A New Psychological Thriller Book: Emergence

Welcome to August’s Readerly Ramblings

It’s great to have you here.  This month, I’m telling the story behind the story of my latest novel, Emergence.

Here’s a tiny snippet from the chapter one…

"I know who the escaped prisoner is before they even name him. My breath still catches in my throat when they do, as I know, with more certainty than I’ve ever felt in my life, precisely where he’ll be heading."

Heidi Potts (Emergence)

 

The Story behind the Story

Emergence is the third and final book in The Dark Water Series.  The first book, The Yorkshire Dipper, was originally written as a standalone, but because of popular request from my readers, I wrote a follow up novel, Drowned Voices, then was delighted to realise that a third book to conclude the story would be necessary.

I’ve really enjoyed spending three books with the characters and have got to know them very well indeed, though at times, they’ve done things I hadn’t planned for!

I first came about the idea for The Yorkshire Dipper, the first in the series, as the river which flows through the town centre of my home town is notorious for drownings, particularly of those who have had a few drinks.

One of the perpetrators meets their comeuppance at the end of The Yorkshire Dipper but the other is still ‘at large.’ Drowned Voices explores the inner thoughts of this person and their impact on those closest to them.  The novel purposefully ended on an ambiguous note, paving the way for this third in series and an emphasis on what makes a villain a villain.

This third novel isn’t a ‘who dunit,’ as the first in series was, as the reader is privy to information which the characters aren’t, but is more of a ‘why dunit’ and will they get their comeuppance?

Being Yorkshire born and bred, I root all my novels here, and the accent and local references are often commented on. I have occasionally set my work in other locations and find it much more challenging!

Yorkshire-themed reader goodie bag

As you may know, with each novel I release, I give away two Yorkshire-themed goodie bags – one to my Advance Reader Team and one to another lucky reader who enters my draw which I’ll do on 31^st August..  You can enter by clicking this link. So, as always, it contains a book, a mug, some reader socks, then some other Yorkshire-related goodies to spoil you as you read!

Writing Emergence

The story of Emergence literally flowed from me, as I wrote it straight after checking through the audio version of Drowned Voices.  This ensured that the characters were still alive within me and that I carried details over correctly.

It took me just over a month, writing 2000 words each day to attain my 60,000 word first draft.  The hardest thing about writing it was that I wanted it to be able to stand alone as a novel, even to a reader who hadn’t read the first two books.  You’ll have to let me know if you think I’ve accomplished this.

Like its predecessors, it's structured into a story of two halves, this time, the first half being narrated by Heidi and the second half narrated by Alysha.  You will still see lots of Mark, Eva, Claire and Brenda from the first two books, and of course, Will.

To get your copy of Emergence, click here:

Eyebrow-raising research

Because I could draw on research from the first two books and already knew my characters, the research for Emergence wasn’t quite so intensive, but what was required would still raise an eyebrow or three…

How long do anti-psychotic drugs take to wear off?

What’s the inside of a prisoner transport van like?

What happens when someone is strangled?

Can you have a cremation without a ceremony?

How would a body get washed out to sea?

And now, to whet your appetite...

Prologue

The van’s on its roof, I’m sure of it. I must be lying on it. The seat’s above my head, and there’s a broken concrete post sitting next to it. It looks to have missed me by inches. I feel as sick as a pig, but at least I’m alive.

Letting my eyes close, I try to recall the impact, my head hurting more with the effort. It must have been substantial – the post has skewered the window and forced the steel door. As I open my eyes, I hoist myself onto my elbows, surveying my surroundings. There should be voices, sirens, footsteps.  Instead, there’s nothing apart from eerie silence.  I complete a brief recce of myself. Although I’m sore, everything seems to bend and move as it should.

Possibilities cascade through my mind as I twist my body through the gap in the doorframe of my cage, my laboured breath loud in the stillness. When I get to the other side, I pause. And listen.  The driver’s cab is silent, as is the accompanying officer who was travelling back here with me.  As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I pick his shape out, slumped beside the luggage racks. The angle of his neck suggests he’s just taken his last journey.

I straighten myself into a sitting position, waiting for pain.  Surely something must be broken, mangled, dismembered… but no.  As I roll my shoulders, then my neck, I wince, but I’m clearly made of tougher stuff than these two fairies were.  Other than the bang to the back of my head and what could be whiplash, I’m unscathed.

My gaze falls on two large polythene bags emblazoned with the HM Prison Service logo.  My stuff. Bloody hell. This could be it here. I’d be an idiot not to take this chance.  I crawl through the debris and drag the bags towards me.  With shaking hands, I eventually rip them apart. One contains the effects from twelve long years of incarceration – sachets of soup, hot chocolate, dog-eared photographs.  The other has my belongings from when I was arrested, most of which were not worth keeping after being dredged from the river, but they’ve been kept anyway.  I grapple in the bag for my wallet, praying it’s still stuffed with the twenty-pound notes I withdrew when I took Heidi on the run. It is. It bloody is. I let a long breath out. Then I rummage for the bag containing the clothes I wore for my trial. No matter how battered and bruised I feel, I’ll have to get changed.  I won’t get far in what I’m currently wearing.

I hardly dare to believe I can get out of this and away from here.  But who in their right mind wouldn’t grab this opportunity with both hands?

***

Normally I’d be up an embankment like this in two seconds flat, but it feels like five inches forward, ten inches back. Getting to the top takes an age, but eventually I’m here, peering around in the darkness, in the hope there’ll be a road sign not too far away.  I don’t have a clue where I am. Nor do I know what time it is. The battery will have long ago run out on my watch in the property bag.  It’s disorientating enough travelling backwards in a transfer van.  But I could have been unconscious for hours for all I know. And as for what day it is – well for all these years, they’ve just meshed into each other.  I really don’t know what’s going to happen from here, or how far I’ll get.  But I know exactly where I’m heading.

Comments from My Advance Reader Team:

“Finishing this made me want to go back & re-read books.” 1 & 2 (Kym)

“An excellent series. I am sad it has ended.” (Tiffany)

“The last few chapters were sooo tense!” (Sarah)

“A great, great read. I can’t praise it enough.” (Gill)

As always, a special thanks to my Advance Reader Team.

Anyway, I had previously decided after finishing this series that I would be back to writing standalones.  However…

My next book, Frenemy has now become the first of three as well.  Also there are calls for sequels to some of my other books, so I’d love to hear your thoughts on this! Do drop into the comments and you could additionally let me know whether you are generally drawn towards standalone novels or books in a series.  It’s great information for me to have for future reference.

Join my 'keep in touch' list

And speaking of the future, if you’d like info about upcoming releases, giveaways and special offers, please join my 'keep in touch list' and I'll send you a download link for this novella, 'The Brother in Law' as a thank you for joining.

What I am reading

This month’s read is ‘The Marriage’ by KL Slater.  It comes up all the time as a ‘comparable’ title on The Hen Party's Amazon page, and the sub title has grabbed me – 10 years ago he killed my son.  Today I married him.’ Wow!

What I am writing

After lots of procrastination, or perhaps I just needed a rest,  I’ve now got started on the first draft of Last Orders which is due for release on the 1^st March 2023.  The main character is around the same age as me and struggling with her new-found empty-nest status.  However, she’s going to find out what happens when you play with fire…

I’m also still working on my short stories for the lovely readers who buy me a coffee!  Thanks to all who have so far – I’m always over the moon when I get the email notifications!  Honestly, you don’t know how happy they make me!

If you want to support me, visit buymeacoffee.com/mariafrankland and I'll send you a free collection of short stories (eBook) that I'm currently working on at the end of 2022.

What I am editing

I’m now proof reading Frenemy before my Advance Reader Team get it. I can’t wait to share this story with you.  You’re going to love Donna… or love to hate her anyway.  Frenemy is now available to pre-order on Amazon.

Thanks for being here – as always drop into the comments to say hello. I love to hear from you! See you next month.

Bye for now,

Maria

I post a new blog for my readers on every month and this blog is also available as a video.