Synopsis for Devil’s
Brae
Imagine a warm autumn afternoon in a remote village in the
Scottish Highlands. Cassandra Potter,
fleeing from the memories of two traumatic deaths, goes walking alone on
Devil’s Brae.
The wild country is empty, stretching for miles in every
direction, it is then she sees him. A dark brooding figure, standing and
watching as Cassandra climbs the brae. Apart from a lingering uneasy feeling
she ignores the watcher, until the next time and it is then she realises her
mistake. Someone wishes her gone from the village – at all costs.
Cassandra’s life is plunged into danger. Who is threatening
her existence and her sanity? Who is the mysterious stranger? An inhabitant of
the village of Inverdarroch? Or a person from her clouded past?
Above all, why is this happening to her?
Author Q&A
What attracted
you to writing in the first place?
Loving
literature as I do, I’d always wanted to write – whether it was novels, plays
or poetry. As a child I used to write stories for my sisters and then as I grew
older, my short stories became much longer until they resembled novellas. But
it wasn’t until the early 2000s that I started writing my first full-length
novel
What genre are
you most comfortable writing?
There’s more than one and I like to
switch from one to another making sure I don’t become stale with my writing. I
love crime writing; murder mystery suspense, but I don’t do real hard core
violence – I prefer to let the reader’s imagination take over after I’ve laid
down some hints. I love writing adventure and action mixed in with romantic
suspense. Finally I’ve recently begun writing pure romance and I’m enjoying
writing in an entirely different vein.
How has your
upbringing influenced your writing?
I’ve lived
an amazing life – and God willing I’ve got a lot of living still to do!
Since the age of five I’ve been fortunate in visiting many countries and six of
my tender years I spent living in Malaya and Singapore. I think living
abroad and mixing with different cultures and class has enriched my life and
hopefully my writing.
Where do you
get your inspiration and ideas from?
From all sorts of places. It could be a simple snippet from an
overheard conversation, talking with friends, reading an article in a magazine
or something from the television. I have an antenna that turns towards
interesting themes and I log on – especially if the subject is unusual!
Do you have any
writing rituals or listen to “mood music” when you write? Where is your
favorite place to write?
I try and write in the morning for a few hours, then break and do
something else. If I have time and the inspiration I’ll pick up and carry on.
The next day I go over the previous day’s work and edit it. I rarely listen to
music – I need quiet and I write in our ‘snug’.
What’s your
favorite place in the entire world?
Being with my husband and family.
Fame or
fortune, which would you prefer?
Can
I have both please?!!
If you couldn’t
be an author, what would your ideal career be?
Either a surgeon or an actor/singer
Chocolate,
vanilla, or strawberry?
Chocolate!
Every time. Even when I diet I save room for a tiny piece as a reward!
If you were
stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?
Unlimited supply of water and food. My reading glasses and books.
My mate.
Please
tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.
My editor is
pretty excited about this book – she says I improve with each one! This is the
first of a new ‘Dark Minds’ series and I enjoyed writing it - I’d love you to
share the experience with me.
So what’s next
for you as an author? Any last words?
I’ve
finished writing a new romance this one is set around Christmas so aptly names,
On Christmas Hill. I love it and made my husband cry when he first read it! On
the thriller side of things, fans are demanding another Diana Rivers Mystery…so
I’ve already started a new novel and this is set in Portugal.
Now let’s talk a little about, ‘Devil’s Brae’.
When asked about the inspiration for, ‘Devil’s Brae, I immediately think of my fans
and followers. ‘Devil’s Brae is the first in a new psychological thriller
series – the Dark Mind series.
Mystery suspense thrillers are fun to write, perhaps because there are so many
little threads which need to be absolutely correct. I enjoy thinking up little
clues to keep the reader guessing and a few red herring to throw them off the
track. As well as pitting my wits in writing the story I have to remember that
my audience is often very skilled in working through the mystery, so there has
to be lots to keep everyone interested right through to the final page.
I’m so lucky in that I love what I’m doing and feel privileged because
I have some amazing followers. I sincerely hope I never forget that it is my
readers who have helped get me where I am today. Thank you.
Get it Here:
AUTHOR BIO
