- Barbara Copperthwaite
What’s Their Secret? LESLEY M. KRIER TITHER @tottielimejuice confesses! #HerLastSecret
To celebrate #HerLastSecret going on sale, I’ve asked authors to share their secrets with me… Today it’s LESLEY M. KRIER TITHER, author of the DCI Ted Darling series and much more.
Lesley M. Krier Tither is a retired journalist, freelance copywriter and copy editor who also worked for the Crown Prosecution Service. She now lives in central France’s Auvergne region and holds French nationality. She writes crime fiction as L M Krier, travel memoirs and humour as Tottie Limejuice and children’s fiction with a crime twist as L M Kay. She is a proud Indie author and has refused an approach from a publisher to remain so. When not writing she enjoys walking and camping with her rescued border collies, Fleur and Rosie. She is also owned by two cats, HRH the Princess Freddie Mercury and her lady-in-waiting Bibi.
Secret writing ritual…
Open laptop, start to type! Honestly, it’s as boring as that. I’ve written for a living for such a large part of my life it’s become just what I do. I do scribble lots of notes on old envelopes randomly scattered all over my desk and I do have a thing about not changing the colour of ink I’m using, so I have been known to turn the house upside down to find a pen with just the right shade of blue ink before I continue.
Secret writing snack…
I’ve recently splashed out and bought myself a rather nice, expensive new laptop so I’m trying to be strict. Nothing which will clog up the keyboard with crumbs. So the only food I allow myself at my desk is almonds, which are my favourite healthy nibble.
Secret celebration when you finish a WIP…
Actually, as soon as I finish one I plunge into deep pits of gloom and despondency for some reason. It’s because I really do love writing and always feel I don’t quite know what to do with myself once I stop. Having two very lively rescued border collies is a big help, though. They are always ready, willing and able, armed with tennis balls, for a bit of fun and frolics.
‘Guilty secret’ read…
Hmm, that’s a tricky one as I have no shred of guilt about anything! I have read all the Harry Potters, if that counts. And I fully intend, one day, to read 50 Shades, purely for research purposes, although not with any degree of enthusiasm.
‘Guilty secret’ tv programme…
I used to be an regular Coronation Street watcher. As my crime books are set in Greater Manchester (Stockport, to be precise, which is not far away) I found they were sometimes helpful with ideas. Lately it has changed beyond all recognition and tries too hard to emulate East Enders. I’m actually watching less and less television but I have become completely addicted to a very long-running French wartime drama series, Un Village Français. Seven seasons of it, mostly six episodes a season. I bought the box set and I could now bore for Britain about it. I just have one episode left to watch, after which I may well need therapy.
Shared secret…
That’s another tall order! As I write memoirs – as Tottie Limejuice, the Sell the Pig trilogy of 5; yes, I always was rubbish at sums – and as they are very frank, there is little left to reveal. However, on a serious note, I’d say that because I have an ironic sense of humour and a very sarky tongue, people tend to misjudge me. What people probably don’t know about me is that although I’m not rich (few authors are, apart from JK) I do like to do little Secret Santa things for people I think deserve something nice and can’t afford it. And whenever I can I give to homeless charities and things like the Trussell Trust as I hate to think of people being hungry or cold when I’m not.
Secret peek into your new WIP…
I’ve just finished DI Ted Darling Book 8, Preacher Man. It is due out literally any day now but my poor formatter is ill in hospital so I’m a bit stuck. I am hugely superstitious about releasing anything before publication date but just for you, here’s the cover blurb:
A teenager is found naked and wandering in a lane near Stockport. He can’t answer any questions about the serious injuries he’s sustained, only repeatedly recite a biblical passage.
DCI Ted Darling’s team take the case and discover he’s been missing for six months – and he’s not the only young person to have suffered the same fate.
Ted’s tied up in an important court case where the father of the young defendant seems prepared to stop at nothing to bring the case crashing down around him. It doesn’t help when he’s told his team must lose a member and Ted has to choose who it will be.
Whoever the kidnapper is, he seems to have a set timetable for his abductions. Can Ted catch him before he strikes again?
Secret Santa… (If you could give a happy ending to any character who would it be, and what would you do?)
Oh that’s an easy one! Lenny, in Of Mice and Men. He’d definitely get to tend the rabbits, if I had my way.
THANKS FOR THOSE GREAT CONFESSIONS, LESLEY!
HER LAST SECRET is out on Friday 13th October. Lucky for you – unlucky for the Thomas family…
To pre-order or find our more, use the links below.
UK
US
There are some secrets you can never tell.
The last thing to go through Dominique Thomas’s head was the image of her teenage daughter’s face and her heart lifted. Then the shot rang out.
They were the perfect family. Successful businessman Ben Thomas and his wife Dominique live an enviable life, along with their beautiful children; teenager Ruby and quirky younger daughter, Mouse.
But on Christmas Day the police are called to their London home, only to discover a horrific scene; the entire family lying lifeless, victims of an unknown assailant.
But when Ruby’s diary is discovered, revealing her rage at the world around her, police are forced to look closer to home for the key to this tragedy.
Each family member harboured their own dark truths – but has keeping their secrets pushed Ruby to the edge of sanity? Or are there darker forces at work?
This dark, gripping psychological thriller will have you holding your breath until the very last page. Fans of Behind Closed Doors, Sometimes I Lie, and The Girl on the Train will be captivated.
See what readers are saying about Barbara Copperthwaite:
‘My heart and guts were gripped and squeezed so tight I had trouble reading!…This broke my heart into so many pieces…I was left speechless by the flawless narration and the harrowing emotions that rushed through me until the very end.’ Chocolate and Waffles
‘A darkly addictive and creepy page turner that had me on the edge of my seat…the last few chapters were breathtakingly shocking with developments I hadn’t been expecting and the final pages were absolutely brilliant, leaving me with goosebumps!’ My Chestnut Reading Tree
‘Compelling, claustrophobic and horribly believable – a great read!’ B.A. Paris, author of Behind Closed Doors and The Breakdown
‘It grips you by the throat and doesn’t let go. A tense, edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting ride’Robert Bryndza, author of The Girl in the Ice and Last Breath
‘Vividly written and absolutely gripping. I couldn’t put it down!’ The Genre Reader
‘There are plenty of twists and turns that will keep you guessing, leading all the way to a jaw-dropping ending that left me spinning.’ Novel Deelights
‘Gripping and shocking. Had me completely enthralled in the action…a story that got under my skin.’ Rachel’s Random Reads
‘A dark, compelling and unforgettable read that had me hooked. The final paragraph haunted me, long after I had finished reading.’ Brew and Books Review
‘Addictive, Thrilling, Captivating! I could not put this book down, it captures your interest from the very first page until the very last.’ Book Reviews by Nicole
‘It really did make for some very emotional reading…There was a twist which totally rocked me.’ By The Letter Book Reviews
‘Plenty of red herrings and twists…If you like psychological thrillers, you’ll love it.’ Consumer reviewer