BLOG TOUR + GIVEAWAY: Drop by Katie Everson

Today the lovely Katie Everson has stopped by to chat about the things she tells herself pre-publication of her fantastic debut Drop. This book is a stonker and not one to miss! To top off a great post, the lovely people at Walker have given me x2 copies of the fantastic Drop to giveaway so don't forget to enter at the bottom! Enjoy!

Things I tell myself pre-pub (the bookish kind, not the beery kind)

You’re going to get bad reviews. You’re going to get good ones too, hopefully, but inevitably, some people aren’t going to like it. Look up any novel on Goodreads and check the ratings... See, even your most beloved, seminal, existence-changing, soul-awakening gem of a favourite novel has got one star from somebody. Think about it... Do you love every book you read? Um, no. Do you start a novel one year and hate it, then pick it up again later in life and love it? And vice versa? Thought so. People change, people grow; they’re fickle, unpredictable creatures with opinions that shift depending on circumstance. You can’t please everyone. Focus on the good, accept the bad. It’s human nature.

Try not to compare yourself to other authors. I know it’s hard, but seriously, will it make you feel better? Probably not. You’ve written a book; you’ve done this awesome, crazy difficult thing and someone wants to publish it! So quit worrying that you’re bottom of the author pack and give yourself a high five (which I guess would be a clap since you’re me... OK, maybe don’t do that because frankly that would be odd in this train carriage full of people)... You get the gist... Recognise your own achievement rather than dwelling on others’ success.

Don’t worry that you haven’t finished book two. I know, I know, it’s best to have a second book out a year after pub of your debut... But you have a full-time job, a home, a commute, relationships and health stuff to maintain. You spend all day being creative, then write in your spare time... No one can be creative 24/7. And another thing: writing Drop took years, and yeah, you’ve learned a LOT along the way, but writing one book hardly makes you an expert. Writing a novel is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight, so give yourself a break. Take the time and get it right.

When you think you can’t do it; when the page is blank or you’ve written yourself into a cul de sac or you’re faced with the prospect of restructuring your entire manuscript, remember this: you’ve done it before. You can do it again. No, you WILL do it again.

Be strong. Be kind to yourself. Be an author – not because you have a book coming out or an agent or a page on Amazon – because it’s who you are, even without those things.

Title: Drop
Author: Katie Everson
Series: None
Publisher: Walker Books
Publication Date: 6th August, 2015

I wasn’t always like this. I know what you’re thinking: druggie, junkie, wreckhead, trashbag. But I’m not sticking needles in my arm or sleeping on the streets, or stealing to feed the habit. I’m not one of those. Carla has just moved to London and starts at yet another new school; she is desperate to fit in. Though she makes a couple of friends, she soon meets the charismatic, good-looking Finn and their whirlwind romance begins. Carla, an A student and gifted artist, lets her schoolwork slip as she enters Finn's world – a world of partying and drugs. Friends tells her that Finn is no good – even his brother, Isaac. But Isaac has an ulterior motive, doesn't he? Is either brother right for Carla?

GIVEAWAY 

Rules

Prize is 1 of 2 copies of Drop by Katie Everson

Open to residents of the UK and Ireland only.

Fill in the Rafflecopter form below to enter.

I reserve the right to disqualify any rule breakers.

The winner has 48 hours to respond to my email otherwise a new winner will be chosen.

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