She Wrote a Murder Mystery to Survive Turning 40

She Wrote a Murder Mystery to Survive Turning 40

From 50 Tastes Of Gray by Matthew Gray - 50TastesOfGray

May 22, 2026 · 34 min · Episode 110

About this episode

Gemma Denham discusses her debut murder mystery and the journey of writing it as part of her '40 Before 40' challenge.

British author Gemma Denham joins Matthew Gray to share how she wrote her debut murder mystery The Storm as part of her “40 Before 40” challenge. She talks about the Agatha Christie obsession that sparked the book, the real controlling relationship she turned into fiction, and the hilarious moment her family taped her to a chair for research. A warm, funny, and honest conversation about creativity, midlife reinvention, British parenting, and the joy of becoming a first‑time author.

People in this episode

Host: Matthew Gray

Guest: Gemma Denham

Topics covered

  • murder mystery
  • midlife reinvention
  • creativity
  • British parenting
  • first-time author

Keywords

  • murder mystery
  • Gemma Denham
  • Agatha Christie
  • 40 Before 40
  • creativity

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Storm

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