Have finally got going good and proper on the next book. Originally was going to call it ‘On The Way To Holloway.’ It had a certain ring to it, but I really needed a woman’s prison in London, so have changed it to ‘On The Way To Goldmeadow’, as there is an establishment called Bronzefield! It’s a novel, but I always want the stories to have a ring of truth. Watching You Fall, Falling Tide and hopefully Missing You were all about the characters, the only dodgy bit was of course the number of deaths in the local vicinity. But if you are, like me, a fan of Midsomer Murders, you quickly begin to understand the requirements.
There will be bodies in the next book but it’s definitely not a murder mystery. The world is an incredibly horrible place but it is also filled by extraordinary kindness. Just talk to a Ukrainian family taken in by one of our generous folk. Or talk to the people who struggle to find enough food to eat yet still pop an extra tin in the food bank box. The people who listen to those who need to talk. The paramedics sitting in the back of an ambulance for hours at a time with a dementia patient. Extraordinary patience and kindness and professionalism. (My daughter is one of them and we are inordinately proud of her and her colleagues).
So I want this new book to reflect the hope and love that still happens at an up-close-and-personal level by ordinary people. Anyway, that’s the idea at least for now. And joy of joys, I am writing again.
