Cover Reveal!
We are back again, with another exclusive interview and cover reveal.
Lorraine Mace was born and raised in South East London, lived and worked in South Africa, on the Island of Gozo, and in France, before settling on the Costa del Sol in Spain. Lorraine is best knows as the author of the D.I. Sterling series of novels, but has also written two fabulous children’s books. Today however, she joins us to share the cover of her latest standalone psychological thriller.
Before we delight you with the cover reveal for this tense thriller, we wanted to have a chat with the author herself and find out a little more about the inspiration behind this novel and the author who wrote it.
YOUR PAST HAS COME KNOCKING. WILL YOU LET IT IN?
Lynda Blackthorn is still reeling from the tragic car crash that killed her family more than a year ago. Throwing herself into her volunteer charity work, she is trying to piece her life back together.
When she’s asked to be the face of the charity’s annual fundraiser, an appeal for volunteers on the local news brings old friend Sarah to her door – and the events of fourteen years ago crashing down around her.
As the two women reconnect, Lynda invites Sarah to stay in her guest bedroom. But soon strange things start happening and Lynda learns it might have been better to keep the door to the past firmly closed . . .
A gripping rollercoaster of a read about the darker side of friendship, with a shocking twist. Perfect for fans of Rona Halsall, K. L. Slater and Miranda Rijks.
Those who have followed your career so far know you best for your crime series, but this is something a little different from your D.I. Stirling novels, what in particular inspired this book?
I have always been fascinated by the many facets we each have in our personalities. The images we show to our parents, work colleagues, and chance acquaintances can be quite different to what everyone else sees, even our siblings and closest friends. When it comes to friendship, we show only that part of ourselves we want each person to see – but what of the traits that are hidden from view? Can we ever really know another person? What if the personality shown is, in fact, the complete opposite of the anger in someone’s heart and mind? I wanted to write about the fallout that occurs when those hidden emotions are allowed free rein.
Psychological thrillers are an incredibly popular at the moment, but that means a book really has to stand out to grab the attention of readers, are you happy with the cover for The Guest?
I love the sense of menace and implied threat in the title. I think the cover designer has done a great job of bringing that same feeling to the image itself. The shadow outline on the door lets readers know this is probably not a welcome guest.
For those who don’t know you quite so well, tell us a little about yourself – when did you start writing seriously?
I have been writing in one form or another all my life. Having lived abroad for most of it, back in the snail mail days, I used to write long (sometimes humorous) letters home. My first completed novel was written for children, Vlad the Inhaler, but I then turned to crime (writing it, that is) with the five books in the D.I. Sterling series (also published by Headline Accent). The Guest is my first standalone psychological thriller.
The writing process for authors varies wildly, and we are always interested to hear a little about what makes our favourite writers tick – tell us a little about your process, do you listen to mood music when writing?
No, I must have complete silence when writing. Editing is a different story, though. When I’m working through my edits, I have hits from various decades on in the background.
An authors journey to publication is often described as a blind rollercoaster ride, with many ups and downs along the way, what do you love most about being an author?
Allowing my imagination free rein! I run several times a week and sometimes my characters have full-on conversations while I’m pounding the streets. When this happens I know they have come to life for me – they are now real people demanding that I tell their stories!
It’s creeping closer to your publishing date, highlighted even more by today’s cover reveal, how excited are you to have this book out in the wider world finally?
On my God! On a scale of one to ten – I am excited to the level of fifty! I love everything about it. It is set in Stamford and Peterborough, areas I used to know very well when I lived in the UK, so it was a joy to revisit, even if just on the page. The storyline is twisty. The characters are so real to me I find myself wondering what has happened to them since I finished the book. I could gush on forever, but know I have to stand back and allow readers to decide if I’m right to love it!
So – without further ado… here is the cover for The Guest by Lorraine Mace in all its glory! We can’t wait to dive in – do join us for the ride.
If you would like to know more about Lorraine – her books and her DI Stirling Series, you can connect with her here on twitter, or visit her website here. Or you can click the image below to find her entire back catalogue on Amazon.
