Peeking Inside Houses
luxury ones, if possible...
Do you like looking at houses - other people’s in particular? Have you ever viewed a house that’s for sale even though you have no intention of buying it? I have an admission to make… I might just have done that!
I’ve noticed that houses - and particularly luxury houses - are a regular theme in my psychological thrillers. I’ve had characters who are estate agents (realtors), interior designers, guest house owners and house developers. And my next book features a house swap. I was wondering why I have this strange obsession with houses and realised that it’s actually a reflection of me and my house adventures.
When we moved to The Peak District we spent every spare minute looking for homes. (For you non-Brits - The Peak District is a ridge of hills that runs down the centre of northern England, full of lakes, moors, wilderness and pretty towns.) We looked at hundreds in a widespread area. And then, in the middle of nowhere, we stumbled across a sign that said, ‘Farmhouse for sale’. The road leading up and back down to the house was treacherous - incredibly steep, littered with the deepest pot holes. The house was tumbling down and derelict; the adjacent stone barn was the crookedest building I’d ever seen, the thousands of sheep in the adjacent fields created a racket. But the views were absolutely breathtaking and it was love at first sight. With hindsight, we should have knocked the house down and started from scratch, but we didn’t. That was a monster of a project, not least because the access route was so difficult, but it became our happy family home for seventeen years. Eventually I converted the barn into a holiday cottage, and the farmhouse and barn became the inspiration for The Visitors, my book about holiday guests who refuse to leave.
After my cancer diagnosis, we had to move to London and we sold our lovely home. Eight years ago, we had the opportunity to build a new house in Sussex, which is in the south of England. It was a huge project, another grand design, knocking down a one-bedroom house and constructing a large replacement. Stress levels weren’t helped by the builders going bust when we were at the snagging stage. At that point, we were the new neighbours, and the location of this house was the inspiration for The New Neighbour. I was also involved in a renovation project in Switzerland. Forget Me Not features Helen, an interior designer renovating a chalet in the Alps. My very first psychological thriller, I Want You Gone, is about Laura, an estate agent, and Make Her Pay features Leonie, who runs an exclusive property search business and whose father is a wealthy property developer.
And so to today. Lo and behold… I’m doing it all over again. We’ve sold our house and have bought a sweet little period property built in the mid eighteenth century. It’s riddled with damp and woodworm, needing new electrics, plumbing - the full works, really. Yikes! And guess what! The book I’ve just finished writing is called The House Swap, and it features a beautifully designed London town house and a run-down chateau in the South of France that’s in the process of being renovated. Houses, holidays, divas and deception - the perfect mix, surely? I’m just hoping that dodgy goings on in The House Swap isn’t a reflection of our new project, because I really, really need it to go smoothly.
These are the books I’ve read over the past couple of weeks:
📚 My Sister’s Downfall by S.M. Thomas
If you’re after a twisty thriller where you’ll find it hard to catch your breath, this one is for you. My Sister’s Downfall features May and Isabella, two sisters, both unreliable narrators, complex and unlikeable. The reader is led to believe the women want what’s best for each other, except there’s an unsettling undercurrent throughout the novel that sweeps us along, particularly towards the end. I found Isabella’s deep ambition (she’s a politician on track to becoming prime minister) particularly fascinating. This is a great psychological thriller which I highly recommend.
📚 The Cry by S.D. Robertson
When a terrible scream is heard at a neighbourhood barbeque, Paige is convinced that it had something to do with Jenna, her best friend who has disappeared. Having returned from a year of travelling after a traumatic incident at university, Paige has her own character foibles and dark back story. This is a quick, gripping read, although I did struggle a little at times with the numerous narrators and multiple POVs. I guessed the twist towards the end just before Paige realised what was going on, but less seasoned thriller readers may find their jaws on the floor! This is a fast-paced, twisty domestic thriller, which overall I enjoyed.
📚 When We Were Friends by Jane Green
This was an Amazon First Reads selection. A short novella, it’s not normally the type of book I would choose and at 44 pages, I sped through it. It’s a cautionary tale about two women who strike up a quick and intense friendship. I found the story line a little predictable and preachy, but then again, it’s not really my genre. If you’re after a quick, well-written story about the perils of friendship, then this one is for you.
If you’re an aspiring author, this is for you. Emily Tamayo Maher and I have co-written a book called The Rapid Novel Blueprint. Emily is an amazing book coach and close friend. We’re looking for a handful of advance readers to read through it during the next couple of weeks. The Rapid Novel Blueprint shows you how to write bestsellers quickly, and I also share the complete blueprint to one of my bestselling psychological thrillers. If you’d like to get your hands on a free copy in return for a review, please drop me a line.
That’s it for this week. I’m neck deep in choosing a kitchen, bathrooms, new floors and much, much more. Exciting, scary and overwhelming, and not leaving much time for writing! Hope you have a good week.
Miranda x