Anna Sayburn Lane

Thriller author

mystery

The Crimson Thread: out now

by

The third Helen Oddfellow mystery takes Helen out of London, to the cathedral city of Canterbury in Kent. Helen is expecting an exciting night out at the theatre – but things quickly become a bit too exciting for comfort.

A bloody curse, a (fresh) body in the cathedral crypt and a choirboy in peril make for a night at the theatre that Helen won’t forget. Helen will need all her intelligence and bravery to navigate the secrets of Canterbury cathedral and its tombs. But can she catch a killer – before he strikes again?

You can buy an e-book for 99p over here, or get an e-book free when you sign up to my newsletter here. Paperbacks cost £6.99 and can be purchased here.

Judging a book by its cover

by

Despite the advice not to, we do all judge books by their covers – how else are you to know whether a particular title is the type of book you love, or not your cup of tea? So getting the right cover for Unlawful Things was a big challenge for me.

I spent a lot of time hanging around libraries and book shops, looking at the shelves. Where would my book fit? What sort of covers did thrillers and mysteries have? What made one book stand out and catch my eye, while others barely registered?

There are clear conventions in book genres. Curly writing, pastel colours and idyllic settings or pretty illustrations spell romance. Stark, often brightly coloured text against a dark background, perhaps with a woman looking fearfully over her shoulder – psychological thrillers. I was after something that conveyed mystery, intrigue and a historical back story. I had a few ideas, including using the skulls on the graveyard gates where Marlowe is buried, and where some of the key scenes in the novel took place. I commissioned cover designer Jessica Bell.

After some discussion about the book and my ideas for the cover, Jessica sent me some options to choose between. One very spooky graveyard scene was particularly impressive – but after asking people what they thought, it was clear that it suggested a horror or ghost story. Good as the cover was, it promised the wrong thing. I asked Jessica to rejig an image from one of the other options, with a mysterious staircase – and she came up with this terrific cover, which I really love. I hope it intrigues you and makes you want to take a look inside – which, after all, is the only real way to judge a book.

Keen to find out more? Subscribe to my newsletter here.