Published by The Book Folks, Near Miss follows the story of journalist Amy Thornton whose entire life changes when she narrowly avoids being hit by a car.
Near Miss is free with Kindle Unlimited and available in paperback from Amazon.
Teacher-turned-author Traude, from Reutlingen in Germany, said writing the 254-page book was great fun.
“I just wanted to write something I would enjoy reading myself,” she said. “I like light-hearted stories, nothing gory or too dark, and I felt people would enjoy something to escape into when everything else seems to be doom and gloom.”
Aimed at young adults and above, the cosy British mystery is Traude’s second book, following a mystery novel she wrote in German called Flammenschatten published in 2015 by Gmeiner Verlag.
Traude fell in love with Scotland in 1989 when she came over on a year abroad as a Foreign Language Assistant. She promptly returned to Perthshire in 1994 to start a family. Since 2003, she has been a teacher of English as an Additional Language (EAL), as well as a Resident Tutor and German language teacher at Strathallan School, helping hundreds of overseas pupils with their English.
The 54-year-old said: “I’ve always loved teaching. You feel that you can give a young person something that they can use in their lives and EAL is particularly good for that because I have been able to help pupils not just with exams but also helping them find their feet.”
Near Miss is the first in what is hoped to be a series of crime books featuring DI Russell McCord and journalist Amy Thornton, surrounded by a cast of eccentric but loveable characters.
Traude added, “I will definitely keep writing; when something is your passion, you don’t mind the extra work. The next adventure is soon to follow.”
Get your copy of Near Miss here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0B2S85TWS/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0
