1 Day to Publication!
Before publication, I thought I’d give some background into the inspiration for the novel, Bury Our Secrets. If you haven’t heard what it’s about, a quick summary is:
Henry Herbert must use his uncle’s funeral in Margaret River to expose his estranged family’s lies and solve a murder. If they don’t kill him first.
Simple, right? So, what prompted this cheery scenario? Well, this book’s been under construction for a while, the first draft in 2018. I’ve set it in the pre-COVID era, leading up to the summer where the world changed (which will impact future novels). Without giving too much of the plot away, I’ll break down a couple of moments that shaped the plot/location.
Funerals are never easy. Worse when everybody isn’t on the same page. A while back, I was attending the funeral of a family friend. They had a funeral director/company read the eulogy, the family too emotional to do so. The person did their best, but they got so many details wrong. Reading the wrong names, getting pronunciations incorrect. That was perhaps the last spark I needed to create a character who has to go through something like that––Henry Herbert must give a eulogy for an uncle he hasn’t seen for 15 years, while dealing with a horrible secret his family has kept hidden! I tried to tap into that why me aspect, the guilt that comes with falling out of touch with a loved one, of not knowing the awful things they were going through.
Henry Herbert has to go through this to build the type of character he is for the series. He has to make some tough choices, and they will impact every future novel.
Why set the story in Margaret River? I’m a Perth suburbs lad, I have no business setting a book elsewhere, do I? Well, most of my family is from the region: Busselton, Bunbury, Margaret River. I went there a lot as a kid, but nowhere near enough as an adult. It was on an anniversary trip to Margaret River that everything fell into place, though. To put it simply, while re-exploring some of the amazing tourist spots Margaret River has to offer, I just knew that this was the place I needed to throw Henry Herbert. I make him a city-boy, like myself, and plonk him into a place where the environment is as much as character as his estranged family. He’s out of touch with them, he’s out of touch with the location. So, he’s naïve, convinces himself he’s in no danger and overlooks things, until the truth about a murder falls into place. Of course, the location also presented itself with a perfect place to try and get away with said murder. In the fictional realm, of course.
That’s enough inspiration for today. Much more to talk about, later.
The next time I type something here, Bury Our Secrets will be published! I may not have had any sleep between moments––some amazing Margaret River coffee will keep me going! Until then, take care. Thanks for reading.
Comments