One of the questions writers are asked most often is, “Where do your ideas come from?”
The honest answer is “everywhere”
A passing conversation in a café. A news headline. A stranger’s expression on a train. A simple question that refuses to leave your mind.
For me, stories often begin with a “what if?”
What if the person you trust most is hiding something?
What if a memory you’ve relied on your entire life isn’t true?
What if uncovering the truth puts everything you love at risk?
These questions become the foundation of a story.
The beauty of psychological thrillers is that they allow us to explore the darker corners of human behaviour. Fear, obsession, guilt, deception, and ambition are emotions we all recognise, even if we rarely talk about them.
My upcoming novel started with a single question that wouldn’t let me go. That question grew into characters, conflicts, and twists that surprised even me.
Sometimes the best stories don’t start with answers.
They start with a mystery.
