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Claire Ladds

Crime and suspense author

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News

Claire Ladds Books: Author Writing and Publishing Goal-Setting for 2023

1st January 2023 by claireladds Leave a Comment

Happy New Year to you! I hope you’ve had a fabulous Christmas, and that 2023 brings you a year of calm and happiness.

This is my first piece of writing of 2023. I wrote yesterday about the achievement – or not – of my goals for 2022 and of what I had learned last year in relation to my writing and author business generally (you can read about my lessons learned in 2022 here).

Today is all about goal-setting for the next twelve months. What I learned more than anything last year was how I achieve the most when I stick to sensible plans and don’t allow myself to deviate, either in my head or on paper/on screen, and how this drastically affects my mindset.

With this in mind, I have chosen a theme for my goal-setting for the next twelve months, to encompass my writing, publishing and readership growth.

[Read more…] about Claire Ladds Books: Author Writing and Publishing Goal-Setting for 2023

Filed Under: Articles, News Tagged With: author goals, Claire Ladds Author, Claire Ladds Books, psychological thriller, suspense fiction, writing and publishing, writing goals

Writing Year in Review: What did I learn from 2022?

31st December 2022 by claireladds Leave a Comment

We are almost at the end of 2022! As we approach the end of what has been a year I, personally, will be pleased to see behind me, and hope for a much better, peaceful, and (fingers crossed) more smooth-running year ahead, it’s time for me to do a round-up of my writing year. So – what did I do, what went well, or not so great, and what – if anything – did I learn from this year in my writing career?

I split my goals for 2022 into three parts: creation, growth, business.

You can read about my 2022 goals here.

Did I achieve my creation goals? What did I learn about myself?

[Read more…] about Writing Year in Review: What did I learn from 2022?

Filed Under: Articles, News Tagged With: being a writer, Claire Ladds Author, Claire Ladds Books, writer life, writing about motherhood, writing and publishing, writing business, writing goals, year in review

Darker Minds Crime and Suspense Boxset OUT NOW!

22nd December 2022 by claireladds Leave a Comment

It’s out today! I am thrilled to tell you that you can now buy, download and read the digital boxset containing three of my Darker Minds Crime and Suspense books, just in time for the Christmas holidays. This first bundle in the series of standalone psychological and suspense thrillers can be downloaded on lots of different e-book stores – so if you’ve not yet discovered the first three in this set of books, now is your chance to grab a trio of books in one go. (If you want to cut to the chase and not read the entire post, you can find the boxset here).

Here are the descriptions of the three books in the bundle:

Show Me Dead

THE DEEPER YOU GO, THE DARKER YOU GET. THE STAGE IS SET…

Ripped away from her circus family and kidnapped, Angel finds herself the unwilling ‘guest’ in a dilapidated theatre, belonging to a man who calls himself the Puppet Master.

She’s not the only captive, either. All of the broken and terrified people below ground are forced to perform for a very darkly discerning audience.

When performers begin to go missing, no one knows why, or who will be next. Fear is growing and Angel intends to ensure one thing – that it won’t be her. What is happening here? Just who is the Puppet Master, and what does he want with her? Angel may well wish that she’d never found out. But is he really the one pulling the strings?

To save them all and get to the truth, Angel has to perform the darkest show of all. But truth comes at a price. And someone will pay…


That Killer Image

THREE PEOPLE. ONE KILLER. AND A PICTURE SOMEONE WILL DIE FOR…

When Vicky meets Anthony, she sees him as a happy distraction from her claustrophobic relationship with her housemate and self-appointed guardian, Fran.

Anthony already knows Vicky because he has been following her every move. She is perfect for what he needs – a model for the ultimate photo of his life’s work – and he will do anything it takes to get that shot.

But Fran is not so easy to get rid of. Haunted by the disappearance of her sister, and blaming herself, she is desperate not to make the same mistakes again with Vicky. And when push really comes to shove, she has other ideas about that killer image.

Beneath obsession lurks something more deadly…


No Deadlier Time

A FAMILY WITH DARK SECRETS. WILL SOMEONE KILL TO KEEP THEM?

Neve Eldritch is pregnant, happy, and has one wish – to get her husband, Harry, to reconnect with his family. Neve has never met them – and with good reason. Now there’s a chance to move into the family home and heal a long-standing rift. Going home can’t be that bad. Can it? But something feels wrong from the moment they arrive.

When you’ve avoided the problem for so long, it’s bound to rear its ugly head. All Harry ever wanted was to be worthy in his dad’s eyes. There’s a secret to success, one his dad has taunted him with as a boy, but now he’s gone to drastic lengths to stop Harry getting hold of it. Desperate to prove himself, Harry takes matters into his own hands – with deadly results.

But Harry isn’t prepared for what the horrifying key to his family’s success really is, and it’s spiralling out of control. When murder follows murder, he’s sure he’s committed them. How can he stop himself and keep his family safe when the secret he now holds won’t let him – and he can’t remember any of it?

Suspicions run rife in Neve. Her husband is lying to her. Is he crazy? Or is he a killer? Or maybe – just maybe – someone, somewhere, wants rid of him, and they’ll do anything to get what they want. And she’s sure they’re here, at the isolated family home. Do they want to kill her, too?

Terrible choices lay ahead if anyone is to get out alive. One person can save them all. But time is ticking away… and it’s proving to be deadly.

Be careful what you wish for… you just might get it.

As I mentioned earlier, each book in this digital boxset is a standalone novel, and perfect for readers who love dark themes and crimes mixed with twists, turns and lots of suspense. I hope you enjoy my Darker Minds Crime and Suspense books.

Happy reading!

Darker Minds Crime and Suspense Boxset 1
Grab your digital boxset HERE

Filed Under: News Tagged With: boxsets and bundles, Claire Ladds Books, crime and mystery fiction, crime fiction, Darker Minds Crime and Suspense, suspense fiction

Coming Next: Darker Minds Crime and Suspense Boxset 1

5th December 2022 by claireladds Leave a Comment

Exciting news – a boxset is coming, just in time for Christmas! I have had various readers ask me if there is going to be a boxset of the Darker Minds books so far, and I can definitely tell you that the answer is YES!

I have been working on putting together a digital boxset (or omnibus edition, if your prefer), and I’m thrilled to say that it is now available to pre-order on various stores, with more being added throughout December. It contains the novels Show Me Dead, That Killer Image and No Deadlier Time, and also includes the opportunity to get another Darker Minds books FREE when you sign up to my Readers’ Club.

The boxset launches on the 22nd December, just in time for you to nab a copy and pop it on the new e-reader you’ve bought for Christmas for the crime reader in your life. It would make an excellent long-distance gift for a reader, too – and you won’t even need to wrap it!

If you’d like to pre-order the digital boxset, so you’re one of the first readers to start reading it over the Christmas period, you can find it on your preferred store (where available) using your choice of buttons below.

Pre-order on Amazon or Apple
Pre-order on available stores

Back to HOME

Filed Under: News Tagged With: boxset, Christmas gift, crime and mystery fiction, crime fiction, Darker Minds Crime and Suspense, psychological thriller, suspense fiction

Grab Some Fantastic Mystery, Thrillers and Suspense in December 2022

1st December 2022 by claireladds

Can you believe it’s December already?! Have you got your Christmas tree up yet? Mine is still in the box (apologies to you if you shudder at the thought of an artificial tree) but it’s going up today. As it’s December, it also means I now have the legitimate excuse to watch Hercule Poirot’s Christmas countless times!

If you fancy some new reads in the last part of the year, to take you up to the Christmas period (and beyond), then you might enjoy taking a look at what I have to offer you in this post. I’ve joined together with some other fantastic authors to bring you THREE promotions that run until the end of the year.

The Free Crime Fiction Black Friday Giveaway contains a whole load of books from some fabulous crime authors. And, yes, you don’t have to pay for any of the books you download. You’ll find my Darker Minds novella, Beneath the Flesh, in there, which you can only get by becoming a member of my Readers’ Club (and that doesn’t cost you a penny, either). So, if you want to grab yourself some free crime fiction, just hit the button below to go straight to this promotion.

Take me to the Black Friday Giveaway

The Black Friday Deals promotion does exactly what it says on the tin – it gives you the chance to find your next favourite read which range from free to $4.99. The books offered here are available on all major (and some smaller) e-book stores, so you should be able to find a crime, mystery, suspense or thriller on the store of your choice. Hit the button below to head to the Black Friday Deals. You’ll find my Darker Minds Crime and Suspense books popping up there, too, if you fancy one.

Let me see the deals!

Throughout December, we bring you the Mayhem and Motives: Mystery, Thriller and Suspense Reads. Loads of books are available in this promo on all the main stores, some in Kindle Unlimited, too, so you’re sure to find a book at a store or through a subscription that suits how you prefer to read your mysteries, thrillers, or suspense books. I bet you never guessed – you will find my Darker Minds books lurking here, too. So why leave yourself in suspense – grab yourself a mystery thriller that I’ve written, or that one of the other great authors in this promo has for you.

I want to investigate the December Mayhem and Motives

There you go – three promotions, joining together lots of talented authors and their books, and something to suit every price point, (including some books of mine!) I hope you find some exciting, twisty reads, full of murder, mystery and dark deeds.

Happy reading!

Back to HOME

Filed Under: News Tagged With: crime and mystery fiction, crime fiction, free read, psychological thriller, suspense fiction

OUT NOW! No Deadlier Time

3rd November 2022 by claireladds Leave a Comment

No Deadlier Time is OUT NOW!

I am thrilled to announce that you can now get your hands on the third book in my Darker minds crime and suspense series. No Deadlier Time, on many of the e-book stores. So if you read your dark and suspenseful fiction from Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and a host of other retailers, you’ll find it, sitting there, lurking, waiting… Or maybe that’s just what the ravens do in this story of murder, mystery, and psychological torment, all tinged with Gothic undertones. But is there a darker force controlling this – or is it all in the mind? I can tell you what each of the main characters think – but that would really spoil the book!

Let me introduce you to the most important people in the story, and see what you make of them.

Who’s who at Ravensmead?

HARRY ELDRITCH

Harry loves his wife, and is devoted to his best friend. Harry is susceptible to superstitions and the like, much to the amusement of his wife, Neve. But he has his reasons for owning a four-leaf clover, not walking under ladders and, in particular, being wary of the ravens and the beliefs that surround them. He left home a long time ago, refusing ever to go back there. But now it looks as if he has no choice. And no choice means fate has claimed him… but what is his fate – and will he survive it?

NEVE ELDRITCH

Neve is Harry’s wife of several years, and has known him since he was introduced to her by Mark Taylor years before. She’s happy, pregnant, and just wants one thing – for Harry to heal the rift between himself and his family. She doesn’t know what went on between them, but when the chance to get Harry back to his family home appears, she thinks this will be the perfect opportunity for them to create the perfect family life at Ravensmead. But she has no idea why Harry left in the first place, or what lies in store for them when they get there. Is reuniting Harry with his family going to be a dream come true or a nightmare waiting to happen?

MARK TAYLOR 

He is Harry’s best friend. Once upon a time he was in a relationship with Neve, but that was a long time ago. But feelings can’t always be buried, can they? His life is currently one of work, takeaways and failed – or more accurately – non-existent relationships. So, when Harry asks him to return to their childhood home of Ravensmead, he can’t think of a single reason why he would want to stay in Oxford on his own – and a number of reasons why going with Harry is the much better option. But is he going so he can help Harry with the business, and give him a shoulder to lean on, or does he have other motives?

JONAH ELDRITCH

He is Harry’s dad and, well, let’s call him a rather unpleasant chap. But he does have his reasons. From childhood, he has been told that his success and his fate lay in the hands – and the ticking – of the watch which has been passed down through his family for generations. We meet him in the prologue as a mesmerised sixteen year old, and in the book ‘proper’ as a 65-year-old man who is determined that his own son will not inherit anything from him (and, in particular, the watch). He is tormented by the darkness he believes comes from the watch, by the ravens which guard (or torment) the house, and by his own dark deeds. And the steps he takes to protect his son… they have consequences.

CLEMENCY ELDRITCH

Clemency is Harry’s mum, but they haven’t seen each other in years. She brought him up in a world of imagination, on the family library full of tales of mythology, folklore and beliefs. How much is fiction, she doesn’t know herself. Her life revolves around this library and her greenhouses, where she grows plants you’d be best not asking about! When she becomes afraid for Jonah, she writes to her estranged son and begs him to return to the family home and live there. But she doesn’t tell him the full story. Just maybe the whole horrific picture hasn’t yet unravelled for her. But it will…

RACHEL HAINES

Mrs Haines, sometimes called Rachel, is one half of the Haines couple who see to everything for the Eldritch household. And I really do mean everything. Rachel looked after Jonah after his father’s death and both she and her husband maintain complete loyalty to the family, no matter what happens. She is the eyes and ears of the house, the one to be trusted to do what’s best for the family, no matter what the cost – and she has her own secrets. In a house like Ravensmead, everyone has secrets. Rachel idolises Harry and there is nothing she wouldn’t do to protect him. Nothing at all…

And what about Ravensmead House itself? Why would Harry not want to return?

[Read more…] about OUT NOW! No Deadlier Time

Filed Under: Darker Minds Crime and Suspense, News Tagged With: crime and mystery fiction, Darker Minds Crime and Suspense, gothic fiction, psychological horror, psychological thriller, suspense fiction

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