This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
I’ve had loads of writing rooms over the years, we’ve moved house a lot, but something that always remains the same is the layout of my desk and the positioning of my reading chair – I’m completely OCD about this, and superstitious too.
I can’t write without my special writing candle, honestly I can’t, you can see it by the left hand corner of the screen, because that’s where it has to go… see, told you, bonkers, and what a giant diva?! Next to the candle is my rose quartz rock, now don’t laugh, but I have to hold this every time the words stop flowing and it’s magic, it really is, because it makes the words come back, just like that (said in a daft Tommy Cooper voice – my granddad was a big fan, he used to make me laugh with his impersonations).
On the screen I have PDF copies of Cupcakes at Carrington’s, Me and Mr Carrington and Christmas at Carrington’s open AT ALL TIMES, essential when writing a series set in a department store – to check continuity and make sure Home Electricals in the basement doesn’t suddenly relocate to the fifth floor, because that’s where Sam’s café is, of course. And Mrs Grace’s husband is called Stan, not Frank, as he was for much of Christmas at Carrington’s, until I checked the PDF’s.
To the right of the screen is a canvas with the cover of Christmas on, a gift from my editor, next to my perfumes – every book has a fragrance which I have to spray before I start writing each day, Jean Paul Gaultier Classique for Cupcakes, Halston Woman for Christmas and Hermes Un Jardin En Meditrranee for my new book, Ice Creams at Carrington’s. Next to the perfumes are my lucky dice (always on the six of course) and a photo from Jackie Collins, signed To Alex, luck and love Jackie xx, how nice is that?
The pin board has various bits and bobs on, including a picture of Tom Ford, aka Mr Carrington, a greeting card with a handbag shop design and my author badge from last summer’s HarperCollins party. And that just leaves my poncho on the chair, yep; you guessed it … my LUCKY writing poncho!
Alexandra Brown’s new book, Christmas at Carrington’s, is released on 7th November.