Whispering Shadows follows a man with a terminal illness who keeps this information from his wife, only to die in a tragic accident and awaken in a world between life and death, with a need to find redemption. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Many years ago I was told of a man who had been diagnosed with Terminal Cancer, and that he would be fortunate to see the year out. Unfortunately, not the most uncommon of revelations, except that he not only refused any form of treatment but also decided in his ‘wisdom’ to withhold the diagnosis from his wife, at least until he felt the time was right! One Winter’s night a few months later he died in a high speed car crash, quite alone, with no other persons or vehicles involved. The effect on his partner was naturally immense, but equally, the discovery of his diagnosis, along with the projected time left to live, and something she could not forgive. Was it suicide or an accident? The fact that he could not bring himself to confide in the one person who should have been at the head of the list was something that has stay with me. Perhaps something he would have attempted to rectify should there be an afterlife, a chance for redemption. 

Ethan’s journey in the afterlife takes readers on a complex journey of love and loss as he tries to find forgiveness. What do you think were some of the defining moments in Ethan’s development?

Ethan’s discovery that an afterlife exists, his wife believing he committed suicide, and subsequent determination to prove that it really was an unfortunate accident, along with an overpowering need to explain what took place on that snow-laden day and obtain her forgiveness for his deception. The rare permission granted to revisit earth and seek out the person now imbued with Gen’s life force and the people and places it would lead him to.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

I think the paths that different people take throughout their lives, and the realisation that so much is destiny or at least outside of our control, the idiom ‘what will be will be’ comes to mind. Also the good that resides in everyone, the need to love and be loved, however deep it might be hidden. It never fails to amaze at how couples first meet, often by the slender of chances, only to spend a lifetime together accepting the other as their predetermined soulmate.

What is the next book that you’re working on, and when can your fans expect it out?

The story of an RAF pilot in the Second World War who inadvertently saves the life of another, a German pilot, albeit seriously injured, and the bizarre happenings that follow their lives from that moment forward. Inspired by a true story, one that results in a friendship that survives the terrible events of the war and is rekindled by a chance magazine article followed by a phone call that would reunite both the men and their families in their later years. A book that will hopefully be completed early 2026.