On Wednesdays, I share posts, fables, songs, poems, quotations, TEDx Talks, cartoons, and books that have inspired and motivated me on my writing journey. I hope these posts will give writers, artists, and other creatives a mid-week boost.
I enjoy receiving a weekly dose of inspiration from a British writer and blogger named Lucy Mitchell. She has a delightful blogging voice that brings a smile and a thought-provoking pause to my day. Here’s an excerpt from a recent blog post:
My first book was published in 2023 with Bloodhound books.
Here I am today, with five published books behind me, and I am ready to share the lessons I have learnt.
1. Every book teaches you something different. It could be plot, character, setting or something about yourself. Book ideas don’t always come to you because they are meant to be turned into books. Most ideas come to teach you something.
2. Every book will break you in some way. It’s true. They will either break you emotionally or mentally. At some point you will want to lie down by your desk, curl up in a ball and weep. Every book of mine has done this to me. Some break me at first draft stage, some second draft however most break me when I have to make harsh changes like deleting characters, large chunks of my plot and my book no longer feels like the one I first wrote.
3. Editors are wonderful people. They are the unsung heroes of the book world,
4. A book is never finished. I still think about my 5 books and what I would do to improve them.
5. Promoting books never gets easier. To be an author you have to find new ways of promoting your book and you will have to be okay when your carefully crafted social media posts don’t perform.
6. Reading is your rocket fuel. If you can’t write – read!
7. Writer’s block is more likely to be due to tiredness, exhaustion, stress, burnout. Always try resting or taking a break first before you try and alleviate your writer’s block.
8. Honest beta readers are invaluable. If you can find honest beta readers you are onto something good.
9. Rejection never goes away. This is true. Rejection still happens even when you are an established author.
10. Conflict. It’s all about the conflict. This is the secret sauce for any book. If you want to write a good book – add a good spoonful of conflict,
And I still feel like a beginner when it comes to writing a book.
My new book Melt is a mystery. It’s also a story about friendship. Melt is what happens when three yogis with a penchant for solving crime are asked to help prevent a seventeen-year-old boy from going to jail for the rest of his life. It requires more than a downward dog.
In my forthcoming novel, Elevator Ride, Rowan Valkyrie has put in his twenty years of service with the Marines and retired to start his own security firm. Rowan has been the stable “adult” of the family since he was eleven, but that kind of responsibility means there isn’t a lot of time to focus on his own needs. At forty-four he’s never been married and isn’t sure how to deal with a life where his brothers are successful, his mother is stable, his business is booming, and basically everything is… fine. Which of course means it’s time for the author (insert me cracking my knuckles) to introduce a love interest. Vivian Kaye – spit fire paralegal – is also searching for how to craft the next phase of her life. Vivian feels stymied at work, but also doesn’t know how to take her volunteering with a veteran focused non-profit to the next level. Together, Rowan and Vivian have to figure out where they’re going as individuals and as a couple, and of course, where to hide from the bullets when the villains show up. 
Earlier today, President Carter passed away at the age of 100. He served as the 39th President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and is widely regarded for his unwavering commitment to human rights, environmental issues, and international diplomacy. His key achievements include brokering the Camp David Accords, establishing the Department of Education and Department of Energy, and signing the Panama Canal Treaties.
Joanne Guidoccio 