By Emma Forrester

It's been a rather interesting few weeks in the world of Emma Forrester Books, and somewhere between talking about fictional apocalypses, meeting other authors, starting a rather unsettling new story and navigating the joys of independent publishing, I've realised that being an author involves considerably more than sitting quietly at a keyboard.

Which is slightly inconvenient, really, because sitting quietly at a keyboard was rather appealing.

When I first started writing, I never imagined how many different experiences it would bring into my life. I simply had stories I wanted to tell and characters who seemed determined to make themselves heard. Now, three published books later, I'm finding myself on podcasts, sitting alongside established authors and talking to complete strangers about the people who live inside my imagination.

It's been exciting, occasionally terrifying and, at times, completely exhausting. But what an experience it's becoming.

Apparently, I'm Becoming Quite Sociable

At the end of September, I had the pleasure of taking part in the Who Wrote It podcast, chatting with other writers about our books, inspirations and experiences. I even shared a reading from Queen's Road, which is always slightly strange when you're used to those words existing quietly on a page.

Then came the Burnham Book Festival on 17 October, where I joined the Meet the Local Authors panel at the Princess Theatre.

Now, I should probably confess something.

As I sat there alongside these established authors, I was having a rather frantic conversation with myself.

What am I doing here? These people are proper authors! What if I read terribly? What if I forget something? What if somebody asks me a question and my brain decides to take an unscheduled holiday?

Honestly, the things that go through your head when you're trying to look perfectly calm and professional!

But then something rather lovely happened. We started talking.

I met some wonderful fellow authors, including Malcolm Lane and Simon, and our host, Fiona, made the experience feel welcoming. The audience were genuinely interested, asking thoughtful questions and engaging with our different approaches to storytelling.

And somewhere along the way, the nerves began to settle.

I found myself enjoying the conversation, listening to other writers and sharing my own experiences. It reminded me that although our writing journeys might look different, we all have stories worth telling.

I came away feeling rather proud of myself, although I'm not sure I'll ever completely lose those pre-event butterflies.

Perhaps that's not such a bad thing.

Three Books, and Still Learning

September also saw the publication of my third book, After the Ordinary, a collection of four short stories exploring belonging, grief, identity and hope.

It's quite different from my Queen's Road series, although I think they share the same heart. I've always been fascinated by ordinary people, their relationships, the choices they make and the moments that quietly change their lives.

With Queen's Road, I placed those people in extraordinary circumstances and explored what happens when the familiar world disappears around them. After the Ordinary gave me the opportunity to explore those human experiences through different stories and perspectives.

Publishing a third book hasn't magically removed the nerves that come with sharing my writing. I still wonder whether readers will connect with the characters, whether the stories will resonate and whether I've somehow missed an embarrassing typo.

Being an independent author also means wearing an extraordinary number of hats. You're the writer, editor, marketing department, social media manager and occasionally the person staring suspiciously at a publishing dashboard wondering why something that worked perfectly yesterday has suddenly decided not to cooperate.

It's certainly an education, and one that doesn't appear to come with an instruction manual.

Meanwhile, Something Rather Strange Has Appeared in the Woods

Because apparently writing about the end of civilisation wasn't quite enough, I've started working on something completely different.

My newest project, The Burden of Caring, is taking me into gothic fiction, exploring grief, love and the complicated relationship between caring for someone and carrying the weight of that care.

It began with an idea involving a woodland, an ornate mirror and a rather unsettling creature. What started as a curious thought has gradually developed into something much more emotional than I originally anticipated.

I've written the first three chapters, and I'm thoroughly enjoying exploring a different atmosphere and style of storytelling.

There's something wonderful about following an idea without knowing exactly where it will lead. It's also a little unnerving when the characters begin taking the story in directions you hadn't planned.

I've been seeking feedback on the early chapters, too, and that's another part of writing I'm learning to appreciate. Constructive criticism isn't always comfortable, particularly when you've spent hours carefully crafting something, but it's incredibly valuable.

Sometimes another pair of eyes can see what you've become too close to notice.

And sometimes that paragraph you absolutely loved turns out to be the one that needs cutting.

The joys of writing!

The Not-So-Glamorous Side of Independent Publishing

Of course, not everything has gone quite according to plan.

I've also been navigating some challenges with the audiobook production for Queen's Road: Beneath the Silence. Unfortunately, my arrangement with the narrator came to an end before production was completed, which means finding another way forward.

It's disappointing, particularly when you've been looking forward to hearing your characters brought to life, but independent publishing involves learning to adapt when things don't go as expected.

The first Queen's Road audiobook is already available, and hearing that story performed remains one of my favourite experiences as an author.

Book Two's audiobook isn't abandoned. It's simply taking a slightly more scenic route than anticipated.

Which, given the state of the roads in Queen's Road, feels strangely appropriate.

Finding Time for the Actual Writing

One thing these past few weeks have reminded me is that writing doesn't happen in isolation from the rest of life.

I have a full-time job, a family, a home and all the usual responsibilities that come with being an adult. I've also been delivering professional training, enjoying time with the people I love and trying to find moments for the things that make me happy.

Some evenings I sit down intending to write and discover that my brain has apparently finished work for the day without consulting me.

Other times, an idea arrives when I'm doing something completely unrelated, and suddenly I'm mentally rearranging chapters or having conversations with fictional characters while trying to remember what I walked into the kitchen for.

I'm learning that creativity doesn't always follow a convenient timetable, and perhaps it doesn't need to.

There are productive weeks and quieter ones, days when the words seem to flow and others when simply opening the manuscript feels like an achievement.

I want writing to remain something I love, rather than another obligation measured entirely by how many words I've produced.

So, What Have I Learned?

Looking back, I think the biggest thing I've learned is that becoming an author isn't a single moment.

It wasn't publishing my first book, holding a paperback in my hands or seeing my name on Amazon. Those were wonderful milestones, but there's something quieter happening alongside them.

Every conversation with a reader, every event, every piece of feedback and every new story teaches me something about writing and, perhaps more importantly, about myself.

I'm becoming more comfortable sharing my work, more willing to try something unfamiliar and a little less worried about whether I have any business calling myself an author in the first place.

Although, judging by my internal monologue at the book festival, I've still got some work to do on that last one!

There are plenty of challenges ahead. I've got another Queen's Road book waiting for my attention, a gothic story that's becoming increasingly demanding and an audiobook that needs a new plan.

But I'm enjoying the journey, even when it takes me somewhere unexpected.

Four weeks, quite a few new experiences, three published books and an ever-growing collection of fictional people occupying space in my head.

Not bad for someone who originally just wanted to write a story.

If you're new here, welcome! I'm Emma Forrester, a Somerset-based independent author who writes about ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. If you'd like to know a little more about me, my books and the stories I'm working on, you can read more about me here.

And if you've been following my writing journey for a while, thank you for being part of it. I'm looking forward to seeing where the next chapter takes us.

Emma x