WORKING alone at home, four days on, four days off, during the Covid lockdown, Warrington-born Jodie Griffiths was suffering from depression and anxiety.
She found herself logging-in and working even on her days off – just to give herself something to distract herself with.
Then the idea of writing a book came to her – something she had often thought of doing but never got around to.
Now, writing under the name Robyn J. Hunter, she has published her first novel: “Out of Hibernation – The Creatures.”
It’s a grim, crime-thriller, a “who-dunnit” that challenges the reader.
The mangled corpse of a girl is discovered in an isolated part of the Peak District,. causing panic among the public. Louise Allman, an embattled, determined detective, is challenged to solve the mystery in a timely manner by her predominantly male peers.
She struggles to prove herself amidst the toxic institutional sexism enforced by her grotesque superintendent. To top it all off, another male detective is assigned to the case.
The characters and the unfolding story often came to Jodie as she lay awake at night. As the story progressed she found she had found a new thing to occupy her mind. Instead of spending time staring at the wall, feeling confined, she threw herself into creating a gripping story.
She says: “I found it like a therapy for me to be able to write out some of the dark emotions I was burdened with into a story where it was complete fiction so it felt as though my feelings didn’t matter anymore.”
Jodie now lives in Weaverham, Northwich, but her family still lives in Warrington and that’s where she still sees herself most of the time.
She says: “I’m a massive advocate for mental health and I’m hoping to get more people who suffer currently to try something out of their comfort zone. I did and now I’ve written a book and I’m so excited to see where it can lead me.”
“Out of Hibernation – The Creatures” by Robyn J. Hunter is available from Amazon as a paperback at £9.99 and as an e-book at £2.99.
