writing life – Page 87 – Andrew Careaga

Friday Five: Q&A with psychological thriller novelist Nicky Shearsby

Nicky Shearsby, author of Darkridge Hollow and other psychological thrillers

Continuing this blog’s celebration of women writers throughout Women’s History Month, I’m thrilled to introduce readers to Nicky Shearsby, an author of dark psychological horror thrillers. Nicky is active on X (@Nickyshearsby22), where she frequently engages with other writers and shares encouragement and wisdom. Her latest novel, Darkridge Hollow, is available now in ebook (Kindle) and hardback formats, with the paperback version coming out May 28 but available for pre-order. Born in England, she spent two decades running graphic design, magazine publishing, and skin care manufacturing businesses before pursuing the writing life in earnest after early retirement in 2020.

‘You can do something extraordinary’

‘… if you have the opportunity to work on your gifts, it seems like a crime not to.’

I’ve played the guitar, on and off, since age 14, when I first picked up a well-word acoustic with a bowed neck for $10 because I wanted to learn how to play the opening to Led Zeppelin’s classic, “Stairway to Heaven.” (This was in the mid-1970s, long before the ditty became labeled as the forbidden riff supposedly banned from guitar stores the world over.)