Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Sisters Fix your next book choice with new thriller
Two Coatbridge sisters have made an arresting addition to the crime novel genre.
Siblings Marina Clement (nee Russo) and Anita (Neet) Neilson, who write under the pen name of M A Russo, have released their enthralling new thriller The Fix.
The novel tells the tale of Covenston which is hit by a series of rapes, and Ally and Jinny Canessa find themselves as amateur detectives.
Ally is a counsellor, at odds with DI Nick Daniels, whereas Jinny joins a local coven and believes spells may be the key to uncovering the perpetrator.
Evidence suggests the victims are being selected from one particular community, but the question is why?
Ally and Jinny must confront harassment, homophobia and themselves to find out. Because until they do, no woman is safe.
The Fix was shortlisted for the prestigious Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize 2020 and the dynamic duo have signed a two-book deal with publishers Dark Edge Press.
Originally from Coatbridge, the two sisters attended St Ambrose High School and left the town to pursue their nursing careers.
Marina graduated with a masters in health psychology and a diploma in clinical hypnotherapy, while Anita is a university nurse lecturer with a PHD in cancer studies, which fuels their writing, and both are now commercial photographers and amateur writers.
Anita, 57, is married with one grown up son and lives in Bearsden and Marina, 53, is married with two children and lives in Ayrshire.
Anita told the Advertiser: “I’ve always written and Marina and I got together and we decided to write a crime thriller; that’s the genre we are most interested in.
“We are both creative people and we decided that two heads were better than one. We both took a sister and wrote in their voice and because we edit each other’s work, it flows as one voice.”
The creative duo said they are inspired by crime writers Christopher Brookmyre and Karin Slaughter.
Anita and Marina told us: “We like the Scottish crime writers. We like their sense of humour, which we try to inject into our own novels and, like us, our characters have a Scottish-italian heritage. We work really well together and we eventually compromise and before we know it we are planning the next one.”
The literary duo both enjoy running, hiking, walking their dogs and growing their own vegetables which they then use to create vegan recipes.
Marina is passionate about life long learning, yoga, nature and art photography, while Anita’s passions lie in shoemaking, screenwriting and composing songs on her guitar.
Anita has also signed a two-book contract as Neet Neilson for her romantic novels – the first of which, Hope and Sanctuary, is due for release this month, followed by her second book, The Royale Jewels, next year. Royalties from both books will be donated to the Glendrick Roost animal welfare sanctuary in Aberfoyle.
And the siblings are keen to hear what their Lanarkshire fans have to say about their novel.
They said: “It’s going through a book review blog. Our own editor said that she ‘couldn’t put it down’ and anyone who has been given it to read has enjoyed it.
“If it’s well received we will definitely think about writing another. We are keen to see what people think about it and what the uptake is.”
The Fix is available now on Kindle and Amazon and on paperback from Waterstones.