I had always planned to write a book.
Or rather, I always wanted to write a book.
There wasn’t much planning involved.

To be honest, I had as much chance of writing a book without a plan as someone has of winning the lottery without buying a ticket.

But the dream was there. Always had been.

I got my love of writing from my mum. She always said she wanted to write a book too — but she never did.
And then she died.
And I was crushed.
And I decided to do something about my dream.

I applied for a creative writing degree at a university in Edinburgh. It felt like the right step. I made it pretty far before they gently pointed out that:

• a) I was clearly more interested in screenwriting, and
• b) I was maybe too busy for the heavy schedule involved.

Now, I’ve never really liked being told what I can’t do.
And I think I probably started writing Moonglow Avenue that same day.

Somehow, I finished it.

And then I wrote two more children’s novels after that.
And then I did complete my Creative Writing degree — with First Class Honours.

I sometimes think I wrote that first book out of spite.
But you know what?
Whatever works.

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📝 Paying Tribute to a Classic

I’ve written before about opening lines, but I didn’t mention my all-time favourite. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol begins with:

“Marley was dead, to begin with.”

That line has always stuck with me. It’s bold, immediate, and a little cheeky.
I knew I wanted to pay tribute to it in Moonglow Avenue.

My version?

“Ryan Hastings did not believe in ghosts to begin with. In fact, to begin with, Ryan didn’t believe in much of anything at all.”

It felt close enough to honour Dickens’ magical line — but also gave readers a taste of the story ahead. A hint of the paranormal. A broken man. A journey beginning.

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🌙 What Writing Moonglow Avenue Taught Me

Despite what people might assume, I did plan it.
I outlined it extensively.
Because once I decided I was going to write this book — I meant it.

I’m a big believer in outlining. In structure. In knowing where you’re going, even if you change course along the way. (More on that in a future post.)

But none of that mattered until I committed to actually doing it.
What Moonglow Avenue taught me is that structure helps you get there — but drive is what gets you started.

The emotional why behind a book matters. Mine was grief, stubbornness, and maybe a little spite.
But that was enough.

Once I gave myself permission to take it seriously, the rest came together — not easily, but purposefully.