November 2025 Writing Project Wrap-Up

Hi all,

With November finished, it's time for an update on Cloud's Core! My final word count is...

78,618 words!

I was aiming for a word count of around 72K-73K but the story just kept going! I'm quite pleased about this, as I really enjoyed writing this book.

Unfortunately I did fail with having a casual writing project, but that's okay. I now know that I need a better structure in order to write. From now on, I'll be writing books during my designated writing months: March, July and November. This will just be for books, I'll still write short stories outside of this! If needed, I'll add another writing month for an extra book if I really want to write it.

As I wrote Cloud's Core, I slowly realised that the genre was changing. It's gone from a YA Sci-Fi to a YA Sci-Fi Horror. This was unexpected, but as I was writing this made more sense. The horror elements make the book a lot more interesting and it was nice writing another horror book.

The main character, Aliyah, goes on a school trip to learn more about her city's electricity supply, which is generated by a core in a massive building. But, she and her friends become trapped inside when the building goes on lock down. They have to avoid running into Grounded, people who are now unable to fly and seem to be controlled by an unseen force.

With a flying cat at her side, she tries to lift the lock down so she can escape. But there's something else that wants to get out too. Something that triggered everything...

For those who remember my Cat Competition, you may recognise one of the winners in this book! Emmylou was the winner for Cloud's Core and is now helping Aliyah navigate her way through the events of the book.

This book has been in my ideas folder for years and I'm so glad that the first draft is finally written! I think the next book I write will be a horror, but now that I've just written one I might change my mind. I've got until March to decide, so I've got time!

That's it for this week, see you next Sunday! 

PS; don’t forget to check out this book bundle for new Fantasy books:

Brand New December Fantasy Adventures

Reasons Why I DNF Books

Hi all,

This week I'm going to talk about reasons why I DNF (Did Not Finish) books. I know there are a lot of readers out there who will persevere throughout books, even if they aren't enjoying them. Just so they can say that they have finished them. But if I'm really not enjoying a book, then I won't continue reading it.

Too much description.

When I'm reading books, I hate it when there are just paragraphs and paragraphs of description. I tend to skip over these parts a lot if they're excessive. But if a book starts and there's just pages of description and it doesn't improve the more I get through it, then I will DNF it. If I end up skipping most of the beginning of the book because of description, then I don't see much point in continuing to read it.

Stereotypical characters.

If all of the characters in the book are just stereotypes, I don't continue reading it. I don't want to read a book about a woman constantly having to get saved by the male main character, who she then immediately falls in love with. I want characters who have a bit more depth than that.

Graphic abuse scenes.

I don't like reading books with sexual abuse scenes in them. If I come across one, no matter how much I'm enjoying the book, it will most likely get DNF'd.

Annoying child characters.

I hate it when a book contains an annoying kid that keeps getting everyone in tough situations that then ends with people dying. Especially if that child will then do so the same thing again and again, without learning their lesson.

Very slow burners.

I'm usually okay if a book starts slow, but if it feels like a slog to read, then I will DNF it. If I have to force myself to keep reading after one hundred pages where nothing is really happening, I just put the book down.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week. 

Have I Always Wanted to be an Author?

Hi all,

The topic of this week's blog post is something that I get asked a lot by readers and other authors. I don't think this will surprise anyone, but the answer is...

Yes! I've always wanted to be an author.

When I was little, I was always asked by people what I wanted to be when I grew up. My answer was always the same - an author. At school teachers did try to steer me in other directions, but I just wasn't interested. As a child, I was incredibly anxious to the point where I didn't speak most of the time. I saw this as a real hindrance to any career prospects I had, as I didn't want to deal with people.

Over my school years, we had to take online tests to help us decide what career path would be best for us. I always scored 90% author. The closest second was 6% translator, with the other 4% being random jobs that would equal 0.5% of the score at most. So many teachers were furious and would make me re-take the test in front of them, but it still came out the same thing. Author would always be in the top spot by miles.

My granddad especially was a big supporter of my writing. He encouraged me to keep doing it and pursue writing as a job when I got older. I can still remember the look of pure joy on his face when I handed him the first copy of Blood and Water.

As I grew older, my anxiety improved a lot to where I could handle a job that involved some interaction with people. But it's still not where my heart lies. I've always written stories, now books. No matter how hard people tried to tell me otherwise, I'm supposed to be an author.

I love writing, and I will always write. Even if it's not as a job, I will continue to do it.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoy reading! See you next week. 

The Dead Kingdom Cover Design

Hi all,

It’s time for the cover reveal of the last book in the Curse of Anubis series, The Dead Kingdom. This cover has also been done by the awesome Deranged Doctor Design! This book will be out in April 2026.

As always, I’m going to go through some of the core aspects of the cover design!

• Bastet and Tahira are once again on the cover, this time with Bastet in a different one of her cat forms.

• This time they are within the plane of the dead. As this is the last book of the series, I wanted this book cover to take place on a different plane to the others.

• The pyramid represents one of Ra’s temples, which the main conflict of the book takes part in.

• The colour scheme for this book is red.

• This book also has sand on the cover, which has been the same across the whole series.

• The typography and series branding is the same across all the books.

That’s it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next week.

Will I Write About Dinosaurs?

Hi all,

This week I'm going to talk about dinosaurs! More importantly, will I write about them?

I absolutely love dinosaurs and when I was growing up I used to love watching shows about dinosaurs and reading books about them. I still do all that today!

I've tried to plot a dinosaur book before and nothing has really come to me. Nothing that hasn't been done before and would spice up the genre. I would love to write about them, but I'd need a good enough idea to give them justice.

My favourite dinosaur of all time is the Velociraptor. I've tried to work this dinosaur in particular into books before, but it just hasn't worked out. I'd love to write a dinosaur themed book, but at the moment I have no plans to do so. Whenever I come up with a new book idea I hope that the next one will be about dinosaurs, but unfortunately it hasn't happened yet.

If I could, I would write a book about someone with a Velociraptor as a companion or pet. But that's as far as I've gotten, plot wise, which isn't enough to write an entire book about, unfortunately.

Maybe one day I'll come up with a great idea for a dinosaur book that I'll absolutely love. But currently there are no plans to write about dinosaurs.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed reading! See you next Sunday. 

PS; looking for some horror books to read this month? Check out this book bundle:

Horror Books for Halloween!

The Best Rewards for Writing

Hi all,

This week I'm going to tell you about my best rewards for writing. Sometimes it can be hard to get through a certain part of a book, and a reward can be a good incentive to get you through it.

Reading.

This is especially true if I'm really enjoying a book and I want to get back to it. So after I've hit my daily word count, I'll go back to the book.

YouTube.

I watch a lot of YouTube videos! What's great is if my favourite creators have uploaded while I've been writing. Then it feels like they're giving me a special reward for hitting my goal!

Playing Videogames.

At the moment I'm really into Pokemon Legends ZA, so that will be one of my rewards throughout November. I just love getting to sit back and play through a different story after adding to my own one!

Watching TV.

Although I don't do this too often, I will occasionally watch a TV show as a reward. I'm waiting for a lot of my favourite shows to release new seasons, so I might not do this as much this month.

Food rewards.

Sweets, cakes and sometimes biscuits are nice rewards for writing. Sometimes I'll just reward myself by having some extra dessert, just something to give me a little boost.

Cinema.

If there's a film out that I want to see, I make sure to get my writing done before I see the film. That way I don't have to worry about it again when the film is over. I can enjoy it in peace.

That's it for this week. How do you reward yourself after writing? Let me know in the comments. See you next Sunday. 

PS; if you’re looking for a new horror book to read, check out this book bundle:

Horror Books for Halloween!

Will I Write Another Horror Book?

Hi all!

This is question I get a lot from my readers, especially ones who enjoyed Mute. So I thought I'd give my answer...

Definitely!

I currently have a few ideas for horror books floating around in my ideas folder. But I've been doing a lot of research because I feel like horror is such a hard genre to get right, and I want to make sure my books are as good as they possibly can be. But, I'll give you a few tidbits on what I'm planning! Hopefully I'll get the chance to write one of them next year!

The clicking woman.

This book follows a girl who is being stalked by a woman. The woman mostly clings to the ceiling above the girl, and reveals herself with a series of clicking. The girl doesn't know why she's being stalked and is trying her best to lose the woman.

Puppet master.

A girl and her friends spend the night in the woods. In the morning, her friend wakes up with an entity following her around. The others refuse to acknowledge the entity, as it will attract one to them. The girl deliberately acknowledges the entity and tries her best to help her friend lose it before it consumes her.

I think puppet master will be my next horror writing project, most likely my March 2026 project. I've really missed writing pure horror books and can't wait to get back into it!

That's it for this week, see you next week! 

PS; if you’re looking for some free books, check out this book bundle:

Dark Themes in Fantasy and Science Fiction (Sept-Oct)

How to Choose an Editor

Hi all,

This week I'm going to talk about editors. I've used two in my publishing journey so far, and both have been great with my books. But I want to help others with picking an editor that works for them. Editors can completely transform your book, so you need to know that they're right for you.

Request a sample.

Most editors will let you ask for a sample of your work to be edited. This is important, as it gives you an insight into their editing style. You can see if they understand your voice and what changes they might suggest. If you send a sample and they've missed a lot of typos or grammar issues, then you know that they're not for you.

Read reviews.

If other authors are happy with the editor, then that's a fantastic sign. If they have a couple that are unhappy with their work, that's fine. Authors can be protective over their work and some might not be ready for an edit. If the reviews are mostly positive, then that's an excellent sign. Look out for editors who have bad reviews or aren't open to sharing their portfolio with you.

Look at their portfolio.

Do they have works that they've previously edited listed? Check the book out and maybe give it a read. It'll give you an idea of what your edit will look like.

Check which genres they edit.

If you're writing a horror book, there's no point in sending it to an editor who specialises in non-fiction. Your editor should be confident enough in your genre to be able to edit your book effectively.

Prepare yourself for the edits.

You won't like all the edits that your editor suggests. But they aren't doing it to be malicious, they're doing what you paid them to do. Before you get upset, take a step back and think about how it could improve your story. But if you think it changes too much, you don't have to do it. It's your choice, after all.

That's it for this week! I hope this helps anyone who is looking into getting their book edited. See you next Sunday. 

PS; if you’re looking for some free books, check out this book bundle:

Dark Themes in Fantasy and Science Fiction (Sept-Oct)

The Frozen Eye now Available on Amazon

Hi all,

The third book in the Curse of Anubis series, The Frozen Eye, is now available on Amazon. You can now purchase it in ebook, paperback and hardcover! Carry on reading below…

Both Eyes can’t be united… but she has no choice.

Tahira has a chance to get the cure in the right hands. The only things standing in the way are hordes of mutated zombies and Anubis’ jackals. But with her goal so close, she’s not prepared to give up yet.

Horus’ Eye has been located but getting it won’t be easy. Bastet must partner with her greatest enemy to get her paws on it. Sekhmet and Mafdet are willing, but only if Ra’s Eye is kept safe.

Keeping both Eyes apart is crucial. Their energy cannot be combined or it will cause chaos in the living world and the afterlife. But, Anubis is desperate for that power and he won’t let Bastet or Tahira stand in the way of him getting it.

That’s it for this week. If you’re enjoying the Curse of Anubis series, let me know! See you next week.

PS; if you’re looking for some free books, check out this book bundle:

Dark Themes in Fantasy and Science Fiction (Sept-Oct)

November 2025 Writing Project Announcement

Hi all,

It's time to announce my writing project for November, the last one of 2025! My writing project will be...

Cloud's Core!

Yeah... My casual writing project hasn't worked out.

I really want to get this book done this year so I'm going to write the first draft in November. I've only written 3000 words so far, so I've still got quite a while to go until I finish.

The story will still follow Aliyah and her friends as they navigate a floating city that's on the verge of falling out of the sky. None of the plot points have changed since I last wrote it, so I'll just be finishing it off.

Although I’m still not sure about the name, so I might think of a new one while I’m writing it.

I now realise that I need structure while writing. I like writing larger amounts across a short period rather than smaller amounts across a longer period. Now that I know I won't be doing anymore casual projects. I'll stick to my method of writing books during certain months of the year.

I'll still write short stories as I don't find them as tiring as writing entire books. I'm glad that I've learned this about myself as I now know my limits in the future.

That's it for this week! See you next Sunday. 

PS; if you’re looking for some free books, check out this book bundle:

Dark Themes in Fantasy and Science Fiction (Sept-Oct)