I’m very pleased to have the lovely Tara Lyons as guest author on my blog today. Although we haven’t met (in the flesh so to speak) yet, I’m very pleased to call Tara a friend. Tara is the author of the crime thriller In The Shadows, and although only released in March this year, Tara’s debut novel has already received many brilliant reviews.

Detective Inspector Denis Hamilton is tasked with apprehending a brutal murderer stalking the streets of London—and leaving not a shred of DNA evidence. As the suspect list mounts, his frustration and pressure from his superiors intensify. Grace Murphy, who is dealing with the recent loss of her beloved grandfather, falls deeper into despair when her friends’ bodies are discovered. Fearing she may be the killer’s next target, she begins to question if her horrifying nightmares are the key to unravelling the murderer’s identity. How far would you go to uncover the truth? Would you venture into the shadows to unmask a killer?

Here Tara talks about her life and experiences since becoming a published author and how dreams really can come true.

Dreams can come true

It’s impossible to read that line without wanting to break out into song isn’t it – Gabrielle style, of course – so I apologise now if it’s stuck in your head for the rest of the day. I’m also sorry if it makes me sound like a cliché – but it’s true; dreams can come true. It’s happened for me, and if someone would have told me this is where I would end up, I wouldn’t have believed a word of it. So what’s not to say your dreams can’t come true too.

My whirlwind year

I won’t bore you all again with tales of my writing journey so far – I feel like that’s all I did for the first half of this year – but I will reiterate what an amazing year I’ve had.

We’re just a few weeks away from my 31^st birthday (happy to receive chocolates and wine), and it’s that which has prompted the self-reflective mood. It will mark the year anniversary to when my writing career began, and it’s changed my life remarkable.

In that short space of time, I have collaborated with a fabulous author, M.A Comley – her series of books I devoured and enjoyed long before our writing partnership began. It still feels unbelievable at times. Together, we have written a novella (some parts of the story are based on true events) and are about to launch a new crime series. The Caller is the first book in the series which follows an Organised Crime Team seeking justice on the streets of London. I published my solo crime/thriller debut, In the Shadows in March and I’m pleased to say it’s doing really well. I’ve received some amazing five-star reviews on iBooks (Eek! Wow! I’m on iTunes!!) and it’s inching towards 100 reviews on Amazon UK. I’m overwhelmed.

The network of people I connect with has blown wide open. On a daily basis, I speak to avid readers, crazy book lovers, bloggers and fellow authors. I’ve attended events such as author/blogger meet-ups, a Q&A with Jojo Moyes, book club birthday parties (which have been attended by some very fun and inspirational people) and I’ve just booked tickets to attend Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Festival in Harrogate this June. I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am about all these new opportunities.

I’ve made new friends, new contacts and have been welcomed into new social circles. It’s truly been an amazing year. I think if I tried to name all the influential people in this post you finger would ache from the constantly scrolling. But, I do thank each and every reviewer, buyer, blogger, friend, book club and fellow reader/writer who has made this past year one hell of a ride. I hope the next one is as successful.

I can do it, so can you

So, I’ll just leave you with this thought: Are you following your dreams? I’m no one special, a working-class girl who has never had much in terms of material things but am lucky to have a supportive family and dear friends. They pushed me to live my dream. If you don’t have that network, there is an amazing online community that can help you – just reach out. It’s easier to find excuses not to do the thing you love, but then, you only get one shot at this life, so live it doing something you enjoy.

Huge thank you to Eva for welcoming me onto her blog today. Eva is one of the lovely friends I’ve met online and I hope to meet her in person one day. I had the pleasure of reading her debut, 183 Times a Year – a book completely out of my usual reading genre – and I loved it. If you haven’t read it yet, get reading!

I love chatting online, so please feel free to get in touch.

Tara Lyons on Social Media:
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