I love the beginning of the year. I can’t wait to take down the festive decorations with Christmas behind us and clear the decks. No more presents, mince pies, terrible nostalgic television programmes. No more tinsel, bits of glitter on the carpet and Quality Street.
I’m not a misery guts at Christmas, (honestly!) but like many, I’m always relieved when it’s over. When I can restore the house to how it should be and turn my energies to what’s next. As a former psychotherapist, I have a profound interest in renewal, fresh starts and reinvention. There’s a point on New Years Eve, just as Big Ben is about to bong, when you can take a breath in, one year, and breathe it out in the next! What a thought! That idea sends tingles up my spine.
With thoughts about new directions at the forefront of my mind, I thought I’d share a snapshot of what I’m working towards in 2019! But first, I need to backtrack a few months…
In October and November, my three Samantha Willerby Mystery Series books (two re-launches and one brand new novel) were released within the space of four weeks. It was a huge amount of work and I was absolutely shattered afterwards. I’m so grateful to my publishers, Bloodhound Books, for terrific new covers and for getting it all together on time. During the same period, I was polishing the first draft of my next novel, a standalone psychological thriller.
As many of you who follow me on social media will know, my husband and I took in an elderly and poorly cat in October. She’d been abandoned and left starving on the streets where my sister-in-law lives. We spent several turbulent weeks going back and forth to the vet wondering if she’d make it. I’m pleased to say Lucy is doing really well, as I write this.
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| Little Miss Lucy looking adorable |
In November, I spent several days caught up in selection for jury service (thankfully, with the help of my publisher, the judge excused me on the grounds of being a self-employed author), then I was badly bitten by a local Tomcat (trying to protect Lucy in a fight), which sent me to hospital and my local GP several times, as my hand was infected.
Aside from not being able to type, the antibiotics and painkillers made me feel sick and disoriented; they also sent my taste buds all over the place (couldn’t face tea or coffee anymore – wine was okay!) Christmas came as a much needed break – but I also had my draft to finish. As a result I worked on it on Christmas Day and every day during the holidays, in fact. No complaints from me, I should say. My husband was pleased too, as it kept me out of his kitchen.
I LOVED working on it and finished it yesterday.
I told my publisher about it and within twelve-hours, we signed a two-book deal for the new standalone and ‘book four’ in the Sam Series! I couldn’t be more thrilled. With so many horror stories flying around at the moment: publishers dropping big name authors, publishers demanding that authors shift genre altogether – I’m incredibly grateful for a publisher who is happy to take my books as they are. Such a relief, especially as in the past, I’ve had a lot of professional pressure to write ‘something different’, ‘something better’, even ‘something without the psychological stuff’. Ahem… given that fifteen years’ experience as a psychotherapist is my USP, that wasn’t too encouraging!
So, right now, my new thriller has been sent off to my beta-readers for their feedback on the plot. And I’m beavering away gathering ideas for Sam book four. That will be my 10th novel to be published. I haven’t written a word of it yet, but it’s already started to bubble away in my brain. I’m looking forward to getting together with Sam and Miranda again, to see how their turbulent relationship pans out and also to catch up with Sam’s love life. Will Terry turn out to be the man of her dreams in book four? And what terrifying scrapes will Sam get herself into this time, I wonder?
So, that’s where 2019 is heading for me! I wanted to say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone who has left lovely comments about my books on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and through my Newsletter. Lots of readers say they can’t wait to get hold of the next in the series and that is extremely heartening. It makes such a difference to know there are people out there waiting to read the next books I write. I will put my heart and soul into them, I promise.
Wishing everyone a Healthy, Happy and Peaceful 2019!
The new thriller is due for release end June, 2019
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- Nearly half-a-million copies sold worldwide
- Girl on a Train #1 Bestseller on Kindle in UK and Australia (2015 & 2016)
- The Evil Beneath #1 in ‘Murder’ and ‘Psychological Thrillers’
- Dark Place to Hide #1 in ‘Vigilante Justice’
- No Longer Safe #1 in ‘Crime Noir’ [30,000 sold in the first month]
- Inside the Whispers #1 in ‘Medical Thrillers’
- Lost in the Lake #1 in ‘Hot New Releases/Medical Thrillers’
- Don’t you Dare – #3 in ‘Crime’ (Amazon US)
- Perfect Bones – #10 in ‘Action & Adventure’
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