Eileen Thornton, Author

I met Eileen Thornton through a Cozy Mystery group and enjoyed reading her mystery novel, Murder on Tyneside.  (I gave the book 5 stars in my review.)  Learning how an author begins the journey of writing is always interesting.  Does a writing career develop from a job? A hobby? Or simply an obsession with writing?  How the author approaches the art of storytelling is unique to each individual.  Learn about Eileen's life as an author in the U.K.
 
Diane Rapp Eileen Thornton's Bio:
 
Since finishing a comprehensive writing course with The Writers Bureau on September 27th 2001, (A Certificate of Competence proudly hangs on the wall of my study to prove it) my writing took off. Many of my articles and short stories were accepted and published in several magazines here in the UK.

At first, I concentrated on writing articles. Here I enjoyed researching and writing about the towns, cities and historical buildings around the area where I live: Jedburgh, Lindisfarne (Holy Island) and Newcastle-upon-Tyne, to name but a few. My husband, being a keen photographer, accompanied me and took photographs of the various places of interest to accompany my writing. But after a while, I decided to change my stance and set my imagination to work on writing short stories.

Strange as this may seem, I always began my short stories at the end. By that I mean, I thought of a last line, which would also become the title of the story. Only then did I begin to work on the story itself, making sure the last line ended the whole thing perfectly.
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Then, for some reason, I decided I needed to move on and to write a full blown novel. My first published novel was The Trojan Project, a conspiracy, suspense thriller. The sort of story readers can get their teeth into. Writing for magazines can be restricting. Therefore writing a novel meant I was able to really let my imagination run away with me. And it did. I let my hair down and brought all the horror and terror I could think of, into the story. There were times when I couldn’t believe it was me, who was writing such things. The Trojan Project:

Sarah's peaceful night is disturbed when a strange, green mist descends across the valley. Its swirling tendrils seem to bear a life of their own.

When her husband doesn't return from work, Sarah sets out to search for him. A terrifying discovery awaits her, and before long, she finds herself caught in a desperate search not only for her husband, but also for the meaning of the green light.

Thrust in a nightmare world and pursued by enemies from all sides, Sarah soon realizes that she is in mortal danger...and that trust has become a word with little meaning.
Sarah's peaceful night is disturbed when a strange, green mist descends across the valley. Its swirling tendrils seem to bear a life of their own. Trojan Project Eileen:
​From there, I went on to write a fun romance,
​Divorcees. Biz. A novel, where I was able to show there really is a lighter, more fun side to me. Here I created four divorced ladies, who, out for a few drinks together one evening, suddenly decide to set up their own dating agency in order to find new men for themselves.
​ ​ Divorcees.Biz:

When Connie, Jenny, Lucy and Sadie meet up for drinks, all they can talk about is their failed love life. After more drinks than might be good for them, they come up with the brilliant idea of opening their own online dating agency.

Despite the arguments and differences between the thirty-something, divorced women, Divorcees.biz soon launches at one of London’s most prestigious hotels.

But is this the answer to their problems, or the beginning of a whole lot more? And at the end of the day, will any of the four ladies find the man of their dreams? Divorcees Biz Eileen: 
​Only Twelve Days was my next novel. This is a love story set back in the late 70’s; a time before computers and mobile phones took over. The outline of this story had been mulling around in my head for some time before I actually got around to writing it.

​Only Twelve Days

A heartwarming story set in a time when computers and mobile phones were still in their infancy.

It is almost Christmas, and nearly everyone is looking forward to spending the festive season with their loved ones. But what about those who are facing Christmas alone?

Bill and Sally are shy and lonely; left behind when the swinging sixties changed the rest of the country. Will they avoid the holiday season as they usually do, and spend it alone... or will Christmas catch up with them this year?
Only Twelve Days Eileen:
Then came Murder on Tyneside, followed shortly afterwards by Death on Tyneside. Both are cozy murder mysteries set in my hometown.
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Murder on Tyneside

Recently widowed Agnes Lockwood is spending a few days on Tyneside in Northeast England, catching up with her past.

But after only a few days at the hotel, an expensive item of jewelry is stolen. When more jewelry goes missing, Chief Inspector Alan Johnson gets on the case. After Alan recognizes Agnes as a friend from schooldays and they rekindle their friendship, Agnes begins bombarding him with questions about the case.
After dinner one evening, they find a body lying on the roadside. Fearing for her safety, Alan warns Agnes to stay away from the case: theft is one thing, but murder is something else.

But being an inquisitive woman, Agnes cannot resist getting involved... too involved. Murder on Tynside Death on Tyneside

Agnes Lockwood returns to Tyneside after spending a few months abroad. On her first visit, she gained quite the reputation as an amateur sleuth, as she helped the police solve a murder.

Now, she is simply looking forward to meeting again with Alan Johnson, a DCI with the Newcastle police force. Having missed him while she was away, she is hoping their relationship will continue to blossom.

But on her first day back in the city, she gets caught up in another murder. This time, her intrusion into the police investigation pushes Alan Johnson’s patience to the very limit.
Death on Tyneside Eileen: 
So what am I doing now?

I have started writing a third novel in the Tyneside series. It is in the early stages, but I am working hard on it and hope to finish it in the not too distant future.

Before I go, I would like to add that I am a member of the Society of Authors and have been for several years. I am also a member of the Society of Women Writer’s and Journalists.

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