Every profession/job has its good and bad parts and the life of an author is no exception. Loneliness, deadlines, writer’s block and the fear of bad reviews are just some of the clouds that cast dark shadows on our lives. But, there are some great upsides, too. For me one of the very best is that I can work anywhere, so long as I have my trusty Mac laptop. I often find, in particular when nearing the end of a book, that going away gives me both the solitude I need, and the stimulus that comes from a change of scenery.
So welcome to my current office, in the Turks and Caicos islands (500 miles south of Miami, close to the Caymans, Jamaica and Haiti) where I have just completed the first draft of my 6th Roy Grace novel, “Dead Like You”. There are still months of work ahead on it, editing, checking facts, in particular all aspects involving the police, and also the very sensitive subject of how rape victims are interviewed and treated.
This novel is about a serial rapist, nicknamed Shoe Man by the Police, who attacked a number of women in Brighton in 1997, taking their shoes on each occasion, and then mysteriously stopped. Now, 12 years on, someone is doing the same thing again. The difficult question for Roy Grace and his team is whether this is a copycat offender, or whether Shoe Man is back.
For those of you keen to know more about Sandy, you will learn some insights into their marriage – there are scenes in this novel set back in 1997, when Roy and Sandy were still very much together – and for the first time you will read about their relationship from her perspective…
As you will see in the photo below, in keeping with my location I have exchanged my traditional 6pm vodka martini for a Margarita. Cheers!
