Jenni Keer's The Secrets of Hawthorn Place becomes Amazon number one bestseller

A novelist from Stoke Ash is enjoying a wave of plaudits following the release of her latest book, which she penned during lockdown last year.

Jenni Keer’s third book, The Secrets of Hawthorn Place – and the first under a new publishing deal with Headline Accent – has become a number one bestseller on Amazon following its release late last year.

Unlike her previous contemporary romance novels, The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker and The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows, her latest title draws on her love of history and is set in two timelines as protagonist Molly finds herself at the centre of a mystery surrounding two identical houses.

Despite being a history graduate, departing from contemporary fiction threw up new obstacles for the mother-of-four.

“I had the idea for the book and just knuckled down and wrote it, but it was a very long and complicated process,” said Mrs Keer, who lives in The Street.

“This went back to my love of history, but the challenge of writing a historical story was interesting.

“I had to check the etymology of words, and learn a lot of the background of the period.

“It was so different to writing my previous books because it is set in dual timelines – I had to go back to paper so I could see everything in front of me.”

Since its release, the book has racked up nearly 200 reviews on Amazon, and has also become available for purchase on Kindle.

“The reviews have come rolling in and it’s done really well, probably even better than my previous two,” added Mrs Keer, who used to work as a flooring contractor.

The Secrets of Hawthorn Place is available to buy on Amazon or at Diss Publishing.