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Two new additions this year!

Broadbean Books Blog - Toys in the Dust

Toys in the Dust - the inspiration

Here we go again.

It has more than a year since the release of my debut novel The Girl on the Bus. During that zoetrope of months flickering by, I have often been humbled by the many generous readers who took the time to share their reactions personally and on social media. It still amazes me my protagonist – Leighton Jones – seems to resonate with so many people.

I remember worrying that in a world which was increasingly embracing characters like Reacher and Bourne, there would be little room for an ordinary detective with no combat training or secret weapons. The closest thing Jonesy has to a superpower is his integrity, but perhaps that is enough...

And so as the official release date of Carpenter Road draws near, I am excited at the thought of Detective Leighton Jones pursuing a murderer through dusty California one more time.  I only hope that I can do the character justice and provide the readers with a decent ride too.

This novel is, in some respects, a less dramatic tale than The Girl on the Bus. I hope, however, that it will be equally engaging.  In this exercise, I have attempted to give readers a closer look at Leighton’s life and work, prior to joining the Homicide division. At home, we see him struggle to maintain a relationship with his teenage daughter. Whilst at work, this point in his career, is less about chasing speeding buses and more about laying out road cones and leading Driver Safety classes. Until he meets Rochelle, and then all hell is let loose…
NB 

What did you expect?

With three weeks to go until the publication of The Girl on the Bus, I feel like an expectant father once again. The emotions are pretty much the same- if not quite as acute. At first, you are simply delighted at the prospect of that special date, marked on the calendar and enthusiastically shared with all your friends and family. Each morning, you check the date and sigh expectantly. Then, despite the gentle reassurances of the professionals, you begin to worry if your creation is healthy and strong enough to cope out there in the world. You hope it will not face too much criticism and rejection, that it resembles you and your values, and perhaps most of all you hope that some people will love it as much as you do. But all of this, like the future of your unborn child is utterly beyond your control. That special day will arrive, your creation will be born to the world and its life amongst the public will begin. So ultimately it becomes a matter of trust and the knowledge that, despite their reception by the outside world, your creation will always remain special to you.