Northampton author releases brand new thriller set in the county – and says the launch event was ‘absolutely rocking’

A Northampton author has released a brand new thriller set in the county, and she says the launch event was “absolutely rocking”.

‘What Tomorrow Brings’ is Sylvia Thompson’s debut book, released just days ago on January 28.

The author, from Duston, tells the tale of Doctor Eleanor Sutherland – who is urgently summoned back to her family home by her senior police officer father.

To her horror, with ministerial approval, she was made the sole heir to the estate of a now deceased British MP and attempts to untangle herself from this spooky world. In an explosive double-headed climax, three people do not survive the ordeal.

Sylvia shared that the story is based in a number of Northamptonshire towns and villages, which readers will immediately recognise – including Long Buckby and the Heart of the Shires.

The book launch took place at Number 50 Tea Room in Duston, which Sylvia described as “brilliant” and “absolutely rocking”.

“People were continuously in and out,” she said. “Someone who had just come in for breakfast told me she used to write poetry and I’d inspired her to do it again.”

The newfound author was pleased her book launch had a positive impact on someone else in the community.

When asked what inspired her to write her first book, Sylvia said: “Everybody wants to learn a musical instrument or write a book, but life gets in the way and you say you’ll start it tomorrow.

“A couple of years ago I couldn’t sleep at night so I got up and started writing. It wasn’t as easy as that but I had to do something. It just flowed.”

From beginning writing to the book being accepted was an 18-month process, and it was approaching two years by the time it was published.

“It’s a legacy,” said Sylvia, when asked if all the hard work was worth it to now hold a physical copy of the book in her hands. “I did that.”

Sylvia wants to set an example for others, about the importance of taking the plunge and not letting life hold you back from doing things you enjoy.

The author shared how her writing journey first began, talking of how the pandemic encouraged people to support local businesses.

Sylvia regularly visited an independent bookshop in Market Harborough called Quinns, and she told them she had been writing a book while in the store one time. They advised Sylvia of a nearby publisher called Troubador, who she looked up online and signed up to one of their workshops.

Having provided her manuscript and the publishers returning their verdict within a week, Sylvia simply said “the rest is history”.

When asked how it felt to have a positive response to the book manuscript, Sylvia said: “It was lovely. The biggest fear was rejection.”

Sylvia says the second book is now “well on its way” as she is halfway through writing it, confirming that it remains set in the county and the surviving characters will return.

Describing Northamptonshire as “beautiful”, the author said when she was writing and putting herself into the characters she realised just how suited the area was to the narrative.

You can check out Sylvia’s book, What Tomorrow Brings, online here.