​​I set up an account. And then set my preferences for what type of voice I was looking for. This was all easily done by clicking drop down boxes, such as—Female, British ect. Post a sample of your script, and the people with the appropriate voice preferences will record an audition.
 
Auditions come into your ACX.com mail box for you to listen and choose from. The actress I picked had a posh/ boujee voice because my characters were mainly posh London girls. Picking the actress was the best bit for me—so much fun. You can also use your own actor, or do it yourself. Just upload the correct audio files and your good to go.
 
You can also choose a production company with multiple actors and actresses, music and sound effects. This is more expensive, yet an available option through ACX.com or you can find your own production company.  
 
Your actress or actor will record your script chapter by chapter, you then listen as the chapters come in and approve. There are time dead-lines and all messages and payment is done via ACX.com portal.
 
The payment options are either: Pay to the actor in full and keep all royalties, or no payment and split royalties of your audio book with the actor 50/50. I chose to keep all the royalties and pay the actor in full, but if you do not have the money then slit royalties are a good option.
 
I personally had a fun time developing my audio book with ACX.com and recommend their services, yet there are other companies who can also do the same. So, google and do your research then have fun making your own audio book. 
 
Feel free you message me if you have any questions.
 
For more writing advice follow me on instagram @VixBrowneAuthor and check out my videos under my bio.  

Good luck and enjoy.
  

When all the Girls Have Gone –by Jayne Ann Krentz
​

Six Tinder Weeks - by Bena Roberts
Reckless Treasure – by Cecily Wolfe
​

In 2012 I had an idea for a short story, two actually. However, I was busy writing my previous novels and so it has taken five years to write just one of them.

'Slip' is loosely based on a true story about my mum and one of her sisters. The idea for 'slip' was already alive in my head, it just needed some soul. I remembered my mum and my auntie, who lives in Canada, having some kind of unresolved issue a few years back. So I called my mum. She told me what had happened.  

On my aunts last visit, my mum told me she was apprehensive. Like so many of us, things had been said and done over the years, but not talked about. My mum had written a letter before her sisters visit and put it in the post to Canada.  

My aunt only spent a day with us, but it was lovely and the whole family was there. My mum is the eldest with two younger sisters and one brother. And that day is a memory I will treasure forever. All my cousins and their children came, and everyone had a good time. 

I remember after my aunt returned home my mum was still upset. My aunt had not mentioned the letter to my mum and only spent a day with us, which had upset my mum. As it turned out, my auntie called my mum a week later. The letter had arrived late! They talked and managed to say things to each other that had been unspoken as far back as the 1940s. 

This got me thinking! What if my mum's letter had arrived before my auntie had left for England. Would she have made more time to see us? Would the day have been even better than it was? Or what if they had picked up the phone to each other years before? And so I was inspired to write Slip, to encourage others not to let time slip away.  

My editor sent me back the final draft and asked if she could have a copy once published, for her own sister. I also sent a proof copy of 'Slip' to my best friend, and she told me that after reading 'Slip', she called her sister and sorted out a small issue they where having. That really touch me, and I knew then that I had written  a story with soul. 

'Slip' Available November 2017  

Blog update: Jan 2018
To those of you reading this blog because I directed you here via the back page of my book, thank you. Thank you for reading, and for wanting to find out my mothers back story. 

If you enjoyed my story, it would be lovely to read your thoughts in a review. 

​Dyslexia for a creative writer is a cruel disability. I carried a vocabulary in my head that did not match my spelling ability. I would find myself substituting words on paper in order to make my writing legible, unaware that this only detracted from my writing and the impact it had on the reader.
 
At the age of twenty, I was writing erotica poetry and also some general philosophy. Looking back, I can see the natural creative path I was taking myself on. Just like an artist, I was trying different genres and writing styles.​ At twenty-four, I sought help, determined to learn to spell. I found out that I also had a weak short-term memory. In short, it went in one ear and out the other! I worked on developing my memory with a therapist, which helped me go back to the basics and teach myself to spell. Towards the end of my program, my therapist asked me to write a diary to help develop my reading and writing skills. I explained that I did not like writing diaries but had written some romantic scenes. My therapist suggested building a beginning and an end to one of the scenes I had written. This was the birth of my first book, Gut Feeling.

That is my how, but what is my why? 

My why has an element of passion and defiance. A teacher told my parents that I wouldn't amount to much, and I believed that teacher  for a long time. Once I left school thankfully I listened to my parents positive encouragement's and thrived in the believe that I could do anything I put my mind to. Why did that teacher get the right to prophesize my future?

When I write I think about what I have achieved, I remember that I taught myself to, and the commitment it took. My why is, why not!

What is your why?       
 
Being a dyslexic in the world of creative writing will always leave you venerable to harsh criticism. My advice to dyslexic writers is this: never be embarrassed of your abilities, only proud of them. And never give up, keep teaching yourself and learning.

​You are amazing. 

 
So you want to write a book? You’ve bounced an idea or even ideas around in your head for years? Maybe, just maybe your ideas have even hit paper? But it’s still over whelming. You’re not alone- However, don’t be one of the many that stay in this cycle. Don’t be that person who tells your children or even grandchildren that you had an idea once. Because they will say “Why didn’t you write it?” As I am to you now!
 
So here is my process from idea to print. I hope it inspires you to write your story, no matter how long it takes. Even if you never publish- just write it.
 
Idea:
 
When I get an idea for a story I think it out in my head first. I think about the main focuses points or any twists- what makes it unique or different. Then staying in my head I work though a rough plot, e.g. how the story will playout.
 
Idea to paper:
 
I personally use a word document to work out my plot line, but you may prefer pen and paper or even brain storming on a white board- whichever works for you. I write out each stage into parts, not chapter. Chapters come later. So at this stage the story needs to transfer from my head to paper the way I like or it develops in a different direction- either way is good. However, sometimes the story doesn’t work on paper and ends here.  
 
Plot drat:
 
I then work through the parts into rough chapter ideas. I make basic notes on what I want to happen in the chapter. I don’t spend too much time on this part, for me it’s more about organizing events and working out any time lines. I normally end up writing two or three drafts before I’m ready. But between each draft I let it breath for one day.  
 
Let it breath:
 
I find by leaving a day or two between drafts it helps the story grow, or get clarity. Basically the saying “Sleep on it” works for me.
 
Final plot:
 
If my story makes it to a final plot- its ready to go. Also at this point it’s been between four to six days, and all I’ve done is think about this story and re write plots lines. I should be heavily invested by now, so if I’m not itching to start then the books not worth writing anyway!
 
 
My first chapter:
 
With my final plot finished I’m rearing to go I use my plot to keep me on track. Before each chapter I open my plot draft- Knowing what I want to achieve in the chapter all I need to do is add details and description.
 

• You can scrap the plot line idea and go with the plot in your head. I have written a book in this way too. However, as fun as it was I found the clean-up timely and expensive. My editor had a lot of critiques that I could have dealt with if I had taken the plot through the above presses.

 
 
Writing the manuscript:
 
So now I know what I’m writing I need to plan out when I’m writing. Currently I’m a full time writer but this wants always the case. I used to have a full time Job in London and after that I owned my own company. When I worked in London I would wake up early and sit in a coffee shop next to my work for one hour every day. And when I had my business, I used to get into the office one hour early and write. If you want to write you will, you just need to find the time and then invest the time.  
 
First draft manuscript:
 
After I finish my first draft I “Let it breath.” I pat myself on the back and get ready to do a read through. I start at the beginning and work back though the manuscript making any changes I feel necessary. Then It is ready for the editor critiques.  
 
Critiquing:
 
The first thing I get my editor to do is a critique around. She points out incontinences, if any- and she points out sections that feel rushed or to draw out. She critiques the characters and their relationships to each other, story pacing and general tone of the book. I make the changes and send it back for another critique. Sometimes I have two rounds of critique’s.
 
Editing:
 
The critiques are finished and the manuscript goes back to the editor for editing and proof reading. This is where the editor will correct grammar and spelling, typos and sentence structuring.
 
Once I have the final editing finished from my editor I read through the manuscript out loud for typos. You would be surprised what the human brain misses. Us self-published authors do not have the luxury of computer systems that big publishing houses use for checking typos, or the many editors that proof their books- but we do our best.
 
Final Manuscript:
 
I’m now ready to print. I send my manuscript to my book maker for book layout, type setting and cover design. I then work with an artist to make a book cover. Once I approve the book art my book designer makes my book! He also creates my eBook files too.
 
Ready to print:
 
I can up load them to amazon and other online retailers. With the paper back I can order in bulk from my book maker to sell them myself to stores. And up load to amazon so that I can sell online too.
 
How to get books & eBooks online:
 
You will need an ISBN for your book. There are a few ways to do this. But this is a whole new topic in itself. Stay tuned…
 
I hope this has helped and please do me a favour- write that damn book :) feel free to message and ask me any questions.
 
Vix
 
 
 
 
 
 

2015 saw the release of Third Time Lucky The Honey Trap and 2016 is all set for the release of Third Time Lucky Notting Hill Gossip.

So what can you expect from this sequel?

You can expect the same antics from the girls, Sarah, Beth, Jess and even Laura! Yes that's right, Laura is back. And she is still the bitch we love to hate. However, this time something about her is different- what is she hiding?

Sarah is finally happy and life is predictable and steady, just the way she wanted it- until now! 

When can you expect the sequel?

October 2016

I'm excited about 2016 and I look forward the months to come. 

Feel free to message me or subscribe to my mailing list.  

Best wishes 

Vix

      


Someone who hasn't met me, clearly! namely Tom Cannon from #CroydonRadio 

​However, I behaved myself and was quit professional about the whole thing. We had a nice lighthearted chat about my books, my writing process, and growing up with dyslexia and I didn't swear once. My mum did call to tell me that I said 'Oh God' a few times. I don't remember, but i'll take that over the f-word on local radio. Sorry mum x

If you missed the show, don't worry I found their a pod cast :) yay! click the link below and you can listen to me being very professional and not embarrassing my friends and family like I normally do!

The show is two hours, so to hear my interview simply fast forward to the last 25minutes of the show and there I am :) enjoy x       

Life is what you make it....

​First things first, have a clear plan of what you want to achieve, is it a mailing list, reviews, noticeability, book sales?​
 
So where do you start?   The answer is everywhere. Get set up on all social media platforms if you are not already, think about the image you want to portray to your readers and followers. Now comes the juggling act. There are lots of ways to make your social media life easier, like linking your pages so that you can pin a pin on Pinterest and it automatically posts on your Twitter and Facebook page, the same with Goodreads. Then there is Buffer, a handy app that lets you schedule tweets and pins in advance and posts them for you. 
 
However there comes a time when you need to focus on what works best for you. The vast majority of successful authors will tell you that whilst they have mastered the social media juggling act, they focus their attention on just one or two social media platforms that work best for them.
 
Social Media Platforms
 
Twitter - Great for brand awareness and networking with bloggers.
 
Facebook Fan Page - Great for brand awareness and showcasing.
 
LinkedIn - Great for networking with professionals in your field and forums.
 
Instagram - Great to connect with your readers in a fun creative way through images.
 
Pinterest - Great way to advertise and connect with readers in a fun way. It is the latest BIG buz in the author world so make sure you have a business account set up and widgets on your website and blog.
 
But lets look at Goodreads and YouTube more closely. 
 
Goodreads is the biggest book club out there. It has forums, groups, authors and bloggers and most importantly die hard readers. This is where you want to be spending your cyber days. Start to friend readers and follow authors, also make sure you are posting ratings and reviews.
 
Direct message - Message the people, who have marked your book ‘to read,’ you could offer a free down load in return for an honest review. 
 
Goodreads Giveaway - Your book will be seen by hundreds of readers and the lucky winners of the Giveaway can be added to your mailing list. This not only helps build your mailing list but also builds it with readers who want to read your genre, and who will be interested in reading further books you write. They will also hopefully review your book and build on your review numbers.
 
YouTube is a brilliant way of getting you, the author, and your books out there. Create your own channel and set up a YouTube platform. Here you can showcase you and your book. Show people who you are with fun videos and book trailers. 
 
Not confident in the art of video making? Click here and for $39 you can have SolaFide Publishing do it for you.
 
All you need is a storyboard and a YouTube channel. There are some great sites out there like Animoto.com where you choose a template video, add your pictures from your storyboard and out pop’s a professional video. Animoto.com. You can pay for one months use for around $20 and make as many videos as you like and for as long as you like. I would recommend about a 1 minute for a book trailer.
 
There are also sites like Flixpress.com were you can make video intros to add onto your book trailer. In the same way you choose a template, add in the words and out pops an intro trailer.
 
Now that you have an intro trailer, a book trailers you will need to cut them together. You can do this in YouTube editor. Just upload your trailers to YouTube, but remember to mark the clips as private so no one can see them. Then go to YouTube Editor and you will see the videos clips in your editing page on the right hand side. From there you drag and drop, and cut down the video as required. After you’re done you will need to select a project at the top of the page and wait for it to appear back on your YouTube Chanel, now your ready to mark as public and share. 
 
And if you need help with the juggling act find a Book Publicist
 
Publicists like SolaFide Publishing will manage your publicity. If you want to go down this route it is important to choose wisely and work with a publicist that is well connected. A publicist will do a number of things for you depending on what you are looking to achieve, book tours, generating reviews, interviews, book cover reveals and social medial promotions. The larger publicists have a large list of bloggers to connect you with and even connections with online publications to further spared your noticeability.
 
Good luck ​x