My guest today is my dear friend and fellow-author Alice Castle, whose second novel The Girl in the Gallery is released today by Crooked Cat Books. Alice has the same initials as the great Agatha Christie, and having read her first book (Death in Dulwich), I can assure you that the resemblance doesn't end there.
Welcome, Alice!
What prompted you to first start writing? What was the
first thing you wrote?
The first novel-length book I wrote was an early
attempt at a whodunit, called Buckle My Shoe, about two young mums trying to
solve crimes with toddlers and pushchairs in tow. I soon realized why so few
crime fighters take their kids to work!
Can you summarise your latest work in just a few words?
Who is The Girl in the Gallery?
What was the inspiration for this book?
My storyline is inspired by Dulwich Picture
Gallery itself – it’s stuffed with amazing art, but the building itself is very
unusual, too. At its heart is a mausoleum, containing the dead bodies of the
original collectors in marble coffins, on display to the public. Weird and
quite creepy! I have always thought it would be a brilliant setting for a murder
mystery.
Did you do any research for the book?
I did loads of research. I love Dulwich Picture Gallery
so this was no chore! I went to lots of exhibitions and had plenty of lunches
in the restaurant, and the café outside. Gosh, it was hard work ;) I also read a
lot on the life and times of Sir John Soane, the architect who designed the
extraordinary building.
What does a typical writing day involve for you?
I’m not at all a morning person, but for some
reason I do my best writing first thing. So I write until I run out of words,
then turn to my day jobs – I’m the editor of a lifestyle website, I edit other
people’s novels and I write freelance articles for newspapers and other
publications.
How do you decide on the names for your characters?
I usually look wildly round the room where I write
– the kitchen. It’s a miracle all my characters aren’t called Cadbury’s Dairy
Milk.
Do you plot your novels in advance, or allow them to
develop as you write?
I tend to have a firm idea in my head about the
nature of the crime and about a side issue that will keep intertwining with the
main plot. But I like to allow my characters some wiggle-room so they can dash
off in unexpected directions if they like.
Which writers have influenced your own writing?
I’ve always been an avid reader and I love crime
fiction. My favourites are PD James, Val McDermid, Janet Evanovich, Simon
Brett, Margery Allingham, Agatha Christie, Patricia Cornwell, Sue Grafton,
Raymond Chandler… the list goes on and on!
What has been the best part of the writing process…and
the worst?
The best part of the writing process is always the
moment when the plot clicks and you know you are on the right track and the
words start to pour. It’s a great feeling. The worst is definitely editing my
own work, very slow and painful. I’d much rather do the ironing, and I really hate
ironing.
(Er - what's "ironing"...?)
Now the book
is published and ‘out there’ how do you feel?
It’s a very special moment when the book is out there, like having a
new baby. I feel quite protective of it and only hope people will like it and
want to take it home.
Is there a
message for the reader?
I try not to be preachy, but there are themes which I hope most parents
will already be thinking about. The most important message, in this book and
the first in the series, is that there is such a thing as justice.
Do you have any advice for new writers?
Keep
going! It’s not always easy, but if you’re really a writer, you won’t have any
choice anyway.
What can
we expect from you in the future?
My third book in the London Murder
Mystery series, Calamity in Camberwell,
is due out in 2018. Can’t wait!
Neither can I, Alice! Thanks for calling by today, and I hope the book flies for you!
MORE ABOUT THE BOOK:
Just when you thought it was safe
to go back to Dulwich…
It’s
a perfect summer’s morning in the plush south London suburb, and
thirty-something Beth Haldane has sneaked off to visit one of her favourite places,
the world-famous Picture Gallery.
She’s
enjoying a few moments’ respite from juggling her job at prestigious private
school Wyatt’s and her role as single mum to little boy Ben, when she stumbles
across a shocking new exhibit on display. Before she knows it, she’s in the
thick of a fresh, and deeply chilling, investigation.
Who
is The Girl in the Gallery? Join Beth in adventure #2 of the London Murder
Mystery series as she tries to discover the truth about a secret eating away at
the very heart of Dulwich.
MORE ABOUT ALICE:
Before turning to
crime, Alice Castle was a UK newspaper journalist for The Daily Express, The
Times and The Daily Telegraph. Her first book, Hot Chocolate, set in Brussels and London, was a European
best-seller which sold out in two weeks.
Alice is currently
working on the sequel to Death in Dulwich
and The Girl in the Gallery, the third book in the London Murder Mystery
series. It will be published by Crooked Cat next year and is entitled The Calamity in Camberwell. Once again,
it features Beth Haldane and DI Harry York.
Alice is also a top
mummy blogger, writing DD’s Diary at www.dulwichdivorcee.com.
She lives in south
London and is married with two children, two step-children and two cats.
Author website: https://www.alicecastleauthor.com
Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/alicecastleauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DDsDiary?lang=en
Thank you so much for having me on your blog today, Sue, it's been such fun and I LOVE your point about my initials being the same as the great Dame Agatha's – that's made my day X
ReplyDeleteJust the truth, Alice! And thank you for being my guest!
ReplyDelete