Bestselling Author, Sheryl Browne, writes taut, twisty psychological thriller. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies where she completed her MA in Creative Writing. Sheryl has also obtained a Certificate of Achievement in Forensic Science and – according to readers – she makes an excellent psychopath. Sheryl’s latest psychological thriller The Invite comes to you from Bookouture. Her previous works include the DI Matthew Adams Crime Thriller series, along with contemporary fiction novels, The Rest of My Life and Learning to Love.
Here, Sheryl opens up about her journey with writing, in an exclusive piece for Female First.
1. I can’t live without it. If you’re passionate about your writing, it’s your soul food. You would suffer emotional starvation without it.
2. In setting out to write something, whether it be an essay, short story, blog post, a review, or a novel, you are committing to something. Completing that task gives you a massive sense of achievement. If your writing doesn’t at first quite make it in the way you’d hoped, you have still reached your goal. The words are yours. You are a writer. See how this can be food for the soul?
3. A writer’s mind thrives on exploration. Every face, every place and every scenario tells a story. In researching that story, the characters and their location, their obstacles and their challenges, you grow with them. You learn as you write and become enriched by that knowledge.
4. Writing allows us to imagine new worlds, to transport ourselves there and view life through other people’s eyes. Diversity in our writing is therefore so important.
5. As you research, explore and grow, you become familiar with other authors and you can learn so much from them (as Stephen King famously said, “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write”. Other authors can show you how to weave a story and they can be a massive inspiration for your own writing.
6. The writing community is such a supportive place. Check out the #writingcommunity Twitter tag. If you’re struggling with your own writing obstacles, you can bet there will be people there who will encourage you on and support you. We’re all in the same boat. If you need a hand, reach out.
7. We couldn’t survive without readers. When a reader gets your book, loves your book and shouts it out to the world, that’s the very best incentive of all. The feedback for The Invite, my latest Psychological Thriller from Bookouture, has been amazing. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
Happy writing and reading all!
Sheryl Browne's new book, The Invite, is out now. To find out more about Sheryl, visit her website, www.sherylbrowne.com.
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