Once more for the evening crowd... If you'd like to have your say on what I write about in 2026, take a look at my latest blog ⬇️

It’s my fiftieth substack today, so please join me for a little retrospective over the last two years: what I’ve learned, what I (still) haven’t, and what is coming next… alensunclouded.substack.com/p/twoish-yea... #amwri̇ti̇ng #substack #blogpost

Doing the final readthrough before I return my MS to my editor. It's really easy to see which bits I wrote while hungry... Anyone for a cinnamon roll? 🤣 #amediting #hungrywriter

Once more for the evening crowd... Going on Submission was a wild ride! ⬇️

In my latest blog... What it's really like to go on submission, how what actually happens compares to your plan, and how to stay sane when everything is outside of your control. alensunclouded.substack.com/p/going-on-s... #pathtopublication #submission

Here's my August reads! My favourite was "The Half Burnt House" by Alex North. Deliciously twisty, I lost sleep when I stayed up to finish it. Totally worth feeling knackered the following day. I also did some beta reading, which is always a joy. #amreading #augustreads

Am I editing my book like I should be? No Am I writing 'white papers' in the voices of my characters about funny topics because I thought it was a good idea? Absolutely yes. Good lord, this is fun 😂 #amwriting #crimefiction #sidequest

Once more for the evening crowd... if you're unsure about whether to read, there are many pictures of puppies included!

In this week's substack I'm talking about characterisation hacks, specifically the 'Two Beers and a Puppy' questions. Take a look to see how this premise may help with your writing (and your friends!)... alensunclouded.substack.com/p/two-beers-... #amwri̇ti̇ng #characterisation #twobeersandapuppy

Once more for the evening crowd... You send more than just your manuscript and it pays to get your timing right. Here's what I learned when submitting my novel to publishers ⬇️

In the next instalment of my path to publication... What really happens when you go on submission to publishers and why it’s more complicated than you might think. alensunclouded.substack.com/p/preparatio... #pathtopublication #submission

Here's my July reads! My favourite was "The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley. It's a brilliant book and I loved every minute. Also really enjoyed Ruth Ware's short stories. Looking forward to August which will be TBR reads only... #amreading #julyreads

An encore for the evening crowd... if you're unsure about audiobooks, or have never tried them, have a read of my blog ⬇️ #amreading #audiobooks

Most people predominantly read paperbacks or ebooks over hardbacks or audiobooks. So what happens if you just listen to audiobooks for a few months instead? That's what I did, and what I found was genuinely surprising... alensunclouded.substack.com/p/its-still-... #amreading #audiobooks

Running through structural edits of my #CrimeFiction novel today. Editor thinks there's too many references to tea/coffee. Decided to count them... 63! There's only 54 chapters 😂 #amediting #lessteaplease

It's easy to think about which writers inspire me, but sometimes I forget about the TV series, movies and life events that lead me to write crime fiction and cold cases in particular... alensunclouded.substack.com/p/writing-fi... #amwriting #CrimeFiction #coldcases

Somehow we're half way through the year and I can't quite believe I'm posting one of these again. I slowed down a bit in June due to a lot of uncertainty and a bereavement, but here's the five books I read... (cont...)

I much prefer writing a new novel to editing, so editing with my agent was a whole new experience... Read more about my path to publication in today's blog! alensunclouded.substack.com/p/15-jun-25-... #amwriting #amediting #pathtopublication

Supposed to be working on book 3 candidate today, but woke up with an idea and spent the last hour writing it down. 2000 words done👍 Now it needs time to grow in my subconscious. There's a seed of something good there, but it's not quite ready yet. #amwriting #psychthriller

Bought myself a little gift as something very exciting (that I'm not allowed to talk about yet) happened this week... The new Lego Sherlock Holmes booknook! 😍 I am so excited to build this, hopefully starting later today and will build it a little at a time over the next week.

Back up to normal speed for my May Reads! It's hard to choose a favourite because they were all great but it's probably between 'City of Destruction' and 'The Beast of Littleton Woods'. I'm still enjoying my audible trial too; 'Ice Town' as read by Maya Lindh is fantastic!

Last month I finally made it to #CrimeFest and had a wonderful time. Read about my favourite panels, who made my day and what books I brought home here... alensunclouded.substack.com/p/crimefest-...

After writing book two of my #crimefiction series, it occurred to me that writing a series book is like walking into a bar alone after an unexpected absence; everyone's pleased to see you but you've got a lot of explaining to do... alensunclouded.substack.com/p/do-you-com...

And so it ends... The first draft of book two is done, in two months and with a final word count of just over 84k! 🥳 Now to stick it in a drawer for a few months while I work on something else, so that I can come back with fresh eyes later in the year. #amwriting #crimefiction

Finding an agent isn't easy, so I thought I'd share my own - somewhat unconventional - story... alensunclouded.substack.com/p/path-to-pu... #WritingCommunity #amagented

I keep forgetting to update my progress on book 2 of my #crimefiction series. Today, I reached the midpoint of draft 1: 23 chapters and 43,000 words. Then I wrote another one to be sure. Now for that tricky second half... #amwriting #WritingCommunity

Does it matter who writes crime, how it's written, or whether crime is a vehicle for human connection? And why does crime fiction mean so much to so many of us? Take a look at my latest blog: alensunclouded.substack.com/p/theres-bee... #crimefiction #writingcrime #womenwritingcrime

Took a bit of time off writing the second book in my #crimefiction series last week, but have added another three chapters (7,000 words) today and ended on a scene that I just love. I wish every writing day was like this! 🤣 #amwriting #WritingCommunity

haven't had my work stolen - yet - but I stand with all those whose words have been taken, without permission or compensation, by companies who can afford to licence the work but choose not to. I've signed the SoA petition and you can too. #DoTheWriteThing #MakeItFair

Normally I post late on Apr 1st to avoid all the April Fools nonsense. This year, I can't be bothered. So here's my latest blog containing a large, but perfectly reasonable, amount of Lego... Enjoy! alensunclouded.substack.com/p/a-monthly-...

March was another slow reading month, as I've been struggling to just sit down and read. And it's not for a lack of fabulous books on my TBR, of which there are many... (1/3)

Friends who love audiobooks... I've just got a 3 month Audible subscription to see if I like it. What should I listen to? #audiobooks

And so it begins... I've written the prologue for the second book in my #crimefiction series. 579 words down, only about 89,000 to go 😂 #amwriting

Happy St David’s Day! Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! Today's substack is all about February, the shortest month, or 'y mis bach' in Welsh. Read on to see what I got up to last month... alensunclouded.substack.com/p/a-monthly-...

February was a slow reading month, but I did get to read a few books ahead of publication - always a huge joy!

Welcome to a new flavour of my substack - a monthly round-up of January, including all the weird and wonderful things that I got up to! Read on if you like birthdays, Lego, tarte tatin, cocktails and books! alensunclouded.substack.com/p/a-monthly-... #blog #substack #newsletter

I didn't read as many books in January as I normally do, but these 8 were absolute belters!

I wasn't planning on publishing a mid-month blog in January, but there's nothing like a new year to get you thinking about who you are and why you write... alensunclouded.substack.com/p/all-about-me

If you're new to writing, I can't recommend Couch to 5k Words enough. It's how I started writing back in January 2020... So, take a look at @writershq.bsky.social and kickstart your writing journey!

This is my reading wishlist for 2025, including two books I was lucky enough to read in 2024. However... it's not a very diverse list of authors and I should be reading much more widely than this! So, who am I missing? Which books do you recommend I add onto my 2025 reading list?

Another outstanding month of books. My recommendation for 2025 is "59 Minutes" by @holly.bsky.social; a fast-paced, tight-knit thriller that really made me think. If you're a fan of thrillers, this is an absolute must read!

Happy New Year! Blwyddyn Newydd Dda! I wish you all peace and prosperity in 2025, but in the meantime, I truly believe the best is yet to come... Here's my 2024 review and what I hope to achieve in the coming year... alensunclouded.substack.com/p/the-best-i... #Resolutions2025

Please share far and wide

The new year will soon be upon us and, with that, the chance to work on new things. But how do you decide what to write when you have a head full of ideas? Find out here in my last blog of 2024... alensunclouded.substack.com/p/novel-conc...

A few weeks ago I agreed to cut 15k from my #CrimeFiction novel before it goes on sub in Jan. As of today, I've done 8 full days of editing, cut 9,949 words and I'm not even at the midpoint yet. I'm starting to believe that this might actually work. #amediting

This is quite possibly the best reading month I've had all year. Not in number, but in sheer enjoyment of every single book. Highly recommend every single one of these, but I can't pick a favourite - it's too close!

If you're thinking of querying an agent with your novel, but aren't sure where to start, or you want to know what makes a good agent, then my latest substack is for you! alensunclouded.substack.com/p/choosing-a... #WritingCommunity #amquerying

Sometimes I look at what other crime authors are writing and think "I really wish I'd thought of that". Then I remember that I'm also a crime reader, and if I'd written that book, I wouldn't have the joy of reading it. #amwriting #amreading #CrimeFiction

Are you writing this evening or tomorrow? Want some accountability? Join me and 1000s of other writers at the London Writers' Salon 24 hour sprint! It's completely free and you can write for as long as you like, whether that's 1hr, 2hrs, or all 24. See you there! lu.ma/n278bt91

#writingcommunity What's your preference on the number of narrative voices in a #crimefiction novel? Just one? Two or three, alternating between chapters? Four or more? Or something else? Let me know! My first draft had 7 - feedback said too many. Fourth draft has 1 - feels like too few...