SOPHIE MORTON-THOMAS chats to Paul about her psychological suspense novel BIRD SPOTTING IN A SMALL TOWN, Fran and Tad, ornithology, studying a masters in crime & thriller writing and getting enough sleep.
BIRD SPOTTING IN A SMALL TOWN My feet are itching to walk to the shore, to leave the kids again, to sit with the birds and pretend none of this has happened.
In a small, isolated town on the North Norfolk coast, Fran's life is unravelling.
As she fills her days cleaning the caravan park she owns, she is preoccupied by worry - about the behaviour of her son, the growing absence of her husband and the strained relationship with her sister. Her one source of solace is slipping out to the beach early in the morning, to watch the birds.
Small-town tension simmers when a new teacher starts at the local school and a Romany community settle in the field adjoining Fran's caravan park. From the distance of his caravan, seventy-year-old Tad quietly watches the townspeople - mainly, Fran's family.
When the schoolteacher and Fran's brother-in-law both go missing on the same night, accusations fly. Yet all Fran can seem to care about is the birds.
Sophie Morton-Thomas was born in West Sussex and has always loved reading and writing - she had about ten penfriends as a child. She is now an English teacher as well as a mum to three (two grownup!) children and two cats. Her first novel, Travel by Night, was published by darkstroke, an imprint of Crooked Cat Books, and was a No.1 Bestseller across multiple Amazon Kindle categories. She is currently a student on the University of Cambridge's Crime and Thriller Writing master's degree and recently moved to the coast for work - but also for inspiration for her stories!
Recommendations
Rebecca Daphne du Maurier
The Stopping Places: A Journey Through Gypsy Britain Damian le Bas
Shuggie Bain Douglas Stuart
Paul Burke writes for Crime Time, Crime Fiction Lover and the European Literature Network. He is also a CWA Historical Dagger Judge 2023. His first book An Encyclopedia of Spy Fiction will be out in 2025.
Music courtesy of Guy Hale KILLING ME SOFTLY - MIKE ZITO featuring Kid Anderson. GUY HALE
Produced by Junkyard Dog
Crime Time
Crime Time FM is the official podcast of
Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival 2023
CrimeFest 2023
CWA Daggers 2023
& Newcastle Noir 2023
2024 Slaughterfest, National Crime Reading Month, CWA Daggers
SOPHIE MORTON-THOMAS chats to Paul about her psychological suspense novel BIRD SPOTTING IN A SMALL TOWN, Fran and Tad, ornithology, studying a masters in crime & thriller writing and getting enough sleep.
BIRD SPOTTING IN A SMALL TOWN My feet are itching to walk to the shore, to leave the kids again, to sit with the birds and pretend none of this has happened.
In a small, isolated town on the North Norfolk coast, Fran's life is unravelling.
As she fills her days cleaning the caravan park she owns, she is preoccupied by worry - about the behaviour of her son, the growing absence of her husband and the strained relationship with her sister. Her one source of solace is slipping out to the beach early in the morning, to watch the birds.
Small-town tension simmers when a new teacher starts at the local school and a Romany community settle in the field adjoining Fran's caravan park. From the distance of his caravan, seventy-year-old Tad quietly watches the townspeople - mainly, Fran's family.
When the schoolteacher and Fran's brother-in-law both go missing on the same night, accusations fly. Yet all Fran can seem to care about is the birds.
Sophie Morton-Thomas was born in West Sussex and has always loved reading and writing - she had about ten penfriends as a child. She is now an English teacher as well as a mum to three (two grownup!) children and two cats. Her first novel, Travel by Night, was published by darkstroke, an imprint of Crooked Cat Books, and was a No.1 Bestseller across multiple Amazon Kindle categories. She is currently a student on the University of Cambridge's Crime and Thriller Writing master's degree and recently moved to the coast for work - but also for inspiration for her stories!
Recommendations
Rebecca Daphne du Maurier
The Stopping Places: A Journey Through Gypsy Britain Damian le Bas
Shuggie Bain Douglas Stuart
Paul Burke writes for Crime Time, Crime Fiction Lover and the European Literature Network. He is also a CWA Historical Dagger Judge 2023. His first book An Encyclopedia of Spy Fiction will be out in 2025.
Music courtesy of Guy Hale KILLING ME SOFTLY - MIKE ZITO featuring Kid Anderson. GUY HALE
Produced by Junkyard Dog
Crime Time
Crime Time FM is the official podcast of
Gwyl Crime Cymru Festival 2023
CrimeFest 2023
CWA Daggers 2023
& Newcastle Noir 2023
2024 Slaughterfest, National Crime Reading Month, CWA Daggers