WHAT'S IN A NOVEL? (1)

FROM CONCEPT TO COMPLETION

Hi all. Over the coming weeks, I will give you an insight into how my novels get started and how they eventually end up as paperbacks. Maybe there's more to it than you imagine. I have almost completed my fourteenth novel, as well as writing a host of short stories, so I have quite a bit of material to draw upon.

One question I am often asked is: where do I get my ideas from?

Ideas can come from anywhere, of course, but to get down to specifics, I begin by thinking of a general theme that interests me. For example, I wanted to write a story about a man who flirts online. This turned into MURDER ON THE CARDS. Below you can see how other novels began their lives.

I wanted to write a story where personal diaries are a key component.

DEATH OF MISS WETHERBY

I wanted to write a story around the EU Referendum

FANDANGO NIGHTS (almost completed)

I wanted to write a story about secrets.

SECRET LIVES

I wanted to write a slow moving story

MEG'S JOURNEY

I wanted to write a story about witchcraft

DEATH SPELL

I wanted to write a story about a sociopath

TERMINAL FIVE

I wanted to write a story about a vulnerable widow

NEVER SAY GOODBYE

I wanted to write a story about a cantankerous old man

FAR SIDE OF THE LAKE

I wanted to write a trilogy in one book

ESSENCE OF EVIL

These are just examples of how I first think of a theme and then go from there. Call again in a couple of weeks.