My new psychological thriller, GOOD SISTER, BAD SISTER, focuses on twin girls, separated at birth, who only discover each other’s existence in adult life. It’s a fast-paced story about secrets and lies, deceptions and rivalry – and blood ties.
The inspiration? My own gorgeous girls.
I can clearly remember the day our story started.
I was lying on my back, gel-coated stomach exposed, watching the sonographer, wondering why she suddenly seemed tense. Afraid to ask. “So, you remember we heard a heartbeat.” She kept her voice carefully neutral as she amplified a tiny, rapid pulse. “Well, this is a second one.” A second one? It took me a moment to catch on. What – twins?
It was the start of a rollercoaster ride. Thirteen years on, it’s still joyful, chaotic and intense. The girls seemed to emerge from the womb with a special bond. As newborns, they snuggled into each other. As babies, they reached out to hold each other’s hands, touch each other’s faces. They sent each other into fits of giggles long before they could even talk. And, unlike other children, they didn’t have to face their first day at nursery alone – or their first day at school. Their emotional support system walked right in with them. If they needed a hug, they had one within reach, long before pick up time.
But, oh, the constant, impossible striving for fairness. In twin life, everything must be scrupulously equal. As infants on my lap, they commandeered a leg each. Treats? Identical. Turns on play equipment? Carefully counted. Except – life isn’t fair, is it? Now, they’re growing up and asserting themselves as separate people. I can’t control which one is selected for the school sports team or who gets the better part in the school play. I can’t determine who might make friends more easily or do better in the maths test. It’s a minefield. We all have to manage competition in life but, unlike most of us, their lives are being played out against a shadow self. It’s impossible for them not to compare.
So, imagine what might happen to that passionate sense of rivalry, of alter ego, if two twin girls weren’t brought up together, as mine were, but were separated at birth and handed contrasting life cards. One is given wealth and privilege by adopted parents, but little love. The other was kept by their birth mother and loved but struggles to pay the rent. What might happen when their paths eventually crossed? It was out of these thoughts that GOOD SISTER, BAD SISTER was born.
And, in case you were wondering, I’ve dedicated the novel jointly to both my girls. It’s only fair.
Discover Jill’s latest gripping thriller here: https://mybook.to/GoodSisterBadSister