What if the books you never publish are just as important as the one that finally gets you a book deal?
Rebecca Taylor McKay spent ten years writing, experimenting with different genres, and honing her craft before landing a literary agent and a publishing deal for her debut psychological thriller, The Honeymoon Suite.
The Honeymoon Suite was her eighth full-length novel.
In this episode of No Mess, No Magic, Rebecca and I chat about what those ten years actually looked like—from writing books that never saw the light of day to questioning whether publication would ever happen.
We also talk about how Rebecca navigated writing while raising two young children, managing a chronic illness, and juggling work, all without forcing herself into the idea that "real writers" have to write every single day.
In this episode, we explore:
Why writing seven books that never got published wasn't a waste of time
How experimenting with different genres helped Rebecca find her voice
What kept her going when she started questioning whether she'd ever get published
Why you don't need to write every day to be a "real" writer
How to keep making progress on your writing when life gets in the way
Why sometimes the best thing you can do for a manuscript is put it away (and maybe come back to it later!)
About Rebecca:
Rebecca Taylor McKay lives in West Yorkshire with her husband and two teenage children. Her debut novel, The Honeymoon Suite came out this year and was longlisted for the Women's Prize Discoveries Prize and shortlisted for the Northern Writers Sid Chaplin Award. Website: https://www.rebeccataylormckay.com/
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