Local author Janet Brons, who had her first book A Quiet Kill published in April, has already started penning the sequel.
“The whole thing has been a very exciting period in my life,” said Brons, who lives in Sidney.
“The series was unexpected, but the publisher was keen on it so it’s very exciting. The only problem is the first book was written without the plan of a series so theres a few corners I’ll have to write myself out of,” Brons laughed.
Brons, who worked for the Canadian Foreign Service for 17 years as a diplomat spent three of her postings abroad in different cities: Kuala Lumpur, Warsaw and Moscow. She says many of the themes in the book came from her experiences working in foreign affairs.
“I actually drafted this book back in 1997 between leaving the Foreign Service and starting my own consulting company,” Brons explained of A Quiet Kill.
“I put it away in a drawer one day, and when I moved to Sidney from back east to be closer to my ageing parents, I pulled it out again to see if I could dust it off again,” she said.
A Quiet Kill is a murder mystery, Brons said, featuring the characters of Forsyth and Hay. Paired up for the first time, the two investigators must overcome insecurities and suspicions as they find themselves wading into the murky waters of the diplomatic community, and navigating through a melee of international conspiracy, militant nationalism and murder.
“I always loved murder mysteries and foreign affairs so the two seemed like a good marriage for the book,” laughed Brons, who said the prospect of having her first book out in the public eye was daunting.
“It’s a combination of excitement and terror,” she smiled.
“Even though the book is purely fictional you can’t help but have bits and pieces of yourself appear in the characters and to know that people will be reading this little piece of you is a bit scary.”
Brons is working with publisher TouchWood Editions in Victoria to solidify the second book in the series.
“I just finished up the manuscript for the second book and I think we’re looking at the fall of 2015 for its release,” said Brons.
Brons said the reaction from her book so far has been good, but it can take up to six months to get an idea of exactly how well it is selling.
“It’s pretty exciting to have it in all the major bookstores,” she said, adding that Sidney Pharmasave has also been really supportive.
“That’s really nice because it’s a local connection. We’re working on having a book signing on August 27 at the store which will be wonderful,” she said.
A Quiet Kill is available at most book stores or online at amazon.ca. For more information visit Brons’ website at members.shaw.ca/janetbrons.