Blog submitted by Humphrey Bartosik

I've only visited Stratford-upon-Avon three times but each trip made a very strong impression.

I've known I should write a thriller for ages but it wasn't until my second tour when I was staying at a Bed and Breakfast near the Firs Garden all the pieces started falling into place. It was to be a murder mystery, using Shakespeare as the subject matter which propels the narrative. And what better setting could I hope to use than the cradle of Shakespeare himself?

Stratford-upon-Avon is, after all, an incredible place. The architecture, the sculptures, public parks, exhibitions, shops and restaurants make Stratford a sort of 24-7 Shakespeare festival and for pollution choked townies like me who'll do anything to see a great Hamlet it's nothing short of paradise. And yet, despite the overhanging and inescapable knowledge that this is Shakespeare-ville, it's not tacky or over-done like so many other tourist destinations in this crude world. The styles are traditional, the food is homely, the people have hearts of gold, the skies are grey - by God, the town is so very English! True English! Traditional, authentic, cry God for Harry, England and St. George English! So in some ways, Thread of Life is more than just a ripping yarn, it's also my attempt to capture some of the essence of that special place.

I used plenty of books about Stratford and Shakespeare to enrich my novel with intriguing historical details but for all the books which have been written about Shakespeare and his origins I do believe mine is the first to use the town as the setting for a modern crime thriller. I do hope I've done it justice, here's a sneak peek to whet your appetite:

'The statues of Stratford-upon-Avon were many and more, varying from almost unnoticed sprites and goblins running betwixt pillars to colossal monuments depicting Shakespeare's most tormented or enlightened characters. Stone swans caressed fountains and lion-tongues lolled streams of water from the Avon into rough hewn basins engraved with poetry... ...Stratford-upon-Avon evidently had a world-class tourism industry. All the tribes of Britain, gangs of giggling Japanese schoolgirls, cliques of American drama students, swarms of Chinese globetrotters, European jet-setters, young and old alike were strolling throughout the town, soaking up the sights of a unique place with one foot in the world of Facebook and blogging and the other firmly planted in Jacobean England. Darren himself had travelled to more than a few foreign lands in his time but this was something else. Being here, it was like he had stepped into some kind of international Shakespearean Twilight Zone.'

Thread of Life is released on Amazon Kindle 31 January. Don't miss the free give away on KDP Select 1 - 3rd February! Official blog http://44calibreshakespeare.com/thread-of-life-official