Ever wondered how your favourite writers get inspiration for their books? 💭 Well, here’s Diana Wilkinson to tell you about what inspired her brand new book #TheGirlintheWindow 📚 Plus some photos of the cafe she loves to write from! 👩💻☕️
I’m not an early morning person. Not until I’ve had at least half a dozen shots of coffee. Before I sit down to write, I head off into Hitchin where I live, and walk to my favourite coffee shop. JOEY’S BRUNCH. It opens at 7.30am prompt, and the staff and coffee are amazing. I always sit by the window in the corner, gripping my coffee mug and watch the world go by. Sometimes I use the time to catch up on WhatsApp, or play the odd game of Wordle to kick start the day. After 9am, I turn my phone off when I finally set to work.
It was looking out from this corner spot that the inspiration for The Girl in the Window came about. Every morning there are regulars walking up and down the street, even at this early hour. Cyclists come and go. And there are a few other regulars venturing into the café before setting off for work. We nod, smile, but conversation is limited. Early morning quiet is so precious. Then one morning I came up with an idea. What if I was watching the same person every day? What if it was someone I knew? Someone acting out of character? I imagined what I’d do if I watched my husband cycle up every morning, padlock his bike, and head to a flat across the way…..to visit another woman. Would I confront him? Who knows!
Soon I was building an imaginary tale from my corner spot. Most of the activity in the book takes place in and around Hitchin (called Hinton in the novel). I like to include places I know, and places I can visualise in my plots. It makes it easier rather than having to come up with new ideas.
There are two themes prevalent in the book: The first is the idea of secret second families. I hate to own up that over the years I’ve known people involved in such horrendous subterfuge. It happens. People (men and women) are somehow able to live two parallel lives without their partners finding out. Personally, I’d find it exhausting!
The second theme of the book is about growing up in a house of silence, where the only communication is through leaving notes. Readers needn’t say this is too far-fetched. It happens.
As for the murders in all my books. I’ve no idea how I come up with such gruesome ideas. Believe me when I tell you, my husband sleeps with one eye open!
Pick up a copy of Diana’s brand new book here: https://mybook.to/thegirlinthewindow
