WIPs and New Releases
1) Tell us about
your work-in-progress, or WIP, as it’s known as in the industry or New Release…
Ø What is the
story about?
·
My latest published
novel is Murder on Tyneside, a sort of cozy
murder mystery that is set in my hometown.
·
The story tells of a
widow who suddenly decides to revisit the area she was born. Not having been
back to Tyneside since her family moved away when she was schoolgirl, she was
interested to see the changes, which had taken place over the years.
·
But suddenly, jewellery
goes missing from the hotel where she is staying and the police are called in.
As it turns out, the DCI, who is in charge of the case, attended the same
school all those years ago and they rekindle their friendship.
·
Agnes, a Miss Marple fan, decides she wants to
help the police solve the thefts, but when a body is found, the DCI becomes concerned
for her safety.
Ø Who is the main
character?
·
There are two main
characters – Agnes Lockwood, the widow, and Alan Johnson, the DCI. Though
having said that, I suppose Agnes is the real main character, as she always
insists on having the final word.
2) What inspired
this tale?
Ø How did the
story come to you?
·
I suddenly decided to
write a murder mystery instead of another romance novel. I think I wanted a
change, and a murder seemed a good idea.
·
Once that was decided,
I felt I would like to set it in my hometown as I know it so well – even though
I haven’t lived there for many years.
·
After all, it is said
that you should write about what you know.
Ø Did you have to
research for this novel and if so, why?
·
I didn’t really need to
do much research, as I kept it quite light-hearted. I didn’t want to dig deep
into how police investigations progressed. Anything I needed to know, I simply
looked up online. In most cases, it was to find out whether certain things in
the Tyneside area were still open to the public.
Ø If you did
research, what do you think surprised you most to learn and why?
·
I think I was only
surprised to learn that the towers supporting the Tyne Bridge were no longer
open to the public. I’m sure a number of people would be interested to see the
structure inside.
·
Many years ago, there
used to be a lift, which took people from the bridge above to the Sunday Market
on the quayside below. I believe the cost of the ride was one penny. (Now I am
showing my age L)
3) Do you relate
to your character?
Ø Is your
protagonist anything like you personally?
·
No, not really.
·
That said, thinking it
through, I suppose we both have an inquiring nature. After all, Agnes had to
get her curiosity and stubbornness from someone. J
Ø What made you
write this character; what made them important to you or made you want to tell
their story?
·
As the novel centered
on a woman, I felt she needed to be strong and have a mind of her own. Someone
who wasn’t going to be fobbed off by anyone – not even the police. Agnes was
the right person for the story.
·
There were times, when
I was floundering, she took over and showed me which direction she wanted the
story to go. Don’t you just love it when that happens?
4) Is there
anything you specific want readers to know about this piece of work?
·
I would simply like the
readers to know that I really enjoyed writing this novel. I loved writing about
Tyneside. There were times when I could see actually myself in the scenes as
the story unfolded.
5) When will the
novel be available for purchase?
Ø Do you have a
link as to where readers can buy it?
·
Should anyone be
interested in reading the novel, the link below will take them straight to the
correct page on Amazon, no matter which country they live in:
·
I do hope they enjoy
it.
Thank you, Julie,
for giving me the chance to talk about my latest novel.
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