Writers, do you read what you write?
Readers, do you read the same genres?
As a writer, I tend to read books to help inspire my own writing. I write historical and Gothic fiction, with the classic being a major source of love and inspirations…the likes of the Brontë’s, Shelley, Poe, and my dear Mr Bram Stoker, of course. But lately I’ve done a fair bit of beta reading for fellow authors and received a few ARC copies for reviewing before official release dates, too. This is where I now read for the love of reading, not for research but to either help my fellow authors or step into another world. I love reading, of course, and I seem to be finding it increasingly harder to say no to these. I get a little tingle, a tiny buzz at the thought of a new book to read… I need more hours in the day! But I digress…
So, let me introduce you to Ailey. Here she is, set against a beautiful backdrop of the stunning Isle of Skye. I was drawn to Ailey of Skye initially by the premise of being set in Scotland, and with a particular love of Skye after a visit there two years ago, I was hooked at the thought. Now, I have to fully admit, I had no real idea of the truly hard-hitting story line I was going to be delving into, no idea how raw or gritty it would be.
You see, I don’t tend to read a lot of crime thrillers, and when I do the author needs to capture my attention very quickly or I will stray. But within a few lines, not even pages of this authentic, gripping thriller, I was done for. There wasn’t even a chance of me coming up to air (only to grab another coffee). And the author of this, Wendy Hewlett.
The reason that this book, above a lot of other’s I’ve read of late, stands out so much is that I do not read contemporary crime. It just isn’t my thing…usually! I have to say, there is only one other modern author of crime thrillers that can hook me like Wendy has and that is Peter James. So, I salute you Wendy Hewlett for converting me to the realms of contemporary crime thrillers… now to go download the rest of Wendy’s novels.
Ailey of Skye is available now from all good online retailers, including Amazon. Please go visit Wendy Hewlett’s website for more details and stalk Wendy on the following links. Website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads
Becky Wright ~ Gothic Writer 