Mark Edwards's Blog, page 8

Keep your diaries clear on Saturday 31 August, as this year I’m heading back to my hometown of Hastings to take part in its literary festival.

Hastings Litfest is taking place from Friday 30 August until Sunday 1 September and is the second year that the family-friendly event will be held. It will see names from the world of writing and publishing come together to share experiences, offer advice and to talk about their work with like-minded people.

I’m joining a panel that will be taking part in a lively investigation into the publishing industry in the 21st century where we will be considering the future of publishing.

The panel is chaired by Danuta Kean, who is a respected publishing industry expert and journalist. She writes for the Guardian and is also books editor of Mslexia the writers magazine for women. She recently wrote a no-holds-barred report on access and opportunity in the publishing industry. The panel will include myself, other authors, publishers and agents. Click here for more details

You can find out more about the festival, what’s on and buy tickets here: Hastings Litfest

It’s almost time to say goodbye to Jamie, Kirsty and Lucy, the three central characters from The Magpies.

Next Tuesday, April 30th, Last of the Magpies, the final part of the trilogy that started with The Magpies and continued with A Murder of Magpies, will be published. The Magpies was my first solo novel and it was the book that allowed me to fulfil my dream of being a full-time author, so writing the ending of this story was an emotional experience. Thankfully,  the advance reviews have been great. Last of the Magpies answers all the questions that were posed in the first two books and I think everyone will find the ending satisfying.

Keeping with tradition, I’ll be hosting a live launch party on Facebook, starting at 8pm UK time on Tuesday 30th April (See your local time here if you’re not in the UK)

There will be an exciting prize draw, I’ll be answering your questions, talking about The Magpies trilogy and sharing details about my next book. Follow this link for more details and please click ‘Going’ to let me know you can make it, and so Facebook notifies you before the event starts.

Last of the Magpies launch party

I’ll be in touch again on Tuesday with a reminder. In the meantime, happy reading and I hope to see you at the party!

Mark

Last of the Magpies is available as a Kindle ebook and audiobook. If you don’t have a Kindle you can easily get the Kindle app on your phone or tablet. Last of the Magpies is another novella and has a low price to reflect that.

You can pre-order it here.

I’m thrilled to reveal the cover of Last of the Magpies, which will be published on 30 April. It’s not long to wait now. . .

Where is Lucy? Can Kirsty forgive Jamie? Who will survive the final showdown? All will be revealed in the final part of the Magpies trilogy.

“Twelve months ago, Jamie Knight walked straight into Lucy Newton’s trap. Both Jamie and his ex-wife Kirsty barely survived. Now, with the police investigation into Lucy’s disappearance going nowhere, Jamie teams up with a true crime podcaster to track down his nemesis.

But can Jamie persuade Kirsty to help? Can Kirsty forgive him for his past mistakes? And who, if anyone, will survive the final showdown? Featuring extracts from Lucy’s secret memoir, Last of the Magpies brings the trilogy to a shocking conclusion.”

She’s back…for the final time.

I’m excited to reveal that the third, climactic part of The Magpies will be published on April 30th. It’s called LAST OF THE MAGPIES and will feature the final showdown between Jamie, Kirsty and Lucy, as well as excerpts from Lucy’s unseen memoir, which reveals her origins, how she met Chris and what was really going on in their basement flat…

LAST OF THE MAGPIES will be available as an ebook and audiobook, and I’m waiting to hear if it (and A Murder of Magpies) will also be a paperback. It’s another short one – about a third of the length of a standard novel – but it’s perfectly formed!

Full blurb and cover reveal coming soon.

Who’s excited?

Isabel’s life seemed perfect. Successful business, beautiful house, adoring husband. And then she was dead.

For four years Jessica has never doubted that her sister Isabel’s death was an accident. But when Jessica’s young daughter seems to know long-forgotten details about her aunt’s past, Jessica can’t shake the feeling that there’s a more sinister truth behind the tragedy.

As Jessica unearths disturbing revelations about her sister, and about the people she loved and trusted most, it becomes clear Isabel’s life was less than perfect and that Jessica’s might also be at risk.

Did someone murder Isabel? Are they now after Jessica and her family? The key seems to lie in the hands of a child. Can Isabel reveal the truth from beyond the grave, or is the answer closer to home?

In Her Shadow is a gripping tale of family secrets, lies and obsession from the two million copy bestselling author Mark Edwards.

Two years ago, Julia lost her family in a tragic accident. Her husband drowned trying to save their daughter, Lily, in the river near their rural home. But the little girl’s body was never found—and Julia believes Lily is somehow still alive.

Alone and broke, Julia opens her house as a writers’ retreat. One of the first guests is Lucas, a horror novelist, who becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Lily. But within days of his arrival, the peace of the retreat is shattered by a series of eerie events.

When Lucas’s investigation leads him and Julia into the woods, they discover a dark secret—a secret that someone will do anything to protect…

What really happened that day by the river? Why was Lily never found? And who, or what, is haunting the retreat?

Five years ago Jamie Knight lost everything: his home, his wife and their unborn child. But at least the woman responsible, ‘Dark Angel’ Lucy Newton, was in prison, and slowly Jamie was able to rebuild his life.

But now Lucy has been freed on appeal, and before long Jamie receives a message from a desperate stranger. Lucy is up to her old tricks—ruining lives for fun.

Jamie agrees to help. But once again, he has no idea what he is getting himself into…

Exciting news for anyone who enjoyed The Magpies – the sequel, A Murder of Magpies, will be published on 6 February 2018.

Here’s the blurb:

Five years ago, Jamie Knight lost everything: his home, his wife, their unborn child. But at least the woman responsible, ‘dark angel’ Lucy Newton, was in prison and, slowly, Jamie was able to rebuild his life.

But then Lucy is freed on appeal, and Jamie receives a message from a desperate stranger. Lucy is up to her old tricks – ruining lives for fun.

Jamie agrees to help. But once again, he has no idea what he is getting himself into…

A Murder of Magpies is a novella, approximately 24,000 words long, which means it’s about one-third the length of a full novel. It will be exclusive to Kindle and available in Amazon stores worldwide.

I had enormous fun writing this book and I think it captures the mood and tone of the original so that fans of The Magpies will love it. It was surprising how easy it was to get back into Jamie’s head five years after I wrote the original book. But, most of all, it gave me a delicious shiver of pleasure to bring Lucy Newton back. And in this book, she’s scarier and more despicable than ever…

Please keep an eye on my Facebook page for giveaways, including advance review copies, in the near future. I’ll also be tweeting about it and posting on Instagram.

I can’t wait for you to get reacquainted with Jamie, Kirsty and – most of all – Lucy.

It was the happiest day of her life. Little did she know it was also the last.

When a woman’s body is found in the grounds of a ruined priory, Detective Imogen Evans realises she is dealing with a serial killer—a killer whose victims appear to die in a state of bliss, eyes open, smiles forever frozen on their faces.

A few miles away, single dad Ben Hofland believes his fortunes are changing at last. Forced to move back to the sleepy village where he grew up following the breakdown of his marriage, Ben finally finds work. What’s more, the bullies who have been terrorising his son, Ollie, disappear. For the first time in months, Ben feels lucky.

But he is unaware that someone is watching him and Ollie. Someone who wants nothing but happiness for Ben.

Happiness…and death.

The Lucky Ones is the terrifying new thriller from the #1 Kindle bestselling author of Follow You Home and The Devil’s Work.

It was the job she had dreamed of. But on her very first day, she wonders if she has made a fatal mistake…

A gripping psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Follow You Home and The Magpies.

It was the job she had dreamed of since childhood. But on her very first day, when an unnerving encounter drags up memories Sophie Greenwood would rather forget, she wonders if she has made a mistake. A fatal mistake.

What is her ambitious young assistant really up to? And what exactly happened to Sophie’s predecessor? When her husband and daughter are pulled into the nightmare, Sophie is forced to confront the darkest secrets she has carried for years.

As her life begins to fall apart at work and at home, Sophie must race to uncover the truth about her new job…before it kills her.