The Divide is out now!
One dead girlfriend. One missing girlfriend. Who will believe he is innocent? My short story, The Divide, has been published in The Book of Bristol,… Read More »The Divide is out now!
Sanjida Kay
‘The Beautiful Game’ – Filled with dread
‘The Perfect Crime’, a collection of crime fiction short stories by diverse writers, is reviewed by Peter Kalu on Writers Mosaic. Peter says, ‘There are… Read More »‘The Beautiful Game’ – Filled with dread
The Writer as an Outsider
‘As writers, we are all anthropologists, observing the natives and commenting on their customs. As writers, we can tap into that feeling of being an… Read More »The Writer as an Outsider
Rejection – Or How to Fail Better at Writing
‘I tried to remind myself of the rejections other authors had faced. JK Rowling was famously told that children did not want to read long… Read More »Rejection – Or How to Fail Better at Writing
What no one tells you about getting published…
(A love story in twenty-five parts) When the Royal Literary Fund asked me to write an article on this topic, I used Matt Haig’s poem… Read More »What no one tells you about getting published…
My desert island book
I’d want to read it on a desert island because it would remind me of the power and passion of human emotions.’⠀ Talking about the… Read More »My desert island book
The Perfect Crime is out now!
22 bestselling crime writers. 22 deadly destinations. One deliciously sinister collection 🔪 I’m delighted that ‘The Perfect Crime‘ is out now, published by Harper Collins. It’s… Read More »The Perfect Crime is out now!
Sleeping Beauty – How Somerset inspired my thriller, One Year Later
‘The Pines is a rambling farmhouse that our parents, David and Eleanor, converted years ago, and although it no longer has the land it came… Read More »Sleeping Beauty – How Somerset inspired my thriller, One Year Later
The Stolen Child: A dark fairy tale
‘They stole you from me. They took you away for seven years. Your entire lifetime…Make no mistake, my darling. I am coming for you. I will take you back.’ The Stolen Child is about a couple, Zoe and Ollie, who long for children and when they’re unable to have their own, they adopt a little girl,Read More »The Stolen Child: A dark fairy tale
Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Mother’s Day! I had hoped to spend today being spoilt with prosecco and cake in some nice cafe - but I'm grateful that my family are healthy and safe at the moment, and spending time with them, no matter what, is the best Mother's Day present. All four of my psychological thrillers are aboutRead More »Happy Mother’s Day!
Wuthering Heights – the novel that has influenced me the most
When I was a teenager, I steadfastly refused to believe that so-called ‘classical literature’ could be better than the assortment I chose from the local… Read More »Wuthering Heights – the novel that has influenced me the most
My Mother’s Secret – Location
There’s a thin band of cream silhouetting the cranes that hover over the half-built office blocks in the city centre. I head home, below an… Read More »My Mother’s Secret – Location
Life-changing literature
I have dreamt in my life, dreams that have stayed with me ever after, and changed my ideas; they have gone through and through me, like wine through water, and altered the colour of my mind. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte I first read Wuthering Heights as a teenager, and since then, I've read itRead More »Life-changing literature
Marketing and Me
‘I don’t much like it. Marketing is about selling & writers, as we know, are about writing and reading. They’re generally not known for their… Read More »Marketing and Me
Red Hot Chilli Writers Podcast
I had a wonderful chat with two of my favourite crime fiction writers, Vaseem Khan & Abir Mukherjee, for their Red Hot Chilli Writers podcast - out today! Luckily I had two books to talk about, ONE YEAR LATER, as well as THE PRIEST AND THE LILY. We talked about camping in lockdown, asRead More »Red Hot Chilli Writers Podcast
How to create the perfect villain!
Today I ran a lesson about villains for homeschool with my nine-year-old daughter. She loved it and created a supreme baddie: Galactica, Queen of the… Read More »How to create the perfect villain!
One Year Later – Bethany
I recently saw a set of three mugs in one of my favourite shops. They read: I'm the oldest child - I make the rules. I'm the middle child - I'm the reason we have rules. I'm the youngest child - the rules don't apply to me. I had great fun creating Bethany’s character. She’sRead More »One Year Later – Bethany
Labyrinth – the setting
Setting is so important to me. It's almost like another character, setting the tone and the mood as well, as obviously, the location. My last four psychological thrillers, Bone by Bone, The Stolen Child, My Mother's Secret and One Year Later, are all, or partially set in Bristol, where I lived for many years. TheRead More »Labyrinth – the setting
Labyrinth – new thriller!
My exciting news is that I'm working on a new book. Provisionally called Labyrinth, it's a re-imagining of Vertigo, the movie directed by Hitchcock. It's a slight departure for me, as it's less psychological thriller / family drama and more of a crime thriller. It's set in Hackney in London, and as you'd imagine, fromRead More »Labyrinth – new thriller!
One Year Later – Italy
I’ve always loved Italy, so when I needed a seemingly idyllic holiday for my family in One Year Later, my current psychological thriller, it made sense to choose Italy. I’ve certainly enjoyed remembering the delicious Italian food I’ve eaten on all those trips, the sandy beaches and the slower pace of life…but as the FlowerRead More »One Year Later – Italy