Book Details:
Genre: Crime Fiction Published by: Witness Impulse Publication Date: 1/21/2014 Number of Pages: 276 ISBN: 9780062303967 Purchase Links:
Synopsis:
Pip Carlton is a devoted husband and a highly respected pharmacist, cherished by his loyal customers. When his wife dies in her sleep, with no apparent cause, he is distraught. Comforted by his caring assistant, Pip ignores the rumors about Margaret's death, relieved that the police seem to have moved on. But Prosecutor Helen West refuses to believe that Margaret simply slipped into her final slumber. As she probes deeper into the affairs of the neighborhood, she uncovers a viper’s nest of twisted passion, jealous rage, and lethal addictions. As a sudden act of violence erupts, shaking the community, one lone man, armed with strange love potions, prepares to murder again…Read an excerpt:
He checked the window, but the unbearable sobbing continued and suddenly the idea was fully formed, plucked out of cold storage into the stuffy heat. The window was shut. No ventilation, no moving air as he returned to bed and took her stiff little body in his arms. 'Come on, sweetheart, there, there, there.' She clutched him so hard he could feel her long nails digging into his shoulders. His sweating had stopped and his skin to her touch felt as cold as ice.Author Bio:
"I grew up in rural Derbyshire, but my adult life has been spent mostly in London, with long intervals in Norfolk and Deal, all inspiring places. I was educated mostly in convent schools; then studied English and went on to qualify as a solicitor, working for what is now the Crown Prosecution Service, thus learning a bit about murder at second hand. Years later, writing became the real vocation, although the law and its ramifications still haunt me and inform many of my novels.
I’m a novelist, short story writer for magazines and radio, sometime Radio 4 contributor, (Front Row, Quote Unquote, Night Waves,) and presenter of Tales from the Stave. When I’m not working (which is as often as possible), I can be found in the nearest junk/charity shop or auction, looking for the kind of paintings which enhance my life. Otherwise, with a bit of luck, I’m relaxing by the sea with a bottle of wine and a friend or two."-Frances Fyfield
Questions and Answers
(For Deep Sleep tour.
Laura’s paranormal.)
When do you
write? Night or day?
Absolutely seasonal and I always get it
wrong. Night time is obviously best,
when there are no temptations, especially in this work space which is right by
the sea. Best time to write is with a
gale going on and rain lashing at the windows, which is all too easily arranged
here.
Instead of which, I howl at
the moon, watch TV and eat chips. And end up with a summer deadline and ample
opportunity to start at five am when the sun comes up.
Then, I howl at the sun and
the lovely pink sky, put the duvet over my head and pretend it’s winter.
There’s no perfect time. You
just need 30 hours of guilt a week.
What does
your significant other and family think of your writing career?
I was a lawyer long before I
was a writer. I did fascinating murder
cases, and when I paused to write, my mother yelled at me, ‘Darling, you USED
to be so interesting!’
My dad said he wished I
wrote more like PG Wodehouse and my Aunt, an Ursuline Nun, feminist and Head
Mistress, murmured that she preferred reading them in French, because swear
words sound better. My youngest brother
was a respectable lawyer, whose senior partner came into his office one day,
plonked down one of my books on the desk and said, THIS IS ABSOLUTE FILTH,
which was, by the way, the best review I ever had.
My partner, a mapmaker and
designer and the most widely read man I know, has read two. He finds them scary. This is a man who reads Heroditus for fun,
and Guides for how to Use your Wood Turning machinery properly, for real
pleasure. .
My family think I’m a freak,
but I think they quite like me.
What was one of the most surprising
things you learned while writing your books?
Always, always, how little I
know. How much I need to know, while
resisting stuff I shouldn’t ever bother to even find out about. I was humble enough before I started to
write… a knowledge of Law taught me that.
I love research. Before I started
writing as a young woman, I thought I was quite sophisticated. I knew how to cook an artichoke and condemn a
man. Now I know I know nothing.
How do you
describe your writing style?
Well paced, literary,
suspenseful. I cannot abide a badly
written book, nor can I read one. I would die rather than publish ill written
tosh, whatever the content, however good the story. My style has been described as elegant, as
well as other things. Which means, I
can’t waste words; they’re too precious for that. I might doubt myself in many ways, but I love
words and language and if a book is not written well, it’s not worth
having. I write the Queens English
well. You don’t get short changed in my
books just because they’re genre fiction.
You get a good story and you get good prose. I was a Literature grad, a letter writer and
reader before I even started, so I can’t do less. Standards in this household are pretty high
when it comes to writing.
The rest can go hang.
Frances Fyfield.
Thanks for introducing us to this author and your interview with her. Her approach in crafting her stories has definitely served her well.
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