Back in my early twenties, when I decided I wanted to write for a living, I never saw myself as an author of thrillers. In fact I thought I was too young to even attempt a novel. So I became a magazine journalist instead. I interviewed several celebrities including Julie Walters . And I also specialised in what we called 'Triumphs over Tragedies'. These were stories about men, women and children who had beaten the odds by defeating illness or other problems.
I didn't know it then but looking back, I wonder if this laid the foundations for the dark streak which was building up inside. By the time my youngest child was three, I decided it was a 'now or never' time to write that novel. So I began by writing a romantic comedy called 'Amersham Wives' which was about a journalist who swapped places with a frantic mother! I got an agent but she couldn't find a publisher. However she kindly encouraged me to continue. Eventually I did get published but found that the dark streak I mentioned earlier, kept creeping in - even when I didn't want it to!
Then my marriage broke up and I found myself applying for the job of writer in residence at a high security male prison. It was there that I really found out what the dark side of life could be all about. I was dealing with men who had committed all kinds of high-profile crimes. Yet at the same time, many of them seemed perfectly pleasant. It was, to put it mildly, a real eye-opener.
It is almost impossible for a writer to be in a situation like that, and not tap into it. However another thing also happened during my time there. I got married to my second husband! This wonderful man also changed my writing because he took me into another world. That's when I began to realise that I wanted to write a thriller which centred around a young couple. One of them is a lawyer who works in prison. My intention was to test their relationship to the brink. What if one of them wasn't telling the truth about something? What if none of them were? Who can we really believe?
I've always loved watching dramas with twists. Now I get a thrill out of writing novels that send readers down one path but then take them down another. It's a much more complicated approach than any of my previous books. And it requires a great deal of planning and head scratching. But that's what I love doing.
I hope you will enjoy reading 'My Husband's Wife' as well as next year's book 'Blood Sisters'. Thank you for being part of my blog tour!
About Jane Corry
Jane Corry is a writer and journalist, and teaches creative writing all over the world. Recently she spent three years working as the writer-in-residence at a high-security prison for men.
In her own words: 'I had always thought prisons were terrifying places for people who had done terrible things. But after my first marriage ended, I found myself working in one, and discovered a world I could not have imagined without actually being there. A world in which no one was quite who they seemed. A world that I found strangely addictive - so much so that it wormed its way into this book.'
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Thank you so much Jane for that interesting look at your dark side. My Husband's Wife is a brilliant book, and you can see my review here
I didn't know it then but looking back, I wonder if this laid the foundations for the dark streak which was building up inside. By the time my youngest child was three, I decided it was a 'now or never' time to write that novel. So I began by writing a romantic comedy called 'Amersham Wives' which was about a journalist who swapped places with a frantic mother! I got an agent but she couldn't find a publisher. However she kindly encouraged me to continue. Eventually I did get published but found that the dark streak I mentioned earlier, kept creeping in - even when I didn't want it to!
Then my marriage broke up and I found myself applying for the job of writer in residence at a high security male prison. It was there that I really found out what the dark side of life could be all about. I was dealing with men who had committed all kinds of high-profile crimes. Yet at the same time, many of them seemed perfectly pleasant. It was, to put it mildly, a real eye-opener.
It is almost impossible for a writer to be in a situation like that, and not tap into it. However another thing also happened during my time there. I got married to my second husband! This wonderful man also changed my writing because he took me into another world. That's when I began to realise that I wanted to write a thriller which centred around a young couple. One of them is a lawyer who works in prison. My intention was to test their relationship to the brink. What if one of them wasn't telling the truth about something? What if none of them were? Who can we really believe?
I've always loved watching dramas with twists. Now I get a thrill out of writing novels that send readers down one path but then take them down another. It's a much more complicated approach than any of my previous books. And it requires a great deal of planning and head scratching. But that's what I love doing.
I hope you will enjoy reading 'My Husband's Wife' as well as next year's book 'Blood Sisters'. Thank you for being part of my blog tour!
About Jane Corry
In her own words: 'I had always thought prisons were terrifying places for people who had done terrible things. But after my first marriage ended, I found myself working in one, and discovered a world I could not have imagined without actually being there. A world in which no one was quite who they seemed. A world that I found strangely addictive - so much so that it wormed its way into this book.'
Twitter | Amazon
Thank you so much Jane for that interesting look at your dark side. My Husband's Wife is a brilliant book, and you can see my review here
Oh, I can so empathise with that dark side creeping in. This sounds really intriguing, Jane. Best of luck! Thanks for sharing, Rachel! :) xx
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