After a horrible experience working with a publisher, I took legal advice and managed to escape both my contracts. I am now free to self-publish both Conspiracy of Cats and Making Sacrifices... so 'Bev Harris Books' is born.
Both titles will be reissued soon and, instead of B C Harris, I'll be calling myself Bev Harris. A small change to better frame the difference between each edition. But, the biggest change... for me at least, is the fact that I am writing again.
It's incredible how crippling stress can be. Not just the physical issues like sleepless nights, poor concentration, headaches. I was depressed for the longest time and, though I was half way through writing what I hoped would be my third novel when all this started, I soon wasn't writing at all. It wasn't writer's block. I simply lacked motivation, because I was required to submit my next work to that same publisher, something I'd already decided I wouldn't do. I avoided going into my office. When I did, I'd spend ages reading over what was already written, maybe change a word here and there. I knew exactly where the story was going, but I couldn't be bothered writing it down because it felt like it wasn't really mine.
However, taking legal advice helped open up an avenue of escape. On 14th September 2024 I received written confirmation that I was free. I slept like a log that night... nothing to do with the wine quaffed in celebration, I'm sure. I woke up the next day, sat down at my laptop and it was like magic. I was back to struggling to type fast enough to keep up with my head. I loved writing again, loved sitting down at my desk, loved my story, my characters. I felt indescribably sad that I'd abandoned them all for so long, so I made my peace with them by getting them all to the end.
That was on Friday 10th October at 9.30am... I'd got up at 5.30 to put the finishing touches, because I was just too damn tired the night before. Now my third novel, A Murder of Crows, is finished the job of proofreading and editing will begin. But I'm in charge of all of that now, and hope to publish early next year. In the meantime I'm putting out a second edition of Conspiracy of Cats with a brand new cover in the coming weeks. That will be followed by a second edition of Making Sacrifices with its own new cover.
Can't wait to share those covers with you.
Change is good!
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