Jane Eyre, Cake and Curiosity

Today I'm over at Lizzy Loves Books, talking about Why I Write. I started with the stories I was told by my grandmother, about my mother's childhood as a prisoner of the Japanese:

The stories took me to a place and time I couldn’t otherwise have imagined. But the magic didn’t end there. Because I could feel the sand under my feet, and see the words written by my mother with her stick; I could hear cicadas and macaws and the colour of the sky when it swelled with rain. I wasn’t just transported; I was there, in the story.

 I really enjoyed writing this piece. Thanks, Lizzy.


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Book Lovers Supper Club with Sophie Hannah

Very excited about the next stop on my book tour, which will be in Ditchling near Brighton on 18 June with Sophie Hannah. I interviewed Sophie a while ago, never thinking that I might one day be doing an event with her. And supper, and wine. What more could you want? The event is nearly sold out but if you're quick you might be able to grab a ticket.

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Crime Fiction Lover reviews Someone Else's Skin

As the deadline for finishing book two breathes heavily down the back of my neck, what a pleasure to find this brand-new review of Someone Else's Skin that reminds me of why book one worked as well as did, and what intrigued readers about the characters and the underlying series arc. Thank you, Crime Fiction Lover!

Someone Else’s Skin is a book about family, deception, misdirection and misunderstanding and it will certainly keep you on your toes. Marnie Rome is a complicated and challenging character who is unlike any other I’ve encountered in the pages of a crime fiction novel, and I really warmed to her. She’s a woman with demons, but with enough gumption to keep them at bay when the chips are down; and the beating heart of a dazzling debut novel which will beguile and confound you every step of the way. The final twist is hugely satisfying, and this novel also features a murder weapon that’s totally unique in crime fiction! Read it to find out what it is.

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Someone Else's Skin UK paperback cover reveal

Here it is, starring Marnie Rome in all her secretly-inked glory... I love it. What do you think? Better than the original? Not as good? It's certainly very different. This version will be out in August.

You can buy the large-format paperback, or an ebook or audiobook (narrated by Abigail Thaw, daughter of John Thaw) right now.

I'll be blogging about the different cover designs (five so far, counting UK, US, Holland and Sweden) so do check back here in a little while. Thanks for reading

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Someone Else's Skin, Thriller of the Month

After a week of excitement - launching my first book, sharing the stage with R4's Jim Naughtie at Dulwich Books, being told that Marnie Rome is like Saga Norén during an interview for Audible (!!) - I opened today's copy of The Observer to find a HUGE review by Alison Flood, in which Someone Else's Skin is described as the Thriller of the Month and "a superbly disturbing debut". The review is pretty much what every writer dreams of: thoughtful, incisive, packed with quotes from the book. My head is still reeling, and I'm so very happy. Alison Flood absolutely *gets* what I was trying to do in the book. What a wonderful way to end an amazing week.

It's the story that really drives this novel, though, and this is a corker: twisty, tricksy and, on occasion, seriously scary. There is a moment when it is almost impossible to keep reading, the scene Hilary has created is so upsetting, but almost impossible not to, the story is so hell-for-leather compelling. This is a rare thing, for any thriller, and extraordinary in a debut, but then this is an extraordinarily good debut, slipping under the skin of the bad things that happen every day and everywhere. "The house was quiet again, and now she remembered how, from the outside, it had looked like every other house in the street." Utterly creepy, without being gratuitous, and an exciting start to what is intended to become a series about Rome.

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Someone Else's Skin... finally here

On Friday, at Foyles in Bristol, I thanked my friends and family for all their support (and patience) as I worked to get where I am: a published author with a debut novel on the shelves. It finally hit home, as I was getting changed into my party clobber in the back office where I used to eat my cheese sandwiches when I worked as a bookseller, about four years ago now. The office smelt just the same and triggered an intense memory of being there, somewhat impoverished and with terrible shelf envy as I stacked and sold books, always hoping that one day mine would be amongst them but without real hope, back then, of such a day arriving. Certainly not in such style. Around eighty people rocked up to help me celebrate, and Foyles sold stacks of books, making it their most successful launch ever. I arrived to find a beautiful box of lilies and roses with a good luck card from Caro Ramsay - just one more piece of proof of the generosity and kindness of other writers. I was overwhelmed by the love and support, not just in the room but on Twitter and Facebook; everywhere. One guest asked me to sign a copy of the book for his brother, who is a writer. 'Can you put, "Never give up writing"?' I was asked. I did, and hope that my story of perseverance will strike a chord. You can buy Someone Else's Skin from Foyles or Amazon or from your local bookshop. If you've read it and liked it, please do leave a review/rating.

 

Yesterday The Guardian ran a piece I wrote about my mother's life as Emperor Hirohito's poster child. So many people commented or tweeted to let me know how much the story moved or touched them. One wrote that my grandmother would be proud of me, and reduced me to tears. So much to be grateful for; I doubt I shall ever stop counting my blessings. You can read the story here.

 

On Monday, I shall be Dulwich Books with Jim Naughtie, chatting about debut novels. I'm officially on tour now and will post a list of appearances here shortly. I hope to see some of you very soon. In the meantime, thanks again for the support. I really do appreciate it.

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Sherlock, Saga and the Stuff of Legends

I was invited to chat about TV crime over on Harrogate's You're Booked website, so of course I chatted about Sherlock and The Bridge, and The Returned.

I bought my son a Sherlock t-shirt for his birthday: “I don’t understand,” it says on the front and, on the back, “I still don’t understand”. The quotes are attributed to John Watson but they could apply to quite a lot of us, I imagine. We love to puzzle over the show, on Twitter or elsewhere, speculating as to twists in the plot (or in the characters). Watching is different to reading. There’s a social aspect to it, for one thing. We all watch the same episodes at the same time and we’re all waiting a week for What Comes Next; plenty of time for theories to abound.

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