When I wrote my first thriller, I was a bag of nerves. The move from writing romantic comedy to writing crime fiction was a massive step. I wasn’t sure I’d made the right decision, after all, I was comfortable writing comedies. This new style of writing was alien to me. All I really knew was that I enjoyed reading it and wanted to produce books that explored human nature and were so full of twists readers would never guess who the outcomes.

Little Girl Lost required a huge amount of planning and researching , way more than I was used to, and it took me almost a year to write what became the first in the DI Robyn Carter series. It underwent numerous edits ( I had put in too many humorous asides!) and each time I deleted pages of hard work to rewrite them, I wondered time and time again, if I had made the right decision.

In the end, the book was ready and I was pleased with the result if not still paranoid at how it would be received. I’d only expected to write that one book but after my editor read it, she decided it was excellent and signed me up for a series – an entire series of DI Robyn Carter books. That series became two separate series, with another new detective, DI Natalie Ward, and I can confidently say I have definitely found my niche.

Today, I couldn’t be prouder. I learnt that LITTLE GIRL LOST has sold over 200,000 copies. To know that one of my books has sold so many copies is humbling and I am hugely grateful to everyone who bought a copy and to all who helped promote it.

My message to fellow writers, searching for inspiration, is if you want to try your hand at a different genre then do so. Be brave and step out of your comfort zone and always believe. Dreams do come true, you know?