My Summer Vacation: June Theme

By L.A. Jones

Last year, I was fortunate enough to be offered a free holiday to Barbados by a friend. The person she was supposed to be going with was unable to go, so I was in luck. The trouble was, I had a fairly large edit for my debut novel to tackle and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to finish it in time. I was going out of my mind trying to fix plot holes that just didn’t seem to want to be fixed. I would sit at the computer and try and write, yet no words flowed. On top of everything, I was going through a real ‘my writing sucks’ phase.

 But I would have been crazy to turn down a free holiday with one of my closest girlfriends, right? So despite my stresses, I packed up my things and jumped on a plane. Turns out, some time away from reality was just what I needed. I spent a few days relaxing in the sun by the pool. Then, I got down to work. I’d brought one of those ‘screen shades’ for my laptop and an extra battery so I was able to write outdoors. By the time the holiday ended, I had finished my edits and had managed to enjoy some scuba diving, local shopping, and days out exploring the island.

This summer, I’m concentrating on writing my third middlegrade novel. I won’t be going anywhere exotic, but I’ve realised that when I’m stuck for inspiration, all it takes is a bit of escapism to get me back on track. There’s a park at the end of my road which is a great place to go and spend an hour or two to get my writing juices flowing again. Listening to the birds in the tree’s, and feeling the breeze in my hair is sometimes just as inspirational as any tropical island.

Oh, and I almost forgot! Here’s a sneak preview of my Nightmare Factory sequel cover: Rise of the Shadowmares (out November 4th!)