The trouble with writing is the next word. The choices are almost infinite, especially if we take the James Joyce approach and just make them up.
A minor character in the Albert Camus classic, La Peste, (or was it L’Étranger?) famously wrote and rewrote only the very first sentence of his first novel throughout the book, a breathtaking example of intertextual reference without any real text.
Each of my House of Jewels books consists of about 85,000 words, a fairly standard length. Were I a mathematician, I could work out how many actual choices I had for each “next word” before reaching the last word for each of the four books. It’s mind boggling.
Thank goodness for thesauruses (thesauri?) and sites like WordHippo.
In a world so rich with distraction, the real wonder is how any books are completed at all.
When not writing the next word, one of my favorite diversions is to take and post photos at @JakemanAmber which is my Instagram channel.

Welcoming more VIPs from around the world!
I’m thrilled to welcome new VIPs from Jamaica, Columbia and Nigeria because when I say I write “international” heartwarmers, it’s absolutely true.
My books are set on three continents, and it’s wonderful to now have VIP readers from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Luxemburg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, South Africa, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Uganda, the UK and the US! (39 countries).
Hello to everyone! Please feel free to share my links with friends and family wherever they may be in the world.
Some free and affordable sweet reads
As Valentine’s Day approaches, you may still be tempted by some free sweet romance! I’m delighted to see my House of Diamonds in the line up with these fun, free Be My Valentine offerings.
And for little more than the cup of a coffee, you can read any of these Valentine’s Day sweet romances, including my House of Spades.
Happy reading!