As you may know, I recently moved my weekly blog to Wednesdays — hoping to catch you in that mid-week slump, when two or three minutes away from real life might be just the ticket.
Truth be told? Last week’s numbers weren’t amazing. Not my worst ever, but definitely lower than a typical Friday post. Still, I’m telling myself it’s just early days — people need time to adjust to a new schedule. So here we are again!
🐾 A Week in the Life (and a Dog Named Bear)
It’s the start of the summer holidays here in the UK. Not that it’s a full break for me — while some staff are off, my assistant has this week off too. So it’s just me, Bear, a few children at summer camp… and some very active contractors.
Bear, in case you haven’t met him yet, is my American Akita. He loves this time of year — he gets to come to work with me and roam the school grounds. He’s my shadow and supervisor, keeping a close eye on the workers (and me). By the time we get home, he’s absolutely exhausted.
✍️ Writing Update: Or Lack of One
🛣️ The Crossroads: What Now?
I wish I could say I’ve been working on something new, but the truth is, I haven’t written much lately — at least nothing beyond this blog.
Book 4 is untouched. The prequel’s been quiet. But I did visit my ARC reader this week, and here’s the exciting bit — she loved Book 2! There are a few amendments to make, but it’s basically ready to go.
That brings me to the reason for this blog: I’m standing at a publishing crossroads.
With a nearly-finished sequel on my hands, a whole set of questions has opened up…
📚 The Publishing Path:
Same publisher, new one… or do it all myself?
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I really liked the publisher I worked with for An Irish Mystery. They were supportive, and I loved the final product — especially the cover.
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But part of me wonders: do I need more? Do I need someone who’ll help push this next book even further?
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Then again, full self-publishing via KDP is tempting too — if I could make it look just as polished. But that comes with a steep learning curve: formatting, typography, layout, metadata, ISBNs, and of course… the cover.
🕰️ Timing and Titles
If I could release it tomorrow, I would. But I’ve learned from the first book — rushing it out doesn't work.
This time I want to:
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Build more awareness before launch.
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Sell more of Book 1 to increase momentum.
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Put a little more into early reviews and outreach.
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Maybe even… settle on a final title! (Still bouncing a few around.)
This is where a publisher would help — guiding those final decisions. If I go fully indie, it's all on me. Rewarding, yes — but intense.
🎨 Cover Reveal
I have a few mock-ups, but nothing professionally finished yet. If I go the indie route, I’ll need to hire a cover designer (recommendations welcome!). I do know I want it to echo the style of An Irish Mystery — consistent branding matters.
Once I’ve got it? You can bet there’ll be a cover reveal on here and across social!
🏷️ We Have a Title!
After months of back-and-forth, second guesses, and multiple name changes, I’m thrilled to say: Book 2 finally has a title!
If you’ve been following along since May, you might remember when I shared the front page of my manuscript heading to an ARC reader — and blurred out most of the title, leaving only one word visible: treasure. That word is still key. But the title itself has evolved quite a bit since then.
It’s taken time to find something that feels true to the story while staying in line with An Irish Mystery — but now that it’s here, I honestly can’t believe it hadn’t come to me earlier. It just fits.
🗓️ Want to be one of the first to know the title?
I’ll be revealing it exclusively to my newsletter readers in the next edition, going out 1st August.
👉 Join the newsletter here to get the reveal and all my latest news.
📘 It All Comes Back to Book 1
Every decision I make now rests on how An Irish Mystery performs — and it's still early days.
I’ve sold copies. But not a ton. And while six reviews is a start, I was hoping for more by now — especially with only four showing on Amazon US.
Summer might change that. I know a lot of readers take books on holiday, and I’m hoping An Irish Mystery finds its way into more bags and beach chairs. With luck, I’ll start seeing more Goodreads and Amazon reviews roll in.
Other authors have told me that the real shift came with book 3 or 4 — once the series has depth. Apparently, readers love to binge. Right now, I’m binge-proof: I’ve only got one book out.
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