Struggle

Hey guys.

I admit I’ve come to write a few blog posts over the last few weeks. While on holiday and then back at home. But I’ve struggled.

This week back at work was a proper doozy of a week. With my van breaking down and then swapping over to a new one and back, with catching up on things at home. I’ve never had time to actually do much of anything.

We have had the worst bad news so far this year, resulting in 3 losses of members of our family and close friends. The latter just this Thursday. It has not been easy on any of us, and the toll is there. It’s in the back of your mind when you are alone, and thinking of things.

I always try and balance the good and the bad. But the bad is outweighing things at the moment. I’m plugging away, but my brain is starting to slow, and my heart pains me.

I completed my campnano goal. Then forgot to validate… 😦 but I’ve been very happy writing in my TSK world. Which we also now have a twitter page! please follow us! https://twitter.com/TeamSecretKing I couldn’t get the full name we wanted, seems someone else has had that from 2009 and has actually never tweeted a darned thing. Sucks, but this one is fine 🙂

My closest friends know what I’m going through and in how I’m coping, I wanted to let everyone here and there know that although its been the pits, I’m kinda doing okay…. I’m eating, I’m trying to still walk and exercise and I’m trying not to drink too much. Stress brings out two things in me, the ED that wants to cut off all my fat and not eat like FOREVER! the voice in my head that tells me every time I get a minute alone, that I’m not worthy of love or anything that I hold dear. The voice that is a constant battle to kick to the curb and tell it I am worth more. And then there’s that one other more destructive way to drown out the voice for a while. SI. Which I don’t ever wish to return too, but it’s the thoughts that are a consistent battle and the thoughts at the moment which are there pounding away at the resolve that I do have left.

I want to give in.

I don’t want to fight.

But I must.

For everything that is in my life which is good, is worth more than this rubbish. ED will you just F’in do one!

So yes, it’s more than a struggle. And I’m putting it out there, so that people know why. The day job sucks eggs. I love my customers, the people in work are so so. They try and make you laugh, when inside you feel like dying. But it is there, and it’s good to be out the house.

There it is. The thoughts I’m stuck with. The week I want to just put aside, like the rubbish year it’s been.

I am concentrating on my writing, trying to be the best I can be, for the people who care.

Love you all x x

A question or two ?

Tonight I’m talking about what happens when you find yourself facing a tiny break in concentration, or in pondering your next move in a novel or story.

What I find really strange for my world and universe is that with each character, and their parents or even their children… what I have is a universe so vast and so much alive that I can see and feel everything they’d have been or are going through.

After finishing the latest 3 part piece I was a little lost as to what to write about next. The ideas for book 3 still sitting there, but not sparking my creativity.

Then came a question, simply about one of my core characters. Mendoza, by Tim. It was just that a question, followed by another question. But, it was those what ifs that then sparked inside my mind and then became something else. Words which started to form a plot, and then a larger plot, what was part of the TV series and led into the future of the human race, and the Aonise is now something that could possibly be a huge part of this massive universe.

🙂 No matter how you think you’re doing, or how you think you’re not doing. Get someone to ask you a question, and see where that leads you. You just never know.

~ Dawn

Saying Goodbye

Today is a day where we get to say goodbye to a very close old family friend. Ronnie Docker.

It is not going to be a good day.

It will be, however, a day of reflection and one of many assaults on all my senses.

This year has been one of the worst for a few reasons. This being one of them. I don’t deal with death, or dying very well at all. It’s something I can’t see. Like literally I can’t see.

It might seem cold, and it isn’t. I just can’t deal with it. When my nan died on my dad’s side. She’d been very ill for a long time. I loved going to see them. But, the more she deteriorated, the more I couldn’t cope, in her last few weeks. Both Paul and my dad tried to get me to visit but I couldn’t.

Anorexia and depression already had me in it’s horrible grips as I was awaiting my call to go to Cheadle Royal hospital.

It was at her funeral that the beast took hold completely and over the next few months I lost around more weight than I should have. That day took me back to my earlier years you see, when my grandad died, to where I was being bullied at school left right and centre.

I don’t ever pertain to understand the complex way my mind works. Or in the how I deal with things. I don’t deal with some things very well at all, and that voice in my head just takes over instead. It is what it is. A coping mechanism for feeling.

I am where I am today because of those people and the ED that made me internalise all the things
hateful things anyone ever said.

Today, I am going to allow myself to feel. I am going to say goodbye to a gentleman who brought many things to my life. From your cantankerous old ways to the laughter and fun.

I know who I am, I will remember where I have come from, I will not go backwards, I will be okay.

Ron, where ever you are, be happy. We will miss you lots and lots.

~ Dawn

I’m so excited :)

Hey all – it has been a busy week.

One thing I have found in plotting over the last week is no matter how well you know your story. That sometimes the characters can surprise you.

Book 3 has really had me stumped for some time. The end goal and Kendro’s Death being one of the damned hardest things to get through ever, because I’ve known it and it’s been written in the TV series for many years and something which was hard then.

Leading through Book 1 and 2 Kendro totally stole my heart. I don’t and never want to kill anyone, but when you go through and live and learn with your characters through a few hundred thousand words, getting to that point is bad.

The fact that he tries so hard to avoid all conflict leading to his demise is noble, but the outcome still the same. Just in a very different way. I lose him.

Today, I built up the chapters leading to this. The ultimate battle between worlds. The situation is dire, there is nothing anyone else can do. And it’s been an awesome day!

Nano isn’t for everyone. I totally understand that. The fact that you’ve to hit targets some people can’t deal with, but I find it liberating. The support from other writers around the world is amazing, and with camp you can set your own goals… even better.

So, roll on April the 1st! I’m all set to go! and totally excited for it… how is your WIP treating you? are you taking part in camp nano?

Hotting up!

And I don’t mean the weather. Well we’re almost ready for the final stages of TSK’s book 1 release. I’m really excited that everything is coming together, and then I’m really scared as well. I flit from one to the other almost every minute. our website can be found here –

http://www.thesecretking.com/

Here’s a scary image for you, the day I received the Royal Pendant from Trent in the US. I love it so much, I can’t wait to see if we can get a few of these manufactured. (this one is hand crafted out of wood, with such love it is unreal!

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The cover is looking SUPER awesome. And I’ll do a big cover reveal over the easter bank holiday I think.

Sci fi Max’s latest edition is set for release on Friday! which has a great page spread for us. Please check it out, and of course, I’ll remind you all on the day… https://www.facebook.com/scifimax?fref=ts

I’ve been spending the weekend planning. Camp Nano starts in April, I have two weeks of 4 working week days, and then a whole two weeks off. I plan to hammer out the third book to the series. Looking to get around the 100k mark, but we’ll see. Its early yet, and I’m not 100% where the story and characters will take me. The planning is and always does take a different path when I’m in the midst of it all.

So there you are! I’m super excited. I totally can’t wait for April….

Dawn