See How They Run (38 page)

S
EE HOW THEY RUN
started with a sleepless night. I’d gone to bed at about midnight and was still lying awake when I heard a noise outside; at first I thought it was a cat jumping on to our dustbin. Then the security light came on, and when I got up and opened the bedroom window, a would-be burglar ran away from the back door and disappeared over our fence.

The police attended very quickly, but the culprit was never traced. Afterwards it struck me that, if I hadn’t been lying awake, I doubt if either the noise or the outside light would have woken me or my wife. And the brazen nature of the attempted break-in troubled me a lot in the days and weeks that followed. I couldn’t help wondering what might have happened had the intruder made it into the house without disturbing us.

What followed was a pattern of very light sleeping which still hasn’t quite left me, but it also sparked an idea for a novel, drawing on the many subsequent occasions when I woke suddenly and froze, trying to identify the noise I’d just heard. It reminded me of that other stage in life when light sleeping becomes an exhausting habit – so I thought it only right that Harry and Alice should have a new baby to worry about!

As with most of my novels, this story centres on ordinary people whose lives are suddenly thrown into chaos – and I hope you find it as exciting as I did to discover how they manage to cope with the many challenges that confront them.

If you do enjoy the book, can I ask you to spare a little time to add a rating or a review to the website of your choice? I think most readers are conscious now of the vitally important role that reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and elsewhere can have on the success of a book. And as I’ve mentioned in the acknowledgements, getting that positive feedback makes a tremendous difference: writers work in silence, metaphorically speaking, and a nice review or a favourable comment on social media is the equivalent of an actor or musician hearing applause from the audience.

You can contact me or find out more about my books via the links below, and receive news of my new releases by signing up to my email list:

• @t0mbale
  
• tombalewriter
  

I
f you’d
like to get the latest on all my new releases, just click on the link below. Thanks for reading!

S
INS
OF THE FATHER
by David Harrison

SKIN AND BONES

TERROR’S REACH

BLOOD FALLS

THE CATCH

T
om Bale was born
in Sussex in 1966. While pursuing his lifelong ambition to be a writer, he worked in a variety of jobs, but none was as exhausting – or as rewarding – as the several years he spent as a househusband with two pre-school children. His first novel,
SINS OF THE FATHER
, was published in 2006 under his real name, David Harrison. With his next book,
SKIN AND BONES
, he acquired an agent, a pseudonym and a publishing deal that enabled him to write full-time. A keen cyclist and sea swimmer, he lives in Brighton with his family.

• @t0mbale
  
• tombalewriter
  

I
’d
like to thank Keshini Naidoo, my editor, for the time and dedication she put into ensuring that this book is as good as it can possibly be. I’d also like to thank Oliver Rhodes, Kim Nash and the whole team at Bookouture – it’s a thrill to be on board!

S
imilar thanks are
due to my agent, Camilla Wray, and everyone at Darley Anderson, particularly Mary Darby, Emma Winter and Rosanna Bellingham.

A
s always
, I’m deeply indebted to my wife, Niki, as well as my family and friends. And since we’re hitting the half century in 2016, this feels like the right time for a shout-out to the old geezers who have offered me comradeship and support for four decades or more: Ian Gilburt, Shendon Ireland, Rod Lambert, Stuart Marsom, Denis Sorrill and Ian Vinall. Cheers, guys!

A
special thank
you to Demetra Saltmarsh, who worked chiropractic miracles on my creaking back: it’s been rather an exotic delight to sit without pain (and type without numb fingers) for the first time in over ten years.

L
astly
, those of you who have read my previous books will know that this one has been a while coming. I won’t bore anyone with the reasons behind that delay but I will say that, as far as my writing career is concerned, the past few years have involved rather more downs than ups. There were times when I wondered if I should pack it in and do something else, but two things kept me on track: the unwavering support of my wife, and the messages I received from readers who had enjoyed my books.

S
o this is
for everyone who took the trouble to contact me by email, Facebook or Twitter; everyone who mentioned my work on their blogs or was good enough to post a review: your positive feedback really did make a difference. Thank you.