Editor's Block

I sit collapsed in my chair after a busy 3 days of running hither and thither culminating in watching my hubby run the London Marathon. Now it is the end of the Easter holidays, the little man goes back to nursery on Monday morning and I have no more excuses left. I have to get back to work on my WIP.

I finished writing The Rose Thief at the beginning of the year which was great but since then I've struggled to get to grips with the editing. Who knew there was editor's block??? I'll admit I've used writer events, a convention, life, illness and a back accident get in my way but no more, I need to knuckle down. I've realised what I lack is a plan and a deadline. With no competition looming over me this time I can finish when I finish. With no writing mentor I have no plan of action.

And then of course, writer's friend self doubt comes out to play. She loves to hang around, out stay her welcome and eat all the cake. Plain rude.

I can't edit it because it's no good. There's too much to do by myself, I need a team of editors working with me. I forgot how to spell!!!  Well, maybe not quite that bad but there's a large block of some sort in my way. Now is not the time to rest on my laurels.

Tomorrow I shall pack up my MS - that's manuscript for those who don't know - a barrelful of snacks, drop my son off at nursery then go find a corner in the library to smash that block to smithereens. That's the plan anyway. I'm going to bring gold stars and I'm not sharing.

Who Am I - Brain to Books CyCon

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You just stumbled across the next stop in the B2B CyCon SciFan & LitRPG Blog Hop Hunt!

Welcome, welcome, welcome. I am sci-fi & fantasy writer Claire Buss and this is my blog But I Don't Like Salad - an important stance to announce and stand-by in this dangerous climate of clean eating.

My earliest work included a direct rip-off of LOTR, I was eleven. There may be short snippets still in existence but we really don't have to talk about that. I used to write a lot when I was younger, then I turned into an awkward 13 year old and stopped sharing my work. Then I became a stroppy seventeen year old and stopped writing. It wasn't until 2014 that I really got back into the craft with great desire and determination. I wrote The Gaia Effect in five months as part of a writing competition and now that book is available to buy on Amazon in paperback & ebook - how amazing is that?

The Gaia Effect is a dystopian novel set two hundred years in the future after a mass extinction event has sterilised the human population and the ruling entity, Corporation, have created isolated, safe, cities for humanity to live in and be controlled. All babies are grown and allocated to couples as Corporation see fit and natural pregnancies are unheard of. The story follows a young couple, Kira & Jed Jenkins as they go to pick up their baby and try to figure out how to be parents. Then their friends start falling pregnant naturally and there have been several sightings of a mysterious blue lady. She is Gaia - the spirit of the Earth - who is trying to bridge the gap between man and nature.

I am also currently working on a fantasy novel called The Rose Thief. The Emperor, may he live for ever and ever, is very proud of his beautiful rose garden. So much so he has magically enhanced his red rose with the power of love. A wonderful idea. Until someone steals the rose and love starts to die. It's up to Ned Spinks, Chief Thief-Catcher and his motley band of catchers to stop the rose thief and return love.

Is my work science fantasy? Yes I believe it is. The Gaia Effect deals with what could happen to our current society and looks at the different ways technology may advance and invade our lives.  The Rose Thief has magic and Fae and an evil sorcerer - I am doing my best to ensure it does not have multiple cliches. I am a great believer in the fact that all fiction is fantasy, it is designed to take you away from the grind of the everyday mundane whether it is set in a recognisable city such as London or somewhere as fantastical as a spaceship in another galaxy.

You can of course sign up to my blog to keep up to date with my weekly musings. I can also be found on various social media sites - choose your favourite link below!

Twitter: @grasshopper2407

Facebook: facebook.com/busswriter

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My First Con

This weekend - the 31st March to 2nd April - I attended the SciFi Weekender or SFW8 in Pwllheli, North Wales. It wasn't my first convention ever, I have also rocked up to SFW2 and SFW3 but, it was my first convention as a writer and that was an amazing experience.

A big thank you to Telos Publishing, David J Howe and Sam Stone for making me feel so welcome and giving me a little bit of space on their book table.

It was a fantastic experience to talk to book fans and sell some copies of The Gaia Effect. I also took part in three author panels:

• Self Publishing with Pete Sutton, Sara Jane Townsend and moderator Robert Harkess
• UK Independent Presses with Robert Harkess, Theresa Derwin, Pete Sutton and moderator Sara Jane Townsend
• It's all Fantasy to Me with Freda Warrington and moderator Robert Harkess

It wasn't all hard work though, my friends and I enjoyed watching the Pop-Up Puppet Cinema, dancing to DJ Leroy's sci-fi set and taking part in John Robertson's The Dark Room text adventure computer game.

Then of course there was the Cosplay Ball - a great time had by all!