A Lexie Wyatt murder mystery, #2
Madelaine had everything she wanted.
Friends, a successful film career, and a loving boyfriend.
Then she was dead…
Lexie’s friend Helen was part of a close-knit group at university. Now, ten years later, Helen is fearful when another of the group reappears and suggests a reunion.
Lexie contrives an invitation to the weekend get-together at one of England’s ancient stone circles where one of the group admits they believe their long-dead friend was murdered.
Lexie discovers each of the group has secrets and each has lied, but could they also have committed murder?
There is another death at the stone circles, and Lexie uncovers information that may connect the two crimes… and implicate her good friend.
Is someone targeting the former students, or is the killer one of the group?
Q&A
Hello and thanks for inviting me on your blog.
– When and where do you prefer to write?
I’m a morning person and I’m generally more creative earlier in the day so I like to write then, but I don’t have a hard and fast rule about it. I do try to get work done on the current book before getting sucked into emails and social media. If I’m in a flow and the scenes are coming then it doesn’t matter what time of day it is. Part of the mind-set of being an ‘almost’ fulltime writer is treating it as a job rather than writing only when the muse strikes.
– Do you have a certain ritual?
Not really. I try to keep things as flexible as possible because I think it’s too easy to fool yourself into thinking that if one part of the ritual isn’t there then you can’t write. I do like to go for a walk first thing and then come home and write but that’s a preference not a necessity. I often find ideas come when I’m walking and thinking about the upcoming scenes and action, and then I’m ready to write when I arrive home.
– Is there a drink or some food that keeps you company while you write?
Unlike most people I know I’m not a coffee drinker. I spent some time in England last year where I discovered Elderflower cordial and I enjoy that mixed with still or sparkling water. We also had an abundance of citrus in the garden over winter and bought a hand press to juice the fruit and freeze some and so I’m enjoying plenty of vitamin C right now.
– What is your favourite book?
Such a difficult question! I’m not sure I have a favourite book but if I had to select a book to take to a desert island (or self-isolate) then I’d probably go for Stephen Donaldson’s First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant as the three books together make a good, long read and it’s a set of books that I enjoyed but haven’t read for quite a few years, or perhaps on the same thinking the Harry Potter novels.
– Do you consider writing a different genre in the future?
Crime fiction is my favourite genre for reading and writing but I also write women’s contemporary fiction which to me means elements of everyday life mixed together with drama, romance and sometimes a mystery. At the moment that feels like enough.
– Do you sometimes base your characters on people you know?
No. Like a lot of writers I’m a people-watcher and I sometimes use an individual characteristic, or I see an outfit and think yes, that’s something that character would wear, or I copy the flow of overheard dialogue to give more authenticity to a character’s voice, but it’s merely a snippet of something to add to a character that’s already created. I’ve never based an entire character on someone I know.
– Do you take a notebook everywhere in order to write down ideas that pop up?
I used to but I find the note app on my phone more useful these days. Noting down ideas is a necessity or else I forget.
– Which genre do you not like at all?
Horror. I already have a vivid imagination which works overtime if I watch or read anything scary.
– If you had the chance to co-write a book. Whom would it be with?
Someone like Liane Moriarty. She writes beautiful prose but her books all have good plots and while they’re not necessarily crime novels there’s generally an element of a puzzle or mystery to work out.
– If you should travel to a foreign country to do research, which one would you chose and why?
Last year I visited England and parts of Europe and while research wasn’t the reason for the trip I spent several weeks in Italy. Some of the places I visited there were in the spirit of research for an idea I have for a time-slip novel. Goodness knows if I’ll ever come up with an entire plot but I had fun researching.
Many thanks again and happy reading to you and your followers, Shauna xx
Thank you, Shauna Bickley and Rachel’s Random Resources
About the author
Shauna writes mysteries featuring characters who aren’t afraid to go looking for murderers and generally get themselves in all sorts of danger. In real life, Shauna doesn’t do any of those things.
When she can’t come up with a murderous plot, she also likes to write about ordinary people pushed into extraordinary situations. Underneath all that criminal intrigue is a true romantic who likes to see the magic and mystery in everyday life.
When Shauna isn’t writing (or surfing the internet pretending she’s researching), you can find her reading, running (or more likely walking), coming up with excuses not to attend Zumba, and trying to find new ways to use the excess fruit from the trees in the garden.
Shauna’s latest release is a crime thriller, The Worst Lie, featuring Lexie Wyatt from the novel Still Death.
Currently she is working on a sequel to Writing the Stars, but if discovered staring out of the window she’s probably contemplating new ways to kill people for a third Lexie Wyatt novel.
Shauna is always happy to hear from people, but only if they’re friendly and don’t ask hard questions. You can find her on Twitter, Pinterest and via her website or through good old-fashioned email.
Author Links
Website: www.shaunabickley.com
Twitter: @ShaunaBickley
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/shaunabickley/
Book Link
B for Bookreview 