The Truth Lies Buried is available as an eBook, paperback and audiobook.
Two children in a police waiting room, two distressed mothers, a memory only half remembered …
When Jenny Simpson returns to the seaside town of Borteen, her childhood home, it’s for a less than happy reason. But it’s also a chance for her to start again.
A new job leads to her working for Carver Rodgers, a man who lives alone in a house that looks like it comes from the pages of a fairy tale – until you see the disaster zone inside …
As Jenny gets to know Carver she begins to unravel the sadness that has led to his chaotic existence. Gradually they realise they have something in common that is impossible to ignore – and it all links back to a meeting at a police station many years before.
Could the truth lie just beneath their feet?
Welcome to a dear author friend and fellow Apricot Plotter, Morton S Gray. It's lovely to catch up again, Morton and wish we were sharing tea and cake again at this year's RNA Conference. Perhaps next year!
I'd like to ask you a few questions and I'm sure your readers will be interested too.
Do you have a writing ritual?
I don’t think I have a ritual as such. Many writers aim for a daily specific word count, but that doesn’t really work for me.
I like to write longhand in notebooks when I’m beginning a novel or story and getting to know my characters. I prefer to write in coffee shops with the buzz of people around me, but at this stage I can write anywhere, waiting for appointments, on the bus or train, in car parks waiting to pick up my son.
When I get to the second draft stage, I transfer my words to the computer and begin to put the story together. At this point I need to have peace and quiet, so I’ll be shut away in my study.
Would you consider writing in a different genre in the future?
I’ve already written three historical novels, a couple of timeslips and a futuristic novel. All of these are still at first draft stage at the moment, but I do intend to work on them at some point. So, I guess the answer is yes!
What genre do you dislike and avoid reading?
I hate graphic violence and so avoid horror stories and the more violent crime novels. If I think a story will give me nightmares, I won’t read it.
What would you say were common traps for aspiring writers?
- Getting discouraged before they have given their story a chance to shine.
- Trying to put too many complications into a story and tying themselves in knots.
- Running away from a story when the plot points become hard to resolve easily. It is all too attractive to begin a shiny new story instead of working through the complications you have created. Whenever this happens to me, I hear the voice of fellow author and friend Alison May in my head saying, ‘Step away from the shiny!’
If you could be a character in one of your books, who would it be and why?
This is a difficult question as I get so close to all of my characters in the process of crafting a novel.
I’d possibly choose to be Mandy Vanes who runs Owl Corner Crafts in my fictional seaside town of Borteen, because she tends to have quite an exciting life. However, I’m working on her story at the moment and know she has a few dark secrets in her past.
Or else, I might choose one of two minor characters who will feature more strongly in future books – Suzi Meadows runs the Cancer Research Charity shop in Borteen and is a bit of a rebel, or Becky Finch, who is a clairvoyant barista in a coffee shop and reads the future of her customers in the froth of their coffee.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters of the opposite sex?
It is definitely difficult to view the world as a member of the opposite sex, but hopefully by careful observation and study of the men in my life, I can make a good stab at it. Men tend, in my experience anyway, to hide away their real feelings and not talk about them and sometimes to even deny their real thoughts even to themselves, so their stories often have to be suggested through body language and actions, rather than through direct conversations.
Fascinating answers, Morton. Thank you very much and I hope it won't be too long before we see your next book published.
About Morton S. Gray
Morton lives with her husband, two sons and Lily, the tiny white dog, in Worcestershire, U.K. She has been reading and writing fiction for as long as she can remember, penning her first attempt at a novel aged fourteen. She is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and The Society of Authors.
Her debut novel The Girl on the Beachwas published after she won Choc Lit Publishing Search for a Starcompetition. The story follows a woman with a troubled past as she tries to unravel the mystery surrounding her son’s headteacher, Harry Dixon. This book is available as a paperback and e-book.
Morton’s second book for Choc Lit The Truth Lies Buriedis another romantic suspense novel, the book tells the story of Jenny Simpson and Carver Rodgers as they uncover secrets from their past. This book is available as an e-book and as a paperback and audiobook from 12 March 2019.
Christmas at Borteen Baywas published on 13 November 2018 and is Morton’s first Christmas novella. It is set in her fictional seaside town of Borteen and follows the story of Pippa Freeman who runs the Rose Court Guesthouse with her mother and local policeman Ethan Gibson as they unravel a family secret as Christmas approaches.
Morton previously worked in the electricity industry in committee services, staff development and training. She has a Business Studies degree and is a fully qualified clinical hypnotherapist and Reiki Master. She also has diplomas in Tuina acupressure massage and energy field therapy. She enjoys crafts, history and loves tracing family trees. Having a hunger for learning new things is a bonus for the research behind her books.
How can readers get in touch with you online?
How can readers buy your books?
You can catch up with Morton on her website www.mortonsgray.com, on
Twitter - @MortonSGray, her Facebook page – Morton S. Gray Author - https://www.facebook.com/mortonsgray/and
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/morton_s_gray/
Purchasing links for The Girl on the Beachat http://www.choc-lit.com/dd-product/the-girl-on-the-beach/
Purchasing links for The Truth Lies Buriedathttp://www.choc-lit.com/dd-product/the-truth-lies-buried/
Purchasing links for Christmas in Borteen Bayat https://www.choc-lit.com/dd-product/christmas-at-borteen-bay/
