Author’s new historical novel ‘Kissed to Death’ weaves tale of family secrets in Portsmouth

Gillian Fernandez Morton’s latest work of fiction, Kissed to Death, is an exploration of the legacy that family secrets can have on lives.

The author, who grew up in Portsmouth, said: ‘My second novel, Kissed to Death, takes place in Portsmouth in the years between 1943 and 1963.

‘The cover uses an image by the local artist, the late Harrold A. Maddick, showing an old shelter on the promenade, close to the rock gardens.

‘I will be taking part in the Portsmouth Bookfest again in February but hope to be doing other local events to promote the book this autumn.’

Kissed to Death also looks at coercive control in romantic relationships. It is published by Silverwood books.

Gillian’s Portsmouth-based wartime novel Bombweed, released in 2018, was adapted from an unpublished work that her mother Margaret Smith had written in 1947.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to our online coverage, including Pompey, for 27p a day.