We and the Wasps Had an Understanding

We've come to an agreement with the busy swarm of wasps who've chosen a cavity in our wall to nest.

They stay in the wall.

We stay out of their way.

Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the hornets who appear to be nesting in the chimney.

(Yes, we're apparently a hotbed for pest activity in our house.)

The wasps have found a crack between the window and the wall and are working frantically on what I assume is the nest of all nests in the space between the bricks.

It's pretty eerie when you stand in the dining room and all you can hear is a low-level buzzing…

Heaven knows how many of them are in there. It sounds like a whole army.

But we've been living together harmoniously. It's no big deal.

Until this week when our next-door neighbours had their chimney swept and I think disturbed some hornets.

The first I knew about it was when I went into the dining room to look for one of our cats last night, and was confronted by four of them buzzing around and clinging to the curtains.

And boy, they're so much bigger than the wasps.

And that's when it hit me. I knew that sound. At least in my head.

It appears in my thriller, The Night He Disappeared.

“A buzz like a thousand angry hornets trapped in a barrel rings in my ears and there's a dull throb at the back of my head.”

Of course, I don't know what a thousand hornets in a barrel actually sounds like… but now I have a much better idea!

You can't research that kind of simile.

You can check it out for yourself this weekend, if you're quick, as The Night He Disappeared is free to download until August 25th.

Audiobook Competition

A massive thank you to everyone who entered last week's competition to win a copy of The Couple in the Lodge audiobook to celebrate its release.

I'll be contacting the winners with their prize in the next few days, so keep an eye on your inbox.

The Thriller Couple

One of the great joys of having a fellow writer as a wife is that she's also a fantastic proofreader.

Amanda has always checked my final manuscripts for mistakes – but even with her help,

there are a few words I always struggle to spell.

Like manouvre manovuere manoeuvre.

And dierreah diareah diarrhea.

And flourescent florescent fluorescent.

What words do you always struggle to spell?