I think that this particular book has been one of the most exciting projects that I have ever undertaken as a writer. From having the original idea to beginning the final review of the manuscript, I have never felt like I am working; I am creating! Everything about this novel has been relatively easy. I have not suffered any writer’s block moments, the research has fascinated me, and perhaps the most rewarding aspect has been involving my wife, Donna, in it. She has always supported my writing, but being a fan of both the supernatural and detective thrillers, this one seems to have captured her imagination also. It has become a norm now for me to read her a couple of chapters over a morning cup of coffee. Doing this allows me to read the manuscript out loud, which helps me to spot not only typographical errors but also note when the syntax could be smoother to make the reading easier. Also, as Donna is also a nurse, she has been able to give me guidance on the medical care that a survivor of a brutal attack would receive while in hospital; she has saved me from making some pretty basic mistakes in that respect.

I am now at the halfway point with the review process. So far, the pace of the story appears to work. This morning, Donna commented that it had been awhile since the last supernatural episode, which made me smile because that was exactly what the next chapter was going to feature. Obviously, I am going to have to dedicate this book to her; it is the one that she has been most involved in and not just as a beta-reader; it was her idea for us to go away somewhere warm so that I could concentrate on the writing itself and not be freezing myself in my study in January! I also have to state that it was Donna who came up with the title of the book; ‘Victims Never Sleep’. I had a longer title in mind, but I was not particularly happy with it. Normally, I fasten on the title of my books very quickly, but this one always evaded me. I am not going to explain why Donna’s title works better than mine, it would reveal too much about the book, but it simply does.