Brooke’s books

Successful WN subscriber Anne Brooke has added another title to her list of published books. Thorn in the Flesh (£7.99, Goldenford Publishers) is a dark psychological thriller set in Anne’s home town of Godalming. Attacked in her own house and left for dead, the protagonist Kate Harris must embark on the road to recovery despite continued threats. To do this she will need to travel into her past to find the child she once gave away.

‘I’ve always wanted to write a novel set in my home town,’ says Anne, ‘and the story of Kate Harris seemed to give me the perfect opportunity to do so. It was lovely to be able to combine research in Godalming with picking up my weekly shopping along the High Street. It saved a lot of money on train fares!’

The book has already achieved some success, having been longlisted for the Debut Dagger Awards 2006.

Anne has been writing since her twenties and has won several awards and had two poetry collections published. She started writing novels in 2000 during a time when she was struggling with her poetry and since then has had three published with several more on the way. Her stories include psychological thrillers, black comedy and gay romance. In summer 2008 Anne’s fourth title will be released. Maloney’s Law is a thriller in which gay private investigator Paul Maloney makes the mistake of taking on a case brought to him by an ex-lover. The book is being published by PD Publishing and will be available in the US; a new experience for Anne.

During all this writing she also down two publishing positions, as editorial director at Goldenford and poetry editor for Mighty Erudite. She also keeps a regularly updated blog and website: www.annebrooke.com

As someone in the position of being both publisher and writer, Anne has a lot of advice for other writers hoping to get published.

‘Write what you want to write and make it the best it can be. Always use a professional editor – the money is worth its weight in gold. And if you can’t get a mainstream publisher to take it, do go the self-publishing route. It’s very enjoyable and, these days, self-published books tend to be the most quirky and interesting.’