“My agent didn’t know what to call it,” said Melissa Jones from Northiam whose latest novel Gone for a Soldier has just been published. “Is it a mystery? Is it a psychological thriller? I don’t know but it is a read. People say they can’t put it down.”
Gone for a Soldier centres on themes of deception, manipulation and false identity. “It’s based on lying, coercive control and pretending to be somebody you’re not. It’s propulsive and it is plotty, but it isn’t the plot that you think you might get. There are lots of twists.”
The book explores dark psychological territory, but she believes writers do not need dark lives to write convincingly about difficult subjects. “I think that’s what writers do. They live in their minds. Dramatising interior horror can be done wherever and whoever you are. If you think about Henry James and the Turn of the Screw which is one of my favourites, or Ruth Rendell or PD James sitting in their nice houses, they didn’t have dark and terrible lives but they could certainly write about them.”
The book has taken a long time to get to print. “It’s actually taken me seven years to write it. From doing a first draft in six to eight months to a seven-year novel is quite a thing.”
The delay was partly due to major changes in her personal life. After writing her historical novel The Hidden Heart of Emily Hudson, she found herself balancing work, family life and a new career in teaching and tutoring. A move to Northiam after her two sons left home means she is now able to combine working as a tutor and writing. “I absolutely love it here, especially being near the sea. I can go whenever I want now instead of having to drive for two hours.”
With Gone for a Soldier now published, Melissa Jones is already thinking about her next project. The story is still taking shape, but one thing is certain it may require research trips to Trieste and Syracuse. “Any excuse!”
Details about Gone for a Soldier here.
https://www.melissajoneswriter.com/
Image Credits: Melissa Jones .