Five Years On: Reflecting on Dead Inside #dcmaggiejamieson #OneMoreChapter

It’s surreal to think that it has been five years since Dead Inside hit the shelves, a book that marked the beginning of an unexpected journey into the world of crime writing for me… I went from avid reader/reviewer to writer. Whaaat?! If someone had told me a decade ago that I would be a published author, I would have laughed at the idea, I mean I just about wrote my 30K dissertation for my MA in Criminology. The struggle was real! Yet, here I am, with seven books written. How the heck did that happen?

Writing Dead Inside was never just about putting pen to paper; it was a deeply personal, often painful excavation of my past. With a career as a probation officer and enduring a 13-year extremely abusive and toxic relationship, I had no shortage of dark material to work with. Translating such experiences into a narrative was something I approached with a mix of dread and determination. The process, however cathartic, often left me emotionally drained, laying bare wounds I thought had long since healed. And they’re still not healed – I don’t know if they will ever be, but life is so much better!

Amid the heaviness of the topic of domestic abuse, there were lighter moments that lifted me through the writing process. My chocolate Labrador, Buster, was my writing companion. He’d listen (or at least, he pretended to listen) to me read passages aloud, offering a wag or a yawn at just the right moments. (That may not be true 😂) He actually rolled his eyes a million times hearing the same lines over and over. Poor boy! But his presence was a reminder not to take everything so seriously—to find moments of joy and levity, even in the darkest of themes.

Sadly, Buster passed away a year before Dead Inside was published. Losing him felt like losing a piece of myself. I dedicated the book to him.  He helped me through the darkest days and I will never forget that… or him. I mean, look at that face!

Sharing a fictional version of my story, both through my characters and with my readers, has allowed me to connect with others who have faced similar experiences to my own.

To those of you who have followed this crazy and some days, unbelievable ride with me, who may have found a piece of your story in mine, thank you from the bottom of my ice cold heart. Seriously though, it means the world to me. For those who have not yet met Lucy Sherwood or DC Maggie Jamieson – with June being #NationalCrimeReadingMonth – why not check it out…