Today I welcome the lovely Sheryl Browne to my blog.. over to you Sheryl!
Death Sentence - He's killed your child and kidnapped your wife. What would YOU do?
Heartache, humour, love, loss, betrayal - and a little Ohhhh la la! Sheryl Browne brings you edgy, sexy, thrilling fiction. A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and shortlisted for Innovation in Romantic Fiction, Sheryl has recently completed her MA in Creative Writing. She has seven books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University Anthologies. A further short, written to script, was performed live at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Sheryl was recently signed by Choc Lit, who acquired a contemporary romance novel recommended by the WH Smith Travel fiction buyer. When she’s not writing, Sheryl can be found doing strange things like skydiving from 20,000 feet or abseiling down buildings, which possibly makes her a little bit mad.
Rachel very kindly asked me to guest on her blog to share a little about the inspiration behind my latest thriller, Death Sentence, so I thought I would take the opportunity to talk about my split personality and why I write in two genres.
My previously published books, humorous, but poignant, romance, have always looked at the fragility of love, life, relationships and the tenuous bonds that hold people together – or can often destroy them. I see love, which every human being craves, as fundamental to survival. Love can inspire: music, art. Unrequited or lost love, can also drive us to passionate acts of despair or even madness: the killing of a spouse or obsessive stalking of someone you truly believe belongs to you, for instance. A psychopath’s chilling justification for cold-blooded murder might have its basis in love: being unloved, spurned, wronged…
My previously published books, humorous, but poignant, romance, have always looked at the fragility of love, life, relationships and the tenuous bonds that hold people together – or can often destroy them. I see love, which every human being craves, as fundamental to survival. Love can inspire: music, art. Unrequited or lost love, can also drive us to passionate acts of despair or even madness: the killing of a spouse or obsessive stalking of someone you truly believe belongs to you, for instance. A psychopath’s chilling justification for cold-blooded murder might have its basis in love: being unloved, spurned, wronged…
Martina Cole’s books are my bible and, I think, the inspiration behind my desire to delve into the darker psyche of some of my characters. Somehow Cole makes us see a person’s distorted rationalisation for murder. Likewise, we see through the eyes of his victims, who all have a story within the story. For me, the magic of Martina Cole’s writing is her fabulously unique way of leading us seamlessly into the heads of her characters: real flesh and blood people we can identify with and get to know – not that we would particularly want to know some of them. We want to understand what drives them, what makes the ‘bad guy’ bad, the good guy good, wonder whether they are not two sides of the same coin. That’s what I wanted to do. I wanted people to believe in the characters I’d created, to identify with them to a degree, to understand the bad guy’s skewed logic. I wanted to look at where good and bad meet and examine the circumstances that might push a person over the line.
Thus my previous thriller, which looks at a fractured family pushed to breaking point; a father pushed beyond endurance. The Edge of Sanity, tells the story of a psychological battle between everyman Daniel Conner, who is forced into becoming a hero after being tortured and forcibly drugged, and drug addict Charlie Roberts, who has taken Daniel’s wife and daughter hostage. Without wanting to blatantly push it, the book has found its teetering feet and is doing reasonably well, earning a Five Star, Book of the Week, feature on Crime Thriller Hound and an excellent Five Star from Crime Book Club and Best Selling Crime Thrillers.
I've a long way to go before I reach the bar I set myself wanting to write as well as Martina Cole, but writers are renowned for their persistence, so as (according to one reviewer) I make a good psychopath, I’m keeping on keeping at it. My new book, Death Sentence, has already been reviewed by a top Amazon Reviewer at Best Selling Crime Thrillers and given a glowing FIVE Stars. I quote: “This was such an excellent read. I found myself having to force myself to breathe. Well done Sheryl! Once again you’ve produced a book with such an array of plots and yet showing that love is still possible throughout tragedy and conflict”. There’s that word ‘love’ again, which clearly doesn't only belong in romance novels.
I should also mention that the title of my thriller was suggested by a chief constable (who I won’t name because he’ll arrest me), who also kindly offered to give me some guidance regarding forensics and police procedural. I have to admit that inspired me to complete the novel, which was about at halfway stage then.
Thanks so much for featuring me, Rachel. I do hope I haven’t talked too much! Can I also take the opportunity to thank all bloggers and readers who give freely of their time to review books? Writers simply wouldn’t be writing without you. Thank you!
Thriller/Psychological thriller/Crime thriller
Release Date: 1st June 2015
Death Sentence - He's killed your child and kidnapped your wife. What would YOU do?
Detective Inspector Matthew Adams and Patrick Sullivan, drug dealer, pimp, murderer: two men on opposite sides of the law. A history that goes way back. A bully even in his youth, Sullivan had made it his mission in life to make the goody-two-shoes copper's life a misery. Now Matthew has made it his mission in life to make sure the pimping scum responsible for prostituting young girls, abusing them, and beating them to death, is locked up for life.
When Matthew's child becomes a casualty of the war between them, does Matthew want justice? Or does he want retribution? When Patrick's brother is shot down like a dog in a drug bust gone wrong, Patrick wants payback. He wants Matthew. Or the copper loses his pretty, pregnant wife. As far as Patrick is concerned, it's quid pro quo.
An edge-of-your seat story of revenge.
Watch the video:
Author Bio
Author Links
It has been an absolute pleasure Sheryl.
Thank you so much for my fabulous feature, Rachel! Do you know, I almost make sense? Love it! :) xx
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Sheryl. I think you do make sense (at least some of the time :P)
Delete