1. Tell us a bit about your new book.... what is it about?

Despite the title, it is not a book that is mainly about birds! The birds are a significant presence in the book and have a major role to play in the story, particularly using the symbolism and beliefs that so many cultures attach to birds. The story is really about the two main characters, Nick and Kate and the horror that they discover on a remote Scottish island. Revenge, mystery and sinister beliefs are recurrent themes throughout the book which plays heavily on how we are all products of our own past and our cultural history and how our future will be affected by things that have gone before.

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2. Is it part of a series? Are you planning any more?

This is my first novel but, without giving too much away, one of the characters in the book has potential to be part of a series. I am currently working up a few ideas and started the first draft of my next book yesterday.

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3. What inspired you to write the book?

The title of the book actually originated as the title of a series of fine art photographs that I have been working on over a number of years. It is an ongoing project (I am a photographer as well as a writer) and can be seen on my photography website as www.amandadarcy.co.uk.

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I simply loved the title and the inspiration behind it and decided to write a book that made sense of it. I also like to explore the way individual circumstances and coincidences mould all our lives in ways that we can never predict. Every single decision that we take has consequences that we cannot know or control as do our interactions with other people and circumstances.

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4. Who do you think will enjoy reading the book?

Anyone who enjoys a good mystery thriller with twists and turns, which I hope will keep the ending a surprise to most.

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5. When did you start writing books and why?

For various reasons I had quite a lot of time on my hands recently (two hip replacements tend to slow you down a bit) and I had always wanted to write a novel. Someone once told me that to write a book you only have to do two things – start writing a book and finish writing a book. The second bit is a bit harder but I kept that thought in my head and made sure I got it finished.

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6. Which authors, dead or alive, inspire your writing?

Almost too many to mention but I love thrillers and fast paced books that have a bit of a twist in the tail. Lee Child, Cormac McCarthy, Ian Rankin and Harlan Coben are big favourites but so are Edgar Allen Poe and Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

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7. When is your book available to purchase and from where?

It is available now on Amazon for Kindle for £1.83. I hope you enjoy it.

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