Blog

BETRAY HER by Caroline England – Publication Day post

Betray her

I’m delighted to wish the fabulous Caroline England the very happiest of publication days for her book BETRAY HER which is out in paperback today!

And isn’t it the most gorgeous cover?

Caroline has kindly written a piece telling us all about what influenced the writing of this brilliant psychological thriller/domestic suspense novel. But first, here’s the blurb to whet your appetitie!

Best friends forever.

That’s the pact you made.

You’d do anything for her.

And you have.

She’s always had it all.

If you could take it for yourself . . . would you?

_______________

Lust, secrets and revenge are at the heart of this irresistibly twisted thriller by the bestselling author of My Husband’s Lies. Perfect for fans of Claire McGowan’s The Other Wife and Adele Parks’s Lies Lies Lies.

Link to buy: Amazon

Over to you, Caroline!

Film and television influences

Though Betray Her is a psychological thriller/domestic suspense, and therefore classed as crime fiction, other genres creep into my writing including a little romance! Watching television and films certainly influences what I write. If you read Betray Her, see if you can spot any of these influences!

Film noir – When I was a child there weren’t a million television channels, reality TV or the internet, so watching a Saturday afternoon film was a treat. My mum was a big fan of the movies, so we’d settle down to a good old black and white film noir. In my child’s eyes, too many seemed to star Humphrey Bogart (too ugly) or James Cagney (too small) but I was transfixed by films such as Gaslight, Notorious, Suspicion, Indiscreet and Rebecca. All the Hitchcock films were just brilliant. In more recent times I have loved LA Confidential, Blade Runner, Chinatown, Angel Heart. I guess I must like a story with darkness at its heart!

Dark humour – Here I go again! But I love films that are compelling and make me laugh at the same time. Humour is so important. One of my favourite films overall is In Bruges. Colin Farrell plays the hapless Ray to perfection. Other great films are Shallow Grave, The Ladykillers and Trainspotting. And if you’ve never watched Arsenic and Old Lace, do! Cary Grant is brilliant (you may have noticed I’m a fan!) On the TV side, the tragic-comedy Fleabag was just perfect.

Romantic Comedy – Who can’t resist a good old Richard Curtis film? Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill? Yup, watched them a fair few times. And my youngest daughter and I still haven’t got bored watching The Wedding Date.

Low budget independent films – I love thoughtful, character-driven films about friendship, love and human frailties – sins, regrets and guilt. Films such as The Weekend, Unrelated, Mister John, Shame, Secrets and Lies are excellent. Undertow was ingenious as the story of hidden love was taken to another spiritual level. Talking about friendship, love and frailty, my top TV series was Being Human. It was brilliantly written and acted, the attachments and compulsions, conflicts and forgivenesses were so captivating.

Killer twists – I’m a big fan of surprises and I hope I keep my readers guessing as secrets slowly unfurl. However, this makes me too alert to them when I read a novel or watch TV. I drive my family nuts by guessing the murderer or the twist mid-way through a drama, so there aren’t many films where I don’t see it coming. Some of the best film reveals are Chinatown, The Usual Suspects, Primal Fear, Shutter Island, but the best for me was the end of The Sixth Sense.

                                                                 *    *   *   *   *

Thanks so much for taking the time to share your influences, Caroline!

Caroline England was born and brought up in Yorkshire and studied Law at the University of Manchester. She was a divorce and professional indemnity lawyer before leaving the law to bring up her three daughters and turning her hand to writing. Caroline is the author of The Wife’s Secret, previously called Beneath the Skin, and the top-ten ebook bestseller My Husband’s LiesBetray Her is her third novel. She lives in Manchester with her family.

To find out more about Caroline, visit her website http://www.carolineenglandauthor.co.uk
or follow her on social media:

Twitter: @CazEngland
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/CazEngland1
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/cazengland1