Behind most authors stands at least one unsung hero. In my case, it’s my husband Dave Pescod. While I write this piece, he’s sitting across the kitchen table from me, reading a draft of my latest crime novel, with a deep frown on his face. I have come to realise during our thirty-year marriage that the frown doesn’t always signal displeasure. Often, it’s just concentration. He’s thinking of ways to help my story to run more smoothly, or a fresh detail to deepen the plot. I guess you could call him the equivalent of a chatbot, with the added value that comes from being a real human being!
I doubt that I would ever have found the confidence to write a book, without Dave’s help. I was thirty when we met, and working as an English teacher, while he taught art. Until then my writing was like a guilty secret. I just stole odd moments to write occasional poems or short stories, convinced that they weren’t good enough to publish. I discovered that Dave was a writer, too, selling jokes to radio and TV shows, as well as short stories. He had this big, flamboyant talent, which I found daunting. It took me ages to gather the courage to show him my work, and I’ll never forget his reaction. He just looked at me and said with absolute conviction that I had talent. By then I knew that he was never inclined to bullshit, so his words made me glow.
My unsung hero gave me the confidence to write my first crime novel, and since then many more have followed, and it’s been a joyous ride. I’ve enjoyed the pleasure that comes from a fruitful creative relationship. We still often pass each other manuscripts to edit, fragments to fine tune, and spend hours mulling over potential plots and characters together.
Dave has never been keen on the spotlight, but it felt right to shine it on him for once, as he patiently edits my twentieth book for me. I wonder how many other authors have partners/friends/siblings that play a similar huge role in their creative lives? Writing can be a lonely profession at times, so all these unsung heroes deserve huge thanks for their invisible, but invaluable, support.
The Mermaid’s Cry, by Kate Rhodes published by Orenda Books on 16th July 2026.
DI Ben Kitto returns…. A coast in celebration. When DI Ben Kitto sees a baby thrown into Penzance harbour, he prays it’s a trick of the light. But the threat is real. The child survives – barely – and soon a chilling pattern emerges. As the Dark Sky Festival brings dancers, dreamers and stargazers to Cornwall’s coast, children begin to vanish. A killer in the crowd. A small mermaid figurine is found beside each scene, echoing the legend of the Mermaid of Zennor, who lured a man to his death beneath the waves. Still reeling from a devastating bereavement and determined to protect his young son, Ben is pulled back into the field and into a deadly investigation. When the killer’s messages begin arriving at his home, the threat becomes terrifyingly personal. A final reckoning. Suspicions fall on familiar faces. When the summer solstice approaches, Ben must confront the boundaries of love, loss and obsession. In a final, desperate chase along the headland, only his bond with Noah – and the loyalty of his dog, Shadow – can prevent tragedy from repeating itself.
More information about Kate Rhodes and her books can be found on her website. On Twitter @k_Rhodeswriter and on Instagram @katerhodeswriter.
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