Careless memories…

One question I get asked most often is how do I manage to keep coming up with fresh ideas after so many books? It’s a good question, but one not easy to answer. Sometimes I see a picture that inspires me. I’ve even had an idea while wandering around a Parisian cemetery (probably more than one, now that I come to think about it).

In less than a month, a brand new Hugo Investigates book (the fourteenth!) will arrive on the tenth anniversary of the first. ‘Souvenirs Négligents’ (Careless Memories) is a good example of how inspiration can come from the unlikeliest of sources. I was listening to a Duran Duran album (as you do), and the track ‘Careless Memories’ came on—it’s a great track; you should check it out. Anyway, I got to thinking - what is a careless memory, and what problems could it cause? I can’t speak to the meaning behind the song, but it got me wondering whether there was a story there. Ten minutes later, I had a plot.

The story begins during the Second World War at a small farm in Montgenoux. When a young, injured Nazi soldier stumbles into the farm, a young girl who lives there makes a fateful decision to protect him, a decision that proves fatal.

I won’t give too much of the story away, other than it moves through the decades with terrible secrets buried deep. We arrive in modern-day Montgenoux when Hugo and his team are called to the scene of a horrific bus crash. The bus, carrying a dozen residents of a retirement home, plunges into a lake. Soon, it is discovered that there are two deaths, seemingly a tragic accident, but as you can imagine, nothing is quite what it seems, and when Hugo discovers that one of the dead did not drown, he is faced with a perplexing investigation. Who would murder a seemingly harmless old woman, and what might it have to do with a secret buried long ago? Did a careless resurfaced memory trigger the tragedy? Well, you’ll have to read on to find out!

It was a fun story to write, and I really hope you’ll enjoy the twisty-turny story that started from a song playing in my kitchen. As it happens, I’ve finished the next Hugo book this week (first draft, anyway), and I have no idea how that idea came to me, other than it popped into my head. It’s a straightforward story, no flashbacks at all this time, which I know will please some people. More about ‘La Ferme de Noé’ another time.  Even though it’s called ‘Noah’s farm’, it has nothing to do with my lovely dog Noah; I just liked the way it sounded in French. All the same, it’s a lovely little tribute to my furry son, who spends so much of his time curled up at my feet as I type.

So, what’s next? Well, I’m about to start a new trilogy, which, if all goes well, will be released in 2027 and features a brand new crime-solving duo, Lennie and Bertie. You’ll meet them soon as they appear in ‘Bertram Hervé’s Final Case.’ I can’t wait to share these new stories with you. The new year looks to be a busy one, with three (possibly four) new stories set for release.

I still can’t believe it’s been ten years since Joy Edwards and my husband challenged me to come out of writing hibernation. I truly wasn’t motivated, but it appears that these characters really wanted to be born. And now, I’m about to start my twenty-ninth book, and that seems incredible to me. Returning to the beginning of this blog regarding inspiration, a thought occurs to me: sometimes, all we need to achieve things in life is a little encouragement. That’s certainly true of me; a little encouragement has gone a long way. Getting feedback (good and bad) has been enough to motivate me, especially when I saw that these characters were finding an audience. I remain so grateful for that and all of your support, and I don’t take it for granted.

I know I promised that I would have news about the unpublished stuff I wrote long before the Hugo books, but all I can say is that I am still working on it. It’s a long process, and honestly, it’s really tough to look at old work with fresh eyes and resist the urge to change things to suit better where I am now. I don’t want to do that, as it really defeats the object of finally releasing these raw stories as they were at the time. I just have to be in the right mood to work on them. I have one short story ready to go; it was written about twenty years ago. I found it along with about a dozen other short stories, a murder mystery, a dramatic novel, and another half-written novel. They’ll all appear on my website throughout the next twelve months.

Anyway, that’s enough from me for now. It’s time to take my pups to the park. Take care, and I send you love, appreciation, and hope you are well.

Gx