The Picture On The Fridge: The debut psychological thriller with the twist of the year
Page 22
Mags moved closer on legs that no longer wanted to support her weight. She put the champagne flute on the table and forced herself to look at the picture.
It was a large hall, full of people. Children, Mags realised, playing a game, sitting in a circle. One girl had turned away from the game as if noticing the artist as she sketched the scene. Mags knew that face. It was Tam.
It was a picture of the Guide hall. Tam was there now.
"That's very good honey," said Mags, her voice less shaky than she'd anticipated. "Is it..."
"Tam? Yes. Tam. Guides. Singing songs."
Mags stroked Clara's hair. Her foster parents had promised to visit every year, but Mags wasn't convinced they would, and Clara barely mentioned them. All three of them felt the same, she knew; that they belonged together, that they completed each other. Despite the horror of the previous year, Mags' anxiety had lifted like sun-warmed dew, her spirits rising with it. This was her family.
She bent down, kissing Clara's cheek. With eyes shut, inhaling her daughter's scent, she couldn't tell the difference between the twins.
"Are you happy, Clara?"
Brown eyes fixed on hers. A small nod, a bigger smile.
"Tip top, Mom."
Author’s Note
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This is my ninth book, and my first psychological thriller. I didn't intend to write a thriller - I was perfectly happy over there in the science fiction and fantasy section with aliens, time travel, and the multiverse. But some stories want to be written, and they won't take no for an answer. The Picture On The Fridge is one of those stories.
I published my last book, The Blurred Lands, in December. It's now June. That's the longest gap between books since my first. And it's all the fault of this bloody fridge story, which is what I took to calling it as winter gave way to spring without a new novel in sight.
The problem was simple. I had lots of ideas for new books - one of which I have now returned to and am currently working on - but none of them wanted to come out. Literary constipation. All because this bloody fridge story wouldn't leave me alone.
At the end of February, I conceded defeat, put everything else aside and focused all my attention on the bloody fridge story.
You just read the result. As with every book I've written, I visualised each scene as if watching a movie*, with the camera mainly following Mags. Occasionally, we dropped in on the Bedroom Killer, but I didn't want to spend too much time in his head. He still creeps me out. The final section of the book, from the moment Mags discovers the truth about Bradley, took on such momentum that it was hard to write fast enough to keep up with what was going on. That was the fun bit.
I dictated about 90% of this book. Magic software pixies transcribed the result, which then needed my immediate attention because of my lazy diction. My favourite was the transposition of Camden Lock to Camelot. Imagine how much fun you could have house-hunting in Camelot: "Plenty of closet space for your armour…if you'll just follow me through to the garden, you'll see deceptively spacious stables for the horses, and… pardon me… the what? Oh, that old thing. Honestly don't know what that is. Bit embarrassing, really. I expect there was a bit of drunken revelry one evening, and one of the knights left his sword behind in that big stone. Yes, yes, I appreciate it spoils your view of the lake, but we just can't shift the bloody thing. Everyone's had a go. It's there for good, I'm afraid. Maybe think of it as a feature, stick a hanging basket on it. Yes, I suppose you could have a go, sir, just don't be disappointed. Like I said, everyone's had a bash at pulling it out, even that big bugger Lancelot, and he…blimey! I can't believe it! Like a knife through butter. How the…? Wait till I tell the rest of the office. What did you say your name was again?"
I finished the first draft in less than five weeks, averaging over three thousand words a day for the last week, which is good going for me.
Then I sat back, relaxed and… no, hang on. That wasn't what happened at all. That was when I got started on editing - which took longer than writing the thing in the first place. The version that made it to publication is the fifth draft, if I've kept count correctly. Thanks especially to Mrs S, Robyn, Nathalie and Jon for help at this stage. Also, to the ongoing support from the BXP team and my favourite writing podcast, The Bestseller Experiment.
Will I write another thriller? Well… I have a great idea in my notebooks…
For now, I'm currently writing a near-future three-book series for an Audible Exclusive in 2020, and a comic Sci-Fi series. If you want to check out the rest of my work, there are links at the back of this book.
Finally, as always, thank you for reading. I'm an independent writer - I publish directly to Amazon, and I've been lucky enough to be able to make a career of it. Without you, I'm nothing, and I still get a real buzz when someone enjoys my books. Please consider leaving a review on Amazon if you enjoyed the bloody fridge story. Reviews are how indie authors compete with the big names, and I read every one. Yes, even those ones ;)
Ian Sainsbury
Norwich
June 2019
•The word 'movie' is an Americanism I prefer to the British 'film'. For a start, it's purely a noun, and only has one meaning, which makes life easier. Secondly, as much as I love movies from all over the world, America produced the movies that defined my childhood and adolescence: E.T., Jaws, Back To The Future, The Godfather I & II, 2001, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Princess Bride, An American Werewolf in London, When Harry Met Sally and Star Wars. Thirdly, I just prefer the way it sounds. Don't know why I felt the need to defend my betrayal of my native tongue, but there you go.
Also by Ian W. Sainsbury
Science fiction
The World Walker (The World Walker 1)
The Unmaking Engine (The World Walker 2)
The Seventeenth Year (The World Walker 3)
The Unnamed Way (The World Walker 4)
Children Of The Deterrent (Halfhero 1)
Halfheroes (Halfhero 2)
The Last Of The First (Halfhero 3)
Fantasy
The Blurred Lands