Badlands, my twisting tale of deception, betrayal and conspiracy set on the North Cornwall coast, is back! 

In this series, we’re going to take a deep dive into the settings, the characters and the writing process behind the book.

Up first, a whistle-stop tour of St. Agnes, Cornwall. 

Nicknamed the Badlands by the original surf crews who dominated the surf breaks at Chapel Porth, Porthtowan and Trevaunance, the pubs, buildings and coves form the main setting in my book. 

The first stop on our whistle-stop tour is the St. Agnes Museum. 

Sitting on the main road out of the village towards Truro and Redruth, the Museum is home to the story of St. Agnes, from its mining past, to the old quay that sat in Trevaunance Cove, right up to its present day status as a surf hot-spot and holiday resort.

In the book, the Museum, or rather, the graveyard at the back of the Museum is the setting for the meeting that sets Willow on the trail to find her sister, and also the moment she comes to understand who she has been, and who she needs to become.

Turning left out of the main gates of the Museum, we’re going to head down through the village to Churchtown, where in the story Willow’s confidante and love-interest, Ruby lives, and where Raven holed up during the brutal cold of the Cornish winter.

Heading through Churchtown, at Quay Road, we’re going to throw another left and head towards Trevaunance Cove.

Three-quarters of the way down Quay Road, we reach the Driftwood Spars. 

If you’re in the area, do yourself a massive favour and have lunch/dinner and a pint in this fabulous piece of Cornish Pub Heaven. 

Their range of own brews are equal to anything their larger rivals produce, and they have a stunning menu to choose from. 

The pub was also one of the key drivers in story development for Badlands, in particular, the Wrecker’s Tunnel that runs behind the bar to Trevaunance Cove.

In the novel, the tunnel has been dug out and re-opened and is the key smuggling route in the dark network that runs across Cornwall and beyond. 

The pub is also the place where Willow stays when she first arrives back in St. Agnes, and where she first meets Goddard.

Beyond the pub, the South West coastal path runs up the valley side. In the book, the path leads back to Willow’s childhood home, the one she ran away from six years earlier, vowing never to return. 

Going beyond the South West Coastal path and continuing down Quay Road we come to Trevaunance Cove. This is where the wreckers tunnel comes out and where, in the novel, the band of smugglers set out to pick up their cargo… and dispose of one of their number.

Around the cliffs lies Trevellas Cove, with its ruined engine houses and mining chimneys that stand as silent sentinels over the valley. 

Secluded and remote, in the novel, Trevellas is the spot where Willow learns the truth about the message that sent her running home.

If we follow the path up and out of Trevellas, we come across a ramshackle looking hut on the side of the narrow road, and it’s here, in the novel, that Raven has made her hideout. 

Hidden away from the world, it’s slightly run-down appearance made it the perfect get-away for my scarred, revenge-driven enforcer. 

The road beyond twists and turns through campsites and cottages before joining the main route to Perranporth and Truro along the coast. 

And while Perranporth, Newquay and other towns have their moments in the book, the story’s heart lies in the Badlands of St. Agnes.

It’s a place on the edge of the world, where rough tides clash with rugged rocks, where the smuggling past rubs shoulders with the tourist present…

And where my imagination spun its story of deception, betrayal and conspiracy.

Badlands is out now kindle & kindle unlimited. Order your copy here.