Born and raised at Porton Down in Wiltshire and currently working for the NHS in Salisbury, J A Higgins has always been fascinated by crime, history and the unexplained. 'A Long Time Burning' is the second in the Nell Montague mystery series.
J A Higgins always wanted to write a paranormal themed Christmas mystery and drew much of the inspiration from Salisbury and the sounding area. Because she is also interested in history, ‘A Long Time Burning’ looks at the connections between the Christmas we enjoy today, and our ancient religions and practices. Paganism is still very alive in England and she wanted to explore this.
As a child J A Higgins was always interested in ghost stories and when visiting stately homes and castles would ask if there had been sightings. Then her imagination would fill in any gaps or create occurrences. As an adult she has taken part in a number of paranormal investigations and although she likes to keep an open mind, sometimes science alone cannot explain what is seen, heard or felt. Some of her experiences feature in ‘A Long Time Burning’.
Christmas can be a very difficult time of year for many people so she wanted to write a story that acknowledges this, whilst still showing it is a time of hope. There are chills as well as cheer in this spooky thriller which examines how horrors from the past are still very relevant today.
