Time is a formidable beast, but can also bend to your will (sometimes). I write in cracks of time because if I waited for the perfect combination of elements I would still be waiting. There’s always something else that demands your time or attention, but trust me when I say ‘the house always wins’ (yes, like a casino). The washing/vacuuming/gardening will wait!

Instead of wishing for the time you need, just take the time you’ve got and do what you can in it. A writers' retreat is great, but it’s only going to happen occasionally and may not fit in your life or budget. Get good at making time for yourself (by which I mean your writing) and making achievable goals in those bursts of time. Write in 300 word sprints, write when you don’t feel like it, write in the car while you’re waiting to pick someone up or while a baby/partner/pet sleeps. In my house, when I say ‘I’ll be back in twenty minutes, I’m doing sprints’, it’s certainly not on a running track! Get the words down regularly, even if they’re not polished (plenty of time for that) and you will find you have a story before you know it. There’s no wasted words—the bits that get culled are still chances to get to know your characters and a way of knowing what you don’t want in your book as much as what you do.

And if you can… enjoy it! Meanwhile, I’ll just be over here in my lakeside log cabin, by the open fire, drinking mulled red wine and typing my next manuscript. Jokes… I’m resting the laptop on a washing basket, in my pyjamas, sipping lukewarm coffee and batting small hands away as I get the next 300 words down.

Good luck to us all.

PRIMAL MIRROR by Nalini Singh

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CHARLOTTE ILLES IS NOT A TEACHER by Katie Siegel

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Mention “returning to the scene of a crime,” and people don’t usually picture a middle school. But that’s where kid detective Lottie Illes enjoyed some of her greatest successes, solving mysteries and winning acclaim—before the world of adult responsibilities came crashing in . . .

Twentysomething Charlotte is now back in the classroom, this time as a substitute teacher. However, as much as she’s tried to escape the shadow of her younger self, others haven’t forgotten about Lottie. In fact, a fellow teacher is hoping for help discovering the culprit behind anonymous threats being sent to her and her aunt, who’s running for reelection to the Board of Education.

LENNY MARKS GETS AWAY WITH MURDER by Kerryn Mayne

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A LETHAL LADY by Nekesa Afia

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KNOWN TO THE VICTIM by K.L. Armstrong

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How far will you go to protect the only family you have?

When Amy Gibson's mother is brutally murdered by her boyfriend, Amy's world is completely undone. Overcome with grief and heartache, she withdraws from everything around her—college, her friends, her entire life. Until her estranged half-brother, Oliver, saves her, pulling her back into her life and giving her family. Giving her a home.

LLEWELLYN’S LITTLE BOOK OF SPELLCRAFT by Deborah Blake

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