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)

How my Zombies Differ From Other Zombies

Hi all,

With the third book in the Curse of Anubis series coming out soon, I wanted to discuss the zombies in my books and how they differ from more traditional zombies that you might be used to.

The main draw that I think is different is that my zombies are sentient. They can see what they're doing from the world of the dead but they can't control their bodies. They can feel what their body feels, but all of this disappears when they're in the land of the dead. There's no pain, but it's more like a pressure. A sensation that doesn't go away until the wound is healed.

They can be controlled to an extent by certain gods, though this is extremely limited. Anubis, as the god of the dead, is the main one who can do this. As the creator of the plague, he is responsible for everything that happens to every person, turned or not.

I also like the fact that they're called mummies, rather than zombies. It ties them into the Egyptian mythology aspect of the books, which is a huge part of the book.

The mummies have no choice but to wait for their hearts to be consumed by Anubis in order to pass on fully. But when Anubis decides to become the ruler of the gods instead, no hearts are eaten. That means that mummies are left wandering in the real world while the person tries not to look at their real life.

I also loved the idea of the zombies being controlled by someone who was previously zombified. That was one of the first concepts that popped out to me and one that I went along with to the end!

I love reading zombie books but I have found that there are some that don't make their zombies different. While a traditional approach can be good, it can also be boring. When I decided to write about zombies, I didn't want to fall into that category. Hence why my zombies still have a state of awareness and can be controlled by Tahira, the only who has been cured of the virus.

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

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles to find your next favourite author!

Kindle Unlimited with the occult and supernatural

Silver Winged September

Do Characters Need a Love Interest?

Hi all,

This week I'm going to talk about love interests. Do main characters need one all the time?

My answer? No.

I write a mix of characters. Some of my main characters do have love interests, some don't. I personally don't think that characters need to have a love interest to make a good book. If I think a character needs a love interest, I'll give them one. If I don't, they don't get one.

So far, the main characters to get love interests in my books are:

Hazel (Elemental Dragons)

Cheyenne (Years)

Shannon (Celestial Plague)

Jenna (Celestial Plague)

Tahira (Curse of Anubis)

Hailey (Street Rats)

Reema (Game of Air and Lightning)

I gave them all love interests because that's what I felt worked best for the characters. But in some cases, like Shannon, the love interest didn't work out. I personally don't think a book needs romance to be a good book. A lot of the books I've written recently haven't contained a love interest, and it hasn't effected the story one bit.

If you feel like your character needs a love interest, then give them one. But don't feel pressured to add a love interest, especially if it doesn't work. The following main characters on my work don't have love interests:

Audra (Mute)

Raya (Celestial Plague)

Ashleigh (Celestial Plague)

Laelaps (Empty Skies)

Ataraxia (Empty Skies)

Aliyah (Cloud's Core)

Imara (The Severed Pantheon)

I think a good mix of both is nice, as it allows the characters to decide as the book goes on. You might start writing a love interest and it doesn't work out. Or, you could start a book and a love interest pops up halfway through!

Books don't need a love interest to be entertaining. They're just another aspect of the story. It's your book, so you decide what happens. Don't feel pressured to add things in that you don't want to write. At the end of the day, if you don't like writing a certain book, it will be obvious to those who read it.

That's it for this week! Hope you enjoyed reading. See you next week. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles to find your next favourite author!

Kindle Unlimited with the occult and supernatural

Silver Winged September

Switching Email Providers

Hi all,

I've recently had an email from MailerLite, who I've used as an email provider since I started my author journey. They are unfortunately changing their free plan and I can't justify the cost of the increase.

So I've switched to Email Octopus!

If you're subscribed to my newsletter, then you'll see a change in my email templates. I find Email Octopus so much easier to use than MailerLite and I wish I'd switched sooner!

Just as a reminder, if you sign up to my mailing list, you get the following:

Five FREE Enovellas (with plenty more to come!)

Monthly updates on my writing

Cover reveals before anyone else

Discounted book bundles

Unseen short stories

Giveaways

Character polls

Opportunities to suggest blog post ideas

If you like the sound of that and want to sign up, you can do so here:

That's it for this week! One day I might do a review of Email Octopus, once I've gotten more used to it and it's features. See you next Sunday. 

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles to find your next favourite author!

Kindle Unlimited with the occult and supernatural

Silver Winged September

The Frozen Eye Pre-Order Live

Hi all,

The third book in the Curse of Anubis series is now available to pre-order! It will be released in paperback and hardcover as well as ebook.

This book will come out October 7th 2025.

While you’re waiting for it to come out, why not sign up to my mailing list?

You get:

• Five FREE enovellas.

• Cover reveals before anyone else.

• First chapter reads before anyone else.

• Monthly news.

• Character design polls.

• Merch giveaways.

• Free and discounted book deals.

• Exclusive short stories.

You can sign up below:

That’s it for this week! If you’re enjoying the Curse of Anubis series, then I hope you’ll check this book out! See you next week.

PS; don’t forget to check out these book bundles to find your next favourite author!

Kindle Unlimited with the occult and supernatural

Silver Winged September

My Abandoned Book Ideas

Hi all,

This week I thought I'd talk about something a bit different - all the book ideas I've ended up not going through with. There have been a lot of book ideas that I've come up with over the years, but not written for various reasons.

NA Supernatural Fantasy Standalone.

I came up with the idea years ago of a story of a girl who suffers from PTSD after witnessing the death of a friend when she was little. Years later, the friend's ghost appears to her and asks for her help in solving his murder. Throughout the book she's accused of having a mental breakdown, until she eventually finds his body. But at the end of the book, as she says goodbye to the friend, the news shows that the body she found wasn't him. I abandoned this after feeling like the idea of being used before and I wasn't sure I could execute it properly.

YA Fantasy Series.

A girl is caught in a war between two sides. During the fight, she's killed. But she wakes up in a random town with no idea what happened. But the town claims that the war never happened, or that either side exists. I didn't really know how to flesh this idea out, so I decided not to pursue it.

Elemental Dragons Prequel.

I've spoken about this before, but Elemental Dragons originally had a standalone prequel. It would follow Hazel and Rocky's parents and how they're cursed by a Hydra. The curse eventually leads to the events of Elemental Dragons. This idea was left when the children were revealed to be clones rather than their biological children. Then I came up with the idea for Original Elementals, so this idea had to be scrapped.

YA Dystopian Sci-Fi Standalone.

This one is one of my oldest scrapped ideas that eventually would inspire me to think up a new series. This standalone would feature an alien species that invaded earth with a deadly plague. Eventually I opted not to write this idea, as I wanted to write a different Dystopian series which would eventually turn into Celestial Plague.

YA Fantasy Series.

When a girl's grandmother dies, she discovers that she's inherited her place in an elite origination. The organisation tracks down fantasy creatures and captures them. The girl thinks the creatures are being sent to a location that is better suited for their needs, but they are actually being sold off and slaughtered. When she discovers this, she turns her back on the organisation and tries to take it down from the inside. I just couldn't think of a good way to work with this idea, so it was abandoned. I also thought it was a bit cliche in places.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed an insight into some of my old ideas. See you next week! 

My Preferred Book Series Lengths

Hi all,

This week I'm going to talk about my how long I prefer my series to be. I love reading a series that has a load of books, but writing them is a different story!

One book.

A lot of my book ideas start off as standalones and then turn into a series. But when I do write a book that is a standalone, I love it. I like that I can delve into the world and tell the story within one book. Whenever I finished writing a series or need a break, I like the idea of writing a standalone to give myself something new to sink my teeth into.

Two books.

I've never planned a duology before, and I'm not sure if I ever will. I like the concept of splitting a story across two books, but for some reason my brain always says I need one more!

Three books.

I've actually planned a few trilogies over the years. But some of them do end up getting another book added on! Celestial Plague, for example, was originally planned as a trilogy before I decided to add another book. But, Empty Skies is a trilogy and I won't be adding any more to that series, so some of my trilogies are safe as they are.

Four books.

Elemental Dragons, the first books I ever wrote, ended up being a four book series when I finished it. When I first started writing, I really liked the idea of writing more but didn't want to fill the books with random stuff that I want integral to the plot. So it became four books instead of six. A lot of the series that I write now end up with four books, such as Celestial Plague and Curse of Anubis.

Five books.

I think I could comfortably write a five book series, though I haven't planned one yet. Four definitely seems to be my comfort zone.

Six+ books.

I know that Original Elementals is a ten book series, and that's why I've struggled a lot with it. Ten books are a lot when it comes to writing, and I often find myself wanting to explore other book universes. To write more than five books, the series would need a lot planning and I would need a lot of breaks in between.

That's it for this week, I hope this clears up the way I write and what I usually plan when it comes to series lengths.

Hope you enjoyed reading, see you next week!