About

Hello,

I knew I wanted to be an author from around the age of seven. I had a rocky start at school because I wasn’t learning to read as quickly as I should have been. It transpired that I was extremely short-sighted and wasn’t hearing as well as I could be. A couple of operations and a pair of NHS specs later, I was good to go and quickly became insatiable on the book front. My parents had a small café and I would sit in there in my holidays. After I had read my daily four books from the library, my dad would give me money for comics to keep me going. I loved to write stories with titles like ‘The Dark Horrors of Destiny.’

I went off to Edinburgh University to study law where I experienced a culture shock of epic proportions and where an exuberant writing style was most definitely frowned upon. As a newly qualified solicitor I started doing Family and Criminal law and wound up back in my home town of Dumfries. Marriage, two kids and a dog followed and my dreams of becoming a writer began to drift away under the twin onslaught of family life and work. It was when I was expecting my daughter that I saw an advert in the local paper by Border TV for a short film script. Those selected would attend a weekend course with amongst others, the great Peter Mullen! I was lucky enough to obtain a place and the flame was reignited.

After a few years of writing drama, I decided to embark on a crime novel. That novel was ‘Dead Man’s Prayer.’ A few agents expressed interest but nothing came to fruition. I put it away for a few years while I trained as a hypnotherapist then decided to give it one major rewrite and send it out again before starting something new. I had just completed the rewrite when I heard that Killer Reads, Harper Collins, were open for submissions. I fired it off, thinking nothing of it. Two weeks later I was holding a publishing contract. I have now obtained a further publishing contract with Storm Publishing for three books. So, the moral of the story is, don’t give up on your dreams!

When I’m not writing or working, I love going on long walks exploring the beautiful East Lothian countryside and coastline with my golden retriever Lucy. In the Summer, I try and brave the icy waters of the North Sea for a swim most days.

I love hearing from readers so don’t hesitate to get in touch with me!!

Jackie Baldwin