Lincolnshire Today spoke with Philippa East, the Lincolnshire-based author of psychological thrillers, ahead of the publication of her fourth gripping book, A Guilty Secret. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey to becoming a published author? I’m a clinical psychologist by background and I still work as a clinical psychologist part-time now, so I came to creative writing quite late, but I’ve always loved books. It wasn’t until I was in my thirties that I had another go at playing around with creative writing, having done a little bit in school like most people. I started working on a novel which turned out to be terrible, which is pretty much in the bin, but really enjoyed thinking about my characters, scenes and telling the story on the page. Off the back of that I started to join some writers’ groups. While I gave up on that novel, I started writing short stories, which was a really good way of practicing my writing, learning the sort of stories I wanted to tell, and gaining an opportunity to get some feedback on my work from fellow writers. After a little while I started submitting those short stories to journals, magazines, and competitions. A lot of them got rejected, but I got a few published or placed in competitions and that was key in making me think that maybe I was good enough to take this writing thing seriously. In 2015 I left my full time NHS job as a clinical psychologist and went into part-time work in my own practice, which gave me more time to write, and I thought “maybe this is the time to have a go at this novel that’s been bouncing around in my head.” That book ultimately became my debut, Little White Lies. As a clinical psychologist as well as an author, how do you balance your two roles? I think there’s a lot of crossover. Training and practicing as a clinical psychologist and writing psychological thrillers scratch the same itch for me, they try to make sense of what it means to be a human and why we do the things that we do, how we overcome obstacles in our lives, and I’m constantly fascinated by those psychological, human experiences. Being a clinical psychologist and a fiction writer are two sides of the same coin for me. On a practical level I’ve been lucky enough to now be able to do my psychology work about one and a half to two days a week and the rest of the time I have for writing, which is a huge luxury and privilege for me. How does being a clinical psychologist influence your writing and the formation of your characters? In a few ways. I like to think that I have a good basic grasp of characterisation because in my training as a clinical psychologist we learn how people operate psychologically. I hope that I can present characters that feel authentic and realistic on the page, and that their motivations, reactions, and behaviours make sense because there’s always a logic to people. The other part of it is that in the psychological thriller genre, the genre I write in, often you’re exploring quite difficult or dark themes, and that’s something that I do in my psychology work as well and have been trained to do. I hope readers can feel they’re in a safe pair of hands going into some of those topics, and one of the things that is common for me across both my work as a psychologist and as a writer is that I always believe people can overcome those difficulties. Typically in my books my characters have an arc of redemption or resolution, and that’s a fundamental thing for me in my clinical practice as well; to believe that people can recover and find ways to navigate the things that might have happened to them. I hope that my training as a clinical psychologist has helped me know how to go to the dark places in a way that feels meaningful and not gratuitous, but also gives people a message of hope about recovery and resilience. Your new book A Guilty Secret is publishing on 18 January, could you tell us about it and why you think people would enjoy reading it? I had a lot of fun writing this book and I hope that readers will have a lot of fun reading it. A Guilty Secret is about a remote Scottish boarding school, a group of troubled teenagers getting up to no good in the woods at night, the death of a beloved psychotherapist that came out of the blue seemingly, and two estranged ex-spouses who have been thrown together to try and make sense of the connections between all of these creepy goings on, past and present. One of the things that I really enjoyed about writing this book is that it’s set in Scotland, which is where I’m from originally. The boarding school in the book, St Michael’s, is based on the boarding school that my dad attended in Perthshire, which was basically in the middle of nowhere, and that was quite a fun setting to play around in. I also got to visit some of my old haunts by setting scenes in Edinburgh. I hope this book will appeal to anyone who likes a good psychological thriller. There’s lots of twists and turns, and I’m always intrigued to see whether readers can figure out the plot twists and the answers to my mysteries; mostly they can’t, which is good, but you can set yourself a new challenge with this book! What inspired you to write this novel? One of the inspirations was my fascination with the risky and creepy games that we play as teenagers. For example, the teenagers from this boarding school play ‘light as a feather, stiff as a board’. I just really like this idea of a group of teenagers who are in quite an elite, isolated, exclusive setting, getting involved in these kinds of games which we all come across in some way. But then what if one of those games which you played went hideously wrong? I think I was drawing on some of my own teenage experiences, although I didn’t have as guilty secrets as the characters in this book do – I promise! What are your influences for your stories? The book that I’m working on now is very much inspired by true crime and true crime podcasts, and one of the main types of true crime that I’ve become really fascinated by recently is the modern day cult, so I’m writing a book in that sphere. One of the fun things that I’m playing around with is actually having episodes of a true crime podcast interspersed throughout the book. Now living in Lincolnshire, have you found it to influence your writing? My first book, Little White Lies, is set in Lincolnshire. It is about a family whose missing child is found miraculously seven years after she’d been abducted and comes home. One of the key things that I wanted in that book was for this family to be a very ordinary family, a very relatable family. So setting it in Lincolnshire felt like a really good fit. More generally, I love being in the countryside, I find nature very inspiring. If I’m trying to grapple with a plot idea, I’ll often take a big, long walk. It really helps me be in that happy, healthy, creative mode to live somewhere like Lincolnshire that’s so beautiful. As part of local folk duo, The Miracle Cure, does music influence your writing at all? I think for me music and my writing feel quite separate, if for no other reason that I feel that I’m much more capable as a writer than a musician! Music is my hobby, but saying that, my third book centres around a teenager who is an incredibly talented violinist. I play the violin as well, though not as well as Chrissie Goodlight in I’ll Never Tell, but it was really fun to use my knowledge and experience of playing the violin in that. Do you have any advice for aspiring Lincolnshire authors? One of the things I’ve found in Lincolnshire is it’s a little bit hard to find other writers. A good place to start is to join or see what’s going on with Writing East Midlands. There are also Lincolnshire writers on social media. A bunch of us have a little group on Twitter (X). If you search for Lincolnshire writers, you’ll stumble across us. I think it’s always good to connect with other writers when you’re trying to pursue your own writing journey. I would advise writers to really take time and invest in your writing, put in the work to learn your craft and get feedback, not just think that you know it all or that your first draft is perfect, because it never is! Also do your research on the process of getting published. Take advantage of all the information on Google and find out what you should be doing and give your work the best chance. You’re always welcome to message me on social media and ask questions. I’m always happy to help aspiring writers! Where can people find you and your new novel? I’m on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I always encourage people to go to my main Amazon page. If they click the Follow button it will always let you know if I have a new book coming out. You can buy my book in the fantastic independent bookshops we have here in Lincolnshire, specifically Lindum Books in Lincoln, The Rabbit Hole in Brigg, and Walkers Books in Stamford. My book will also be available through Waterstones and Amazon, but the other online site that I recommend for buying any book is bookshop.org, because any time you buy a book through them you support independent bookshops. I also have a free event taking place at Sleaford Library on Thursday 15 February, 2.30-4.00pm. Come along to the author talk and you can ask questions and get a signed copy of A Guilty Secret! Spaces are limited so to book email sleaford.library@gll.org, call 01522 782010, or pop in.

Following a successful grant funding application from North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) to The Football Foundation, plans have now been approved for a new PlayZone in Grant Thorold Park. The PlayZone Programme is an exciting investment programme aimed at tackling inequalities in physical activity and access to facilities. Its aim is to focus on funding community-led spaces, with an emphasis on refurbished safe and accessible mini pitches that will allow priority groups to be more active. The Grant Thorold ‘PlayZone’ multi-use games area (MUGA) will deliver the full refurbishment of the existing tarmacked sports area in the park, and will include basketball hoops, benches, goals, fencing and LED floodlighting. In 2022, a consortium of local representatives and stakeholders gathered to consider applications for PlayZone facilities across areas of Grimsby, Cleethorpes, and Immingham. The focus was on areas where people may face barriers in being physically active, opportunities for women and girls, and people with long-term health conditions and disabilities, something the Football Foundation was keen to have addressed in the application. A series of engagement exercises has helped the design process of the PlayZone, such as surface type, line markings and equipment, and how the smaller details would fit with the wider requirements of the project and the local community. Sites in Immingham and East Marsh were considered before identifying relevant groups with a potential interest in the facility’s use. North East Lincolnshire Council began conversations with community groups to establish local demand, and carried out a survey across the borough. From there, the process was narrowed down until the site at Grant Thorold Park was deemed a great fit for the project, which then progressed to the current planning application. Dean Evison, PlayZone Programme Officer, said: “PlayZone will have line marking for football and basketball games, and we have also seen requests for other activities, such as outdoor exercise classes. “The PlayZone pitch is approximately 30 by 20 metres, so not for affiliated competitions.  The development is around supporting recreational football and a range of other sports.  The idea is to get people into activities, and to engage the local community. “The emphasis is on ‘free to use’ community access, with a booking system to ensure fairness and safety. PlayZone will also offer the opportunity for more formal sessions to be held, where groups can book for a small fee.” The project will be funded with 75% of the total cost from the Football Foundation, with the remaining 25% from NELC funding sources. This includes grant funding from the Safer Streets project. The PlayZone development is scheduled to take place during 2024. Councillor Hayden Dawkins, portfolio holder for culture, heritage, and the visitor economy, said: “The Grant Thorold PlayZone will be a fantastic refurb of an old play area, and we look forward to it being well used by the local community. “It will provide people of all ages with a quality and modern facility, and the opportunity to take part in a whole range of activities, supporting people to be more active, more often.”   Image credit: Google maps

An interactive toy is helping to prepare some of the county’s youngest patients for hospital scans without the need of sedation or a general anaesthetic. A Kitten Scanner is being used at Grantham and District Hospital to help children understand how an MRI scanner works, what it feels like to have a scan and how the results can help them in their recovery. In the first few months, it has enabled dozens of children to have their scan without the need for any sedation. Play Leader Sandy Crook and Radiographer Helen Disbrow-Carpenter are part of the team that introduced the Kitten Scanner and both continue to play an instrumental role in the clinics. Sandy said: “I absolutely love my job. I spend most of my time working as a nursery nurse at Pilgrim Hospital, Boston, but really enjoy coming to Grantham to help prepare children for their scans using the Kitten Scanner. “Coming to hospital is daunting for anyone, but especially when you are a child. By using the app and playing with the Kitten Scanner the children understand what is happening and can ask any questions they might have. Only when they are comfortable, I bring them from the Kingfisher Suite and across the courtyard for them to have their own MRI scan with Helen and the team. “They know what it will look like, what sounds they might hear and they can also pick a film to watch while they are having their scan. We also allow a parent to be present and have a ribbon that they and their child can each hold an end of throughout the scan for support and comfort.” Helen added: “Previously, many of our young patients may have needed to be sedated for their scan, but now through play we can do it without. By not needing sedation it means they can have their scans quicker. It is so much better for our patients, their parents and also it frees up hospital resources for our other patients.” The £15,000 Kitten Scanner was purchased through the United Lincolnshire Hospitals Charity. Charity Manager, Ben Petts, said: “We jumped at the chance to get involved in such an amazing project. Hearing the difference that the Kitten Scanner is already making for patients is wonderful. “Plans are in place to run more sessions so that even more of our young patients can get to play with the Kitten Scanner.” Nine-year-old Phoebe McCormack from near Lincoln recently had an MRI scan. She said: “I was really nervous, but playing with Sandy and the Kitten Scanner really helped. I was able to ask lots of questions and so when I was having my scan I knew what to expect. It wasn’t frightening as I knew what was going on. I would tell other boys and girls that there is nothing to worry about and to come and see for themselves if they need a scan.” Phoebe’s dad Chris added: “We were all a bit nervous this morning, but it has been really wonderful. Phoebe has had fun and more importantly she has been able to have the scan that she needed. We cannot thank the team and the charity enough for what they are doing.”   Image courtesy of United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust