S C Cunningham discusses how she researched the steamy
The Penance List
As
with many Authors, being observational and asking ‘why?’ is my research. I tend
to write what I know; my storylines are mainly founded on real life
experiences. For characterisation research I draw on people I know or have
closely watched, it’s easier to write from truth.
I’m
in my fifties and luckily have had quite a hectic life (see below). I’ve worked
in a few fascinating industries and have gleaned a wide range of characters and
scenarios. Living in the very topics you write about, ie as a Police Crime
Investigator is research gold.
For
finer detailed research, ie blood splatter, gun calibre, psychotic behavioural
patterns I read up as I go along. trying not to get too bogged down in detail
as it can kill the flow.
My
life experience ‘research’ is as follows – am British born of Irish parents,
was plonked from the age of 8yrs into an Irish Catholic Nuns Boarding School.
After a short spell of studying law (frustrated at lack of justice in our
systems) I went on to work as a fashion model, married a rock musician and worked in the music to
film industry. Got divorced and then as a single mum worked within football,
sports celebrity management, horseracing, children’s charities, and more
recently for the Police as a Crime Investigator – Intel Analyst, Major Crime
Team, Wanted and Absconder Units. Oh
yes, and somewhere in there I got drunk and married (again) in Vegas (Oops!).
Am proud mum to a wonderful daughter (Contemporary Artist) and owned by three
dogs.
For
the past ten years I’ve been drawing on this natural research resource to write
steamy Psychological Thrillers (The David Trilogy) and gritty Paranormal Crime
Romance (The Fallen Angel Series).
The
Penance List (The
David Trilogy) was kick-started by an incident that happened to me in my
twenties when I was living in London. Quite frighteningly and out of the blue,
I crossed paths with a prolific serial attacker who targeted single girls
living alone in basement flats in Notting Hill and Olympia. It was then that I
realised evil can sit around any corner - learn to trust your gut.
I
remember looking into his face and asking why? I needed to understand how a
human could be that cruel to another. He had the look of a spoilt mother’s boy;
I guessed his mother must have loved him at some stage, but what life changing
event or who had turned him from a sweet little boy into an evil adult? The
seed for complex protagonist David Howard was sown.
Using
a mix of my own experiences (boarding schools, models, the press, celebrity
management, footballers, London haunts, and fun loving career boy and girl friends)
and further study into the psychotic mind, I created David’s fictional world which
shines a light on the ripple effect carnage the misuse of power, religion and
passion can cause.
The
book has been adapted to film script, so we may see David on our screens one
day. I loved working on his character so much that I’ve dragged him into The
Fallen Angel Series where he causes further chaos in the skies.
The
research for the paranormal Fallen Angel Series was based on a kidnap incident I
experienced as a child. At 3 or 4 years old I was taken and got away (that
Angel again!). The following week another little girl was taken, she didn’t get
away. I remember being upset that the nasty man had got away, and said my
prayers every night, asking God for a deal – That if I was a good girl, when I
die, would he let me sit on a cloud for a while, invisible, and help him get
the baddies that slip through his fingers? This wish has stayed with me
throughout life, I tend to find myself supporting the underdog, and looking for
justice.
The
only research for this series is the imagination I had as a child, what I
envisaged the place in the clouds to be like. My childhood experience mixed with
my crime knowledge and the empowering thought that we’re not alone, creates a
fictional fantasy where vigilante Angels dish out tough karma from the skies,
protecting the underdog and sorting out the baddies. It’s fun, the angels are
feisty, naughty and brave, their work is contemporary and thought provoking.
I
guess, in a nutshell, my research has been my life.
Pleased
be warned, The Penance List is a sexy
thriller, think Psycho meets 50 Shades. It can be a little naughty at
times and may not be for everyone. But if you’re brave enough, grab a glass of
vino, close the bedroom door and read alone.
Introducing...
The Penance List
This one comes with a warning - a steamy suspense-ridden
psychological thriller - think Silence of
the Lambs meets 50 Shades and
hold on tight! S C Cunningham writes with a skilled mix of fuelled tension,
dark humour and pulsating sex scenes. Grab a glass of wine, close the bedroom
door and read alone!
 |
| Amazon UK |
What happens when opposites attract - when a scorned childhood sweetheart grows
into a gorgeous sexual tour de force - when a fun loving career girl, her racy
girlfriends and insatiable lovers get caught in his revenge - when sex becomes
a weapon, hearts become bait and straight tastes gay - when hi-flying careers,
clandestine affairs and wannabe starlets are hunted by celebrity hungry press?
Obsession, kidnap, murder... and he's just getting started!
Author Bio –
British Crime Investigator and Crime Writer, Siobhan C
Cunningham creates steamy psychological thrillers and kick-ass paranormal
romance with a skilled mix of fuelled tension, dark humour, and pulsating sex
scenes. Having worked in the very industries she writes about, her novels offer
a fresh level of sincerity and authority, rare in fiction.
An ex-model, British born of Irish roots, she married a rock musician and has
worked in the exciting worlds of music, film, sports celebrity management and
as a Crime Investigator for the British Police (Wanted & Absconder Unit,
Major Crime Team, Intelligence Analyst, Investigations Hub).
Abducted as a child, she survived; and every night for months afterward, she
prayed to God, asking for a deal. This personal journey sparked the fuse behind
the intriguing and riveting fictional world she portrays in The Fallen Angel Series. Twenty years
later she crossed paths with a violent serial attacker who haunted the streets
of London, the seed for The David Trilogy
was sown, book one is The Penance List, and
has been adapted to film screenplay.
She is the proud mother to contemporary Artist Scarlett
Raven and is owned by three dogs.
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