It’s time for another Friday Reads post and today my guest is Nicky Downes, author of the spine chilling thriller, Her Perfect Girl. Grab yourself a cuppa, get comfy and we’ll find out a bit more about the book and get chatting to Nicky. ☺️

‘Spine-tingling… will give you chills… I simply could not put it down.‘ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Her daughter’s murder was just the beginning…

Emma and Robert’s idyllic life shatters when their six-year-old daughter vanishes. Her body was found in the woods, a pink ribbon on the ground nearby. Consumed with grief, Emma can barely look at her husband. Why does Robert carry that pink ribbon around? What isn’t he telling her about that night?

As Emma’s obsession with finding answers grows, Emma starts to suspect Robert is keeping secrets from her – as she keeps secrets of her own. Until another child goes missing. The police think whoever did this knew the couple. But who would want to hurt their child?

With everyone in the small town of Stanton a suspect, can Emma uncover what really happened to her daughter? Or will the weight of the shocking truth be too much to bear?

Buy link: https://tinyurl.com/m5ata2cv

Hi Nicky, welcome to my blog. Your book sounds fab! I know you want to talk to us today about the importance of writing retreats, so over to you!

Thanks Karen. Here we go. Writing retreats and how much I love them!

Because I work full time and am a writer, I have to schedule writing time. I know some writers that write every day, even if it’s just a few hundred words, but I just can’t do that. Unfortunately, I’m the Queen of Procrastination. Pretty much anything and everything will distract me. From the cardigan I’m currently knitting to the latest crime box set.

This is why I love retreats. Day retreats, weekend ones or just an hourly sprint, it doesn’t matter. As long as I hide away my phone and there’s food and plenty of coffee provided, I’m happy.

My favourite day retreat runs monthly in Birmingham. It’s run by Writers HQ and is based on the sprints model. (You write for a set amount of time and then take a break). It also helps that you have a fabulous view of the whole of Birmingham as it takes place on the upper floor of a tower block. Surprisingly, I’m not distracted by this and regularly write 5,000 words plus during the day.

I also run a weekly short sprint on zoom. I’ve got a fabulous team of other writers around me. We usually do a brief introduction and catch up, and then simply write. Even just knowing there are others doing the same helps me. We are our own accountability club.

Then there is the proper going away retreat. Every year, I go to Gladstone’s Library to write for a few days. It’s amazing! A library you can sleep in! The food is to die for too. When you’re stuck, you can go for a walk around the grounds or mooch around the books. I can highly recommend a stay here.

Every opportunity to write somewhere else, I grab. The cost of a retreat is worth it when you can pile on the words. It’s also a lovely way to meet new writers and build connections. Who said writing is a solitary activity?

It sounds like you have a load of fun as well as valuable writing time, Nicky!

Meet Nicky

Nicky Downes is the bestselling author of the DI Jack Kent police procedural series set in Birmingham and the psychological thriller, Her Perfect Girl.

She lives in Coventry, where she works as an education trade union officer. She is also an avid campaigner for libraries. From an early age, Nicky spent hours in her local library devouring all the Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers’ books, being a huge fan of crime novels. Her favourite authors are Val McDermid, Mark Billingham and Fiona Cummins.

When she isn’t working, or writing, you can often find her cruising the canals in the Midlands on the family narrowboat, Chanelle. Nicky says, ‘I find it so relaxing at the tiller. It’s where I get the best ideas for my novels.’

Cruising on the canals sounds very relaxing , Nicky, and I’m sure is very inspiring. Thanks for dropping by to talk to us today. I hope your books soar!

Contact Nicky

Amazon author page:  https://tinyurl.com/2znf2de5

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100034329493836

Bluesky: @nickydownes.bsky.social