It’s not many authors who can move easily from genre to genre, but Philip Wilson is doing just that.
Building on the success of his revenge thriller The Librarian – listed by the Huffington Post as one of the best-reviewed indie books of 2017 – Wilson explores new territory with his second title, Songs for Lucy, which readers can expect early this spring.
“I’m not sure that when I started I even expected it to be the next novel,” Wilson reflects. “It was surprisingly easy to write – it just kind of came.”
This second novel has built not only his skills but his confidence.
“This opened my eyes that maybe I could write, and that maybe I could diversify my genres,” Wilson says with a smile, hinting at a third title underway, a political thriller.
Similarities and differences
While Wilson’s first two novels both explore themes of growth in their central female characters, they remain very different.
The Librarian features a quiet, shy woman pushed to seek vengeance on a group of crooked cops who rip virtually everything from her – her career, her freedom and the chance to say goodbye to her father, who died alone. A satisfying thriller that has earned deserved accolades, the character’s personal transformation also resonates with readers, says Francesca Jackman from TellWell, the assisted self-publishing company producing both titles.
Transformation is also key to Songs for Lucy in which Wilson explores how main character Allison – a young woman who seems to have it all – reacts to a diagnosis of terminal cancer.
“I wanted to explore the idea of a young woman who has everything going her way, then bang, a diagnosis of terminal brain cancer. What would she do? What would she think?” he reflects.
Jackman believes readers will want to find out too.
“Beyond just the engaging story the author conveys, Songs for Lucy has this underlying theme of re-examining your life and finding a new path to pursue,” Jackman says. “She’s happy about how her life evolves – it’s a good read.”
After a longstanding career in finance, Wilson is enjoying the opportunity to stretch his literary wings.
“I’m really having fun with this writing thing; it’s never a job for me,” he says. “There are days when I don’t feel like it, so I don’t write at all, then other days I’ll go for three hours or more straight.”
The Librarian is available locally at Bolen Books and online through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Chapters/Indigo. Songs for Lucy will be available online in the early spring.
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TellWell provides a variety of book publishing services, connecting writers with designers, illustrators and editors. While writers focus on writing and marketing, Tellwell helps with everything else.
Learn more about author Philip Wilson at philipmwilson.com or on Facebook.