Falling in Love with Fictional Ghosts

I’ve been working on my ghost story for a while now. Like, a long while. Longer than I worked on Summer of 1984 or 1966 Forever. Class of 1983 took me ten years to write, so I’m still a long way off it taking that long at least!

I’ve gone through so many phases and stages with this book, like I think all us writers and creatives do with our projects.

Like all relationships creative projects have their highs and lows.

There’s the first meeting, the excitement of a potential new love affair, the first few dates, the first time you get intimate with each other and that realization that you want this to really go somewhere.

And then you hang out, go to the mall, go to movies and parties together, you spend time with mutual friends, and it starts to feel… not so exciting anymore, but you’re in love, so you fall into a rhythm and you go with it, because it feels so damn good!

Some relationships are easy, you know where you stand, you know how to ask for what you want, you can just be yourself and get comfy in your sweatpants and hang out all day every day and it’s all good. You never question if you want to be somewhere else, you know you’re in it for the long haul.

Then there are relationships/creative projects that challenge us, that make us question ourselves, who we are, what we want, why we’re doing it.

I’ve been through a tough relationship with this ghost story. I didn’t fall hard and fast for it like I did with the Santolsa Saga, it was more like a casual fling at first. We’d hang out for a bit, then go our separate ways for a while, then I’d get a message – WYD? (This is what the kids are saying these days, right? What You Doing?) and I’d be like – oh, not much, k, let’s hang.

And then I’d just ghost my ghost story for a while, or tell we should go on a break. I needed my space, time to think about how I really felt, if this was the right relationship/project for me.

And then something interesting happened.

I sweated and teared into the last round of making-this-readable edits, still not really sure if it was any good or how invested I was, and then returned to the beginning of the book for another round of edits and found myself absolutely head over heels in love.

I know I’m in love when you can sit and edit all day and actually enjoy it. This isn’t usually my favourite part of the process!

I’m enjoying making my protagonist a little less obnoxious (she still is a bit, I mean, theatre kids. I was one so I know. They are all at least 10% obnoxious), and in the process I’ve developed a real soft spot for her. She’s a total mess, but aren’t we all? And the love interests, oh my ghost, so much angst I can’t even.

So, what’s the point of this mega essay that maybe two people will read to the end?

Don’t give up on a relationship or a creative project just because it’s hard. Sometimes it takes time to fall madly deeply in love.

But also, you know, pay attention to the red flags your lovers and projects give you, they’re not all worth hanging onto.

But those ones that keep drawing you back in? Maybe give them a chance.

With love,

Victoria

xo

1966 Forever

Exciting news Santolsa fans! 1966 Forever is landing soon!

Janet Bates doesn’t hold a lot of hope for her future.

Living with her Gran in the Santolsa trailer park Janet’s just trying to keep her head down, work hard in school and maybe one day live in a house with real foundations.

But when Gran is suddenly taken ill, Janet has more to worry about than how to get David, the bad boy next door to notice her. A plan to make rent money goes horribly wrong and Janet and David seek safety in the walls of St. Christopher’s high school. Finding herself magically transported back in time to 1966, Janet embarks on a mission to find the parents she never knew, while falling for a mysterious boy on the midnight bus from Santolsa to San Francisco.

But if time continues to take its natural course, Janet may just end up losing everyone she’s ever loved all over again.

Can Janet re-write the past? Or is she destined to be forever alone?

Back to the Future Part III meets Forest Gump with a slice of St Elmo’s Fire on the side, The final book in the Santolsa Saga is a journey through time, space and the loves of a lifetime which will leave Santolsa Saga Fans wanting to start reading the series all over again.

You can pre-order the kindle NOW on:

Amazon | Amazon UK

Amazon Australia

or Amazon in your country!

I can’t wait to share this magic with you! :D

Victoria

xo

Write What You Know - part feminist rant, Part defending my bad reviews

Write what you know.

This is the oldest advice in the book for those starting out on a writing journey.

And for the most part, this is what I do.

I use my own experiences and alchemize them into stories.

I write YA because I remember so vividly what it was like to be a teenager. I also spent a lot of time teaching in high schools and re-living my own teenage years vicariously through my students.

In between all the fabulous four and five star reviews of my YA books, sometimes people leave reviews saying things like "this is so unrealistic, all these kids do is drink and make stupid decisions."

If you didn't get drunk and make a stupid decision in high school, I salute you. Well done for getting through the experience unscathed.

But that was not my experience. Nor was it the experience of my friends in high school, or most people I just knew or those I just watched from afar. It was also not the experience of most of the kids I taught as a high school teacher.

Teenagers make bad decisions. Teenagers can be assholes. Teenagers get obsessed about things, whether that’s people they are crushing on, being cool, being pretty, these things are important to teenagers, and they are important to adults too, whether you want to admit that or not.

Most of us are still trying to find the right partner, be seen and be acknowledged in all stages of life.

I find it kind of ironic how many people want to write bad reviews of the Santolsa Saga which involve long rants about how much of a terrible person Magz is.

Magz a teenage girl who's going through a pretty rough time. Her parents ignore her, she gets her hair ripped out by a bully, the boy she likes doesn’t know she exists, she literally has no family or friends at one point and traveling through time would mess with anyone's head, and yet she's still somehow expected to be this perfect example of a teenage girl?

Someone please do tell me, how exactly *are* teenage girls supposed to act? Like perfect little angels? Should they smile sweetly at their bullies and marry the first boy who says I love you?

Should the teenage girls you read about in stories fit into nice neat little boxes, just like how you want them to in real life?

Also, why is it that people only want to talk about how terrible Magz is? No one mentions how neglectful her parents are, how horrible her bullies are, or how Jonas got away with doing what he did.

Quite a few reviews have blasted Lacey for being such a train-wreck, totally ignoring the fact that she’s been through some pretty heavy trauma that has played a huge part in how she navigates through the world.

I only hope to God that these people are more understanding of the people in their life than they are of book characters.

If you are looking for books about "perfect" teenage girls you will not find them written by me. Teenage girls are complex as hell, and that's why I love writing them.

I write what I know.

I know what it's like to be a teenage girl. I know what it's like to be bullied. I know what it's like to feel like you don't have a friend in the world. And let me tell you, at those times in my life I was not a perfect person, I was just trying to get through the day in one piece.

I write what I know. And I know Magz, because there is a lot of me in her. There is also a little me in Jack and in Lacey, and in Janet. There is even a little me in Jonas, because if we dig deep enough we will find that we can all be the hero and the villain of someone’s story.

One thing I do know for sure about Magz is that she would never waste her time leaving negative reviews on Amazon. She's too busy chasing her own dreams.

I hope you are chasing your dreams too. And I hope you never let the haters stop you from writing your book or doing whatever it is you want to do with your life.

And I shall keep writing my beautiful, fucked up, messy, imperfect teenage characters and remembering all the beautiful, fucked up, imperfect, messy teenagers I have known and loved, including myself.

Love,

Victoria

PS - Grab a copy of Class of 1983 here.

Janet's Playlist

I have good news Santolsa Fans! :D

I’m currently working my way through the edits of the final book in the Santolsa Saga!

I’m not sure yet when the release date will be, but it will definitely be in your hands at some point during 2021!

It’s a little tricky to make this playlist without giving too much away, but if you’ve read the first book, you’ll know that Janet isn’t just a regular High School English teacher!

Have a listen to this playlist and get excited about what’s to come! :D

Coming in at number 5 - Lithium by Nirvana. Yep. There was a time Janet was into grunge. Get excited about it.

At number 4 - Thought I’d Died and Gone to Heaven by Bryan Adams. Well, who says you can’t have a thing for Grunge and Bryan?!

At number 3 - San Francisco by Scott McKenzie. Well this one kind of gives it away doesn’t it? Haha!

At number 2 - I got You BabE by Sonny and Cher. Every book in the santolsa saga has that one special love song…

And at number 1 - Roll Me Away - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band. If Janet’s story could be summed up in one song, this would be it.

I hope you enjoyed this eclectic playlist and that you’re looking forward to the book coming out soon! :D

Love,

Victoria

x

CLASS OF 1983

Available on e-book + paperback through:

AMAZON US | AMAZON UK BOOK DEPOSITORY INDIEBOUND

NaNoWriMo Prep for Success

I have a bit of a tumultuous relationship with NaNoWriMo.

I actually just Googled “tumultuous relationship” to make sure that yes, this was a good way to describe my NaNo experiences.

Here’s what Google said:

… a relationship that is characterized by disorderly commotion; mental or emotional agitation.

Ah, yes. That describes it perfectly.

I’ve won some and lost one. I did Camp NaNoWriMo in July to help me get fingers to keys for the final book in the Santolsa Saga. I was aiming for 50k and I reached 38,480. I changed my goal in the last few days so I still technically “won”, but I didn’t reach my goal.

The good thing about being both a winner and a loser is it’s pretty easy to see where you went right and where you went wrong.

OK, enough blabbering on from me. Let’s get into the tips for success!

Actual gif of you winning NaNoWriMo!

1. Work out what you want to write

Although I am a big fan of the half way change to a different project, I have had way more success picking one project and sticking with it.

Don’t forget that your project can be literally anything. This year my project is editing the absolute s***-show of my first draft of the third book in the Santolsa Saga - Janet’s story.

Tip - choose a project that really excites you!

2. Plotting

Are you a plotter or a pantser? I am a little of both, mostly pantser, OK, almost totally pantser. But having a basic plot in mind can be really helpful.

For example when I wrote (and won!) NaNo with Summer of 1984 I knew the basics. I knew who was going back in time. I knew who they would meet. I knew the struggles they would have. I didn’t know much more than that until I was writing, but it was a basic outline to work with.

If you’re writing from blank page, at least know the basic premise of your story and the main plot points. Hey, even if they end up changing completely as you write, starting with something is always better than starting with nothing imho.

Tip - start with your main character, their main desire and their challenges to overcome.

3. Time Management

Working out when you are going to write is everything. If you don’t make time, you won’t get time.

So, when are you going to write?

Tip - actually schedule in your writing time. Put it in your calendar like you would for work or a meeting and make it non-negotiable.

4. Self-Care

Do some prep for your own self-care.

Make plans for the following:

What will you do if you get stuck?

What will you do if you freak out and hate your story?

What will you do if life gets in the way and you have to take a step back?

What will you do if you need to prioritise your own mental health?

Give yourself permission at the outset to put your own self-care first. Yes, it’s great to write a novel in a month. But it’s also great to write a novel in two months, or three months.

It took me ten years to write Class of 1983.

Tip - always put your own mental health and wellbeing first.

5. Playlists

I am a big fan of the playlist. I have a playlist for each of the books I have written so far and a bunch of playlists for projects that are kind of floating around in my head.

I love listening to music when I write, but I also like to listen to my writing playlists while I’m taking long walks - it really helps me come up with ideas!

Tip - make playlists for your characters, what would they listen to?

6. Have Fun!

Ha, had to add that corny one at the end there. :P Because if it’s not fun, why are you doing it?

Let us know in the comments below what you do to prep for NaNoWriMo! :D

Love and luck,

Victoria

x

The Girl Who Doesn't Know She's Pretty Trope

I took a look at my Goodreads reviews for the first time in a while recently, and I gotta say I was pretty blown away by how many people have been loving Class of 1983! :O

There were a few reviews that weren’t so great, which is always a bit of a bummer for authors to see, especially indie authors who really only only have themselves to blame when people don’t like their stuff. But hey, I write books about time travel, witches and the 1980’s, they were never going to be for everyone!

One of the reviews mentioned my use of “the girl who doesn’t know she’s pretty trope” and it got me thinking.

I mean, it’s true, this trope is indeed present in my first book, and it is something that is used a lot in YA fiction, teen movies, TV shows, just about anywhere that teens can be found.

And I totally get that people are over it.

You want female characters to be empowered and not need a man to tell them they are pretty. I hear this!

But I don’t know about you, but I’ve never met a teenage girl who knew she was pretty.

I used to be a high school teacher, so I knew a lot of teenage girls. I can’t think of a single one who had any confidence about her appearance, or anything about themselves really.

I certainly didn’t think I was pretty when I was a teenager, in fact, most grown ass women I know don’t know how beautiful they are.

I don’t think we’re overusing the girl who doesn’t know she’s pretty trope. I think we have a problem with society that makes girls relate so darn much to it.

Girls are programmed with messages about how important it is to be pretty from pretty much the moment they are born.

We tell little girls how pretty they are, they watch TV and movies that are full of unreachable (for most of us) beauty standards. Before girls even hit puberty they are already conditioned to believe that being pretty is pretty much everything.

Then when they hit their teen years the fashion and beauty industry gets its claws out and starts telling girls they need to spend all their allowance so they can be as pretty and confident as the girls in their advertisements.

Girls are constantly told they aren’t pretty enough. Everywhere they turn some magazine, advertising, billboard, TV show is showing them unrealistic expectations of beauty.

Then there’s high school. Does anyone get through their high school career without being told at least a couple of (hundred) times how unattractive they are?

And for the few who are able to say - screw this! And go off on their own journey of self-love - I salute you. Please write a book full of bad ass characters who do not subscribe to this trope.

But for the girls who don’t think they’re pretty, I see you. I was you. Hey, sometimes I still am you.

After all, you can only really write what you know, right?

So why did I use the girl who doesn’t know she’s pretty trope? Because that’s the trope of my teen years, it’s the trope I lived every day through my high school experience.

Is it still a trope if it’s just your actual life?

I know what it’s like to not know you’re pretty and then suddenly find yourself dating one of the most popular boys in school. I also know what’s it’s like to be dumped by that boy for a prettier, blonder more popular girl and go back to thinking you’re not pretty enough again.

But you know what, it is getting better! Slowly, but things are changing!

Advertising standards are getting a little stricter and many big brands are now using models of all shapes and sizes and backgrounds which is soooo exciting!

Girls are more becoming more empowered every day and they are flipping the script!

And hopefully there will be less girl who doesn’t know she’s pretty trope in the future, because girls will just no longer relate to it.

Love,

Victoria

x

CLASS OF 1983

Available on e-book + paperback through:

AMAZON US | AMAZON UK BOOK DEPOSITORY INDIEBOUND

Jack's Playlist

We are mere weeks away from the launch of Summer of 1984 - the second book in the Santolsa Saga!

And to get you in the mood, I thought it might be fun to share a few songs from Jack’s Playlist. These songs have been on repeat this last year as I’ve been writing, re-writing and editing. I hope you love them as much as Jack does!

Coming in at number 5 - Ain’t Even Done With The Night by John Mellencamp (John Cougar at the time of recording!). These suits are the things 80’s dreams are made of.

At number 4 - Jane by Jefferson Starship. So much good hair in this one I can’t even.

At number 3 - So You Ran by Orion the Hunter - this has to be one of my favourite 80’s videos of all time.

At number 2 - oh this song gives me all the feels! Could This Be Love by Toto with bonus Without Your Love!

And at number 1 - Keep on Loving You - REO Speedwagon. If you’ve never seen the video for this before you’re in for a major treat!

I hope you enjoyed those amazing tracks! :D

Love,

Victoria

x

CLASS OF 1983

Available on e-book + paperback through:

AMAZON US | AMAZON UK BOOK DEPOSITORY INDIEBOUND

Book news and updates!

Hey there book lover!

If you’ve already read Class of 1983 and you’ve been hanging out for the sequel you’re gonna be excited about this post!

So this week I finally finished the first “readable” draft of the sequel.

I actually wrote the first rough draft during NaNoWriMo last year but it was a total mess, and even though I had pretty much the whole book written that whole time I was still unsure of how exactly it needed to end.

I only wrote the final scene a couple of days ago and I gotta tell you it made me just wanna get on and write book three!

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, gotta get the sequel in your hands first!

So where are we at and how long will it be until you can find out what happens to Jack?

Can I just pause for a second and say how much I love Jack? It was such a dream to write a whole book about him!

I digress!

So I’ve just sent that first readable draft off to my husband who is my #1 beta reader. He doesn’t read any novels but mine but he’s watched enough 80’s and time travel movies with me over the years to know what’s up with plot holes, likeable/unlikable characters and generally good stories.

I’m sure he’ll find some things that need fixing. Writing time travel is HARD. It’s like you have to think 4th dimensionally the whole time!

So then what happens? Well, once I’ve worked through any edits from his feedback I’ll be sending it out to my crew of beta readers and then fingers crossed the book will be in your hands before the end of the year!

Excited much?! I know I am. I’m so excited to share with you what happens to Jack and Peggy and the rest of the Santolsa gang!

Check back here for updates, sign up for my newsletter and/or follow me on socials to stay in the loop!

Love,

Victoria

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