'A writer to watch out for.' Mandasue Heller
Welcome to The Estate - where even the darkest times have their lighter moments...
Scars. Sometimes they’re visible. Sometimes they’re hidden deep within.
After years of living as a single parent, all Donna Adams longs for is someone to make her smile, to share hopes and dreams with, to keep her warm at night. But when that certain someone gives her the attention she craves, true love doesn’t always follow the right path.
Home from the army, Lewis is a changed man. Angry and consumed by grief, troubled by nightmares and flashbacks, his mind is worse now than ever. Shutting out what he’s seen isn’t easy, but he risks losing everything he’s come back to if he doesn’t, including his sanity.
Megan Cooper hides her scars for fear of being rejected. Mary Marshall can’t always remember how she got hers.
If the past could be erased to make a better future, we’d all want that, wouldn’t we? But life is never that easy for the residents of The Mitchell Estate…
WRITTEN IN THE SCARS is the fourth book in The Estate Series but each one can be read as a standalone novel.
Q&A with Mel Sherratt
What influenced you to write The Estate Series?
I’m a huge fan of Paul Abbott - who wrote Shameless among other things - Jimmy McGovern, Sally Wainwright and Kay Mellor who wrote Band of Gold. They all write about down-to-earth people, plus the emotions of life. Real problems, real people, real crimes – that’s what I base my books on. As I hadn’t seen a housing officer featured anywhere as a main character, I decided to combine my love of writing with the background knowledge of the policy and procedures of my previous role and create an estate for Josie to work on.
Where is The Estate set?
I’ve based the series in the fictional city of Stockleigh, but it’s anywhere you’ll find dysfunctional families such as the Gallagher’s (Shameless). It’s anywhere the teachers try their best to educate the kids in schools similar to Waterloo Road. It’s where you’ll find Del Boy and Rodney in a high-rise block of flats living close to The Royle Family. It isn’t far from Happy Valley. At times it’s as sad as Eastenders: often it’s reminiscent of an episode from The Jeremy Kyle Show. In a nutshell, The Estate Series is laugh a minute, cry a minute, crime a minute.
What genre does the series fit into?
I’d like readers to go through emotional journeys with the characters from The Estate Series. I like to write about hidden crimes - things that often happen behind closed doors. The storylines are gritty but most have happy endings, laced with hope and encouragement. So I’m going to go with my own genre of Grit-Lit – where drama meets crime.
How do The Estate Series and DS Allie Shenton Series differ?
The DS Allie Shenton series are police procedural, so they are fast-paced and thrilling, with a murder to solve in each book, so plenty to keep readers thinking and working out. The Estate Series are a little more relaxed - lots of colourful characters and gritty subject matter, covering many social issues.
Books in The Estate Series are:
Somewhere to Hide
Behind a Closed Door
Fighting for Survival
The Estate Box Set (A collection of books 1-3 above)
***Not tried The Estate Series yet? For a limited time, you can grab a copy of the 'behind the scenes look' at the series, Secrets on The Estate. Just copy and paste this link into your browser for your free book: http://bit.ly/1fFPgmD ***
PRAISE FOR MEL SHERRATT
‘The worst terrors are always those that hide closest to home.’ Elizabeth Haynes, Into the Darkest Corner.
‘There's a lot of young crime writers that I've just met for the first time. There's one called Mel Sherratt; she's very interesting.’ Ian Rankin.
‘Uncompromising, powerful and very real – an important new voice.’ David Mark.
‘Gritty and atmospheric.’ Niamh O’Connor.
