As you may have already guessed, Milly Reynolds is not my real name. Like my ‘hero’ and my first creation, Detective Inspector Mike Malone, I also hide my real identity.
Having ‘retired’ from my job, I was a full-time teacher in a secondary school, I decided to pursue my dream of becoming a writer and began to write ebooks for Kindle and Kobo.
So why Mike Malone? I love all things detective and wanted to create my own series. However, I decided not to go for the deep, dark thriller – I could never compete with the masters of that genre, like Jo Nesbo whose books I adore? Therefore I came to the decision that the Mike Malone series would be off-beat. I like to think that there is humour in my books; I don’t want to scare people, I want to make them chuckle – there is not enough laughter in the world at the moment. As the series has progressed, I have become very attached to Mike; he is the comfortable pair of slippers that I put on at night. My husband has also become attached to Fi and I am under strict instructions not to let anything happen to her – yet.
Living in Lincolnshire, I love the flat, endless landscapes and want these to be seen in my books alongside places that I know and love. Mike Malone has moved from the city to Lincolnshire and has fallen in love with the place; me, I was born here and can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.
However, although Mike was my first creation, he is not the only one. I have also created Jack Sallt, another Detective Inspector. Jack is grittier than Mike and there is not the humour in his stories that there is in the Mike Malone stories. I wanted to write a more ‘grown-up’ detective story. When time allows this may be be developed into a series as well.
With two male detectives under my wing, I also decided that it was time for the girls to take centre stage and ‘Scorpion’s Tale’, I published a novel featuring Liv Harris, a character in the Jack Sallt novels. I am hoping that Liv will make another appearance at some point in the future.
Not content with crime, I have also wandered into the realms of romance and published ; a stand-alone novel ‘The Unseen Sky’.
The Bookshop Chronicles featuring bookshop owner Emma Powers is a foray into something a little different. She may be developed in the future.
So as you can see, I like to keep experimenting with my writing although Mike Malone is my first love. He will always come first.
I’m lucky, I enjoy writing and enjoy writing poetry just as much as I do writing fiction – the discipline of sitting down to write a Haiku is quite therapeutic and I have also published a book of poems jointly with my husband.
To relax, I love reading, although sometimes a good book can get in the way of my writing. I read on average 50/60 books a year. I have recently started a YouTube channel and I try to remember to leave my thoughts about the books I read on there.
Anyway, I hope you like my novels. I have fun coming up with ideas for Mike – the more bizarre the better. One reviewer of my books wrote that these books are ‘completely off the wall’ and another commented that they are ‘set in a bubble’, a ‘whimsyland’. I’m happy with that.
If you wish to contact me please send an email to: mikemalonemystery@gmail.com
Donations: PayPal Thank you.
You can also visit my social media platforms, see links below. Thanks for stopping by.
Milly Reynolds 