Friday Reads – The 13th Girl by N.V. Peacock.

A warm welcome to N.V. Peacock who has dropped by my Friday Reads blog today to tell us about her dark, twisty thriller, The 13th Girl. So grab a cuppa, get comfy and let’s find out more about the book and N.V’s writing life.

Blurb

After decades in a mental health hospital, Dee knows that people find her creepy – because they tell her so. Once the reluctant star of an infamous documentary, she is trying to blend back into the outside world. But when a string of local girls disappear, only to be found dead days later, she becomes fixated on the case and decides to film her own True Crime documentary.

There is a serial killer on the loose – The Righteous Wraith. Girls are being found one by one, their bodies gruesomely staged in the most innocent public spaces. With the killer taunting the police and public fear mounting, online armchair detectives begin pointing fingers at one suspect – ruining his life. But for Dee, something isn’t adding up. She knows what it’s like to be accused of something that you didn’t do, so resolves to prove his innocence, unmask the real killer, and save The 13th Girl.

But who will believe her?

You can purchase the book here:

The 13th Girl by N V Peacock | Hera (herabooks.com)

A dark, inventive thriller perfect for fans of Chris Carter, Alice Feeney and C.J. Skuse.

Readers are finding The 13th Girl unputdownable:

‘Wow, what a book … I could not put it down.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘Left me speechless… a fab read which I just could not put down.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘An authentic thriller … This is definitely one hell of a book… with all those plot twists and turns.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘The conclusion left me utterly speechless …a fabulous read that had me glued to the pages.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘Claustrophobic and intense… exactly what you want from this flavour of thriller. I’ve never read anything quite like it – I thoroughly enjoyed it.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘This book is downright thrilling and I have finally caught my breath after concluding…This book has bestseller written all over it.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader Review

‘A chilling and inventive thriller that… will keep readers on the edge of their seats.’ Reader Review

‘Twists and turns I did not see coming. I couldn’t put it down. I read it in a night.’ Reader Review

‘Kept me guessing from start to finish.’ Reader Review

Welcome to my blog, Nicky. Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I did, however it took a while for me to realise that I could be one. I come from a working class family and didn’t have the money to stay in university (even though I was given a scholarship) so entered full time work at 18 years old. Loving reading and being drawn to the dark side of life, I started writing my own ‘scary’ stuff, which as I look back now I can see was truly scary in all the wrong ways!  It wasn’t until I learnt about story weaving and publishing as a market that I grew my writing wings and got published.  Since then, I completed a creative writing degree, have helped many other writers through my writing group and have had over 30 short stories, 5 YA novellas, and 3 thriller novels published. I also signed with top literary agents David Higham Associates. 

Congratulations on achieving all this. Has any author inspired you?

The author who inspires me most is my dear friend Jane Isaac. Supportive, wise and just a lot of fun to spend time with. We meet up a lot (we live near one another and were introduced through a shared publisher) She has such a wonderful spirit and has mentored me through my writing, and life in general. Writing thrillers and police procedures, her work is always carefully constructed and leaves you feeling satisfied that you’ve read an amazing story. She also has many a tale of her research methods, which never fail to both impressive and sometimes amuse.  If you haven’t read her books, I’d highly recommend them.

It’s wonderful to have a fellow author as a friend, isn’t it? What do you like writing most?

The creepy side of human nature. Psychology fascinates me. I’m never happier than when I am researching how the mind works, psychological techniques and exploring the depths of a character’s psyche.  People will surprise you – either in good or bad ways. That person sitting near you now might have a dark and terrible secret, or be plotting to hurt you – or they might be planning to give you a gift or unconditionally love– until they act, you can never know for sure.

You’ve given me the shivers now! Do you have a special place for writing?

I write in my bedroom at the moment, which isn’t ideal. I’d love to say that I have my own office with a beautiful view where I can work on my craft until my heart’s content, but to be honest I have to balance my laptop on a piece of wood on my outstretched dressing table drawers!  And I can only write until my back starts to hurt from the rather inappropriate chair that I bought years ago! Not the romantic view that readers have of writers, or even the dream that I had, but needs must and I’d rather do that than not write at all.

Hopefully it won’t be long until you have a writing room. Are you a pantster or a plotter?

Mostly a plotter. I don’t think you can write a good story unless you have certain beats marked and have at least a vague roadmap as to how things are going go. I see a lot of novice writers just letting themselves go wild and basically craft scene after scene that has no connection to the main plot, or even the characters, simply because it’s fun. And it can be, but that’s the difference between writing for pleasure for yourself and writing commercially for readers. Without a plot outline, stories can end up going around the houses, without any tangible reason. I do also believe in writing organically. Sometimes characters won’t do what you want them to do, or stories bend in a direction that makes no sense, so you need to be adaptable and go with the flow, yet not forget where that flow is ultimately heading!

That’s so true. Is your writing ever inspired by your family or real life incidents?

I always add a piece of myself in every protagonist to make me feel close to them when I write. Cherrie in Little Bones had my dark sense of humour. Fallen in The Brother had my incessant and sometimes annoying need to help everyone, and Dee in The 13^th Girl has my feeling of not really belonging.  Writing first person, this technique gives me more depth to each character and also makes me want to finish their journey with them. Equally, I do miss writing them when that journey ends. It’s why I try to shoe-horn past protagonists in to other books, even just for a moment.

What are you writing at the moment?

A couple of things: I’ve just finished my next psychological serial killer thriller, and I’m going back to my YA roots with an idea that just won’t let me go. I’m also toying with a historical duel timeline thriller and a cozy crime! I love a good challenge and any time someone says, I bet you couldn’t write that, I’m already halfway through an idea to make it work!

That sounds intriguing! What inspired you to write this book?

Mental health is so important, and it’s only just being accepted by society as a major issue. I remember a time when you’d tell someone you felt down and all they’d say is ‘cheer up, it might never happen’.  Regardless of how alone you feel, everyone goes through times like these. I myself have gone through dark periods where I can’t deal with my own emotions as I’m expending too much energy in trying to appear ‘normal’ to the world around me.  This made me wonder what it would be like for someone who was viewed as ‘mentally defective’ by the world was suddenly embroiled in a hunt for a serial killer – she wouldn’t be seen, believed or even supported.  That coupled with my fascination of online armchair detectives and true crime documentaries sent me down a rabbit hole of what ifs that birthed The 13^th Girl.

It’s a fascinating premise. What time of the day do you write best?

Whenever I can fit it in! Although I now write full time, I still take on freelance work to keep the wolf from the door, so have to fit in my fiction around other projects.  The bonus with writing is I can be flexible with my time. I can grab that lunch with a friend, or catch up with the family or even have a romantic date during the day, and make up my hours later.

What are your hobbies?

I’m not sure I have any that are not to do with writing! I read, which every writer has to do. I do enjoy cooking, but only for other people. For myself, I’m more likely to grab a Pot Noodle than make a gourmet meal. Is shopping a hobby? If you count it as one, then I also love that. I collect vintage inspired clothes and antique jewellery.

I’d say that shopping is definitely a hobby! What advice would you give to other writers?

If you’re serious about a writing career treat it as you would any other. Just because you can write, doesn’t mean you can write a well plotted story and create engaging characters right off the bat. Learn the craft. Find other writers and authors who can guide you. Join local writers’ groups. Take some courses. And be patient.  Overnight successes are exceedingly rare. A good friend of mine once told me that it can take decades to become an overnight success!  This is never so true than with the publishing industry.

Fantastic advice, Nicky. Thanks for dropping by to talk to us today. Wishing you lots of success with your future writing. 😊

Meet Nicky

Ten years ago, Nicky discovered the anthology market and it wasn’t long before her first short story was published. With over 30 stories in horror, thriller and paranormal anthologies for publishers all over the world, including stories in the Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper and a Women in Horror Anthology, she’s no stranger to the dark side. After writing 5 YA supernatural novellas, she turned her hand to an adult thriller – and her debut novel, Little Bones, was born.

Represented by literary agents David Highham Associates, she has been published by Harper Collins and just signed a two book deal with Hera Books.

About her writing, Nicky says, ‘Entertaining readers is the best feeling in the world. Times are tough at the moment, so to be able to transport readers into someone else’s life and take them on a twisty journey makes all the time and effort I put into my books worthwhile.’

Nicky appreciates every review she receives and thanks all her readers in advance for taking the time to put fingers to keyboard and share their thoughts with other readers.

N V Peacock also writes as Nicky Peacock

Contact links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/N-V-Peacock/author/B08DR522DV

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