This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
All this week we'll be taking you behind the scenes at Novelicious with guest posts from Team Novelicious. First up we have our fantastic contributor (and recent Sunlounger author) Cressida Mclaughlin!
I used to pour over every post of Novelicious, sneaking peeks at work, retweeting all my favourite interviews and reviews, and anything that encouraged and inspired my own writing. When Novelicious launched the fantastic Novelicious Undiscovered competition in 2012 I had to enter. I was one of the 20 finalists and, having my work showcased on the site led to me finding representation with my agent.
After the competition was over, I knew I wanted to be a part of the site, so when Novelicious advertised for new reviewers I jumped at the chance. While I’ve been with Novelicious I’ve read and reviewed some fantastic books, organised the Book Deal Moment and The Book That Changed my Life features, been to some lovely launch events and met some of my favourite authors. I’ve also been allowed to witter on about some of my favourite books, which, once I get going, can be a bit of a dangerous thing.
I’m lucky enough to have an office at home, where all my reviews and Novelicious posts get written, edited and posted on Typepad, (though most of the reading happens in bed). I always have music, coffee and my lava lamp, as well as post it notes and – the newest edition – my beautiful glass white (purple) board – not that I’m a sucker for stationery or anything. I can keep track of the posts I’ve got to write and make sure everything’s ready on time.
Though our contact is mostly virtual, the whole Novelicious crew feels like a family, and some of our Facebook chats have been epic. I’ve met and been in touch with so many lovely authors and publishing professionals, and learnt so much about the world of books.
I still read every single post (still sneaking on at work), it is still my number one website for all things book-related, and in lots of ways it’s changed my life. Not only has it helped me with my writing career, but I’ve made some wonderful friends, had endless amounts of encouragement and laughed a lot. I get to contribute to a site that is invaluable for writers and a source of information and fun for fans of women’s fiction. I feel really proud to be a part of Team Novelicious – it allows me to not just embrace my inner book-nerd, but to properly snog its face off!