Former TV scriptwriter publishes first crime novel

A former TV scriptwriter who lives near Bideford has published his first crime novel, Kiss and Tell.

Tim Cooke began his career in the legal profession before becoming a legal advisor on Eastenders where he advised on Nick Cotton's famous trial. The experience prompted Tim to try his hand at scriptwriting and went on to make his name writing hit shows such as The Bill, London's Burning, Bad Girls and Family Affairs.

Tim says, "I had always had an interest in writing and can still remember spending many a maths lesson at school writing a secret script under my desk."

When Tim moved to Littleham, near Bideford, a few years ago, he decided to try his hand at a full length novel.

"It felt like the right time to pursue another long held ambition and really get serious about writing my first novel. I'd been playing about with a couple of ideas for some time and wanted to finalise plots and characters for two books."

Tim wrote two books, but like many writer's, his route to publication has been a long, and sometimes tortuous one. 

His first book 'Defending Elton' led Tim to being signed up by an agent. His second book 'Kiss and Tell' was also snapped up by another top agent. Both agents had worked in senior positions in major publishing houses and were confident Tim's books would be bought. 

"Imagine my disappointment then, and, that's putting it mildly, when as time ticked by I had to accept that none of the publishers were prepared to make an offer. The agents couldn't understand it. It seemed that the market has tightened dramatically and risk is no longer a word in an editor's vocabulary. It was extremely frustrating," he says.

It was then that Tim decided to go it alone and publish Kiss and Tell on Kindle, selling it direct on Amazon.

Kiss and Tell is the first in the series and centres on solicitor Jill Shadow. Jill has come to terms with her traumatic past, but when imminent danger sees her moved to a safe house, and her daughter abducted from school, her past is about to catch up with her.

Kiss and Tell by TJ Cooke is published on Kindle, priced £1.96.