As hard as it is for me to believe, my debut mainstream thriller Don't Go Back (published by those good people at The Book Folks) has been available for a fortnight. And what a two weeks it's been!
Having come out of the UK small press I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but the reaction has been better than I could have imagined. People - some my friends from real life and Facebook, others I had never interacted with - were hugely helpful and supportive, sharing my posts and tolerating me talking about the book a lot and letting their friends and followers know that Don't Go Back was out there.
The book went straight into the Hot New Releases Chart in the top twenty and as I write this on Sunday 6th it's currently sitting at #31 which I am really happy with - after all, if I'm known for anything at all, it's as a horror writer, not a thriller writer. Even better, the book charted in the US, Australia and Canada which is hugely gratifying, especially for a novel that is set in a very typical English seaside town.
Reviews and ratings have been very good and we're showing a 4.5/5 on Amazon and 4.39/5 on Goodreads (and Steve Bacon was good enough to blog his review too). People seem to have taken well to the dual timeline which is pleasing because the writing process for that and trying to get it all tied together seemed - at times - to be a never-ending headache.
So if you're one of those people who bought, rated and/or reviewed Don't Go Back then I want to thank you (with a special mention for Ross Warren). Like most writers, I create the stories because they're in my head and I enjoy the process of getting them out onto paper but to know that someone else derives pleasure from it makes all those painful parts (why won't this character do what I want her to, why isn't this part working, why on earth did I think it was a good idea to have a dual timeline?) worthwhile.
And if there's anyone you think might like a dual timeline thriller novel set in an English seaside town with some funny bits, a few scary bits, a couple of sad bits and a whole lot of suspense, please tell them all about Don't Go Back.
A captivating thriller about a woman whose past suddenly catches up with her
When Beth receives news that a once-close friend has died, after years away she reluctantly returns to the seaside town where she grew up.
Beth becomes increasingly unsettled as she attends the funeral, encounters people from her past, and visits her teenage haunts.
She is forced to take herself back to the awful summer when she left for good. Yet it is not just memories that are resurfacing, but simmering resentments.
Someone else hasn’t quite so readily put their past behind them, and unwittingly Beth will become the key to their catharsis.
As she puts two and two together, the question is: whatever possessed her to return?
DON’T GO BACK is a truly nail-biting read that will appeal to fans of Claire McGowan, Vanessa Garbin, Teresa Driscoll, Linwood Barclay and Anna Willett.
This is the best book you’ll read all year!
Tell all your friends!
Don't be so low-key, MW - you really need to give it the hard-sell. (Hee hee.) Well done again.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I knew subtle would work! :)
DeleteJust started reading it, Mark. Not racing through it, but that's only a symptom of time not the story. Enjoying it so far, and looking forward to seeing how it'll turn out. Glad it's going well for you
ReplyDeleteThank you! I hope your enjoyment continues!
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