I know you will be desperate for an update on the reprobates, little Brie and Pablo: how they fit into my working day and how I accommodate them in my working space. Basically, they occupy it. Gazing out of the window while sitting at my desk waiting for inspiration to strike is a luxury I can only dream of – the actual sitting bit being somewhat of a problem.

I love to write at my Georgian writing bureau. I bought it from a second-hand shop with a view to renovating it. I’ve resisted, however, because, to me, every ink stain and groove in the wood tells a story. Just sitting at it has my mind imagining the lives and trials and tribulations of the people who sat at it before me. What secrets were sealed in its tiny lockable drawer? What did the first and last letter or script written at it convey? I feel it would be almost sacrilegious to obliterate its history.

Pablo, however, is not so impressed.

So, my new book is called We All Keep Secrets. In short, it looks at just that: the secrets we keep. Rarely do we reveal everything about ourselves or all that we might feel about the person we share a relationship with. A single untruth or betrayal can whittle away at that relationship, eventually eroding all trust. More than that, though, lies can eat away at the self-esteem of the person on the receiving end of them. Perhaps they should walk away. So often, though, a person will try to change themselves, pushing themselves to look better, be better, in order to win back the attention or approval of the person who’s lied or perhaps cheated on them. She, or he, becomes the giver, the ‘liar’ becomes the taker, and we have the classic symptoms of a co-dependent relationship.

We All Keep Secrets looks at such a toxic relationship, one damaged at the outset by betrayal; at the person on the receiving end of the lie and the shame of the person who told it. They’re a dysfunctional couple. They should call it a day and walk away. What happens if they can’t, though, if the betrayal that might have been fixed with forgiveness and understanding never is, growing eventually into a much bigger, darker secret that forces them into co-dependency and sucks in the people around them. How far will they go to keep that secret? Who is the giver? Who is the taker? Who’s guilty?

My little co-conspirators can be seen here assessing the plot. No doubt Pablo is whispering his opinion to Brie for fear of offending me.

Brie, though, is clearly riveted.

Finally, after being evicted from my various working places, I decided to invest in a new dedicated space all of my own with abundant window-gazing potential. The conservatory – complete with new roof and a radiator.

Dogs would obviously be banned.

Ahem.

Truthfully, I wouldn’t be in any space without them. They’re actually complete angels. I lie!

Right, I’ll just go and find an unoccupied seat and then I’ll get on with that next chapter.

Happy reading and writing all!

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Author Bio:

Bestselling Author, Sheryl Browne, writes taut, twisty psychological thriller. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Sheryl has several books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies where she completed her MA in Creative Writing. Sheryl has also obtained a Certificate of Achievement in Forensic Science and – according to readers – she makes an excellent psychopath. Sheryl’s latest psychological thriller WE ALL KEEP SECRETS comes to you from BOOKOUTURE. Her previous works include the DI Matthew Adams Crime Thriller series, along with contemporary fiction novels, The Rest of My Life and Learning to Love.

To find out more about Sheryl (and her furry friends) go to www.sherylbrowne.com