What inspired the idea behind this book?
It all started with the title.
Four years ago, I was sat in a bar in Frankfurt, Germany, with a group of colleagues when I said I had an idea for a book called Twelve Secrets. It would be written in twelve parts with a secret revealed at the end of each part. It wasn’t too long after the TV series Broadchurch had been a huge hit here in the UK and my idea was to create a close-knit community, where everybody knew everybody – or thought they did.
That night in Frankfurt, which was towards the end of 2017, everybody I was with loved the idea. I pitched to them the idea that as each secret was revealed it would take the story forward until the final secret at the very end of the story brought everything together in a way was impossible to see coming.
By the end of the night, I’d decided to write Twelve Secrets although it was another year before I sat down to do that. Most of the book was written in 2019 – that tells you just how long it can take for a debut novel to go from initial writing to publication day!
Tell us about your background and what led you to writing this book.
When I was growing up, if anyone asked me what I wanted to be I would say a journalist and a writer. I never made it to first part, but I guess now thirty or forty years later, I’ve made it to the second.
I think I knew even as a kid, it was difficult to just say I wanted to be a writer – I had to earn a living somehow – so I set my heart on becoming a journalist. I went as fat as interning at CNN in Washington DC, and I completely loved it.
It was at the start of the Clinton presidency and I can remember going along to interview different senators in their congressional offices – I was just the bag carrier! – but it seemed like a different world.
The big political scandal at the time was Nannygate, when it was discovered the Clinton nominee for Attorney General had been employing an illegal immigrant for childcare. Me and another intern were dispatched around Washington and northern Virginia to literally knock on the doors of former Attorney Generals to try and discover any similar practices. The main thing I remember is two dogs chasing us down a sweeping driveway and us running to get back into our car.
I didn’t uncover any great political scandal and although I loved working in TV news when I came back to the UK I failed to get a job in news. I think in life you just have to accept things like that and look for you next opportunity and I went off and worked in retail.
My desire to be a journalist must have stayed with me though as Ben Harper, the lead character in Twelve Secrets, is an investigative journalist. I think all authors are asked if there is anything of them in their characters, so I guess there is that part of me in Ben. I learnt at CNN if you want to be first to a story you have not to worry about what others might think and Ben’s doesn’t shy away from taking risks to get to the truth.
I’m now entering my twentieth year working in sales in the publishing industry and of course that has also had an influence over my desire and determination to write this book. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a wide variety of hugely talented writers. I often thought over the years I would love to write a book, but it isn’t only about the idea – its about the commitment to the time to sit down and write it.
What are you hoping the reader will take away from reading your book?
Before I wrote Twelve Secrets, I worked as a co-author with James Patterson on three of his short books, Bookshots series (The Hostage, The Verdict, Kidnapped). Unquestionably, James is the world’s greatest storyteller, and he is unique in the way he has entertained readers with so many different stories and characters.
What I learnt from working with him is that in every single page of his books he moves the story forward or he develops his characters. He wants to be sure the reader is constantly entertained, and I hope I’ve managed to achieve some of that in my own way.
Books offer us so many things – entertainment, education, learning, investigation, insight – but I think every author must want on some level the reading experience to be an enjoyable one. So, for me, the aim is to entertain the reader and let them enjoy the story as it unfolds.
What was the most challenging part of writing this book?
Writing a book really is a team effort. It sounds a strange thing to say but working with a team of people at your publishing company is vital. And the closest relationship you have is with your editor. They become almost as close to the story as the author is. Twelve Secrets contains a lot of twists and turns along the way and I worked very closely with my editor to ensure everything came together in the end. Pulling all the threads together was a challenge but ultimately still a hugely enjoyable part of the writing process.
I wrote Twelve Secrets during 2019 and then found an agent at the start of 2020. It was the second half of 2020 by the time I agreed a publishing deal with Hachette whose preference was to then wait to publish the book in early 2022. We completed the editorial process around April or May last year and very sadly my dad passed away at the end of April. It meant he never got to read Twelve Secrets, so for me on a personal level that has been the most challenging thing. I know my mum feels the same sadness that he didn’t get to read the book, but I have dedicated it to him, and readers will see I find a small way to bring him into the story itself.
What’s some great advice you’ve received that has helped you as a writer?
As an author, and even more as a debut author, sitting down with a blank screen or blank sheet or paper at the start of the writing process can be the most intimidating thing in the world.
The very best piece of advice I received was simply to “get something down”. In your first draft you just need to crack on and don’t look back. It is very easy to get trapped into the space where you want to got back and change the first, second and third lines. If you do, you’re in danger of never getting started.
So, the best piece advice I was given by an experienced and wise editor was, crack on with that first draft and don’t look back until you’re a pretty much done. Only you as the writer need ever see that draft and once you have something down then you have something to work with. Then you can go back and change as much as you want!
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