Were you following World Book Night activities? If so, you will have seen bestselling author Dorothy Koomson leading the charge with her novel, The Ice Cream Girls.
We recently caught up with Dorothy about her up coming novel, Tell Me Your Secret, which is out this June. And, as one of the most hotly anticipated emotional thrillers of the summer, we are also offering 15 reading groups the chance to win a set of early reading copes of Tell Me Your Secret (see details on how to enter below)
The interview
What is Tell Me Your Secret About?
My 15th novel is the tale of a woman called Pieta who had a very close encounter with a serial killer but manages to survive. She tries to move on with her life and never tells anyone what happened. Ten years later another woman comes forward who says she was held by the same man and not only that, she believes the serial killer called The Blindfolder is going back and murdering his previous victims. Pieta is now faced with a decision – tell the police what happened to her or keep quiet in the hopes that she can stay safe.
What inspired you to write the new novel?
With this book, I wanted to look at what it means to be a survivor and victim in today’s world as well as exploring how the tentacles of crime reach out and encompass everyone including those who aren’t, at first glance, directly touched by the crime. In the book, Pieta is not perfect, none of the Blindfolder’s victims are, and that is something that effects how the crimes against them are investigated.
Are any of the characters based on a real people?
None of the characters are based on real people but they are based on real experiences. I love writing about flawed people and there are quite a few in Tell Me Your Secret, just like there are lots of us with failings in real life.
Tell us about the book’s setting and what importance it plays
Like most of my later books, Tell Me Your Secret is based mainly in Brighton and Hove. For me, the setting of a place is vital in making the story come alive. In this story, Pieta runs away to Brighton to start again and finds real solace here. I wanted to get across how changing your environment can have a soothing effect on your soul.
Do you think Tell Me Your Secret will make good reading group discussion? What are the central themes/issues that can be drawn out?
All the people who have read the book say that there is so much to think and talk about with Tell Me Your Secret. Like my other books, this novel is an emotional thriller where there is a crime to be investigated but the focus of the story is on the emotions of the characters involved in the story. One of the main themes of this book is what it’s like to be a victim and survivor in today’s world. Hopefully the book will challenge people to think how we treat people and how that influences why so many women are unwilling to come forward when something bad happens to them.
The competition
We are offering 15 reading groups the chance to WIN a set of Tell Me Your Secret early reading copies for their group. Apply here and tweet #TellMeYourSecret tagging @Headlinepg @ReadingAgency, telling us why you’d like to read the book.
Would you like Dorothy Koomson as a guest at your book group?
If you are successful in winning a set of early reading copies for your book, you may be in with a chance of having Dorothy Koomson attend your book group! Find out more, at the next stage, when you receive your early reading copies.
