Today it’s my pleasure to feature author Keri Beevis. Keri is the bestselling author of Dying To Tell and Deep Dark Secrets.

Keri lives in Norfolk, England, with her two naughty kitties, Ellie and Lola, and a plentiful supply of red wine (her writing fuel). She loves Hitchcock movies, exploring creepy places, and gets extremely competitive in local pub quizzes. She is also a self-confessed klutz. Her new psychological thriller is released in November.

Over to Keri:-

Which five pieces of music/songs would you include in the soundtrack to your life and why?

Don’t you (forget about me) – Simple Minds. This song was the anthem of my teenage years and whenever I hear it I am reminded of leaving school and starting to make my way in the big scary world. It was a time for forging new friendships, discovering who I was and what goals I wanted to achieve.

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Come up and see me (make me smile) – Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel. When my dad passed away, there was no other choice for his farewell funeral song. He had told me so many times that this was his favourite tune and it really was a fitting goodbye for him. Whenever it comes on the radio, I have to stop what I am doing and listen, and every single time it evokes wonderful memories and leaves me with a smile on my face.

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All my life – Foo Fighters. I am a huge Foo Fighters fan and it is difficult to pick one favourite track. They are a band I was desperate to see live, but I could never afford the ticket. A couple of years ago they returned to the UK for a live tour. Again, I didn’t have the finances, then my boss at my day job surprised me. He bought me a ticket as a thank you for all of my hard work. It was a brilliant gig. One of the hottest days of the year, fantastic support from another favourite band, Wolf Alice, then Dave Grohl came on to the stage and this song kickstarted one of the most fantastic experiences of my life.

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Clair de Lune – Claude Debussy. Sneaking in my favourite piece of classical music here. I have loved Clair de Lune for as long as I can remember. It is one of those pieces of music where you have to stop everything, close your eyes and just listen.

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Nothing’s gonna stop us now – Starship. I was torn for my last choice between Get down tonight by KC & The Sunshine Band and this one, as they are both guilty pleasure songs for me. I went with the Starship track because this song reminds me of my sister. If we are together and it comes on the radio, we drop everything and sing it from start to finish – very loudly and very badly. Thank goodness there are no videos.

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What five things (apart from family and friends) would you find it hard to live without.

Books – I love movies too, but give me a choice, I would rather have a good story to read. Nothing beats that feeling of being so into a book, you can think of nothing else but when you can next settle down to read it.

Music – Has to go on the list because the thought of never being able to listen to my favourite songs again is unbearable.

Cats – I have had fluffy little divas in my life for longer than I can remember and they are my constant companions. There will always be a cat in my house.

Red wine – Perhaps I shouldn’t admit to that one.

Laughter – One of my favourite things is getting the giggles. Especially when you can’t stop and your stomach and cheeks are hurting and you have tears rolling down your face. I have to include laughter.

Give five pieces of advice to your younger self?

Don’t give up on your dreams

Save for the future

Stick up for yourself, for others, and your beliefs

Be true to yourself

Never be ashamed of who you are

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

I can’t use telephones in my dreams.

My late dad was a music promoter and the night I was born, he was out partying with Rod Stewart.

I have grapheme synaesthesia, which is the most pointless condition ever. I see letters, words and names in colour. I am red.

I once accidentally stuck my finger up my cat’s bum. (Long story).

I used to be a caricaturist.

Tell us five things you’d still like to do or achieve.

See one (or more) of my books turned into a movie.

Get another dog. At the moment I just have cats, as it is practical, but I would like that to change further down the line. I had a wonderful black lab, Cody, growing up, and I miss having a canine in my life.

Stay in a really haunted hotel.

Travel across Canada by train.

Write a romantic comedy novel. So far, all of my books have been thrillers, but I think I have a humorous book in me, so watch this space.

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Many thanks for joining us today and sharing Keri. So lovely to see you included the song that reminds you of your dad, and more importantly that it does make you smile. It obviously indicates many happy memories, and you clearly forgave him for being out partying with Rod the night you were born! You are among book lovers here, so we all agree with that choice. Very sage advice to your younger self, I suspect many of nearing the other end of the spectrum wish we’d saved more for the future. Best gloss over the cat’s bum – “how do you accidentally …? ” if we ever meet you can reveal all. Hope you get to tick off those items on your ‘to do’ list – though the thought of a really haunted hotel scares me witless!!

Keri’s Books

(NB book links are affiliate links – see more here)

Rebecca Angell series

M for Murder (1)

Twenty-Six Letters. But only one Killer?

In 1989 the Alphabet Killer, Professor Rodney Boone, murdered eight students. The victims, ‘A’ to ‘H’, were each found with their surname initial carved into their neck. Victim nine narrowly escaped and the murderer was left to burn to death.

Eight years later and rookie police officer, Rebecca Angell, is thrown headlong into assisting a murder investigation. A body is found floating in the sewer, bearing the initial ‘J’. The investigators are convinced they are dealing with a copycat killer, but Boone’s body was never recovered…

As Angell scrambles to uncover the truth, the body count continues to rise, and it soon becomes apparent that the killer is intent on completing the alphabet…

*** This book was previously published as Dead Letter Day ***

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D for Dead (2)

Murder is as easy as ABC…

When a teenager is found stabbed to death detectives Rebecca Angell and Jake Sullivan are called to the scene, and clues soon lead them to a crime novel which the killer has used as gruesome inspiration.

The author, Amy Gallaty, has a new book out, at first prompting Angell and Sullivan to question how far she is prepared to go in the name of promotion. But when Amy attracts the attentions of a stalker and then a second murder mirrors another of her plots, they realize they are up against a cruel and clever psychopath; one who may have a more personal agenda.

Working with the FBI, Angell and Sullivan find themselves in a race against the clock to unlock the secrets in Amy’s past before the killer can strike again.

Rebecca Angell is back in a darker tale that pulls no punches, as she takes on a sadistic killer with a chilling agenda.

*** This book was previously published as Dead Write ***

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Standalones

Deep Dark Secrets

The darkest minds hide the deepest secrets…

Lizzie Kent wasn’t supposed to babysit the night she was murdered. She was covering for her best friend, Nell. Nell has lived with the guilt ever since. 

Eighteen years later Nell returns to the area, desperate to escape a bad relationship after inheriting her aunt’s rundown guesthouse. But her return isn’t welcomed by everyone – in particular Sam Kent, who blames Nell for his sister’s death. And after a few unsettling incidents, it becomes apparent that someone is trying to scare her. 

Is Sam responsible or has Nell’s abusive ex-boyfriend managed to track her down? 

Or is someone else, with a more sinister agenda, responsible?

*** This book was previously published as The Darkness Beneath ***

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Dying to Tell

How far would you go to keep a secret?

As the only survivor of a horrific car crash, Lila Amberson believes she is on the road to recovery after she is released from the hospital. Her memories of the accident are blurred, though and a series of unsettling incidents leave her fearing for her safety. Does she have survivor’s guilt or is something more sinister at play?

Jack Foley is reeling from the shock of losing his sister in the crash and when he first meets Lila, he lashes out, blaming her for Stephanie’s death. But when Lila gives him a locket that she believes belonged to his sister, it presents more questions than answers.

As Lila and Jack work together to find out what really happened on the night of the accident, they are unaware that someone is watching them closely. Someone who has much to lose if the truth comes out, and someone who is prepared to do everything necessary to ensure all loose ends are taken care of.

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Follow Keri via her website, Twitter and Facebook.