INTERVIEW: How this author drew inspiration from a tsunami to write a debut novel

Tsunamis, suspense and mystery shape this psychological thriller that is not short of twists and turns. The debut novel, Genesis Flood, by Shelley Cox is not for the faint of heart.

Genesis Flood follows the story of a pregnant woman who uses a tsunami as an excuse to escape an abusive life and disappear. This decision haunts her new life and the people she left behind. Did she make the right decision?

As 2004 came to its end, Shelley and her family had just finished celebrating Christmas when some devastating news came in. An earthquake had hit Indonesia, causing a tsunami across 14 different countries in Asia. Shelley's brother Lee was island hopping in Thailand with a friend, and they couldn't get hold of them.

“We had 24 hours where we didn't know if he was alive or dead. It was absolutely horrific.”

“In the book there are parts where the character's mother is on the phone to the foreign office for 6 or 7 hours before finally they could get through and talk to someone. That reflects exactly what was happening in my family. We were asked to describe his tattoos and distinguishing features- that was when it really hit home that he could be dead.”

“We were lucky they survived, there's still people who don't know what happened to their loved ones.”

After Lee and his friend returned home safe, an idea sparked in Shelley’s head.

“It made me think that if you really hated your life and wanted to disappear, a disaster like that is the perfect opportunity to go under the radar.”

So after keeping this idea locked away in her head for over a decade, Shelley finally picked up the pen in 2022 and started writing Genesis Flood.

“I've always been a writer - as a child I would just love writing things down, little stories, poems - but I've never done anything with it because I lacked the confidence and courage.”

“It took until my husband Nigel’s diagnosis of prostate cancer and my breast cancer diagnosis a year later to make me realise that life is too short to not tackle the things that scare you, and I thought, what could possibly go wrong?"

“We all walk a tightrope everyday. You don't know when you are going to slip or when you're not going to slip.”

Purchase Genesis Flood here: https://www.bookguild.co.uk/bookshop/book/558/genesis-flood-US8Q/

Edited by Bethia Wyborn