Guest Blogger - Nicky Peacock

A warm welcome to my guest today - Nicky Peacock.

Nicky is here to tell us about her fabulous new book! The 13th Girl and the motivations that lay behind it. Here's what she had to say! I’ve always had quite a few motives for writing my books, but my main one for The 13th Girl was very close to my heart. Mental health is something that, for a long time, has been overlooked by society. I remember the days when, if you felt down, unhelpful people would tell you to just to ‘cheer up’ or ‘look on the bright side’; generally showing zero understanding as to the lack of choice that person has over these dark feelings and when they come knocking. No one wants to feel lonely, sad, or that their presence doesn’t matter in the world, so simply telling them to ‘belt up’ really doesn’t help. Then there’s the people who have gone through traumas, (like The 13 th Girl’s protagonist Dee) who are victims of someone else’s actions and are seeking help, yet instead of being accepted, or even celebrated, for doing something about their psychological and physical issues, they are shunned and made to feel like outsiders – whether that is on purpose or not. So I guess that’s a long winded way of saying that I wanted to shine a light on those with mental health issues, how society treats them and how hard it is for them to ever be considered ‘normal’ again. I also really wanted to write about a serial killer too – but I always want to do that. That sounds quite a motivation for the book. To whet your appetite even further here is the blurb! 12 girls gone. Can she save The 13th Girl? After decades in a mental health hospital, Dee knows that people find her creepy – because they tell her so. Once the reluctant star of an infamous documentary, she is trying to blend back into the outside world. But when a string of local girls disappear, only to be found dead days later, she becomes fixated on the case and decides to film her own True Crime documentary. There is a serial killer on the loose - The Righteous Wraith. Girls are being found one by one, their bodies gruesomely staged in the most innocent public spaces. With the killer taunting the police and public fear mounting, online armchair detectives begin pointing fingers at one suspect – ruining his life. But for Dee, something isn’t adding up. She knows what it’s like to be accused of something that you didn’t do, so resolves to prove his innocence, unmask the real killer, and save The 13th Girl. But who will believe her? A dark, inventive thriller perfect for fans of Chris Carter, Alice Feeney and C.J. Skuse. You can buy Nicky's book The 13th Girl HERE You can also follow her on Facebook or find her on Twitter Thanks Nicky for visiting and it sounds a great read for anyone who likes a good murderous thriller!

Guest blogger - Rachel Wells

A warm welcome to todays guest blogger, lovely Rachel Wells. Rachel and her co-author Jessica Adams are the creators of Leo Moon, the astrologer detective! This sounded like enormous fun so I asked Rachel to tell us about how she and Jessica came up with the idea. Jessica and I came up with the idea for Leo Moon, astrologer Detective, during one of our weekly zoom calls in Lockdown. I, Rachel wrote the series, Alfie The Doorstep Cat (seven books), and Jessica is an author and an astrologer, currently based in Australia.​ We were coming up with new ideas and from cats to crime (for me), Leo Moon was born. The main character, Leo is the son of famous astrologer, Helena Moon, he is alsoher manager and knows as much about astrology as her. Helena Moon is an astrologerthe star, she’s a bit stuck in the ‘80s which was her heyday and has a penchant for wine and younger men. Karen Penn completes the trio, she’s a journalist from Brooklyn and Leo’s friend. They all live in Brighton although the first story - Aries Billionaire - takes place on an island off the Irish coast. Mainly through Helena’s clients, they get drawn into mysteries, or murders and Leo uses Astrology to solve them. It’s fun rather than dark, in the vein of the old fashioned whodunnit and it’s brilliant to write. Working with Jessica who is such a brilliant astrologer is amazing and of course with Aries being the first zodiac sign, (born late March/April), we have another eleven mysteries up our sleeves! I now many of you love listening to audio books so I was very excited to learn that Aries Billionaire was going to be available in that format. You can get your copy HERE

Here's the blurb just to whet your appetite!! Aries billionaire Mike Kirby is celebrating his 50th birthday on his remote island with his unhappy wife, handpicked guests, a Blood Moon Eclipse and...a rocket launch. A coma and a murder later, it’s down to astrologer Leo Moon to uncover the truth. Join Mike, his wife Renee, her sister Rachel and Rachel’s husband Neil in their glamorous world of swimming pools, horoscopes and deadly secrets. You can follow Rachel on facebook acatcalledalfie (Rachel Wells) on Instagram rachelwellsauthor on Twitter/X @ACatCalledAlfie and TikTok @rachelwellsauthor You can find Jessica on Twitter/X @Jessicacadams

January Update

Wow! This year is already racing away. Miss Underhay book 16 is at 42k already and the proofs have just arrived for Murder at The Island Hotel. I can't wait for you all to read that one! I've some lovely guest authors lined up for you in the next few weeks too. It's been rather cold here in Devon with a north easterly blowing in but at the moment the sun is out and the sea is calm. The seals are in the harbour and my snowdrops are poking their heads out of the ground.