A DARWEN-BORN thriller writer is releasing her latest novel with a series of book signings on a national tour.

Former Darwen Moorland High School pupil Sharon Bolton, who writes under the name S J Bolton, has written her ninth book – Little Black Lies.

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The book is set in November 1994 during a solar eclipse over the Falkland Islands and follows her characters Lacey Flint and Mark Joesbury.

As shadows fall over the remote archipelago, a two-year-old boy vanishes and the story follows the suspicion that falls upon Catrin Quinn, his mother’s former best friend and a bitter, lonely recluse.

But the novel reveals that the remote island community has more than one secret to hide, and Catrin may not be the only killer in their midst.

Sharon, who trained as an actress and dancer, and later went on to pursue a career in public relations and marketing, now lives down south with her husband and son.

She visited the town’s library last year to speak about her life and career.

Last November filming for the Hollywood adaptation of her novel Sacrifice – starring Radha Mitchell, Rupert Graves and David Robb – finished in Ireland.

It was voted Best New Read on Amazon.co.uk and was one of Waterstones’ Best of the New Blood promotion.

It was also shortlisted for the International Thriller Writers’ Best First Novel award, the Mary Higgins Clark award and, in France, the Prix du Polar.

Sharon revealed the problems authors face when they sell film and TV rights of their books.

She said: “A few weeks ago Sacrifice, the movie version of my first book, went into post-production. The process has been long and, at times, somewhat torturous.

“Choose your producer well. Give the option to someone who is as passionate about the story as you are. All else being equal, they’ll make the better film.

“Be realistic. I was warned that fewer than five per cent of optioned books ever become finished movies .”

She has also revealed meeting the producer Peter Lewis on set in an old house just outside Dublin, where she was amazed to see trailers stretching the length of the drive, equipment vans, “anaconda-like wiring”, catering vans, a costume store and a make-up trailer.