Come away in
to my world of unputdownable fast-paced romantic mysteries set in Scotland
It's hard to write about myself, especially when I'm so used to staying in the background and wreaking havoc on my characters... So taking centre stage is hard...
*Clears throat*
Right, let’s talk about me.
If you’ve read some or all of my books (thank you for doing so) you probably know me really well. All my characters have a part of me in them. Whether it is my experience of moving to Glasgow from Mumbai (like Nina), or my social awkwardness (hi, Aileen), or even the impactful experience of going through a ligament and meniscus surgery aged 16 (although not as severe as Callan’s leg amputation, I’ve used my own experience of being a 16 year-old to tell his story).
Before you think I’m some loony eejit with fictional people as friends, let me assure you that yours truly is a well-rounded human being. My friends refer to me as Coffee, Coffee, Coffee, cause I’m often drinking coffee whether it’s morning, afternoon, or just before bed time. Aye, I have a coffee addiction.
I love to binge watch Brooklyn Nine Nine (it’s a real problem), and my favourite film of all time is the Pride and Prejudice (2005) version. I stand by 2005, folks, so don’t argue with me or try to sell me the 1995 Colin Firth version.
Speaking of 1995, that year was before my time i.e. I’m a 1999 child having entered the world just in time to witness the millennium. Although I don’t remember anything from that time.
Growing up, my favourite hobby was to sleep and daydream. I’m glad to say, I have now switched that to being barely awake and writing out my dreams. Before bedtime and just after waking up are the best times to write for me. I guess that puts the coffee addiction in context, eh?
As a young’un, I never sought much interest in reading, unlike most writers. I held my own against a reading addiction until I found a Nancy Drew notebook. That slim book with a white and blue cover was my downfall. It led me down a destructive road of crime and crime-solving: my trajectory drifted from Nancy Drew, Famous Five, Hardy Boys, Five Findouters to Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes. Hold on, did I just forget the Secret Seven??? I was such a nerd, I sported a George (Famous Five) style haircut in school.
Don’t worry though. I grew up after that and found Nora Roberts in my late teenage years. However, I was used to my fast paced, suspenseful stories and contemporary romances were great stress busters, but they didn’t pull me towards a book as much as Poirot could.
Then imagine my delight when I stumbled across The Witness, a romantic suspense book by Nora Roberts. Romance plus a thriller like mystery?
That, my dear friend, became my second downfall. And I haven’t recovered from it yet.
I live, read, write, and breathe romantic suspense. Apart from the occasional contemporary romance novel which I read when my stress levels are at boiling point, all I’m ever reading is romantic suspense. I live off Toni Anderson, Rachel Grant, Kaylea Cross and Katie Reus books to name a few of my favourite authors.
A thrilling romantic adventure? I’m always down for it.
That’s why when I thought about writing my own books, mystery and then romantic suspense was the answer. Write what you know, eh?
Why are my books based in Scotland?
Scotland. Oh Bonnie Scotland. Why wouldn’t I set my books in one of the world’s most beautiful countries?
I first visited Scotland as a tourist in 2015. Back then, the views of the Highlands near Inverness and the historic charm of Edinburgh left me gasping. This country was so bonnie yet so mysterious. Five years later, when an idea for a murder mystery came to my mind, the first place I thought about setting it in was Scotland. Which other location offered mystic views that lent themselves so well to a crime novel but also left a lot of space for imagination and romance?
The Aileen and Callan mystery series are based in the Scottish Highlands. Throughout the series you get to witness the climate and the topography that is very peculiar to this part of the world. Whether it’s the beauty of the Bens (mountains), Glens (valleys) or Lochs (lakes), or the peatbogs that make the whisky from Scotland so fragrant, you’ll find them all in my books. I wrote this series as an outsider in love with a faraway mysterious land. They are almost like my love letter to the Highlands.
At the tail end of completing the Aileen & Callan series, I moved to Glasgow.
Glasgow is almost opposite of the serene Highlands. It is the biggest city in Scotland even larger than Edinburgh. Glasgow was voted as one of the most friendliest cities in the world and also the murder capital of Europe. If that doesn’t explain it’s Jekyll and Hyde nature, I don’t know what can sum Glasgow up better. Over the last few years that I’ve called Glasgow home, I have adored and loathed its nuances. Whether that’s finding unbroken bottles of Buckfast in the most random places or wondering what the secret ingredients in Irn Bru are while munching on a gooey Tunnock’s Tea Cake or currently being a bit cross about George Square being closed off… I’m still here and I’ve even managed to learn that Partick is not in fact Patrick… (read that again)
As a true Wegie, I have a love-hate relationship with the subway. It runs in clockwise and anti-clockwise circles and maintains office hours on a Sunday (booo!!)
And yet, anytime I leave Glasgow, returning to it feels warm and fuzzy and makes my heart sigh in relief that at last it’s home.
Ahem. Aye, that’s about it really.
Glasgow might be the largest Scottish town but it is no megapolis. My favourite part about it is that the city is walkable! From the East End to the West, from the City Centre to the Southside, it’s a beautiful walk.
I think that’s enough about Scotland and Glasgow. Praising either the city or the nation too much disnae a Glaswegian make.
Want to read my Glasgow-based romantic suspense books?
I'll leave you with some images of Scotland!
