Ever since then, this song has been my antidote to writer’s block!

How was your experience in looking for a publisher? What words of advice would you offer those novice authors who are in search of one?

Prior to even pitching to publishers, I spent six months working with a fabulous Book Coach, Julia McCutchen, who helped me hone my proposal writing and helped me to believe that I could actually string some coherent sentences together. I pitched my newly honed proposal to five mainstream publishers and I was overjoyed when two of them called me in for a meeting. They liked my ideas, but felt they weren’t quite “strong enough” to be commissioned. Despite falling at the last hurdle, it was a huge confidence boost and I realized that this was serious now. It was time to find an agent. Like many things in life, often it’s not what you know, but who you know that really counts. I was coaching a TV presenter at the time and she’d just had her first book published. She kindly introduced me to her literary agent who signed me straight away. My agent then pitched to the publisher and we had a signed contract within two months.

My advice to novice authors is to get an agent first. Many publishers aren’t taking on authors without one. So finding a good agent is the first hurdle. An agent will be interested in a manuscript that is creative and different, yet still commercial. They will be interested in an author who is marketable and has the ability to be a brand. So novice authors need to cover off both the creative and the commercial aspects of being a published author.

What type of book promotion seems to work the best for you?

Through trial and error, I’ve discovered that the book marketing methods that suit me the best are the online ones – virtual book tours, blogs, podcasts, article writing, online radio and video clips. Not only do these methods suit my more introverted nature, they offer an incredible potential to link with readers who might never have the opportunity to hear about my work because they don’t live in the same town - or even in the same country.

As an author, I think it’s really important that you find out what works for you. And that will take time. It’ll also cost money so expect to invest – and expect to make mistakes along the way.

What is the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

One piece of advice Julia gave me which was invaluable, was not to edit my writing while I was typing it. She suggested getting the words down on paper first, let them settle for a day and then go back and edit them. She also made a very interesting point about the link between the writer and “the work.” She said that more often than not, what we write about is either a reflection of what we’ve been through or what we’re going through. That’s why Gulp! is very personal to me, because it reflects the process I went through to face my fears about my breast cancer scare and use this crisis as that catalyst to fulfill my childhood dream of being a writer.