I finished the draft a bit later in the year than I had hoped for even though I did finish it in less days than I thought. And you might say, well that just doesn't make sense... 

The plan was to write it in 60 days and I did it in 54, but that's just counting the days I actually wrote. Some days I didn't write anything, which is why it took me a bit longer. This said, it's quite encouraging. If I work a bit harder next time I could have things done in the times I want.

But the editing is the hard part and I don't necessarily have that much time either.

But the work itself or even the time constraint are not the hardest part. The hardest part is the self-doubt. As I re-read my stuff, I can't help but think it's awful. Every bad review I've ever had in my life comes to mind and it's really hard no to tell myself I might as well not write if it's to write this stuff! Self-doubt is the bane of the creative process and we all have it. That's why a lot of people don't even try to achieve this sort of dreams.

So my biggest battle right now is to fight the voices in my head and the voices of the people who didn't like my work, and concentrate on the words of those readers who did enjoy it. To all of you who did like the Southwater Stories series, thank you! 

If any of you didn't... I'm working hard to be better :)

And just to disprove that point, find a short extract from my next novel below. It's in first draft form, so don't judge me too harshly, please ^_^.

I have come to a working title, though. Desire and Ambition. I do hate it, but at least is a title. I'm confident I'll find a better one :S.

See the end of the e-mail for the publication date!

‘What was that?’
    Liz dives in for a blini while I sit back down, annoyed that my chair is still warm from that guy sitting on it.
   ‘He saw me dancing the other night. Asked for my number.’
   She licks her fingers as she shrugs, as if this was the most normal thing ever. Well, I suppose it is normal. And what do I care? It’s like I said to Jamie, not a date.
   And thank the gods. She asks a lot of questions, dresses like… I don’t know what she dresses like, and has no issues with flirting with other men while she’s out on a…
    Not a date!
   What the fuck is wrong with me? I shouldn’t be annoyed at the guy asking for her number or at her for flirting. I should be annoyed at myself for feeling like this, though.
  I knew this wasn’t a good idea. Better get this sorted as fast as possible.
  ‘Are you ok?’
  ‘What?’ I ask, suddenly aware of where I am.
  ‘You’ve been quiet for a long time,’ she smiles.
  ‘Yeah, sorry. Look, I was thinking that…’
  I look up at her. Big brown eyes are looking back at me, giving me their undivided attention, as she sinks her teeth into a beignet, her pouty lips sliding over the pastry as if kissing it, and I find it hard to swallow.
   ‘I was thinking I never answered your question, earlier…’

- Koushi, Chapter 4.

And this is the end of this month's Insight. If you're interested in an early copy of my next book in exchange for some honest feedback, you can e-mail me at sophie@sophieamonroe.com about this or anything else.

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek into my new work. If you want to hear more from me, you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Good reading and see you in April!