Today, I am please to welcome Rosie Marshall to ‘Off the Beaten Track’. Rosie lives in South Wales and when not reading or writing, she loves visiting the seaside with her family. It looks stunning!
She’s here today to talk about her book I Saw You.
Tell us what inspired you to write this book.
We have an allotment – it has a strict rule that no one is allowed to stay there overnight. It got me thinking: what would it be like to camp out in our spidery shed? What could have happened to someone to lead them to needing or wanting to sleep there?
I began plotting out my story. As I fleshed more out, I felt that it was going to be a murder mystery with maybe a little peril involved. Suddenly, I needed a more dramatic setting! I think it was my husband who suggested beach huts when I said I’d like it to be based near the sea and a dangerous causeway…
When did you start writing seriously?
I have a work in progress that’s been going on for a few years! Like many people, lockdown made me think about what I wanted to do, moving forward. How was I ever going to be an author if I didn’t just go for it? So, I fitted in writing almost every day, between working from home and looking after my kids.
What do you love most about being an author?
I love the moment when you hit a flow and the characters are doing and saying things and you have no idea what they’re going to do next. That and reading great reviews!
What are you working on now?
Book two!
I had a lot of requests from people wanting to know what happened to Vi and Jasmine after this book finished. Rashly, I have set it at Christmas time so I have my fingers crossed (when they’re not busy typing!) that I will get it done for Christmas 2020!
What do you hope readers will take away from I Saw You?
I want them to have been gripped and to have been surprised by the twists and turns but, most importantly, I want them to see the journey of the main character, to feel the importance of looking around you and really seeing the special people in your life.
Here’s the blurb
When murder refuses to let you live a quiet life…
Vi’s life is everything she wants it to be. Every day, she successfully manages to avoid human contact: her sister, her ex, the strangers who wander the beaches of Saltford Sands. Living in a beach hut makes it easy to hide away.
Then Vi witnesses something that sends her life into a tailspin.
Dragged unwittingly into a murder investigation, Vi discovers that she has a natural aptitude for detective work. She’s almost having fun…until threatening notes start appearing at her hut.
It’s a race against time: can Vi solve the crime before she becomes the next victim?
Vi faces inner and outer demons in this page-turning murder mystery.
Here’s where you can get it
Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon US
And you can follow Rosie on Instagram! Thanks for joining us Rosie!
Sandy Barker | Author 