Can it be done? Will it be any good? We’re about to find out…

Romantic fiction – it’s the single most popular genre of the written word. Yet until recently, I had never knowingly read a single page of it, let alone wrote an entire book. But all that is about to change as I boldly go where many (far greater) authors have gone before. Only, my journey will be the equivalent of sticking your head out of a bullet train’s window at 150mph. And that’s because I’m setting myself a deadline of two weeks to come up with a novel concept, get it written down, and put it to market while avoiding it becoming a gigantic hot mess in the process.

Full disclosure – I’m a crime thriller writer. I write gritty crime fiction. Romance doesn’t come naturally to me (just ask my wife).

So clearly this will go in one of two ways; by the end of these upcoming two weeks, I will either have some of the greatest writing I’ve ever done in my life, or it’ll crash and burn like so many hopes and dreams.

Background

How did this all start? I got the idea when I came across the news that romance fiction is the only genre of literature that actually INCREASES ITS REVENUE in every recession. It did it in 2008 and it did it more recently during the worldwide covid lockdowns. In terms of market share, it is massive.

Having come off the back of completing my debut novel, it’s time for Averon Publishing to get a piece of this pie and make sure the profits all go to something that will do some good. Charities have been hit hard these past couple of years, as have many, many people. The most vulnerable have especially suffered greatly in isolation, and my chosen charity will understand that only too well (full details below).

The Rules

Every challenge needs defined rules, and this one is no different. It’s pretty obvious stuff, but just so there’s no ambiguity, here goes;

1. The challenge begins 9am (GMT) on Monday 21st February, and will end at 9am (GMT) Monday 7th March. Not a single word can be contributed to the book outside these dates.
2. The book must be started and completed within the allotted fourteen days. This includes writing, editing, finishing, cover design and publishing in eBook format (paperback may follow depending on popularity). And all of this must be done by one person. Me. Michael Averon.
3. The novel must be full length (i.e. circa 80,000 words). It must be a standalone and not part of a series. It must have a plot – it can’t simply be word mash-potato (damn, that’s my speciality).
4. No Plagiarism (duh). Tropes and cliches are allowed (I will certainly be relying on them), but it must be original work with exciting characters and fictional events.
5. The genre is romance, whether it be modern, historical or literally out of this world. Therefore a significant (read: majority) amount of the plot must be dedicated to the pursuit of lurve. It needs to have an emotional impact and carry a strong, concise message.

The Charity

I will be amazed if this makes any serious money (anything over £10 is serious to me), but regardless, I’ll be donating 100% of all royalties from every sale to Alzheimer’s Society (Link to their website here) for life. They fund vital research into improving care, understanding causes and working towards a cure. I’ll generate monthly sales reports and post each one to this website so that it’s open and transparent into how much is being donated.

This one hits close to home since my grandfather passed away after suffering from dementia for years. It was heartbreaking to see someone who had gotten through the second world war, had created a successful business and raised a family, slowly lose his identity and essentially stop being the granddad I always looked up to.

I know this kind of story is shared by many people all over the world. Right now, families are sacrificing a huge amount to care for a loved one with dementia, and being able to help by even one iota is something that will doubtless give me all the motivation I need to see this project through.

GET INVOLVED!

Without its readers, the greatest novel in the world would be nothing but a bundle of paper (or in this case, bytes on a hard drive). Any and all words of encouragement/ridicule will be very welcome. You can get in touch through the contact page on this site where you can also find my Twitter link (@MichaelAveron).

I’ll be posting daily updates both here and there, so check back to find out how it’s going, and if you have a bit of change to spare, please please please, buy the book when it comes out! (I’ll post some links when the time comes).