"Mark Edwards delivers a true masterclass in suspense writing."

– Robert Bryndza, Bestselling Author

“Tense, atmospheric, and full of twists and turns right up until the last page.”

Angela Marsons, Bestselling Author

"He really is in a league of his own"

Lisa Jewell

"Mark is king of the curveball"

John Marrs, author of The One

“I drop everything for a new Mark Edwards”

Louise Candlish

"So compelling I couldn't put it down"

Claire Douglas on Keep Her Secret

Latest Release

Order now
The Darkest Water

The four million copy bestseller

Mark Edwards writes psychological thrillers about ordinary people who encounter terrifying events. His novels include The Magpies, Follow You HomeHere To Stay and Keep Her Secret.

“Mark Edwards is in a league of his own.”

Lisa Jewell

"Mark Edwards takes readers on an almost unbearably suspenseful thrill ride“

Lisa Unger

“Tense, atmospheric, and full of twists and turns right up until the last page.”

Angela Marsons

"Mark is king of the curveball"

John Marrs

“I drop everything for a new Mark Edwards.”

Louise Candlish

Connect with Mark

Working hard at the kitchen table on what will eventually be my 22nd published novel. Today I’m planning an imaginary dinner party for my characters to attend and trying to figure out the menu is making my stomach rumble…

Question: do you enjoy reading about food? If characters are ...sitting down to a meal, do you want to know what they’re eating? Or are you only interested in what else is happening at the table: the conversation, the relationships, etc?

It’s #worldbookday and this is a simple post: six novels that I love. I would say I wish I’d written them but then I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of reading them. I once saw a quote from an author that went something like, ‘I’m a writer but I’m a reader first.” I think of myself ...like that. I write because I want to make people feel the way I do when I lose myself in a book.

The six:

Alex Garland, The Beach - this is a first edition and it has some kind of dirt on the spine that I can’t get off but what a book!
Natsuo Kirino, Out - magnificently dark Japanese crime thriller
Emily St John Mandel, Station Eleven - I have a quote on the UK paperback of this dystopian masterpiece
Mark Z Danielewski, The House of Leaves - best horror novel ever
Stephen King, Misery - not horror but his best work
Donna Tartt, The Secret History - I own five copies, two of them signed, one in DT’s presence. She shook my hand and I had a wobbly fanboy moment.

Have you read any of these? And what are you reading this World Book Day?

Event announcement! I'm appearing in Birmingham on April 20th as part of the brand new Heath Bookshop Literature & Music Festival. I'll be on a panel alongside Jo Callaghan, Rachel McLean and Barbara Copperthwaite. It's a few days after the release of The Darkest Water so all be ...signing books, giving away pens, etc. Tickets here https://the-heath-bookshop.eventcube.io/events/56765/crime-writers-panel/

Also, take a look at the rest of the line up. There are some fantastic authors and artists appearing. The full program is here: https://the-heath-bookshop.eventcube.io/events/56765/crime-writers-panel/

I'm not sure what other events I'll be doing this year. I know I'll be in Shoreham in October, and I am trying to rearrange the Bath event with Claire Douglas. Watch this space for details.

Do I have any aspiring or emerging authors following me? This May, for the first time ever, I’m going to be running an online course for writers. It runs every Wednesday evening in May and there are only 15 places available - so you’ll want to snap this up! Here are the details:

...EVERYTHING BUT THE BOOK

There are many courses that will tell you how to write a novel.

This one will help you understand everything else you’ll need to know, whether you want to be traditionally published or try self-publishing, and will show you how to lay the groundwork for success from day one.

Across 5 live Zoom sessions, established and successful author Mark Edwards will share his wealth of experience and help you learn how to find an audience for your work, avoiding all the most common mistakes.

This course will focus on:

• Starting your author journey: commercial vs literary fiction, defining success and laying the groundwork for it, creating the time and space to write, networking, writer and reader communities.

• Traditional publishing: finding an agent, querying, how publishing works, advances and royalties.

• Self-publishing: the entrepreneurial mindset, being professional, paid advertising, case studies of success.

• Marketing and PR: building a relationship with readers, social media, websites and newsletters, building a brand, measuring success.

• The hard stuff: dealing with rejection, bad reviews, staying motivated, not giving up.

More details here. As I said above, there are only 15 places available. If you’re a writer, this is a rare chance to pick the brains of someone who’s been there, done that and is still doing it. Link in bio or go to Writing West Midlands dot org and click Events and courses - Short courses

Do I have any aspiring or emerging authors following me? This May, for the first time ever, I'm going to be running an online course for writers. It runs every Wednesday evening in May and there are only 15 places available - so you'll want to snap this up! Here are the details:

...EVERYTHING BUT THE BOOK

There are many courses that will tell you how to write a novel.

This one will help you understand everything else you’ll need to know, whether you want to be traditionally published or try self-publishing, and will show you how to lay the groundwork for success from day one.

Across 5 live Zoom sessions, established and successful author Mark Edwards will share his wealth of experience and help you learn how to find an audience for your work, avoiding all the most common mistakes.

This course will focus on:

• Starting your author journey: commercial vs literary fiction, defining success and laying the groundwork for it, creating the time and space to write, networking, writer and reader communities.

• Traditional publishing: finding an agent, querying, how publishing works, advances and royalties.

• Self-publishing: the entrepreneurial mindset, being professional, paid advertising, case studies of success.

• Marketing and PR: building a relationship with readers, social media, websites and newsletters, building a brand, measuring success.

• The hard stuff: dealing with rejection, bad reviews, staying motivated, not giving up.

More details here. As I said above, there are only 15 places available. If you're a writer, this is a rare chance to pick the brains of someone who's been there, done that and is still doing it. https://writingwestmidlands.org/events/online-5-week-course-everything-but-the-book-may-2024/

I absolutely love the Danish edition of Keep Her Secret. This is almost exactly how I pictured Helena’s cliff top house in Sussex, with seagulls wheeling above and the sky dark and ominous. It’s my first book to be published in Denmark so something to celebrate!

I’m giving away a signed copy of The Darkest Water over on Instagram. To enter, simply follow my Instagram account (@markedwardsauthor) and like the post. For an extra entry, share it as an Instagram story.

I’ll be running a separate Facebook comp soon so if you’re not on Insta ...don’t fret!

Peggy says there have been too many dogs on my timeline this week and I have to agree. Here I am, on the eve of starting a new book, which will be my 22nd published novel, and I think this one will need to have a Maine Coon in it. It’s all been plotted, I’m very excited about it, and now I just... have to get 90,000 words down…

My writing companions: Lana Del Rey, Mia Goth, Sherlock, Peggy. Don’t judge me. The cardboard cut-outs were bought for me as presents 😂
One month to go! Thank you to Tracy Fenton on Goodreads for summing up what it’s about so perfectly:  “The story is set in the Lake District and Calvin Matheson’s dreams of opening a cafe and bakery are slowly turning into a nightmare due to no customers and dwindling finances. When his wife tells him to start promoting the cafe on social media with the help of his assistant one of his posts goes viral bringing him overnight success and plenty of new customers.  However, the darker side of social media soon rears it’s ugly head and when Calvin starts getting DM’s from a female stalker claiming to be his greatest fan, suddenly his success puts him and those closest to him in real danger.  Meanwhile, the body of a local man is found buried up to his neck in the sea and Detective Imogen Evans, who has recently moved to the area, is in charge of finding out who this man is, why he was killed and to catch the killer...”  The Darkest Water is out on April 16 as an ebook, paperback and audiobook. To pre-order, just search ‘darkest water Edwards’ on Amazon. You can also ask your local library or bookshop to order it.
1. When I was ten, my mum brought a copy of a horror novel called The Fog home from the library and left it where I could find it. That James Herbert novel, in which dozens of characters do terrible, terrifying things to each other, made me fall in love with dark books - some might say it warped my young and impressionable mind! - and now I spend my days dreaming up scary scenarios for my ordinary men and women to deal with. It’s a dream job!  2. I have a strange obsession with female psychopaths and my novels are full of them - from Lucy, the neighbour-from-hell in The Magpies, to the evil in-laws in Here To Stay, to creepy child-from-hell Darlene in The Hollows. Apparently, IRL, female psychopaths and sociopaths are much less rare than previously thought. You can expect to meet a lot more evil everyday folk in my future novels, both male and female…  3. My books nearly always feature a cat and I can guarantee that in my books the pets always survive. I even make sure they are rehomed if their owners meet a grisly fate! I write with my Maine Coon, Peggy, by my side, along with my golden retriever, Sherlock. My Insta feed is full of photos of them. I promise never to refer to them as my ‘fur babies’.  Finally, a big welcome and an enormous thank you to my new followers. If you haven’t read any of my books yet, my three faves are Here To Stay, Follow You Home and The Lucky Ones. My next novel, The Darkest Water, about social media stalking, is out on April 16th. I also have a BIG SECRET about my career that I’m going to reveal very soon so stay tuned for that…
Do I have any aspiring or emerging authors following me? This May, for the first time ever, I’m going to be running an online course for writers. It runs every Wednesday evening in May and there are only 15 places available - so you’ll want to snap this up! Here are the details:  EVERYTHING BUT THE BOOK  There are many courses that will tell you how to write a novel.  This one will help you understand everything else you’ll need to know, whether you want to be traditionally published or try self-publishing, and will show you how to lay the groundwork for success from day one.  Across 5 live Zoom sessions, established and successful author Mark Edwards will share his wealth of experience and help you learn how to find an audience for your work, avoiding all the most common mistakes.  This course will focus on:  • Starting your author journey: commercial vs literary fiction, defining success and laying the groundwork for it, creating the time and space to write, networking, writer and reader communities.  • Traditional publishing: finding an agent, querying, how publishing works, advances and royalties.  • Self-publishing: the entrepreneurial mindset, being professional, paid advertising, case studies of success.  • Marketing and PR: building a relationship with readers, social media, websites and newsletters, building a brand, measuring success.  • The hard stuff: dealing with rejection, bad reviews, staying motivated, not giving up.  More details here. As I said above, there are only 15 places available. If you’re a writer, this is a rare chance to pick the brains of someone who’s been there, done that and is still doing it. Link in bio or go to Writing West Midlands dot org and click Events and courses - Short courses
Huge congratulations to the winner of a signed copy of The Darkest Water. I’ll be in touch via DM. A huge thank you to everyone who entered. More competitions coming soon!
Don’t mess with Peggy!  #mainecoon vs #goldenretriever
Have you seen my competition? I’m giving away a signed copy of my book, The Darkest Water, which is out April 16th. To enter, make sure you’re following me and either like this reel or my last post. For an extra entry share this reel or my previous post as a story. Open worldwide. The lucky winner will be notified by DM.

Follow Mark on Instagram

Want to keep up with what Mark's doing, find out what Peggy the Maine Coon has been up to, keep track of the latest special offers and see what Mark is reading or listening to? Head over to Instagram and give @markedwardsauthor a follow.

“Mark Edwards is in a league of his own.”

Lisa Jewell

"Mark Edwards takes readers on an almost unbearably suspenseful thrill ride“

Lisa Unger

“Tense, atmospheric, and full of twists and turns right up until the last page.”

Angela Marsons

"Mark is king of the curveball"

John Marrs

“I drop everything for a new Mark Edwards.”

Louise Candlish

FREE box set of short stories

Join the Readers Club to download the Mark’s FREE box set of four thrilling stories, plus all the latest news, book releases, special offers and giveaways.

Contact Mark

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