Where was the author when the idea for this story came to him? Which character from The Secluded Village Murders would he choose to have dinner with? Why? What would they talk about? What will his next book be about?
Kew Gardens, England, flickr
Part of The Secluded Village Murders takes place in England. Have you ever visited this country? If so, did the idea for this story come to you while you were there?
The inkling came while visiting the west country of England on a private guided tour when an English a friend of the guide suggested that my quaint hometown in Connecticut was a twin of one in the U.K. Bridging the two would then become “a twinning.”
Which character in The Secluded Village Murders is your favorite? Was there a character you just didn’t like very well?
Emily, my heroine, was undoubtedly my favorite because she unwittingly found herself righting a great wrong for personal reasons and refused to give up no matter how impossible the quest. Trevor, the self-styled lord of the manor, was my least favorite because he reminded me of a priggish in-law I often encountered.
How often do you base characters on people you have met?
As long as they come alive on the page I don’t question their origin. They may remind me of people I’ve met but mainly they appear because they’re somehow needed to carry out the quest.
Yorkshire Moors, England, pixabay
Do you have a favorite scene in this book?
I love the scene in the moors because I felt what it would be like to become lost in a cold mist-sodden world as I, in a sense, became Emily.
What will your next book be about?
The current political scene seems to have “done a job on me” because my latest crime novel is becoming a link between fearmongering and our better angels when I was a kid and now.
Has your writing created any new opportunities for you?
I seem to have opened up a potential readership that’s both popular and literary.
If you could have dinner with one of the characters from The Secluded Village Murders, which one would you choose? Why? What would you talk about?
I’d like to delve into Emily’s balancing act as an intrepid young lady, deep need for a father figure, and a caretaker of her mother and the environment.
Where can your fans find you on the Internet?
You can find me on Facebook and shellyfrome.com/.
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