Juggling

Writers are consummate jugglers by nature. Your typical author is watching writing projects, editing work and marketing plans fly up in the air constantly - keeping track of everything is tricky and it's inevitable things don't always go to plan.

I've been thinking about this juggling proficiency a lot lately since I decided it was a good idea to add another ball to my repertoire. My upcoming serial I Am Allegra Bartlett is more than just a standalone novel or the latest instalment of a series. It's a long-term ongoing project that requires a constant eye on the ball. Every month, that project is going to be centre stage with its own peculiar mix of writing, editing and marketing. If I stop to think about it, there's a whole little set of juggling balls erupting from that one marked "I Am Allegra Bartlett", but that doesn't mean I can let all the others fall.

Right now, I'm working on Allegra at the same time as writing the first draft of the fourth book in the Valerie Series for NaNoWriMo. I'm not going to lie - it can be a little difficult making the switch from Victorian London to modern London and back again. It's not unusual for me to suddenly wonder how Allegra would react to something in Valerie's shoes and vice versa. It's actually a really useful character exercise and - as it happens - they would both thrive in the other's era.

My future looks like it's going to contain more juggling and I think I'm getting better at it. I'll remind myself of that when Allegra gets stuck in modern London by accident and enters the bear pit of the House of Commons. Maybe that's something she would definitely recognise!

P.S. The second teaser letter for I Am Allegra Bartlett went live last week. Read it here.