My exclusive Halloween treat - just for you!

I promised you a special treat and asked for people who wanted to be included in it... well, here it is!

I have written an exclusive short story for you - and if you asked to be included in it you might want to take a close look at Page 2!

Halloween Café began life on Monday as a series of tweets I sent from my local café after I was served by a lovely bloke who had clearly been made to wear skeleton face-paint. Lots of lovely tweethearts asked for more of the story, so I wrote it for you! It just goes to show that stories are everywhere - even in your local café!

You can view and download your copy of Halloween Café by clicking HERE.

I had so much fun writing this for you - I hope you enjoy it! xx

Friday writer inspiration... Dream Job!

Do you write? Have you written a novel? Or are you working on one/two/eighteen? Whatever you do and wherever you're at with your writing, here's a little bit of Friday writerly inspiration to spur you on over the weekend...

The Telegraph yesterday published the results of a survey conducted by search engine Bing to discover the UK's top ten dream jobs. There are the usual suspects: actor, musician, fighter pilot... but take a look at what made number three in the list...

WRITER!!!!

This got me thinking. For some of us, we're lucky to be able to write for a living (I still work three days a week, so I'm only halfway there so far...), but many of us are writing while we are holding down a job... and regardless of whether your words pay your bills or not we're all looking after our families, keeping up with bills and doing a million-and-one other things that make up our busy lives. But how many of us see our writing as a dream job?

Before I was published, I used to think that I didn't have the right to call myself a successful writer until something happened with my writing. After I was published (for a long time, actually), I didn't really believe that I was doing well and was waiting for someone to tell me it was all some massive mistake and take it all away from me. But one thing I have learned (and I wish I'd learned sooner) is to appreciate the immense honour it is to be able to create worlds with my words - and for people to read it. I've since developed a theory that I would advise any writer, published or yet-to-be published:

If you create worlds with your words (even if it's only for you to wander in at the moment), you are doing what the UK considers one of its Top 10 Dream Jobs! Many people dream of writing a novel: few achieve it. If you wake up with stories and characters and scenarios and happenings playing about in your mind, and if you take the time to lasso them down onto paper, you are doing your dream job. Believe in what you are writing and write like you've made it already!

You can find more writerly inspiration in my range of WurdyCards© and WurdyStickers©, available at my online shop WURDYSTORE.COM!

When I Fall in Love - my book is printed!!

This year I'm taking you behind the scenes of writing, editing and publishing my fourth novel, When I Fall in Love. This week, it's a very special vlog and another ambition fulfilled - I get to see my book being printed!

Usually at this time of year, I receive a package with two copies of my new book. As you'll know from my earlier vlogs, this is always a very special moment, but this year I was really honoured to be invited down to Clays Ltd in Suffolk, to watch my book actually being printed. It was a fantastic day and fascinating to see the process from start to finish. All around the factory I saw new books being created for really famous authors and it was amazing to see my book alongside these.

When I Fall in Love is published on THURSDAY 8TH NOVEMBER and I am even more excited now I have seen how gorgeous the books are. I can't wait to see what you think of the story! Next week's vlog is going to be all about the book, so what would you like to know? Ask me a question in the comments section of this post or email me at mirandawurdy@gmail.com.

Enjoy! xxx

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze frame is entitled: 'Cracking cheese, Gromit!'

When I Fall in Love 8 - P-Day nerves and new projects

This year I'm taking you behind the scenes of writing, editing and publishing my fourth novel, When I Fall in Love. This week, I have some exciting news about my book being printed and I'll tell you what I'm working on now!

It's an exciting and nerve-wracking time of the year for me - waiting for When I Fall in Love to be published and feeling apprehensive about what might happen with the book, but embarking on a brand new novel, with a whole host of characters I'm just getting to know. Work on Book 5 (which will be launched this time next year and currently doesn't have a title) is well underway and I must admit that I adore the first draft stage of writing novels. This is the time when the story can go in any direction I want it to, when my creativity can run free and when I can enjoy reading the story as it appears before me...

So, here's my short-but-sweet update - and watch out for a lot more vlogs to come as we get closer to When I Fall in Love hitting the shelves!

Enjoy!

p.s. This week's YouTube-nominated freeze frame is entitled, 'Aaaaaaammmm...'

When I Fall in Love 7 - inspiration in the Lake District!

This year I'm taking you behind the scenes of writing, editing and publishing my fourth novel, When I Fall in Love. When the book was safely winging its way to the typesetters in July, I took the chance to make a flying visit to one of my favourite places - The Lake District!

I spent most summer holidays in the central Lakes when I was growing up and it was while I was here that I read books by Beatrix Potter, Arthur Ransome and Jane Austen, and started to dream up stories of my own.

So here is a whistle-stop tour of some of the places that have inspired me in this gorgeous part of the world. Please let me know what you think - and also let me have your questions for the next vlog which will be here next week. Just leave a comment on this post or email me mirandawurdy@gmail.com

Enjoy! xx