It’s time for another Week in the Lifevideo from me.
I neglected to record most of what I did this week. I’ve only been editing Silver Murder… I would love to say I’m close to being done, but that would be a lie! I might write fast but I edit slow. So we learn.
The unedited edition of Silver Murder is staying available for free on the blog, so have a read. Yes, there’s plot holes. Yes, there’s inaccuracies. Yes, there’s typos or grammatical mistakes. Even AI software doesn’t catch all the mistakes…
I slowed down on my Amazon obsessing. The week when they slow down their algorithm machine is the week when I threw everything in. Go figure. So I’m trying not to get too depressed. There’s always something to learn, I suppose.
It’s available on Amazon and through KU! If not, go and grab that and please please please (don’t let me beg! it’s ugly…) leave a review or a star rating. It really helps.
That’s it for today.
Cheers! Anne
**Please send me an email with your feedback at anne@annecwest.co.za. Comments vanish and get missed, hence emails.**
Last time I told you that I loved making my own. I think this edition I made in Gimp. A program I’m sadly not proficient at.
The idea looked much better in my head than in reality. And then I learned blending of images. Oh happy days!
Attempt 2Attempt 3
Even though these flowery editions of the series never saw the light of day, I did like it.
Looking at it now, it looks more like women’s fiction or tragedies. Maybe gothic, just way too colourful!Then of course these book covers for Jack & Jool
I think I’ll always experiement with designing my book covers. Especially when I’m starting on a project. My publisher might have something to say about it. But just look at this collection of covers!
Working with a book cover designer
One of the most difficult thing I found when I worked with this designer was the brief. What do I tell the designer? In my head I see an image. In my heart I feel something else.
In reality, there’s a few pointers:
If you take a snapshot of the top 100 book covers in the genre, will your covers stand out?
What are the basic elements on each and every book cover?
Forget about the ‘message’, hints or otherwise, you wanted to communicate.
With these 3 pointers in front of me, all images and feelings flew out the window.
Standing out is not the objective. In my mind it says ‘pick me!’ For readers it says ‘something’s off here… ew’ and they scroll past. Bummer. But so we learn.
The Cover Reveal
And that brings me to the exciting part.
Without delaying any further, here is the new cover for Jack & Jool, the second book in my The Unknown Seriesof sweet Regency historical romances.
I do love it. I got to add a little bit about Jool, my female protagonist, her fiery red hair and her horse on the cover! But purely because it worked. Very happy about it.
It’s genre-specific and it fits beautifully into the world of top 100 sweet Regency romances.
What’s Next?
Next time is the third book in The Unknown Series. You can find it on Amazon already but I bet you forgot about the previous covers.
In the meantime, here’s how you can dive into the story:
If you enjoyed it, please leave a star rating or review—it makes all the difference.
And don’t forget, there’s a bonus short story waiting for you at the end of the book.
Let’s Chat
What do you think of the new cover? Do you enjoy seeing the behind-the-scenes of an author’s creative process? I’d love to hear your thoughts—feel free to drop me an email anytime.
Thanks for being part of this journey with me.
Until next time.
Cheers!
**Please send me an email with your feedback at anne@annecwest.co.za. Comments vanish and get missed, hence emails.**
It’s time for another Week in the Lifevideo from me.
Editing. Editing. Editing!
The end.
Last week I finally got butt in chair to edit Silver Murder. It’s exhausting, but it’s actually such a great exercise. I forgot a bit of the intricacies, and I noticed a lot of mistakes.
On the blog, you’re finding the unedited edition of Silver Murder, so it will give you a good idea of the story, but the edited version will definitely be much better.
I slowed down on my Amazon obsessing. The week when they slow down their algorithm machine is the week when I threw everything in. Go figure. So I’m trying not to get too depressed. There’s always something to learn, I suppose.
Last week I shared a blogpost about the evolution of Frances & Gilbert’s bookcover. Paving the way to hell with good intentions, I wanted to share Jack & Jool’s bookcover evolution as wel. But here we are. It should be coming soon… I hope.
It’s available on Amazon and through KU! If not, go and grab that and please please please (don’t let me beg! it’s ugly…) leave a review or a star rating. It really helps.
That’s it for today.
Cheers! Anne
**Please send me an email with your feedback at anne@annecwest.co.za. Comments vanish and get missed, hence emails.**
It’s time for another Week in the Lifevideo from me.
And another great week it was!
I’m finally editing like a mad woman on Silver Murder. And I’m enjoying it too much!
Then there’s the Amazon machine that I’m finally allowing myself to learn. I find it fascinating how we sabotage ourselves. Truly fascinating.
My newsletter subscribers would have seen it already, and if you read my previous blog post, The Unknown Series received brand new book covers! I did not sleep Sunday night with the excitement of how beautiful the book covers look now. I’ve listened to and read the feedback of so many authors over the years, but to experience it myself is amazing!
We had a houseguest for the past two weeks and had to say goodbye to her yesterday, which was sad. But she promised to come visit again before the year is out.
Finally, did you pick up any of my last publications?
It’s available on Amazon and through KU! If not, go and grab that and please please please (don’t let me beg! it’s ugly…) leave a review or a star rating. It really helps.
That’s it for today.
Cheers! Anne
**Please send me an email with your feedback at anne@annecwest.co.za. Comments vanish and get missed, hence emails.**
I learned how to figure out overlays, textures, and blending images, and at one point I thought, “Not too bad!”
Attempt 2Attempt 3
Like many indie authors, I admired how the Colleen Hoovers of this world and other big authors could pull off those abstract, flowery covers that filled bookstores and Kindle charts. So, of course, I tried my hand at it too.
It never saw the light of day
The mock-up sat on my computer for ages, waiting for its big reveal. But here’s the truth—it never saw the light of day.
And while I enjoyed experimenting, I eventually had to admit something important: if I really wanted my books to have the best chance of success, I needed to approach them differently.
Treating Writing Like a Business
For about a year now, I’ve been taking my writing seriously—not just as a passion, but as a business. Everywhere I looked, successful authors, coaches, and entrepreneurs were saying the same thing:
“Treat your hobby, dream, or interest like a business.”
And you know what? That advice stuck.
Since then, I’ve made some big shifts:
I found a book cover designer who understands my genre and helps me create covers that feel professional and market-ready.
I started working with a life and business coach to refine my habits and mindset (more on that another day).
Most importantly, I began to see my books not only as stories, but as products in my author business.
I still enjoy dabbling in design, and part of me will probably always play around with fonts and images. But if I want my books to reach the readers they’re meant for, I have to be willing to let the professionals step in.
The Cover Reveal
And that brings me to the exciting part.
Yesterday, I received the new cover for Frances & Gilbert, the very first book in my The Unknown Seriesof sweet Regency historical romances.
And honestly? I love it.
It’s genre-specific, it fits beautifully into the world of top 100 sweet Regency romances, and most importantly—it truly captures the heart of the story.
What’s Next?
This is just the beginning. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing the cover evolution of the other books in The Unknown Series, and I can’t wait to show you how they’ve transformed.
In the meantime, here’s how you can dive into the story:
If you enjoyed it, please leave a star rating or review—it makes all the difference.
And don’t forget, there’s a bonus short story waiting for you at the end of the book.
Let’s Chat
What do you think of the new cover? Do you enjoy seeing the behind-the-scenes of an author’s creative process? I’d love to hear your thoughts—feel free to drop me an email anytime.
Thanks for being part of this journey with me.
Until next time.
Cheers!
**Please send me an email with your feedback at anne@annecwest.co.za. Comments vanish and get missed, hence emails.**
It’s time for another Week in the Lifevideo from me.
This was a great week. Lots of ticks. Just not writing-wise… We do the things we don’t want to do. And don’t do the things we want to do. I think this is my huge question about the meaning of life… But alas.
I wrapped up the Keto Life 5 Day Reset Challenge! And I’m so proud of myself. I am also sticking to the basics of the challenge since my objective is to get back into shape and stay in shape, which consists 100% of lifestyle changes. I’ve rolled out daily meditation, continued daily movement in the form of yoga/pilates, isometric workout routines and skipping most days. Before Keto, I added 72-hour fasts every other week. With Keto, I’m essentially adding the calorie restriction aspect of lifestyle changes to the mix. I’m still pre-menopause, but the impact of this run of hormonal changes is brutal! Even living a moderately active lifestyle since high school and mostly healthy food choices did not prevent weight gain and hormone disasters. I lacked deliberate and mindful ageing until now. So let’s see.
We had an impromptu hiking trip on Saturday, which was amazing! If you ever visit this area, do yourself a favour and visit De Wildt Adventure Trails. There’s enough for all skill and experience levels, but the 6km and up trails are definitely my favourite.
Over the past few vlogs, I did some training. Learning Amazon Ads. And this week, I finally set up my first ads on Amazon. Years ago, there was a billboard at the entrance of a neighbouring town that said, ‘Whether you’re big or small, we all have to advertise.’ And it had the image of two giraffes next to each other, one big and one small. Most probably a parent and a little one. It always stuck with me. So I’ve allocated a small part of my budget to spend on ads from now on. Otherwise, social media, group promos and email marketing are what I’m focusing on. Speaking of which, I’ll share the promos here on the blog as well.
Yesterday I finally returned to editing Silver Murder! Finally! I would like for this cosy mystery to go live on KU before the year is out, but I have a bit to do still. You can still read the unedited edition here on the blog as part of my #BAS (Blog A Story) series. Newsletter subscribers have access to the passwords for these blog posts.
It’s time for another Week in the Lifevideo from me.
Spring has sprung! Happy spring to you if you’re in my valley of the world. And happy autumn if you’re in the northern hemisphere.
I spend A LOT of time on the charity project last week. And this week on KETO prep! Change is good and all but I forget how hugely time-consuming and exhausting it can be to make changes.
The charity event is happening on Thursday, and I’m excited to see the reception of what I created. It’s a spring event and I went for colour! In last week’s vlog there’s been a bit of footage of me sewing orange, yellow and blue vinyl strips together. I turned this into placemats and part of the strings as well. The stripes became just too busy, so I made the rest of the placemats out of the solid colours. Easier on the eyes. We combined the placemats with raffia and white table cloths, as well as white fresh flowers in the bottles that we plan to use as flower pots.
I’ve been threatening to get back into better meal prep, making purposeful food choices, and adopting proper healthy habits for years now. For a good three years now, I’ve been a stalker on the Keto Life 5 Day Reset Challenge, a WhatsApp Group community where we get 1 Keto recipe a day, 1 task to make better decisions, mindset, etc and a basic workout. All free. In the process, you learn to choose meals with purpose. The second meal of the day is on you, accompanied by copious amounts of instruction in the information sheets made available before each reset.
I had the best of intentions to get the editing for Silver Murder done the past week, but so it all just spiralled out of control, and here we are. Other than some planning, this is my main focus for today. I think next week’s vlog will be me boring you with editing but then again, if you know the outcome will be sweet, is it really boring?
During the past week’s vlog there’s some marketing footage. There’s a newsletter coming up which will require me some more newsletter work before the week is out and I would really love to get some social media prep done as well before the week is out. I do think, maybe that should come in during my 5pm-to-9pm tasks.
Over the past weekend, we enjoyed some socials and all sorts of non-writing-related activities. It’s not writing related but I thought I’d show you a snapshot here and there.
It’s time for another Week in the Lifevideo from me.
There’s quite a bit of boring training footage this week. I think the most exciting thing was the charity project I’m working on. And maybe the family responsibility that entails a bit of admin stuff.
It’s time for another Week in the Lifevideo from me.
Preorder Secrets In The Sand, 10th collection of short stories now! It’s going live 24 August 2025. I’m very proud of this collection of cozies. They’re all standalone stories never before seen. Unless you’re part of my subscriber list.
The rest of this week’s been a blur. Lots of training. A lot of family responsibility inbetween a lot of editing. I’m exhausted just saying that.
From today I’ve got training and editing Silver Murder, the one cozy serial in my #BAS series.
That’s it for today.
Cheers! Anne
**Please send me an email with your feedback at anne@annecwest.co.za. Comments vanish and get missed, hence emails.**
The bonus short stories in The Unknown Series standalone books are now available to buy in their own collection! Now available from Amazonand in KU.
Whether you’re returning to The Unknown Seriesor stepping in for the first time, you are invited to the Wedding Vows of each of our couples in this 1820s sweet Regency romance series. You’ve read their stories in Frances & Gilbert, Jack & Jool, Zara & William, as well as Marcus & Alexandra, and now you get to read their trek to the altar, with some surprises along the way.
Why This Release is Special:
📦 First time, the four bonus short stories, only available in the standalone books, are now available in their own collection
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