Today I’m delighted to feature author Jess Kitching whose latest thriller The Secret of Strangers is available now. Her three previous thrillers have been internationally published and described by readers as ‘thrillers with heart’. Her debut romance, The Life Experiment, was Women’s Weekly’s Best Romance of 2025.
Born in Bradford, England, Jess Kitching is an avid reader and writer who splits her time between the UK and Australia. After graduating Huddersfield University with a First in English Literature, Jess worked as a primary school teacher before becoming an author.
Over to Jess :
Which five pieces of music/songs would you include in the soundtrack to your life and why?
I love this question!! I’m constantly listening to music so this was hard to narrow down, but I’d go with:
The Lightning Seeds – Pure. This is a song that my dad used to sing to me when I was younger, along with Elton John’s Tiny Dancer. It has a special place in my heart because it reminds me of childhood and all the love I grew up experiencing.
Blink 182 – Wasting Time. Blink 182 are my favourite band, and this is my favourite song. For me, it defines what love is… when you strip it all back, it’s someone you spend your time thinking of and whose hand you want to hold.
Taylor Swift – I Can Do It With A Broken Heart. To be honest, I could have put any song from the Tortured Poets Department album, or any Taylor Swift song! I’m a huge fan. Attending the Eras Tour was one of the greatest nights of my life. This song especially speaks to me because it’s about putting on a brave face even when you’re heartbroken or hurt and using your career as fuel. There was a time in my life where this was very much me!
Lana Del Rey – Born To Die. I was OBSESSED with those whole album as a teenager! This song especially.
The Big Pink- Velvet. Another song I was obsessed with. I still remember where I was when I first heard it and how it made me feel. With my writing, I always try to evoke some kind of emotional response. This song is a good reminder to do that.
What five things (apart from family and friends) would you find it hard to live without.
Books… such a classic author answer but it’s true!
My laptop. I need to write as often as I can. Plus, I’m a true millennial who would never make a purchase on my phone! It feels like a personal law that things like flights should be booked via a laptop.
Pasta. Do I need to explain more?!
FaceTime. When I lived in Australia, it was a lifesaver for being able to keep in touch with my family. Now I’m back in the UK, it allows me to keep in contact with my Aussie friends, family and readers. It’s vital in my life.
Picturesque walks. Walking is brilliant for allowing your mind to wander to your book, especially if you’re someone who struggles to sit still like me (unless I am immersed in work, then I can write for 10 hours and forget to eat in, drink or stand!). Give me a pretty view on a walk and i’m happy!
Give five pieces of advice to your younger self?
Follow your passions. I was always so shy when admitting I wanted to be an author. Owning that dream and pursuing it has been the best thing I’ve ever done.
Find people who care about the things in their life. When you’re young, being ambivalent and detached seems cool. Then you get older and realise actually, the best people are the ones who are excited by life, their friends and what they do. Making friends with interesting, vibrant people has been another brilliant thing in my life.
Friendship, always. My friends have lifted me up, cheered me on and done everything to support me. I wouldn’t be who I am today without them, so I’d remind myself to value friendship deeply.
Go where your heart leads you. All the best moments in my life have come from following my heart. Even if something is scary and risky, going for it is always better than wishing you had.
You are more capable than you think. It’s easy in life to feel like you can only do certain things or be a certain person, but we have the capacity for so much more than we allow ourselves to believe. I’d love my younger self to not take so long to figure that one out!
Tell us five things that most people don’t know about you
I have a phobia of fish. It takes a lot to even get me to paddle in the ocean!
My favourite country I’ve ever visited is Iceland.
Moving to Australia and writing books were my two life goals. Ticking both off the list has been amazing. Now, what comes next…
I’m a vegetarian and have been since I was a child.
Outside of writing, I also work in primary education.
Tell us five things you’d still like to do or achieve.
Another classic author answers, but to have a book I’ve written adapted for TV or a movie.
I’d like to build a house one day. Where it will be and what it will be like, I’ve no idea! But to create my own home would be amazing.
Queenstown in New Zealand is high on my ‘to visit’ list. I’m annoyed at myself for not visiting when I was so close in Australia!
I’d like to become a more confident driver. Before I moved to Australia, I was in a car accident (it wasn’t my fault ha!). That really knocked my confidence driving and I didn’t for years. I’d like to change that.
Keep writing. If I could be a forever writer, I’d love it.
Many thanks for joining me today Jess. It was lovely having the chance to chat with you at Harrogate and today has given me, and my readers, an opportunity to discover even more about you. It was lovely to see that your first music choice was by The Lightning Seeds as they are an old favourite of mine. I’ve just bought tickets for their new tour next November, so I’ll be singing along to this. Books are, of course, always a welcome choice here. I think I’d be quietly disappointed by anybody who could live without them. I’ve been an avid reader since I was a child and I’m even worse now with all the different format options. At any one time I’ve usually got a paperback, an eBook and an audiobook on the go! Also, it is the law (or mine anyway) that flights must be booked via a laptop or PC. I agree with you, that we are more capable than we think, I also wish I’d come to that realisation sooner – but better late than never! Given your acheivements so far, I’ve no doubt you’ll hopefully manage to tick off your other wishes. But if nothing else, I’m sure you’ll be a forever writer.
Jess’s Books
(NB This post features Amazon affiliate links from which I earn a very small commission on qualifying purchases)
The Secrets of Strangers
After suffering a loss, Janine and her husband Kamal need a fresh start. They leave their family and everything they know in Manchester and move to Bamblethorpe, a picturesque Lancashire village where they expect nothing but peace and quiet. It’ll be just what Janine, a thriller writer, needs to work on her next manuscript.
But the peace of their new village life is disrupted when longtime local Alexa Clarke goes missing out of the blue. Did she leave her husband like some people suspect? Or is there credibility to the rumours that something more nefarious has happened to Alexa?
Frozen by writer’s block, Janine stumbles into investigating Alexa’s disappearance, and the more she discovers about Alexa’s life, the more complicated things become. Nothing is as it seems, and Janine begins to realise that there are disturbing parallels between Alexa’s life and her own.
What starts as curious procrastination quickly spirals into a tangled web of secrets, lies and a truth Janine may not be ready to face … if she survives.
The Life Experiment
What if you discovered the exact date of your death? Would you finally start living?
Perfect for fans of Beth O’Leary, David Nicholls and Matt Haig, this emotional, uplifting love story follows two strangers brought together by a life-changing experiment that forces them to confront what truly matters.
When OPM Discoveries launches The Life Experiment, promising clarity and purpose to those feeling lost, Layla and Angus sign up hoping for answers. Neither expects the shocking truth waiting for them: the experiment can predict when they will die.
Layla has spent her entire life fighting for stability. Now a successful corporate lawyer in London, she’s achieved everything she once dreamed of — except happiness. Trapped in endless workdays and terrified of losing control, she’s forgotten how to actually live.
Angus Fairview-Whitley was born into privilege, but after the death of his brother and the collapse of his future plans, he feels completely adrift. With his family expecting him to step into a life he no longer wants, Angus can’t escape the feeling that time is slipping through his fingers.
On the day they receive their devastating results, Layla and Angus meet by chance. Their connection is immediate, electric and impossible to ignore. But as the countdown to their futures begins, they must decide whether love is worth risking heartbreak — and whether knowing when life ends might finally teach them how to live.
Lucky Number 11
When Hannah Allen was fourteen years old, she was abducted by an elusive serial killer, Peter Harris. Intended to be his eleventh victim, she was his only survivor.
Ten years later, therapy and friendship have helped Hannah overcome the trauma of her past.
But then a body is found. A body bearing eerily similar injuries to Peter’s victims, complete with the numerical brand he forced upon his captives.
Soon it becomes clear that somewhere, someone is continuing Peter’s work.
Somewhere, someone wants Hannah dead.
Can she survive a serial killer twice, or has her luck finally run out?
How to Destroy Your Husband
Cassie Edwards swore she’d never fall in love . . . then she met Jamie. He changed everything, and Cassie’s never been happier. But with less than one month to go until their wedding, she discovers he’s cheating on her with his colleague.
Blinded by rage, Cassie makes it her mission to seek revenge on the pair. But when she looks deeper into her fiancé’s life, she soon realizes being faithful isn’t the only thing he’s lying about.
As her hunt for the truth takes her to some of the darkest corners of the internet, Cassie learns just how little she knows about the man she shares her life with. And it leaves her wondering one thing—is Jamie someone she should destroy or someone she should fear?
The Girl She Was Before
Nat lives a picture-perfect life, but it wasn’t always this way. A victim of horrific bullying when she was a teenager, she will do anything to keep distance between the girl she was before and the woman she is now.
But when her best friend is murdered and people begin to point their finger at her, Nat’s new life quickly unravels.
To Nat, it’s no surprise the crime happened at the same time as the return of her biggest tormentor, Chrissy Summers, a woman with a violent streak who destroyed lives when she was younger and isn’t afraid to do it again.
Face to face with the past she so firmly keeps behind her, Nat’s sanity wavers as her determination to reveal Chrissy as the monster she knows her as rises to dangerous heights.
The question is, can Nat prove Chrissy is a killer, or will Chrissy get to Nat and her family before she has the chance?
