This week I’m delighted to host Amanda Robson, who I was fortunate to meet at Harrogate last year. Amanda writes dark, twisty psychological thrillers and for fans, you’ll all be pleased to hear a new book is due in April.

 

 

Author Bio:-

After graduating, Amanda Robson worked in medical research at The London School of Hygiene and Tropical medicine, and at the Poison’s Unit at Guy’s hospital where she became a co-author of a book on cyanide poisoning.

This set her in good stead for writing her debut novel, Obsession, a dark and twisted tale about love affairs gone wrong.

Amanda attended the Faber Academy writing course in 2011, and now writes from home full time. She lives in London and Wales, with her lawyer husband, one–eyed dog and unfriendly cat. Her two sons, also lawyers, have more or less, fled the nest.

So over to Amanda 

 

Which 5 pieces of music/songs would you include in the sound track to your life and why?

Time from Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd – The lyrics to this song have inspired me since I was a teenager. Pink Floyd are my favourite band of all time.

Imagine by John Lennon – The lyrics to this song nail it for me.

Hearts and Flowers by Joan Armatrading – A song for my husband.

Dancing Queen by Abba – I was seventeen when this came out. Seventies disco with your whole life in front of you.

100% fun, Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars – Love this. Still having fun now.

 

 Highlight 5 things (apart from family and friends) you’d find it hard to live without.

It took 2 seconds to think about this, and given the community who might read it I guess I don’t need to give an explanation.

Coffee

Alcohol

Reading novels

Writing

Watching drama on Netflix.

 

Can you offer 5 pieces of advice you’d give to your younger self ?

Don’t worry about things so much. The bad stuff that comes is totally unexpected.

Ditch bitchy friends. Stick to kind ones.

Listen to advice – but follow your own judgement.

Everything is just a stage. Appreciate the good while you have it. Remember the bad will pass.

If you really want to do something, do it. Later might be too late.

Tell us five things that most people don’t know about you?

I am a very open person, so most people who know me, know most things about me.

What are the first 5 things on your bucket list?

Things to do before I ‘kick the bucket’ so to speak. Well I am not young; so I have already done 4 of them.

Got married.

Had children.

Written a novel or two.

Bought a sailing cruiser – just a month ago.

So … what I really want to do is continue to enjoy what I have. I would like to press a button right now, and keep my life just as it is – for ever.

 

Thanks so much for joining us Amanda. Dancing Queen, was one of mine too, I’m only a year older so felt pretty much the same at the time. I’m also very much a ‘do it while you can’ sort of person too – later might well be too late. I’m delighted to see that you’ve achieved most of your bucket list and sincerely hope you continue to enjoy what you have.   

 

Amanda’s Books

 

Envy (published 4th April and available to pre-order)

She wants your life – and she’ll do anything to get it…

Erica has always wanted to be exactly like her neighbour, Faye: beautiful, thin, and a mother. But Faye’s life isn’t as perfect as it seems – she has a terrible secret, and slowly but surely, it is threatening to destroy her and everything she holds dear.

When Faye’s daughter Tamsin goes missing after school, the police turn to Erica. But is Erica the only one who has been enviously watching Faye? Or is there another threat hiding in the shadows…?

 

Guilt

Your sister. Her secret. The betrayal.

There is no bond greater than blood . . .

When the body of a woman is found stabbed to death, the blame falls to her twin sister. But who killed who? And which one is now the woman behind bars?

Zara and Miranda have always supported each other. But then Zara meets Seb, and everything changes. Handsome, charismatic and dangerous, Seb threatens to tear the sisters’ lives apart – but is he really the one to blame? Or are deeper resentments simmering beneath the surface that the sisters must face up to?

As the sisters’ relationship is stretched to the brink, a traumatic incident in Seb’s past begins to rear its head and soon all three are locked in a psychological battle that will leave someone dead. The question is, who?

 

Obsession

One evening, a wife asks her husband a question: who else would you go for, if you could?

It is a simple question – a little game – that will destroy her life.

Carly and Rob are a perfect couple. They share happy lives with their children and their close friends Craig and Jenny. They’re lucky. But beneath the surface, no relationship is simple: can another woman’s husband and another man’s wife ever just be good friends?

Little by little, Carly’s question sends her life spiralling out of control, as she begins to doubt everything she thought was true. Who can she trust? The man she has promised to stick by forever, or the best friend she has known for years? And is Carly being entirely honest with either of them?

Obsession is a dark, twisting thriller about how quickly our lives can fall apart when we act on our desires.

 

You can keep in touch with Amanda via :-

Her website

Facebook

Twitter

 

Next on Five on Friday – 22nd February with Harriet Tyce.