A warm welcome to Claire Seeber, whose latest thriller, The Parents, is currently ranking high on Amazon. Claire is interviewing her character, Patti Taylor, beautician extraordinaire and mum of Ethan & Luna. Before we read the interview let’s take a look at the amazing cover, and find out a bit more about the book.
![The Parents: An utterly gripping psychological suspense thriller by [Claire Seeber]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/512+gtaI2ML.jpg)
Blurb
The other parents all seem so perfect. But it’s not long before I realise: I should have never made friends with them…
I knew it wouldn’t be easy for my kids to adjust when we moved to a tiny village where they didn’t know a soul. But after the death of my husband, we needed a fresh start.
Suddenly, we’re outsiders. I know the only way we’ll be accepted is if I throw myself into my new life, so when my son joins a local club, I volunteer to help along with the other parents.
Before moving here, I didn’t know people like this really existed; their lives seem too perfect to be real. Although my own life couldn’t be more different, they welcome me into the fold. For the first time since my husband died, I feel like I made the right decision for my family…
That is until I overhear something that tells me these other parents aren’t as perfect as they seem. Something that turns my world upside down again.
My secret has already ruined my life once. I thought the truth had died with my husband… I should have known that it wouldn’t be buried for long.
A completely addictive page-turner about the secrets and lies hiding beneath seemingly perfect lives. Fans of Big Little Lies, Lisa Jewell and Louise Candlish will be absolutely hooked by this pacy read with a jaw-dropping twist you just won’t see coming.
Here’s some lovely reviews
My heart is still pounding… I can confidently say this is one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve ever read… An easy 5 stars… The plot twists are gut wrenching. This is perfect for fans of Big Little Lies” Goodreads Reviewer: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Grabs you from the first page… compelling… edge-of-your-seat… the twists kept coming!” Alice Hunter, author of The Serial Killer’s Wife
Amazing… Holy cow! This was a freaking fabulous book!… My hands were literally glued to my reader!… Held me captive!… If real life hadn’t interfered, I am sure I would have finished this book in one day. A page-turner!!!… Five star read all day!” @oh.happy.reading, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
You can buy the book here:
Now let’s move onto Claire’s interview with Patti
The vicious and anonymous vlog revealing the Tenderton Tiger football parents’ secrets is the talk of the village…why DO you spend so much time at the club?
Ah, it’s a shame. The clubhouse used to be a laugh after games – but it’s all got pretty tense recently. Lots of rivalry between the dads to take over managing now Neil is on his way out – can you believe what he did?! And A LOT more bitching between the mums. Noses out of joint, you know…though I must say they’ve kept Beauty Bound afloat with their eyelashes and exfoliation. Not much I haven’t seen of the ‘Coven’, as they like to call themselves. Hmmm…seems like a weird co-incidence doesn’t it, now I come to think of it! All the supposed witchcraft in Tenderton and that…
Is the rivalry because of the famous Fullertons coming to the village? What did you reckon when they moved in?
I’m not going to lie, sugar, I was a tiny bit star-struck. Course, we all know Dez is a famous (ex) footballer, and Good Lord, there’s no denying he’s got the face of a God, and so – what’s the word? Charismatic! Likes the ladies, you know. And his Nancy is dead gorgeous – I knew her face from those famous make-up ads. I was made up when she came in the salon – and when she invited me round for drinks , I thought I’d reached the big time! I could not believe it when that awful video played in the clubhouse. Poor woman – that’s going to take some living down, isn’t it? Revenge porn, they call it apparently. And obviously – things aren’t as rosy in the Fullerton household as we may have thought! Her brother Louie’s nice though, have you met him? (Patti blushes)
Who do you think is behind the poisonous vlog?
Oof, now you’re asking! Wish I knew: I have my suspicions, but no proof right now, so I wouldn’t want to say. But I’m watching everyone, so watch this space…though actually, maybe don’t print that, cos I wouldn’t want to be – you know – targeted myself. Which is my worst fear right now. That someone might find out my deepest secrets… (Patti looks deeply uncomfortable for a moment)…Joking, obviously!
You’re an outsider yourself, aren’t you? Have you always suspected Tenderton was haunted? And if so, why?
I didn’t believe any of it at first – old wives’ tales, myth and legend, but things have got a bit unsettling. The witch-hunts which took place here in the 17th century have got a lot to answer for. And why on earth the council think it’s good to have the old ducking-stool out as a tourist attraction, well it beats me. Get rid of it, I would, and let those poor souls go to rest. Don’t get me started on the old witch’s boots by the Church -they actually heated them up and put them on the poor accused women…agony.
On which point, have you been genuinely scared recently?
Yes definitely. I got stuck in the Whispering Woods when my car lost a tyre the other night, and I was absolutely terrified to be honest: It was dark, my phone didn’t work and though I’m a country girl at heart, it just felt – too weird and spooky out there, surrounded by pitch black; mutterings and rustlings. And then that huge slavering dog that I thought was coming for me – oh my Good Lord! Yes. Very scared.
Why have you put up with your husband Sam for so long?
Ha that’s brutal! Well, Sam saved me from myself as a teenager in Wales. I was having – well, let’s just say a really hard time with my mum and her boyfriend Nigel, home wasn’t much fun: and Sam was a breath of fresh air. Oh, and so gorgeous back then. Now he’s had one too many pies and pints, you might say, and since losing his job, he’s got a bit – lazy I was going to say, but depressed might be kinder. So he’s not exactly full of the joys of life, you know, or for finding out where the hoover is. Or the Marigolds, or the cooker… I have explained – very slowly – that the hoover lives in the cupboard under the stairs, but he’s not listening, and I’m so busy working I can’t be bothered again…
Do you trust Alex? The new ‘girl’ in town?
Alex is a doll. She was a bit – stand-offish at first, I’ll say that, but I could see she was just a bit lost. She’d just arrived from America with her kiddies, and I didn’t know what had happened to her husband but once I found out, well… it made more sense. Poor Alex, poor kids. I’m warming to her daily!
What do you reckon about cougars?
The animal? (Patti looks coy here) Ah you mean, the older woman and the younger man? Nothing wrong with it, is there? Women always get a hard time, whatever we do! Fine for men to father kids into their 90s you know.
Finally – are you a football fan?
Don’t tell anyone but I loathe the game! But anything for my kids: my son Ethan’s not the most natural of players but I’m proud of how hard he tries even if he looks a bit like a little bull in a china shop – only don’t tell him I said that, alright, babs?!
Meet Claire
After a stab at being a (bad) actress, best-selling author Claire directed factual TV and documentaries for years before starting to write Lullaby, pub’d 2007, the first of eight psychological thrillers, now including the chart-topping Never Tell, The Stepmother & most recently, The Parents. In 2012, she was nominated for CWA Short Story Dagger for He Does Not Always See Her. She also writes for stage and screen, features for newspapers such as The Guardian & The Independent, and is a qualified Gestalt therapist when she’s not writing or herding feral teens (hers), or animals. Her ambition is to live by the sea.
Contact Links
Thanks so much, Claire, for such a fab interview. Your book sounds amazing! I can’t wait to read it.xx
Karen King – Writing about the light and dark of relationships.
Amazon Author Page: https://tinyurl.com/y2q5audb
Website: https://karenkingauthor.com/
Karen King: Author 