Award-winning Whittlesey poet Elisabeth Sennitt Clough has published her debut novel - a crime fiction story dedicated to her daughter, who encouraged her to keep going.
Called 'Shadow Sister', the book is out today and is published by Holand Publishing.
Writer Elisabeth, a former Fenland councillor, who has run the district's Poet Laureate competition for the last few years, said: "It was a huge leap for me to go from poetry (literary and arty) to commercial crime fiction writing.
"The novel has taken three years to write. The challenge was in the technical aspects of crime fiction.
"There are certain processes that have to be followed in crime fiction; the most obvious being that the protagonist has to solve the crime and has to come face-to-face with the murderer in a 'do or die' moment.
"At one stage, I had a frieze going around all four walls of my office outlining the technical aspects of each chapter, as well as the overall narrative arc, to help me organise the structure of the book."
Running alongside the publication Elisabeth has put together a seven-part podcast series on Creators for Spotify called 'Shadow Sister: Fieldnotes from the Fens', which talks about the key themes.
This is due out today to coincide with the book's launch date and will run every day for seven days on social media platforms.
RECOMMENDED READING: Smart watch will give Cambs domestic abuse survivors help at touch of a button
The themes that underpin the novel and feature in the podcast are as follows:
1. Power rots, even in small rooms.
2. What lies beneath.
3. The woman (not) in the attic
4. Masculinity and myth.
5. Memory and inheritance.
6. Surfacing, survival and resistance.
There is also a bonus episode: 7. The life cauldron, where Elisabeth speaks about the big pot of life experiences we all have.
The book's blurb explains the book's story: Archaeologist Abi Rollinson expects a straightforward excavation of a Roman burial site in the Fens.
Instead, she unearths a modern girl buried in a Roman-style grave. The murder seems staged with expert precision and insider knowledge by a killer with deep ties to the area.
The land's history is murky, and Abi's searches drag her into the orbit of shady local politician Nick Neale.
As cover-ups surface, Abi realises the dead girl wasn't the only one silenced. To expose the truth, Abi must break through secrets that run generations deep.
Lee Weatherly's blurb:
'Shadow Sister is rich with lyrical, vivid prose and a haunting sense of place. Sennitt Clough writes with a poet's precision, drawing the reader into a world that lingers in the mind.' Lee Weatherly, author of the Angel trilogy.
Shadow Sister was longlisted for the Jenny brown Associates Prize 2025.
Elisabeth said: "I have put a disclaimer in the novel that it is entirely fictional and that any likeness to anyone in real life is purely coincidental."
The book will be published in hard copy but will first be available on Kindle.
Later this year, Elisabeth, who has won prestigious awards for her poetry, including the Michael Schmidt Award for her debut collection 'Sightings', will have her latest poetry collection 'Sidewider' published by Salt Publishing.
Share