or just a rat appreciation fan page? (he is pretty cute, right?)
I’m a writer who hates writing about herself. Imposter syndrome, jinxing it, boring, who knows! I prefer to write fiction or about cute animals. It’s much more fun.
But, despite Jean-Claude, The Rat’s adorable face, I did start this blog to track my writing journey and other musings.
I’ve enjoyed stories since I was a kid and my mom used to make up tales about how me and my friends would turn into werewolves on the full moon and break out of the house to sit on the garden wall and howl, waking up the neighbours.
There was also the bogey monster made up entirely of my friend’s bogies. Our folks caught her flicking bogies at the bedroom door once, and from then on my mom would tell the story of how she would flick bogeys at the door until there were so many that it turned into a bogey monster that loved to eat Red Sauce and children.
It’s no wonder that I wanted to tell stories too! I would rewrite fairy tales, and make up stories about piglets who didn’t want to go to school. My cousin even helped me make a ‘bound’ book to put my dinosaur story in. (I never did finish that story–somethings never change)
Then as a (pre)teen reading Point Horror and Point Romance I would write stories about the characters, rewrite endings so they’d end how I wanted. Dream Date, Zoey Fools Around and the Heartbreak Café books were some of my favourites. My reading and writing tastes haven’t changed that much–I still love a good romance, occasionally mixed in with the fantastic.
I remember writing stories about TV shows like Heartbreak High, and Home and Away–this was before the internet and before I even knew that this was called fanfiction (that came later!)
I took more of an interest in writing at high school, but because of my ‘terrible spelling and grammar’ all confidence was knocked out of me and I never thought it was something I’d be able to do. My college lecturer even told me to study English Lit instead of doing Creative Writing at uni–It was a bit of a blow, but luckily, not advice I followed.
I did study creative writing at uni, I got my BA, and although the course was very much in its infancy at the time, it was something I’m so glad I did. Even though I came out of it with the same thought I came out of primary school with–writing is for other people.
So, I dabbled in getting a few short stories published, online and in local magazines, then work, and life got in the way. I would write, but never finish anything, I would put writing at the bottom of my priority list and before I knew it ten years went by!
They do say time flies! But, with very persistent writerly friends poking me with sticks I realised I needed to do something if I wanted to be a writer. No one else could actually do it for me. That something was to actually write, and take it seriously, and…finish a story!
So in 2018 I managed to do that. I wrote a m/m contemporary romance, pitched it at the UKMEET, and I’m so happy that Dreamspinner Press accepted it and will be publishing it sometime this year. I’ve yet to start edits, but it won’t be long now!
I’m excited, scared, still pinching myself because it feels like a dream! I’ve been reading DSP books for over ten years and I’m over the moon to be working with them. Now I need to crack on with the next book!
Andi Lee Writes 