Writing Update – December 2012
So, these last few months I haven’t updated this site anywhere near as much as I would have liked to. And that’s because I’ve been crazily busy. In November I took part in NaNoWriMo and wrote the first draft of ‘Forbidden Hearts’, which was just over 70,000 words. There’re still loads of changes that I’ve… Continue reading...
NaNoWriMo 2012: Day 24 – Draft 1 Completed!
Yes, that’s right. It’s day 24, and I have completed the first draft of my NaNoWriMo 2012 novel, Forbidden Hearts. It’s wordcount is at 71,249 words-so, on the short side compared to my first novel, Spirit Of Fire.
I have now begun work on Forbidden #2, Forbidden Embrace, which I’m really excited about. I… Continue reading...
NaNoWriMo 2012: Day 14 – I DID IT!
Look everyone! I’ve done it! I have written over 50k for NaNoWriMo–and just in two weeks too!
Okay, so I’m crazily tired, so this is just a quick post. But, Forbidden Heart’s updated word count in 50,028 words. And I’m into the last third of the book now… Continue reading...
NaNoWriMo 2012 – Day 11
Okay, so I haven’t been keeping you as updated as I should have. Having just finished my morning session of writing for today, my word count is going well. Already I’m at 40,074 words. I think that the finished book will be around 75k.
In case you didn’t know, the book I’m writing, is… Continue reading...
NaNoWriMo 2012 – Day 1
So, yes, I’ve decided to participate in NaNoWriMo (National November Writing Month) this year, and day 1 is going pretty well. Already, I’ve hit the daily target, so that’s pretty cool. 🙂
The novel I’m working on is a YA dystopian… Continue reading...
The Importance Of Grammar, Spelling and Formatting
When I read a book, if I find a lot of grammar errors, spelling mistakes or formatting issues in the opening chapter, then I’m unlikely to read on. There’s just something about such errors that annoy me. And I doubt that I’m not the only one.
Not only do mistakes make it hard to… Continue reading...
Would You Like To Swap Guest Posts?
I’m always up for writing guest posts for fellow authors, so perhaps we could exhange them? If you’re looking for a guest post for your own site, then let me know!
What I propse is that you contact me through the form on this site, or my twitter (@MadelineDyerUK) and we each set… Continue reading...
One MASSIVE Update
Yes, I’ve been thinking about how quiet I’ve been recently here, and that got me thinking…. I should do a MASSIVE update, because, really, there’s a lot of stuff I need to update you about.
On the 8th October my novel, ‘Spirit Of Fire’, was submitted to Harper Voyager, the fantasy and science fiction… Continue reading...
My Writing Schedule
Like most writers, I try to write every day. But due to other commitments, this isn’t always possible. Instead, I have allocated ‘extra’ times when I have to write. And these are those times:
Monday – About 7.30-8am, I’ll be planning some plot twists. I then try to write them down and exband on… Continue reading...
New Twitter Username
Just a quick post to tell you that my twitter username has changed from @MadelineDyer_ to @MadelineDyerUK.
I decided to change to this name as many people forgot the underscore, so hopefully having ‘UK’ will be more memorable. As someone on twitter pointed out, my username’s now screaming that I’m british 😉… Continue reading...
My Autumn Project: ‘The Rogue Soul’ – Soul-Eaters #1
Ok, so my spring and summer projects were finishing drafts 1-5 of Spirit Of Fire, and planning out its sequel, and two new books. I have achieved all of this by the 4th september 2012. Which means that I have now started my new project.
Today I drafted out the synopsis, and blurb, for… Continue reading... | 1 Comment
The All-Important First Sentence
The first sentence of any book is hugely important. It is the first thing that readers will read (apart from the title, author’s name, blurb and dedication etc), but most likely, the first sentence will play a part in making your readers decide whether to buy the book.
First sentences have to be engaging… Continue reading...
Giant Land Snails As Pets (Mad On Animals #2)
‘Giant Land Snails As Pets’ is the second book in my animal care series, Mad On Animals by M.J.A. Dyer.
Amazon Kindle Official Description:
Giant land snails make very good pets for so many people. This handy guide provides a range… Continue reading...
Can You Write A Book In A Week?
Yesterday, I was reading a very interesting post, that I was linked to from twitter, and it was very, very inspiring.
Most people think of writing a book as a very long-winded process that takes years to finish properly. Well, of course you do need to do more than one draft, and loads of… Continue reading...
Guinea Pigs As Pets (Mad On Animals #1)
Guinea Pigs As Pets is the first ebook in my new animal-care series, Mad On Animals by M.J.A. Dyer. As the title suggests, this book is all about guinea pigs.
The Amazon Kindle Official Description:
Guinea pigs make brilliant
Writing Update 11 July 2012
So, recently I’ve been very busy. VERY busy, in fact.
In just a few days, my first non fiction ebook, Guinea Pigs As Pets, will be released. 
I’m still going strong with draft 2 of Spirit Of Fire… Continue reading...
New Release: Guinea Pigs As Pets
Very, very shortly my first non-fiction ebook, Guinea Pigs As Pets, will be published on Amazon Kindle.
Guinea Pigs As Pets is essentially a how-to guide about guinea pig care.
I have been writing this ebook on and… Continue reading...
Three Short Story Acceptances in One Weekend!
Yes, you read the title correctly; I still can’t quite believe it!
This weekend, 23-24th June 2012, I have received three short story acceptances, all from Midwest Literary Magazine. The stories are:
• Caught Out
• The Lost Baby
• The Day The Darkness Returned
The first story, ‘Caught Out’, was accepted… Continue reading...
My Writing Process and Writing Update – 6th June 2012
So, just a quick update this afternoon to let you know the latest with my work in progress: Spirit Of Fire.
I’ve been working on this novel since February 2012, and I’ve nearly finished it! Indeed, today I hit the 100,000 word mark. To be precise, I’ve just finished writing Chapter 24 and the… Continue reading...
Writing Update – 31st May 2012
Well, today it is exactly one month from my deadline by which I have to complete draft 1 of Spirit Of Fire. At the moment I have an approximate word count of 90,000 words, with only about 30,000 left to write, so I’d say that I am on track. When I sit down and write… Continue reading...
YA Books You should Have Read
So, I thought I’d write a quick post about my favourite YA books – books that you should definitely read if you haven’t already.
First off, is the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead, starting with book 1, ‘Vampire Academy’. I absolutely love these books! The main character, Rose, is a very strong, independent… Continue reading...
This Time, Last Year…
Well, this morning I’ve been feeling somewhat nostalgic and have been looking back on my writing achievements.
It was only really last May (2011) when I decided to attempt to get some of my short stories published. And it all happened so fast!
In early June I had my very first piece of… Continue reading...
Writing Update (18th May 2012) & Deadlines
So, I now have the deadline for the first draft of Spirit Of Fire #1 to be written by: 30th June 2012. And I’m pleased to say I’m on track, with only about 40k words left to write. Eeek!
Indeed, the more I write of this draft, the more excited I get… I simply… Continue reading...
Another New Baby – This Time She’s A Shetland
My Shetland pony, Morjoy Tulip gave birth this morning to Goldsytch Bluebell. And Bluebell is very cute.
In fact, I couldn’t quite believe it when I went down to the field this morning and saw Tulip standing in the rushes with a… Continue reading...
My New Baby (Rabbit) & Other News
Well, on wednesday night, I rescued a little, tiny baby rabbit from my cat. Poor little Clover, pictured to the left, had ran away from my cat straight into my cat’s stable, and had been chased into the small gap between the tea-chests… Continue reading...
Spirit Of Fire – April 2012 Update
Just a quick update about my progress with writing the first book in my new fantasy series, Spirit Of Fire. In case you haven’t already heard, I’m writing a new YA fantasy series – called the Spirit Of Fire series, the first book… Continue reading... | 2 Comments
Writing Update: The Spirit Of Fire Series & More…
Just a quick post, informing you of the latest regarding my new fantasy YA series which I announced a couple of days ago via twitter and on this site. I have started writing my new series: The Spirit of Fire Series. Check out the series page here. — Yes, I made a quick page… Continue reading...
Amazing Reads: The Hunger Games Trilogy – Suzanne Collins
Well, this trilogy has to be one of my all-time favourites! These books are absolutely amazing. So I thought I’d write a quick post about why you should read them (and also why you should go and see the Hunger Games movie!)
So, the Hunger Games trilogy consists of three books: The Hunger Games… Continue reading...
So, What’s Been Happening?
Well, quite a lot recently!
On 10th March 2012 my seventh short story was published at Daily Love. It’s a fantasy/romance short story. Well, to be honest, it’s more of a vignette. Very short. If you haven’t already read it, you can read ‘It Doesn’t Matter Now’ here for free.
My next… Continue reading...
My March 2012 Writing Playlist
Often when I write I listen to music. And most often the songs that I listen to have to match the mood of the scene that I’m writing. So I thought that I’d share with you some songs from my playlist for this month.
(If you like the music, please buy it so that… Continue reading... | 1 Comment
I’m Writing A Book! A Real Book (I Hope)!
Yes, I’m writing a book to add to my writings. So far, it’s just been short stories, but I’ve always wanted to write a novel.
Well, technically, I’ve been writing ‘books’ for ages. I have so many unfinished books and novel manuscripts it’s unbelievable. For months I’ve been working on a new novel idea… Continue reading...
Twitter – Madeline Dyer (Fantasy Writer)
Yes, I now have twitter. Well, to be honest, I’ve had it for just over a year and only ever used it for a short while (about three days) in connection with my animal website, but now I’ve decided to use it for my writing purposes as well. Excellent.
And already I have… Continue reading...
Merry Christmas 2011
Merry Christmas! Well, technically, I’m three days late with this post, but better late than never, right? Exactly.
So, I hope you’re having an amazing holiday and looking forward to the new year.
My Writing News:
On Christmas Eve I finished draft one of my first young adult fantasy novel. I won’t… Continue reading... | 1 Comment
Writing Update – 4th December 2011
Recently I’ve been working on four different projects:
– My autobiographical novel, ‘Growing Up At The Goldsytch Stud’.
– The vampire series that I’ve been working on for what seems like years and years…. Recently I had some doubt as to whether I was writing in the right narrative. Originally I wrote the… Continue reading... | 1 Comment
Writer’s Block – What Is It?
Many writers complain of getting or having ‘writer’s block’ but what exactly is it? Writer’s block is a condition that many writers will experience at some time, some get it a lot, others rarely get it. It causes the writer to loose the ability to produce new work for a length of time (some have… Continue reading...
Writers’ Blogs To Check Out – December 2011
One of the things I love to do is go and look at my favourite writers’ blogs to find out the latest updates from them. So I’ve put together this little article with links to those blogs that I check regularly.
The first blog I’m going to point you to towards is that if… Continue reading... | 1 Comment
Top Ten Fantasy Books For Young Adults – December 2011
Well, it is very nearly Christmas, so I thought I’d share with you the top ten books I’ve enjoyed most this year, books you should definately read if you haven’t already.
Here is my count-down.
10. The Vampire Diaries – Recently made into a tv series, these books by L.J Smith are good!… Continue reading... | 2 Comments
Portraits, Papers, Cats and Colds
What a strange week it’s been…
I’ll start by sharing the news of our latest addition to our pets: an adorable black and white cat called ‘Sparkie’. We believe he was a stray, as he turned up at our farm in poor condition. He’s now put on some weight, got rid of all his… Continue reading...
Upcoming Short Story Releases – August/September 2011
Aside from working on my young adult fantasy novel (which may become a series) I do do quite a lot of short story writing. Writing short stories is fun and it allows me to have a break from the novel, but I’ll still be writing.
Here are the short stories that I know will… Continue reading... | 2 Comments
Fantasy Fiction – An Online Readers’ & Writers’ Group
Fantasy Fiction – A Brand New Fantasy Group For Readers And Writers.
Are you an avid fantasy reader or keen writer? If the answer’s ‘yes’, which we’re hoping it is, then you’ve come to the right place. Simply click below to join our online fantasy fiction group at GoodReads where you can add nooks… Continue reading... | 9 Comments
Short Stories Update- 23rd June 2011
Ok, so today I’ve been doing a lot of writing and editing, mainly looking at my short stories. I’ve also written another short story (its word count is approx. 800 words) and have submitted it for publication. Fingers crossed.
I’m also waiting for the publication dates to arrive for two short stories that I’ve… Continue reading...
Thank You For Contacting me!
Thank you for contacting me.
Other ways to contact me:
– Twitter: @MadelineDyerUK
 … Continue reading...
Short Story Update: The Photograph
Yesterday I heard from the editor at Yesteryear Fiction that they are going to publish my short story, ‘The Photograph’, on their front page on 1st July 2011 (it’ll remain in the archives after that). Keep watching the Fiction Page I’ll post a link to it when ‘The Photograph’ is published so you… Continue reading...
Best Young Adult Fantasy Series?
With so many fantastic young adult fantasy series out there it’s hard to find one that is ‘the best’. Please vote below for your favourite series. If you know of a series that isn’t yet in the poll feel free to comment below giving the name of the series and author(s) and it may be… Continue reading...
Writing Update – 13 June 2011
Just a quick update:
So recently I’ve been doing a lot of short story writing and research on the various types of mythology and folklore.
Yes, this month saw the publication of my first short story ‘The Silent Siren’ in issue three of Iron Bound – an online fantasy magazine. My fingers are crossed for… Continue reading...
Poll: Favourite Mythical Beings?
As a fantasy and supernatural writer I’m always interested to know what your favourite mythical beings are. Which do you love to read thrilling tales about? And which do you hate?
Vote in the poll below – you can vote for more than one answer. Thanks.
Loading …Ask A Question
If you would like to ask me (Madeline Dyer) a question please leave a question using the form below.
IMPORTANT: Please check your question hasn’t already been answered on the FAQs page. If it has it will unlikely be answered.
Questions asked via the form below will often be added to the… Continue reading...
The Silent Siren – A Fantasy Short Story
June 3rd 2011 saw the publication of my first short story. ‘The silent Siren’, a story about a mute siren and her struggle for survival, has been published in the online fantasy magazine Iron Bound.
You can download the magazine for free as a PDF here or buy it as a… Continue reading... | 1 Comment
First Person Or Third Person?
Do I write in first person or third person? This is a question that many authors often ask themselves, and unfortunately there’s no clear answer as it all depends on the author, their individual style and the story they want to tell.
Some authors find that they can write in one ‘person’ a lot… Continue reading...
Jean M. Auel’s ‘The Land Of Painted Caves’
Ok, so yesterday I finally got my hands on the conclusion to Jean M. Auel’s epic Earth’s Children series: The Land Of Painted Caves. And by golly, it is magnificent! (And I’m only on page 92 at the moment, but it is truly amazing!)
So I just took a quick look at Jean M… Continue reading...