Fiction developmental and line editor and proofreader specialising in crime, thriller and suspense
CONGRATULATIONS! I am so excited to share that A J Wills, one of my fabulously talented authors, has been shortlisted for The Selfies Book Awards 2023!
Continue reading “The Selfies Book Awards 2023 – A J Wills shortlisted!”
🥳📚Happy Publication Day to NEVER TOO LATE, the latest in the Sally Rigby’s Sebastian Clifford Private Detective series.
I was so thrilled to be asked to work with Sally on this project, not only because it’s set in my home county of Leicestershire, but also because Sally’s a smashing writer!
Whether you’re new to Sally’s writing, or a die-hard fan, this is a fantastic crime read. And if you’re fan of Sally’s Cavendish and Walker series, you’re in for a treat, as your favourite duo make more than just a cameo in this novel. But fear not, if you aren’t familiar with the series, this is just as gripping a detective novel, all the same!
Scroll down to read an exclusive interview with the author!
Over the Christmas holidays, I’d reached a bit of a rut in my personal free-time reading, with so many novels feeling a bit generic, but as soon as I picked up The Long Weekend by Gilly Macmillan, I was hooked and I could barely put it down. Despite the fact that I read psychological thrillers by the bookcase-load, the latest novel by the Sunday Times bestselling author feels fresh and the characters and voice so authentic! (Her best, yet, perhaps!?!)
Set in a holiday home on the wilds of a Northumberland moor, this is a tense and gripping exploration of the toxicity and fragility of friendships and the secrets that people hide from each other. Longtime fans of Gilly’s writing are going to love this novel – this one certainly does! – but also I’m sure it’s going to inspire many more readers to pick up Gilly’s books.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Gilly on one her previous books, The Nanny, so I was delighted to be part of the blog tour for The Long Weekend. Despite being super busy preparing for publication day, Gilly was lovely enough to answer some of my burning questions on how the novel came to be, but also how she always gets her legendary twists so right!
Scroll down to read an exclusive interview with the author!
One of the best parts of working with authors is seeing their work get better and better with every manuscript, and A J Wills is one such superstar. I’ve worked with Wills on two books so far, and each time he’s brought an even more thrilling concept to the table – earning himself a Selfie Award nomination in the process. With a flair for creating complex characters and hooks that you just can’t resist, you can’t go far wrong with an A J Wills thriller.
It was an utter joy to work with A J Wills on his latest novel, NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE, an electrifying psychological thriller that poses questions about how one careless action can snowball into tragedy. And revenge.
I was delighted to get the chance to ask A J Wills some questions ahead of publication day – today – discussing what inspired him to write thrillers, and why keeping things close to home makes the twists all the more unnerving.
Scroll down to read an exclusive interview with the author!
When you’ve lost everything, revenge is all that’s left.
After securing the convictions of two violent murderers for a horrific and brutal attack on a pensioner in his own home, Henry’s wife, Abi should be celebrating. As a renowned criminal lawyer, it was her biggest test. But someone’s not happy.
First, there’s the hooded stranger who follows her home in the dead of night.
Then comes the attack on her car and a death threat in the form of an anonymous hand-delivered letter.
Someone’s trying to scare them. Someone wants revenge.
And they’ll stop at nothing until they’ve brought the couple to their knees – and exacted a deadly retribution…
Nothing Left To Lose is an electrifying psychological thriller from the No. 1 bestselling author of Selfie 2021-nominated His Wife’s Sister.
Last month, I was delighted to be invited by the UK Crime Book Club to speak in one of their Ask the Expert slots. So far, the series has featured publishers, police specialists as well as marketing aficionados, and now it was my turn to talk all about editing!
If was a fantastic evening, and Samantha and I chatted all about editing, writing crime fiction and, strangely enough, cheese, along with much more. If you weren’t able to watch the interview live, it’s now available to view both on the UK Crime Book Club YouTube channel (see below), so do check it out. It is a great chance to find out more about what an editor does in general, how I personally help authors with their manuscripts, as well as the nuances of working in the grisly but addictive world of crime fiction, in a fun and informal format.
If you enjoyed that, don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions, and follow me on social media (links at the bottom of the page) for more news, updates, and general chit chat.
And don’t forget to check out the UK Crime Book Club interviews with my authors Catherine Yaffe, Simon McCleave, Sally Rigby and Morgan Greene!
As an editor, one of the greatest pleasures of the job is seeing your authors go from strength to strength, and it’s been an utter privilege watching Simon’s star rise higher and higher. It seems like a lifetime ago that we started work on The Snowdonia Killings back in 2019, and now book ten in the series, The Seine River Killings comes out later this week (bookmark your diaries, folks!). All that hard work has certainly paid off! Very proud editor, indeed!
Last month, I was invited to talk to a group of aspiring authors at the Book Brilliance’s monthly Voice and Pen networking event on the topic of the importance of editing. It was lovely to hear from so many motivated and talented authors about their current projects, and it was a privilege to be invited to speak.
However, for those of you who were unable to make the event, I wanted to make sure I was able to share my advice, so I’ve converted my speech into a two-part blog, all about the importance of editing.
In Part 1, I discussed the reasons why you should work with an editor, such as an editor adds a fresh and objective eye to your work as well as brings years of experience to your manuscript (to find out more, check out Part 1 here). Now, I’m back with Part 2, which is a collection of handy tips and tricks to consider when searching and working with an editor.
If you’d prefer to watch the full talk, the event was recorded, so you can check out the full presentation here. But if not, dive into Part 2: Finding and Working with the Right Editor for You.
Rebecca Millar Editorial 