Writing updates, book deals and...back to querying?

I’m baaaack!

I realise it’s been a few months since I last got in touch (how is this is my first newsletter of 2026 and it’s already March?) so I thought I’d do a wee round-up of what’s been happening!

• Amazon picked Sea of Souls for one of its monthly Kindle deals, so if you’re in the UK, you can grab the first book in the trilogy for just 99p for the whole of March!

• I’ve also signed up for the Narratess Indie Sale next month, which runs from 11-13 April. During this sale, Those Left Behind will be available for 99p/99c (or equivalent price worldwide!)

The biggest (and best?) piece of news I’ve got for you in this newsletter is that I have now FINISHED my latest book - a standalone gothic horror all about grief, vengeance and vampires.

It’s come in at around 80,000 words, which is about 25% shorter than the books in my two existing trilogies. It’s been fun and refreshing writing something so focused and self-contained rather than stories and subplots that span multiple books, and I think it has let me challenge myself and grow more as a writer, which is all I can ask for, really!

The next stage is working through my edits. I tend to edit as I go and get my first drafts as close to the finished product as possible, but there is always room for improvement and polish so that’s what I’m going to be focusing on over the next couple of months.

As for a release date, well…it’s complicated. Read my update on querying below for a full explanation on that!

I was so excited to be invited to speak on a panel as part of Indie Spotlight’s Big Indie Weekend last month! (Well, excited and also nervous, as tends to be the case when I actually have to string a coherent thought together in public…)

It was a great discussion and I enjoyed getting the opportunity to chat about some fantastic books and interesting subjects with some fellow indie authors.

You can catch up on the Women in War and Politics panel below, featuring H. L. Tinsley, Emily Inkpen, Tim Hardie and Phil Williams.

As I alluded to before, I don’t really have a set plan for the release of my gothic horror vampire book yet. And the reason for that is… I’m going to query it.

“But Nic,” I hear you cry, “didn’t you already try this once before? Why are you putting yourself through the pain again?”

Well, yes. About nine years ago (wow I am starting to feel old) I had an agent and went on submission with two books. I didn’t end up getting any offers from publishers, so after a lot of soul searching, I ended up going down the self-publishing route instead. And those two books ended up becoming Sea of Souls and Those Left Behind!

So, what’s different this time around?

First of all, this book is a standalone, which I’m told can be more appealing to agents and editors as it doesn’t come with the commitment of a trilogy or series. Secondly, from the research I’ve done, gothic horror is having a bit of a moment just now (as it should!) so it feels like the timing might be right in terms of genre and marketability. Thirdly, I feel I’ve improved so much as an author since the first time around, both in my writing but also on the business side of things as well.

So there you have it. I’m querying! If it works out, I will be thrilled. If it doesn’t work out, I will still be thrilled, because I will get to share it with you all anyway.

If you want to keep up with how the whole process is going, follow along on Instagram or TikTok!

I think we can all agree that February is infinitely better than January, right? The nights are (slowly) getting lighter, the Six Nations has started, we’ve even had a few days where it’s not rained!

Recently I have:

• Enjoyed a fun night out at the For The Love Of Rugby live show

• Went for a lunch and a yap in Edinburgh on a glorious sunny day (ft. shopping, pizza and wine)

• Had an excuse to get dressed up for a work awards night

All in all, a lovely start to the year!

Thank you for reading! Remember, you can also keep up to date with me by following me at @scrimscribes on Instagram (for behind-the-scenes pics and what else I’m reading) and TikTok (for silly videos about writing!)