessly cruel 😔
✨ I don’t have any publishing news to share ✨
Just thought I would put this out there for anyone else who feels like they are the only person IN THE WORLD who doesn’t have any exciting book announcements 🧡
I am so hecking delighted to share the cover of book two in the Martin and Stern series with you all 🥳
MY NAME IS PINK 😍
You can pre-order now, and from
@bertsbooks
you can nab a signed copy tied with a ribbon 🧡
I hope you’ll enjoy hanging out with Gabe and Juliet again 👩🏼🧑🏻
Got a diddy tattoo to celebrate Shot in the Dark publishing - my plan is to get a tree for each book that goes out into the world 🤓
Hopefully one day I’ll have a forest 🧡🌳
I get overexcited when I see my book in random places and I worry I’m a nerd but then my friend got so excited to see my book that she took a picture of the backseat of a random person’s car 😂
I have £30 in glorious book vouchers to spend in Waterstones this weekend 😍
Please throw your recommendations at me for stories that will absorb me with characters I’ll totally fall in love with 🧡
Paperbacks only please 😘
It was lovely to chat about Shot in the Dark at my local library 🧡
I used to work there, and would regularly dream about when one of my books would be on the shelves 🤓
It felt really special to come back to chat about my debut ☺️
I’ve finished the final read through of my WIP 🎉
I put myself under pressure to do it quickly because rather excitingly - I’VE HAD A FULL MS REQUEST 😲
This was only possible because of the agent one-to-one I had during the
@writementor
WOWcon ☺️
Thank you! I’m off for a rest 😴
I believe an important skill for us writers to hone is how to wait well 📝
Publishing is a waiting game. Waiting to announce, waiting to hear back, waiting for launch day - waiting, waiting, waiting 😱
I’m trying to find peace and creativity in the midst of waiting 🧡
I’ve achieved A BIG THING and it’s a positive thing in itself, but the thing that I feel really proud of is that I’ve achieved it while feeling monumentally shit due to a chronic illness flare up 🧡
Sometimes illness makes me feel small, but I am still mighty (and so are you) ☺️
Browsing in
@wighterstones
yesterday and saw a poster for MY HECKING BOOK 😍🤯
(May have also slightly lost my shit when the manager told me he hasn’t watched Traitors 😂)
I’m considering having a go at NaNoWriMo - anyone up for joining me? 😬
So much of writing is done alone but screaming over our woefully low word counts can be a group activity 🙃
Sooo would you find it helpful if I shared some of the areas that I find myself giving feedback on most often and some tips on how to spot those things for yourselves? 🤓
(Disclaimer for clients - I will NEVER talk about specific books or show examples from your stories 🧡)
Just realised - my book is in hecking Waterstones 🤯
So much happens so fast when your debut publishes - there’s no time to revel in the things that felt ridiculously far off becoming real 😍
Thank you to all the wonderful booksellers who have SHOUTED about Shot in the Dark 🧡
I love this group picture of lots of the chums who came to celebrate Shot in the Dark launching into the world ☺️
I am blown away that so many people would want to come and celebrate something I’ve done - I feel very thankful 🧡
I knew I would find publication day a bit overwhelming, so we planned some fun things like going to the zoo 🤓
Forgot to take any pictures, but one of my niblings did immortalise me and my husband in art 😍
I was worn down by rejection & felt like the only thing that could come from querying was more rejection 😭
BUT THAT’S NOT TRUE!
It’s basic but I’ve realised that the only way to become an author is to put my writing out there 🤓
I’M COMING AT YA, AGENTS, YOU BETTER BE READY ✊🏼