Portsmouth author publishes book co-written with his wife - who died days after it was completed

Tell Me Your Sweet Lies, a romantic thriller, was the first novel that Ken Gregory, 64, of Portsmouth was writing with his wife Gio.

But tragedy struck in September when Gio died aged 62 in September from thrombosis – a blood clot – while the couple were on holiday in France working on the final edits of their co-written romantic thriller novel.

The morning after a meal celebrating the novel’s completion, Ken found Gio unconscious in the bathroom.

‘Then things got worse, she was struggling to breathe and then she fainted again, and began foaming at the mouth,’ he said.

‘The paramedics said she had a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) which had caused a pulmonary embolism in her lungs.’

After fighting the condition for five days, Gio died on Tuesday, September 10, 2019, their 42nd wedding anniversary.

The couple were writing their novel in Portsmouth where they moved to four years ago.

‘Gio loved Portsmouth,’ said Ken, who is a technologist. ‘She found the people really friendly, did courses at the library, was always out walking and discovering new places.

‘She loved our apartment by the sea, and was always taking selfies.’

The pair had a mutual love for writing, so after moving to the city writing a novel together felt fitting.

‘As a child I spent every night going to the local library, and Gio was fascinated by writing,’ said Ken.

They worked together seamlessly. ‘She wrote the romance and I plotted the storyline for the thriller. It felt natural. We did everything together.’

All proceeds will go to Thrombosis UK, as Ken believes it is important to raise awareness.

‘The symptoms for pulmonary embolism are quite confusing, they call it the silent killer,’ he said. ‘The charity explained to me that even long car journeys or a simple injury can be contributing factors.’

He added: ‘What I have to be thankful for was that her life was completed in the four years where she was happiest - in Portsmouth.

‘I still love her, it’s just that my relationship with her has changed now.’

You can find more about Thrombosis UK at https://thrombosisuk.org

The book is on sale at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tell-Me-Your-Sweet-Lies/dp/1659090806/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_1