Bella Ellwood-Clayton on The Swimming Group

Bella’s latest novel, The Swimming Group (April, 2025, Joffe Books), is a gripping, twisty mystery/psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the very last page. Today, we chat about swimming, writing ensemble stories, plotting great twists, Cape Cod and more.

Thanks for chatting about your latest novel. Can you please share the blurb for The Swimming Group?

Welcome to Provincetown
A woman’s MISSING
A friend’s LYING
AND SECRETS DON’T STAY BURIED

My name is Emma Brennan, and I never thought I’d find myself in this position – standing on a Cape Cod beach at sunrise, wondering which of my friends is a killer.

I came to the idyllic seaside town of Provincetown, to raise my young niece and figure out what to do next with my life. Eleven months ago my sister vanished off the coast of Ocracoke Island. No body, no answers. Just a teenage daughter left behind – and me. At the same time, the man I thought I was going to marry cheated on me with a cute young florist.

I joined the Tragic Wives’ Group – a tight-knit, cold-water swimming group with enough personal drama to fill a bestseller. And one of us has put it in a manuscript, spilling all our secrets.

Then she disappears … leaving just a pile of clothes on the sand. She’s the second person I’ve lost in twelve months.

A SEXY BLEND OF TENSION AND SUSPENSE WITH AN ENDING YOU WON’T SEE COMING.

This razor-sharp thriller of friendship, obsession and the secrets we’d do anything to protect is perfect for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Liane Moriarty, and Lucy Clarke.

Are you a swimmer? Why did you write about a cold water swimming group?

Living in Australia, sharks put me off, and big waves, but I love taking a dip during the summer months. You feel free and in the present moment.

Cold water swimming groups and ice plunges are growing in popularity. I thought it would make the perfect backdrop for a thriller. What if in one of these tight-knit swimming groups, a swimmer went missing, and the members started blaming each other? How would those bonds hold up under pressure? What secrets might emerge?

The setting is Provincetown, Cape Cod. What attracted you to that location?

I wanted the danger of sharks to create an undercurrent of tension throughout the story. And Provincetown has this wonderful duality. It’s known for its queer, liberal culture and artistic community, which creates an open, accepting atmosphere. But it’s also isolated, especially in the off-season, with that classic New England insularity.

For Em, my protagonist, Provincetown represents both sanctuary and alienation. She’s a fish out of water here. Previously, she’s lived in big cities . The location offers her a chance at reinvention.

Have you been there? If not, how do you make it so accurate?

I haven’t traveled much in the last few years, so I’ve had to become an armchair researcher. I immersed myself in documentaries, films and travel blogs. I would absolutely love to visit Provincetown one day and walk the same beaches as my characters.

There are many diverse and distinctive characters in the book, which can be technically challenging to pull off. How did you help readers keep track of the large cast?

Managing a large cast was definitely one of my biggest challenges. I approached it by starting with scenes featuring just a couple of characters, then gradually adding others, allowing readers to form distinct impressions before introducing new faces.

I gave each character a distinctive trait, speech pattern, or physical characteristic as a shorthand reminder. Or nicknames, like “Compost Carol.”

The group dynamic allowed me to explore different perspectives on shared events, which is particularly useful in a mystery where everyone has something to hide.

With such a colourful cast, did any of the characters speak out to you more than others?

While Em is definitely the heart of the story, the supporting characters added flair and contrast. Miguel often hijacked scenes in ways I hadn’t planned and would say things that shocked even me! Those are the most exciting moments – when your characters take over.

Em is the main character, and she’s juggling lots of life challenges, how was that important to the story?

As storytellers, we’re taught to pile troubles onto our main characters – and for good reason. Difficulties challenge our protagonists to grow and do things they might not otherwise. With Em, there are multiple forces pulling her toward change. Her sudden role as guardian to her teenage niece reinforces her habit of putting other people’s needs before her own. The temptation of a new romance pushes her to be vulnerable again after betrayal. And watching her father’s mental decline makes her confront painful family dynamics she’s long avoided. All these elements serve the central mystery because they put her in emotional flux where she’s questioning everything and everyone she thought she knew.

The story is a mystery within a mystery with plenty of twists. Without giving any spoilers, how did you go about plotting that?

I deliberately play with readers’ attention, directing it toward certain characters or motivations so (hopefully) they’re as surprised as the protagonist when the huge twist comes.

I wasn’t a natural plotter when I first started writing, so I’ve spent years studying the craft of story structure. I’m low-keyed obsessed.

There are several twists throughout The Swimming Group, but the major one was inspired by a true story I read about a man in Europe who pulled off an elaborate deception for years before being discovered. Without revealing too much, it made me think about the lengths someone might go to in order to escape their past and create a new identity.

The key to effective twists is making them both surprising and inevitable – they should shock readers in the moment but then make sense in retrospect when all the clues fall into place.

Your stories always have a juicy romance subplot. Why do you see this as important?

Romance and sexuality are powerful forces for character development. They challenge our protagonists on a primal level, pushing them out of comfort zones and forcing them to confront deep insecurities and desires.

Em’s romantic subplot with Guardie, the Canadian masseuse, is integral to her journey of rediscovering herself after betrayal. The romance also serves the mystery plot, creating both complications and clarity as Em tries to figure out who she can truly trust.

The book deals with sibling dynamics, particularly favouritism within families and the way parents can reinforce or change that perception. Were there any particular points you wanted to make about that?

I wanted to look at how difficult it can be to evolve beyond our childhood scripts – the roles we’re assigned within our families that often follow us into adulthood. Em has always seen herself as the less-favoured child, the practical one. What I most wanted to convey is that these family dynamics aren’t fixed – they can be re-examined as we gain adult perspective, challenged, and discarded. I also wanted to explore different healing paths beyond traditional therapy, like cold-water swimming, along with connection to nature and meaningful relationships.

You can connect with Bella on:
Website: www.drbella.com.au Sign up for free short stories and exclusive giveaways!
TikTok & Instagram: @bellaellwoodclayton
Booksales: Available on Kindle Unlimited, Amazon Australia, Amazon US

Next time: an interview with Sarah Bourne on grief and Letting Go