I’ve set crime thriller scenes in Walthamstow in the past – it’s a buzzing area of East London where many great things happen (did you hear how they lifted a bus off a trapped cyclist with their bare hands?). One of them is the E17 Art Trail, where artists and writers celebrate their work all over the Stow. There, I picked up this stunning card with the inspiring message, ‘When you are DOWN, the only way is UP.’ It’s from the rather wonderful Cleeve Press who dropped by E17 yesterday.
It is very true that dark times, however intense, do eventually pass and give way to lightness again. I remind myself of this constantly when I’m up against a writing deadline! Anyone needing a nudge towards an optimistic mindset would do well to get Martin Seligman’s very readable and common-sense book about it.
My thrillers also explore the theme of change for the better. Widowed Susan takes action in Up In Smoke to get revenge on Big Tobacco, while Andrew carves a brilliant career for himself after initial setbacks in After The Interview. There’s also a journey for Amy, looking for her missing flatmate while avoiding villains, in my third crime thriller, due out in July. Meanwhile, darkness’ end is a feature of many of my short stories too – read some here and get a free e-book by signing up for my newsletter.
PS I’ll be taking part in a great live fiction night in Solihull on Monday 22nd June – you can get free tickets here!
