Friday Reads – The Stranger Beside Me by Caroline England

Morning everyone! It’s time for another Friday Reads blog and this week my featured book is the gripping, twisty thriller The Stranger Beside Me by Caroline England.

Blurb:

When no one is what they seem, who can you trust?

Katy Henry is lost and lonely. A single mother, plagued by fatigue and anxiety, she rarely has time for friends. But when she encounters Sibeal Matthews, all this changes. Sibeal is everything that Katy is not: assured, headstrong and charming.

Katy soon finds herself pulled out of her isolation into a fierce friendship. But Sibeal is not all that she seems. Tragedy haunts her, and for all her feistiness, she is startlingly dependent on her brother, Gabriel. And when her life begins to spectacularly unravel, Katy is swept up in the storm.

As Katy fights to protect herself and her son, it’s not just Sibeal who threatens to endanger them – Katy’s own past starts to rupture. Who can Katy trust? Can she even trust herself?

Amazon: https://amzn.to/48uyHnM

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

Since being very young I made up stories in my head before sleep, so I enjoyed storytelling. I didn’t translate that into being a writer until I was in my thirties!

Has any author inspired you?

I write gothic-tinged thrillers and psychological suspense, and looking back, many authors have inspired me from Roald Dhal to Charlotte Bronte to Kate Atkinson to many wonderful crime fiction authors who I’ve now had the honour of meeting!

It’s always thrilling to meet authors you admire, isn’t it? What do you like writing most?

I love writing the last third of a book when you know exactly where you are going and you’re unravelling all the twists and turns!

Do you have a special place for writing?

I write in my study (generally with a cat on my lap!)

Are you a pantster or a plotter?

Definitely a pantster. I’m very jealous of those who can plot or who can easily amend a story when the editor comes back with the dreaded structural edit!

Is your writing ever inspired by your family or real life incidents?

Yes, My Husband’s Lies was inspired by an older lady telling me a secret at my brother-in-law’s wedding; Betray is inspired by my boarding school experiences and The House on the Water’s Edge includes extracts from my parents’ real love letters to name but a few!

What are you writing at the moment?

I have just finished a new gothic thriller and I’m now in the dip I always have after finishing a book. Fingers crossed, a publisher will love it 🙂

I’m sure they will! What inspired you to write this book?

Something dark that happened in the old mansion opposite mine…

What time of the day do you write best?

Anytime!

What are your hobbies?

Going on hols with my hubby and gorgeous girls. Since lockdown I really enjoy a long walk.

What advice would you give to other writers?

Be tenacious! There are lots of downs, but the highs are worth it!

Absolutely! Thanks for dropping by to talk to us today, Caroline. Wishing you lots of luck with your writing.

Meet Caroline

Caroline England AKA CE Rose is the CWA Short Story Dagger shortlisted author of six multi-layered, dark and edgy domestic noir novels, Beneath the Skin, My Husband’s Lies, Betray Her, Truth Games, The Sinner and The Stranger Beside Me.

As CE Rose she has written four gothic-tinged psychological thrillers, The House of Hidden Secrets, The House on the Water’s Edge, The Shadows of Rutherford House and The Attic at Wilton Place. 

Author contact links

Website:  http://carolineenglandauthor.co.uk

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/carolineengland1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CazEngland

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CazEngland1/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cazengland1/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cazengland1

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