The story was too good to be true (And I fell for it)

7 days ago

2 min read

I shouldn’t have been on my phone doomscrolling in bed at gone 11pm.

But the story on Facebook leapt out at me like a headless ghost bursting out of a cupboard on Halloween.

The headline told the story in fifteen words.

He Killed His Wife and Buried Her – 8 Years Later, She Knocked on His Door.

And my writer’s mind immediately went into overdrive.

I didn’t even bother reading the story closely.

I was too busy imagining ‘what if’ – and a few months later, I’d created crown court judge, Edward Thornton-Walsh, and his wife, Joanne.

And yes, you guessed it - Edward thinks he’s killed Joanne, only to be confronted by a very-much-alive Joanne on his doorstep, eight years later.

And that’s how my new psychological revenge thriller, His Dead Wife, came about.

Then I found out the news story wasn’t true.

The journalist in me should have checked the facts.

But the writer in me was off and away creating characters and a complex plot to explain how the story could possibly be true.

I suppose I never checked because I wanted it to be true, which is funnily enough how we’re so often taken in by twists in thrillers.

I shared the cover of His Dead Wife with you last week.

This week, it’s had a few tweaks.

It’s due out on November 10, but is available now to pre-order on Amazon.

Audiobook competition

I had an amazing response to last week’s competition to win an audiobook of The Good Bad Wife.

I’ve now contacted all the winners by email – so make sure you check your inbox if you entered.

Details of how to claim your prize are in that email.

Remember to check your spam or promotions folder. I’d hate you to miss out.

The last time I won an award was around 1997 when I was highly commended in a regional journalism awards ceremony.

I imagined that was the beginning of a highly decorated career, filled with awards and professional acclaim.

All I’m going to say is that it’s just as well I didn’t clear off a special shelf in anticipation…

I’ve never had an award for my fiction.

Or come close.

Most likely because I never enter. Or get nominated.

But this week, I noticed the Crime Fiction Lover Awards have opened for nominations.

Unlike many awards, they have a category for independent authors.

Now I’m not suggesting you’d want to nominate me or my last thriller, The Good Bad Wife, if you’ve read it.

That would be most unprofessional.

All I’m doing is leaving the link for your information in case you wanted to find out any more about it 😉

Nominations close at noon UK time on November 4.