What happens when an editor receives a submission?

We all know that if you want to write a novel, you have to WRITE a novel. But sometimes writing is the last thing you want to do. Sometimes our brains go on strike. And sometimes life is too full on to give it the attention it requires – can I just mention here the…

I was recently asked during a Q&A about historical fiction authors who have influenced me and I completely blanked. Of course Stacey Halls and Jessie Burton came to mind immediately because their levels of readership are my aspiration, but while I love historical fiction – because it’s fiction AND it’s historical – the authors who’ve…

OR, HOW DOES THE SUBMISSION PROCESS WORK FOR UK AUTHORS IN THE US? I googled the arse out of this when my UK agent suggested a US agent might want to take my book out in the US. Was the process the same? Was it quicker? Was it – GOD FORBID – slower?? Would I…

I am currently on Submission. Or, more accurately, Mrs Wood is on Submission. Whenever I think about what’s happening in the ether, I hear this weird mash-up of both the theme from Jaws and Here Comes The Sun. A discomfiting medley indeed. But there is no time, nor need, for glibness. Because submitting my novels…

If you’ve not read Part 1 yet, you probably should or this will be high-octane level confusing. *RECAP* My book has gone out on submission. Responses are positive. A date of Tuesday 14th June is set for deadline of expressions of interest. By THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY I am at PEAK sweat. PEAK SWEAT. By 5pm…

Last night I had the absolute privilege of speaking alongside my agent, Lucy Morris, with the current cohort of Curtis Brown Creative’s Three Month Novel Writing Course. I was completed the Six Month course with CBC back in 2014 so it felt like not just an opportunity to connect with other writers, but to close…