Memory
My wife Tracey and I moved to Felixstowe in 1985 to open a baby clothes and nursery equipment shop, Kaleidoscope. The idea was that Tracey would run it and I’d write and become a best-selling author. I remember sitting near to Peter’s Ice Cream hut by the beach on a cold November day in 1984 and looking up and down from the Spa Pavilion to the pier and thinking what a nice place this would be to live. We’d come from South London where, not so long before, there had been riots.
Shop
It’s got to be Treasure Chest Books in Felixstowe – is there a better second-hand bookshop anywhere in the UK? The window is always a joy. And you can get lost inside for ages.
Place to eat
I’ve been going to The Kitchen in Felixstowe a lot lately – I have lunch with our eldest son Michael’s fiancée Georgia and my two-year old grandson Jonah every other Wednesday and it’s always lovely. The playground next to it is a huge attraction. I babysit our daughter Sophie’s one-year old Halley on Thursday mornings and the restaurant at the Spa Pavilion is a good place to sit and watch the world go by.
Pub
The Wilford Bridge in Woodbridge. Tracey and I go there on our wedding anniversary in April and the anniversary of the day we met in December. They do a fabulous steak tournedos if you book ahead.
Walk
My next book, The Walker, is out in January and it’s a semi-autobiographical literary novel about a man called Ian who has a mental breakdown and walks with his Jack Russell Bernard from Felixstowe to Hunstanton and back. I’m currently doing the walk in stages to double-check what I’ve written is 100 per cent accurate. Aldeburgh to Southwold is wonderful.
Landmark
The Southwold Lighthouse – Tracey and I first came to Suffolk on holiday in 1981 and we went on a mystery coach tour that took us there. I remember picking poppies with the lighthouse behind me and the pier just along the way. Magical.
Town/village
Bury St Edmunds is a treat of a day out. Once round the independent shops, a visit to Abbeygate Cinema or the Theatre Royal, followed by afternoon tea at The Angel. Finally, a walk around Abbey Gardens before going home.
Beach
Cobbold Point is at the bottom of the lane where I live in Felixstowe. So that’s my favourite. I walk our dog Dolly there and along by The Fludyers and back up by the beach huts and home most mornings and evenings.
Day out/attraction
With two small grand-children, Tracey and I are going back to the places we took our children when they were that age. We’ve always loved Easton Farm Park – charming and perfect for the little ones.
Export
Well, I’ll have to say my psych thrillers! My latest, The Perfect Husband, out on 19 October, was a number Amazon Hot New Release and – so close – a number two Amazon Best-Seller. It’s selling really well in the US too. I’m contracted to write at least two more. I’m also working on a TV series of an earlier thriller, Mr Todd’s Reckoning, with the actor James Dreyfus.
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