Life update: In which my husband has been keeping secrets from me - eek!

Hello!

It's the way so many psychological thrillers start, isn't it? Wife discovers husband is keeping secrets from her.

Not just little white lies. Big, fat secrets that change everything.

Cue progressive complications, twists, turns, terrifying reveals and - if you're lucky - the wife comes out on top and the husband gets his comeuppance.

Because, let's face it, it's always the husband, am I right?!

I know how those women feel. Because when Adrian asked me to proofread his new book, The Couple in the Lodge, he wasn't telling me the whole truth.

I knew the premise of the book: a couple's car breaks down and they're stranded in a remote lodge in the Scottish Highlands in the middle of a snowstorm.

Did he mention the MAHOOSSIVE twist halfway through the book? No, siree, he did not.

The upshot was, I was racing through the pages so fast it was almost impossible to remember I was supposed to have my proofreading hat on.

[If you're wondering, I don't actually have a proofreading hat, just a metaphorical one.]

Safe to say, I did not see that twist coming. And I write psych thrillers for a living, goddammit!

This is despite being married to the man for over 25 years. Maybe I don't know him as well as I think... 😱

Anyway, all this to say that if you enjoy a killer twist, The Couple in the Lodge is out today. Be prepared to have everything you thought you knew turned upside down!

Clara Flint’s life changed forever when her debut novel became an international bestseller. Now, under pressure to deliver a sequel, she's paralysed by writer’s block — and watching her marriage quietly unravel. A few weeks away with her husband, Seb, at Harrowglen Lodge, deep in the Scottish Highlands, should reignite her creativity and save her relationship. But cut off by deep snow and surrounded by brooding mountains, Clara glimpses a light burning in an attic room that should be empty, catches a shadow moving past the window, and hears whispered voices calling her name.

Then the envelopes appear.

Hidden around the lodge, each anonymous brown package contains a chapter of a chilling story that seems to anticipate disturbing events before they occur. And as the boundary between fiction and reality begins to fracture, Clara becomes convinced she and Seb are being watched and manipulated — until the story reaches its darkest turn.

A brutal murder. Two bodies buried in the snow. Is it a warning? A threat? Or a prediction?

Download your copy of The Couple in the Lodge here!

I know many of you read both mine and Adrian's books, so if you like the sound of this one, why not check it out? It's completely free to read in Kindle Unlimited. 

I'm just left wondering if the old man is keeping any more secrets from me that I really should know about...

Best not ask!

In other news, Thomas (our youngest) and I have been ignoring the cruddy winter weather and getting out on a few long walks.

Being out in nature is one of my absolute favourite things to do and it's been so nice exploring a few new routes and spending time with Thomas before he heads off on a three-month trip to New Zealand and Japan in March.

Here are some photos of our first walks of 2026.

I've almost finished the line edit of my next book, which is due out in May. This is the holiday thriller set on a remote Greek island I mentioned last time I wrote.

I've seen the cover, and I LOVE it! Hopefully I'll be able to share it with you very soon.

While I wait for the next stage of the editing process - the copy edit - to arrive, I shall be plotting the book after that.

Speaking of which, the line edit beckons so I probably should get back to work.

Don't forget to download Adrian's book, and let me know if you saw THAT TWIST coming.

And if you spot a typo, don't blame me. It's Adrian's fault for making the book so damn good!

Loads of love,

Amanda x