I was a lawyer, a teacher and a business owner before I turned my hand to writing thrillers, and even now it’s not the only thing I do, but it’s the best thing I do.
Writing is the most satisfying, exciting, and yet risky career imaginable and I’ve seen all sides of it. My first book ‘Make it your business’ (a non-fiction business start-up guide for women) received five offers from the five publishers my co-author and I approached. It was a bidding war, and led us to some great opportunities in the world of female entrepreneurship and politics - at one point we were travelling the country talking about women in business to anyone who would listen, after dinner speeches – the lot.
I have always been a vocal proponent of gender equality and this was the driving force behind my second book ‘The Childcare Bible’. As a city lawyer, I had seen so many women give up work, imagining that the childcare options available wouldn’t meet their needs. I wanted to show them what was possible, and produced a comprehensive guide to doulas, nannies and everything in between, including sample contracts and interview questions. It was snapped up by a big publisher but then sadly left to rot in a corner somewhere (ironically I think my editor went on extended maternity leave) but at least this taught me that you can’t just get a deal and expect your book to fly off the shelves.
My first venture into adult fiction was ‘The Delusionist’, written under a pseudonym and based on a true story of the perils of online dating, but at this point I had a publisher for the first book in my detective series, Stop at Nothing, so the Delusionist was put on the back burner, which is where it is still lurking, rather like the psychopath it’s all about.
The most thrilling moment of my writing career was when ‘Stop at Nothing’ was picked up by the editor who discovered Gone Girl. I was offered an immediate substantial advance for the first two books in the series and got to work swiftly on the second, imagining this was the beginning of the rest of my charmed author life. What could possibly go wrong? I’ll tell you. Just as the second in the series, ‘The Choice’ came out, my publisher found themselves in dire financial straits, couldn’t promote book two and next minute I was being told politely that they wouldn’t be taking book three in the series, ‘Last to Leave’.
I can’t pretend I wasn’t disappointed to be left out of the reshuffle, but I do believe the universe has a plan, and I didn’t spend more than a split-second thinking about what to do next. I found myself an editor and a cover designer, and set about making Last to Leave just as professionally produced as its two predecessors. The excitement of the first copy landing on the doorstep made all the hard work worthwhile. I’m not ruling out traditional publishing for the next book, but it’s good to know there are other options.
And talking of options, I am now lucky enough to live in London and Devon, renting out one or other house on Airbnb while camping in the other, and it’s taught me to live with a lot less stuff. I don’t need much more than a suitcase and a laptop, and the freedom I get in return is invaluable. And talking of the Devon house, I’ve kitted out the four spare bedrooms with big comfy beds and antique desks and I want to invite all you writers out there, published or aspiring to come and be inspired by the joys of the British seaside. I can’t wait to cook you dinner and sit around the table hearing about your work in progress...
Click here to find out more about my writers’ retreats »