Murder at Blackburn Hall is out January 14. It’s my 25th fiction book.
How did you develop your character and choose your location?
The character of Olive Belgrave grew out of my love of Golden Age mysteries. I enjoy reading classic mysteries and wanted to write something similar. Because I love reading books set in England, I decided it was the perfect location for the High Society Lady Detective series. I’d already written a cozy series set in modern-day England and decided it would be interesting to visit the village of Nether Woodsmoor in the early 1920s.
What is a day in the life of an author like? Do you write a certain number of words, do you
I tend to work in cycles. I write a draft, revise, and edit it over several months. During that time I do the minimum on admin tasks. When the manuscript goes to my editor and proofreader, I work on other aspects of being an author like marketing and advertising. On days I’m writing, I usually get up around 5:30 and use dictation to get the first draft of the story down. Later that day or or the next day I’ll edit it. I take breaks to run errands and exercise in the afternoon—either a walk or a weight workout—then it’s back to writing until dinner. I aim for around 2,000 words a day, but I often fall short of that, especially in the beginning stages of a book. As I near the end, it goes faster.
Do you model your character after yourself or any one you know?
No, I try to come up with a unique character. I may take bits and pieces of myself or a friend or an acquaintance, but I always try to “mix and match.” Sometimes a historical figure will inspire a character, but I will fictionalize that character, changing details and adding new traits and sometimes mixing up the personality. A person in real life or a historical figure is a jumping off point for me.
If your books were made into a movie, who would you want to play the lead character?
Oh, I don’t know. I’ve been asked this question before and can never come up with a good answer. It would have to be someone who’s good at accents. I’d love to hear suggestions!
Who is your favorite author?
It’s hard to pick just one, but I’ll settle on Mary Stewart’s books. I’ve re-read them many times. Those novels made me want to be a writer.
If you could invite five people – living or dead – to a dinner party, who would they be?
A dinner party with some of my favorite authors like Agatha Christie, Mary Stewart, Elizabeth Peters, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Patricia Wentworth would be a night to remember.
If you could not be an author, what would like to do as a career?
I’d be a librarian so I could always be surrounded by books!
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