I wrote The Eight of Swords towards the end of last year.  It was a story burning a hole in my head from the very moment I had the idea.  I'm not a patient soul so despite the fact I'm supposed to be rewriting a novel I wrote years ago, I started on the short story idea as soon as I had some spare time. 

It turned out well, so I decided to give it a go as an e-book and published it via Amazon Kindle and Smashwords.  The feedback so far has been very good (six 5 star reviews at Amazon.co.uk) but suddenly I was under pressure to write a sequel.  In truth The Eight of Swords could easily have become a novel but writing two novels at once would be too much.  Writing short stories is less of a commitment but satisfies the desire to put out stories as soon as they come into my head.

I have just completed the sequel, a short story of the same number of words (around 13k), thanks to pressure from my readers!  I plan to e-publish it later this month.

The thing with e-book publishing is that in a way it's much more instant.  My readers know they haven't got to wait for the whole print process to take place.  I keep them updated with how the story is going via Twitter and Facebook, and their being keen to read more is a good way to keep me motivated. 

I am so pleased I decided to e-publish, I love having instant feedback from readers and am flattered by their desire to read more. 

The Eight of Swords is the story of Jayne Patchett, an immigration worker who comes home to find her home occupied by Romanian gypsies.  Many people have said to me it makes them think about how they would react in the same situation.  Jayne's reaction surprises even herself.  The difficult day that turns into a nightmare, changes her life completely. 

I like to write about modern day dilemmas, intrigue and ordinary people who end up in interesting situations.  You can sample a couple of my short stories via my blog http://www.petrakidd.com for free. 

Hopefully they will inspire you to read my e-book!