I’m thrilled to announce that my new book, Ten Twisty Tales, has been published today with Authors Reach.

Ten Twisty Tales is a collection of suspenseful short stories, all of them standalone. Like my novels, these short stories are aimed primarily at young adults. Having said that, they are relatively mature in tone, and much older readers have told me that they enjoy my work.

Some of these tales previously appeared in the series Seven Deadly Sins – A YA Anthology, edited by KT Stephens, and I was thrilled to be able to gather them together in this collection, along with some new stories never before published.

Here’s the blurb:

A split-second decision. A life changed forever.

Decisions may be made in the blink of an eye, but their consequences can last a lifetime. If you enjoy stories with tricky dilemmas at their heart, you’ll love these twisty tales all about ordinary people and their choices: sometimes good, sometimes bad … and sometimes deadly.

A law-abiding student’s life unravels after her boyfriend begs for help in plotting revenge.

A loving daughter is thrilled when her dad takes her and her brother on an unexpected day out. So why is there a gun in the glovebox?

A lonely fifteen-year-old can’t believe her luck when a popular highflier seeks her out. The new friend exudes confidence and charm, but what lies beneath that perfect exterior?

The stories explore a range of predicaments, from deceitful friends to thorny relationships and family crises. Some are darker than others, though there’s often a glimmer of light shining through.

The tales were inspired by the ongoing battle between good and evil, something which permeates so much of our fiction, as well as our real, everyday lives. It’s an eternal struggle which has fascinated me from a very young age, and which only seems to become more relevant with the passage of time.

Is there really such a thing as evil, or is it merely weakness or some other human frailty which makes people act the way they do? Why do some make selfish or careless choices, while others choose to do the right thing, often at great personal cost? My stories explore these kind of questions, along with the consequences of making a bad or reckless decision, something which could haunt you for the rest of your life.

As for the plots and characters, well, they come from many different places in my fevered imagination. I get inspired by all kinds of things: experiences people have told me about, reports in the news, my own experiences and difficulties, the people I’ve met through the years – a right mish-mash. For example, a friend will tell me about an experience from their misspent youth, and my mind starts to whirr with various what-ifs and darker scenarios which could have happened. Add in a couple of fictional characters, and the story starts to come to life in my mind. It’s a very absorbing process, and still quite mysterious to me in many ways.

My new book may be bought from Amazon or via bookshops. I do hope that you enjoy it!

Find it here:

Amazon UK

Amazon US