Isle of Wight, Ideas and Inspirations For Novels


In for the Kill my crime thriller novel featuring Alex Albury is set on the Isle of Wight, just five miles off Portsmouth on the south coast of England. It is a beautiful Island with lots of lovely walks and spectacular coastal views, very popular as a holiday resort in the spring and summer months, and heaven for walkers and cyclists, as well as becoming increasingly famous for its music festivals. The pace of life is slower and the Island has one of the best sunshine records of any part of Britain. It is only twenty three miles by thirteen miles and can be reached by boat, Hovercraft,(Hovertravel) or ferry (Red Funnel or Wighlink). The stretch of water between the mainland and the island is reputed to be one of the most expensive in the UK! But it's well worth the visit.


My new DI Horton marine mystery crime novel, Blood on the Sand, which is being published in February 2010, is also set on the island. Horton has sailed into Bembridge Harbour on holiday but not for long. Soon he's embroiled in a new murder mystery and is joined on the island by the Major Crime Team: coarse mouthed and Alpha male, Superintendent Uckfield and the human memory man and super efficient Sergeant Trueman.  And of course, Sergeant Cantlelli makes the trip despite his sea sickness! 

And I've been on the Isle of Wight (IOW) today, walking. The sun was shining and it was lovely though a little chilly. I visisted my static caravan at Sandhills, Whitecliffe Bay, which is my holiday home and where I also do a fair bit of writing on my netbook when there. It is closed for the winter months, opening again on 1 March for eight months. Looking forward to it.

I was told by the staff at Sandhills today that I was featured in the IOW County Press a couple of weeks ago with a photo and a mention of my crime novels. The article was about the literary lunch talk I gave in Southampton in aid of Wessex Cancer Trust. So that was nice.

Walking around Bembridge Harbour, with a choppy high spring tide rushing in, I noticed the fire fighters were there and discovered they were desperately trying to prevent one of the houseboats  - a real feature of the harbour, and where Alex Albury my hero in In For The Kill lives - from sinking. Apparently there was a hole in the middle of the houseboat.  No one was on board... but what if..... OK, so you know what's coming next, a whole new idea for a marine murder mystery story. Could it be another Alex Albury crime thriller? Possibly. This is where inspiration and ideas come from, from what I see and what I hear.

I had lunch sitting by the lagoons at Brading Marshes (look out for them in Blood on the Sand) and then I walked to St Helen's to catch the bus back through Seaview to Ryde. Well I had walked from Lake that morning about six miles in total, which for a winter's day was enough.  The ten minute hovercraft trip across to Portsmouth was a bit of a choppy ride, so I kept my eyes shut until we landed!

Now, with my little grey cells recharged by the fresh Isle of Wight sea air, and an idea for a new novel logged in my note book, it's a quick catch up on my e mails, Twitter and Facebook etc.  then on with writing the next DI Horton novel.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Thanks for your comment on mine! And for the offer of a credit. How exciting. I would welcome the opportunity to talk to you about context or procedure if you ever need it. You can drop me a line any time through monday books.
Lesley Cookman said…
Lucky girl,having a static on the island. I nearly bought one a couple of years ago, and sadly, what with the financial exigencies of family life, now can't afford to. But it's still my favourite place in England. Wonder if I can wangle a research trip over there...

And well done on having two series running. I'm just about coping with one!

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