I’m always intrigued by the underlying ideas and sub themes in books that authors bring in to titillate a reader’s imagination and pleasure. Each book I read isn’t just about the two main characters, or their lives. There’s always something else that’s masterfully included as a side line, especially so in these books below, some of my favourites.

Take Chris T. Katt’s book ‘Attachment Strings’ for example. This is a story about a world weary cop and a young carer who’s got sole custody for his little disabled brother. In this story, the main theme is the romance developing between the two men. But it’s also a story of people living with disabled children and the perceptions and reactions of the people who come into contact with them. It offers us some insight into their lives, their emotions and educates as well as entertains us.

In Sarah Madison’s book, ‘The Boys of Summer’ we learn about life in the military, about being a pilot during WW2 and Alan Turing. It’s a fascinating glimpse into another world, a sub realm in the world of the contemporary which excites out imagination and fuels our curiosity to learn more.

And in A J Thomas’ book ‘A Casual Weekend Thing’ we learn about life as an ultra runner, a gruelling sport in which only the most committed can participate, sexual abuse of children and life as a closeted gay sheriff in a small US town.

It’s not just the romance, you see. It’s about drawing the reader in with whispers of something new and different. It’s about creating that world that exists in the writer’s mind and making it jump off the page into the life of the person devouring the page with their eyes. At least, that’s the fervent goal we writers hope to achieve.

My Men of London series deals with men from all walks of life, chefs, paramedics, eco-warriors, fashionistas, psychics and flight attendants. I like making their jobs as varied as possible but also jobs that people recognise and can identify with. Some of the stories for these books touch on subjects like sibling deaths, having to make that decision to turn off a life support machine, the emotional stress of someone who becomes disfigured after a life before the camera and a man pulling himself up from the streets to become the someone he wants to be.

Stripped Bare tells us a little more about life as a hacker and an escort, and deals with the very real subject of a mental breakdown when someone we loves dies violently and we don’t get to say goodbye. It tackles the subject of homophobia and the very real danger that this can pose.

Saving Alexander deals with the psychological issues facing a man who was kept prisoner for a long time and used as a sex slave to a man that was dominant and uncaring. It delves into the Stockholm Syndrome effect and the ability for once person’s cruelty to reduce another to do things they would never have dreamt themselves capable of doing.

I like diversity of emotions and I enjoy putting underlying threads into my books that may titillate a reader’s imagination and perhaps even make them go find out a little bit more about the subject mentioned.

I think as writers we are natural explorers in the ways of the world and what makes it tick, and I think that opening these doors and expanding our horizons by telling a story, gives us a glimpse into areas that perhaps we might never have known existed before.