Author Sheryl Browne writes psychological thrillers and contemporary fiction, and her works include two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies as well as nine novels. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association and the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and previously writing for award winning Choc Lit, Sheryl also obtained a Certificate of Achievement in Forensic Science and – according to readers – she makes an excellent psychopath.
In Browne's suspense thriller, The Babysitter, Mark and Melissa Cain are thrilled to have found Jade, a babysitter who is brilliant with their young children. Having seen her own house burn to the ground, Jade needs them as much as they need her. Moving Jade into the family home can only be a good thing, can’t it?
As Mark works long hours as a police officer and Melissa struggles with running a business, the family become ever more reliant on their babysitter, who is only too happy to help. And as Melissa begins to slip into depression, it’s Jade who is left picking up the pieces.
But Mark soon notices things aren’t quite as they seem. Things at home feel wrong, and as Mark begins to investigate their seemingly perfect sitter, what he discovers shocks him to his core. He’s met Jade before. And now he suspects he might know what she wants. Mark is in a race against time to protect his family. But what will he find as he goes back to his family home?
Sheryl Browne stops by In Reference to take some Author R&R about her writing process and research:
I’m often asked what prompts me to write psychological thriller. I’ve always been fascinated by what shapes people and I like to strip away the layers and, hopefully, share with readers a little of what lies beneath the surface. A writer’s mind thrives on exploration. Every scenario, every face, every place tells a story. A walk through a cemetery or a glimpsed situation – an argument between a couple, for instance - and I have my stimulus for a book. Once I have an idea of the story I want to tell, I find the character tends to lead me. There are many facets to the human character; no one can be truly good or irretrievably bad. Or can they? The driving force linked to most murders, I’m reliably informed by a former DCI, is humiliation. How many of us haven’t felt humiliated at some point in our lives? Who hasn’t wished for revenge? In writing psych thriller, I’m exploring the darker side of human nature, looking at the nature vs nurture conundrum. Is badness in the genes? Is it brain function or childhood experience that creates a monster? A combination of all three?
In The Babysitter, we have Jade, whose childhood experiences definitely shaped her. Revenge plays a big part in the story, but is she fundamentally bad? I’m always interested to hear readers’ feedback on the subject. This wasn’t the easiest story to write as it does touch on subjects that some might find difficult to deal with, loss and mental issues. Having been a carer to someone struggling with mental illness and therefore very aware of the nightmare that finding the right balance of medication can be, I suppose you could say I’d already done my research. Even then, though, talking to people about their experience is important in order to write about such issues sensitively and honestly.
Similarly, The Affair deals with a particularly sensitive subject: that of the loss of a child. Without going into detail, again this is an area I am familiar with. In the writing, I felt Alicia’s every emotion. I struggled to live them alongside her. I’m not sure this is the right place for a dedication, but I’d like to leave one anyway: to any mother who has had to grieve the loss of a child at any stage from pregnancy and beyond. When the daily pace of life takes over, a short life lived and lost is often grieved silently. That life though, grown inside you, is never forgotten. The Affair obviously isn’t my story, but that was the nucleus that set the story in motion.
So, am I ‘writing what I know?’ To a degree, yes. In writing about people, you do draw on experience, but personally I find it terribly stifling. We have a world of information at our fingertips nowadays. We can travel anywhere. We don’t need to shy away from writing about a character’s job, era, or a situation that might challenge our experience of it. We can research it. The internet is a massive boon to writers nowadays, you can access some fascinating case studies and headline news stories which can spark an idea – I dread to think what my browsing history looks like. All that said, becoming a writer is a learning curve and I honestly think the best tool you have at your disposal is reading. The fact is, Stephen King is so right, “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write”. Other authors can show you how to weave a story and they can be a massive inspiration for your own writing.
In regard to location, we have Google Earth, of course. You can’t quite get the real flavour of a place, though, I find. I may have to take a little holiday, therefore. All in the name of research, of course.
Just before I set off, for anyone needing info on story structure (and going cross-eyed on googling it), Into the Woods by John Yorke is a brilliant study of story construction. If you’ve ever had any issues with plotting and the development of your ideas then research no more. This was a subject covered on my MA course, but Into the Woods simplifies it beautifully.
Happy writing and reading all!
You can find out more about Sheryl Browne, The Babysitter, and her other writing via her website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The Babysitter and the author's other books are available via all major book retailers.
