It’s publication day for my latest WW2 spy thriller, If I Can Save One Child…
And the omens are good.
We have 17 five-star reviews from the preview readers…
A nice chunk of preorders…
But you never know.
So what am I doing aside from all the promo stuff on social media and chugging coffee?
Writing, of course.
I’m already 60 pages into the next book, a psychological thriller, so it feels weird to suddenly pivot and go back to those other characters and their story. And it really is their story now.
That’s the thing with writing a book – you spend months and even years creating these characters, fleshing them out, putting them through hell and taking them to heaven (sometimes literally) only to abandon them once the final proofs are done.
I’ve carried some characters over from one book to the next, watching over them like a fond parent. I’ve fallen in love alongside them, led them through danger and out the other side. Some I’ve even killed off…although I’ve never killed the dog.
Like any good parent, I’ve then let go so they can soar on their own. That’s what you have to do with anything you write if it’s ever going to breathe.
Give it life then give it wings. Hand it over to the world. If the world loves it back then great. If not, carry on writing.
It’s not your job to convince or cajole readers into loving it or you. You’re there to tell a story, hopefully a great one.
Get it right and it will resonate with your audience. Get it wrong and you can always pick yourself up and write another one. But don’t, whatever you do, give up.
I certainly haven’t. Through immense, life-shattering events, writing was my solace and latterly my saviour. It’s the one thing I can do when life is crashing in on me, as it has at times.
I learned a lot about courage from the characters I write about in my WW2 series and I do my best to emulate the people whose stories I retell.
With that in mind, I’m taking a few moments today to celebrate (OK, maybe an entire evening with pizza in a friend’s field). Writing a book is an achievement. Writing five in twenty months is insane and also glorious. A bit like my life.
The lesson here? Keep writing. No matter what. Tell the best story you can. It’s all you can do.
You can read If I Can Save One Child here
