In Susanna Calkins's atmospheric debut novel, a chambermaid
must uncover a murderer in seventeenth-century plague-ridden London.
Determined to do just that, Lucy finds herself venturing out of her expected station and into raucous printers' shops, secretive gypsy camps, the foul streets of London, and even the bowels of Newgate prison on a trail that might lead her straight into the arms of the killer.
In her debut novel, Susanna Calkins seamlessly blends historical detail, romance, and mystery into a moving and highly entertaining tale.
PARTICULARS OF THE BOOK :
Published by: Minotaur Books/St. Martins Press
Pages: 338
Genre: Historical Fiction
Author: Susanna Calkins
You may purchase here: Amazon
Find the author's website here:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR :
Educator, historian, faculty developer by day... writer by night...I've had a morbid curiosity about murder in seventeenth-century England ever since grad school, in those days before I earned my Ph.D. in history. The ephemera from the archives--tantalizing true accounts of the fantastic and the strange--inspired my historical mysteries.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, I live outside Chicago now, with my husband and two sons. Represented by David Hale Smith of Inkwell Management, my first novel, A Murder at Rosamund's Gate (Minotaur/ St.Martin's Press), will be published April 23, 2013.
INTERVIEW !!!!
I'm so thrilled to bring you this very upbeat and exciting interview of Susanna Calkins to kick off her debut novel. Obviously, can't wait for you to meet her!!
Thank you so much for allowing me to join you today. These questions were a lot of fun to answer.
1)
Tell us
something about yourself, please. How do
most people describe you?
According
to my husband: Motivated, friendly, energetic…open
to possibilities and change.
2)
Where is your favorite place to write? Any special gimmicks, writing tools or keepsakes
that you keep near you when you write…I hear authors can be superstitious!
When I’m working on my
novel, there are a few coffee shops near my house where I like to write. I
don’t need any special keepsakes, but I like to have a coffee on hand, and a smooth
flowing pen for when I write long-hand. But now that you mention it, maybe I
should get a troll…
3)
Who first told you you could write well, and how
did it affect you?
Great question! In sixth grade we had to
create stories that incorporated a list of spelling words. I had so much fun
writing these stories! I’d make them as
scary and mysterious as possible (strewn of course with ridiculous spelling
words like “alleviate”). We had to read them out loud each week to the class.
Over the weeks, my teacher began to have me read last, and the class would get
really excited when it was my turn. They made me feel I could tell a fun story
that others would enjoy.
4)
Which contemporary authors do you most admire?
I love a lot of current
mystery authors—Anne Perry, Rhys Bowen, Elizabeth George all come to
mind—although I also appreciate some YA authors like Suzanne Collins, Tamora
Pierce and Shannon Hale.
5)
Which are your favorite classical authors?
Jane Austen, Louisa
May Alcott, Lloyd Alexander and Lucy Maud Montgomery. I’ve read every one of their books multiple
times.
6)
Jump into any book~which character would you be?
Who
doesn’t dream of being Elizabeth Bennett?
However, I would also love to be Eilonwy from Lloyd Alexander’s
Chronicles of Prydain, because she was the original tough tomboy princess.
7)
If you could have 5 historical people to dinner,
who would they be? What would you have
to eat?
For pure crazy entertainment, I’d go with Nell Gwyn (17th
century actress), Ben Franklin (although I’d have to keep him from Nell), Malcolm
X, Houdini and maybe Dorothy Parker! I’m
confident they’d like to eat Indian food and Kingfisher beer. What do you
think? J
Love it!
8)
Ocean or Lake?
Growing
up in Philly, going down the shore was the highlight of the summer. Although I
live on beautiful Lake Michigan now, my heart is still with the Jersey shore.
9)
Favorite two tv shows:
Ah so
tough! Currently, Bones and Nikita, but
Battlestar Galactica and Alias are all-time favorites.
10)
Favorite movie of all time:
I’ll
give you three: Breakfast at
Tiffany’s, Pride and Prejudice (A&E with Colin Firth) and to be honest, The
Deathly Hallows Part II (a pretty perfect culmination of an epic series).
11)
Are you working on a new book?
I am
working on TWO new books. One is the second Lucy Campion novel, tentatively
called From the Charred Remains. (I
really don’t think that title will stay though); I am waiting for feedback from
my editor. I am also nearly finished a
YA novel, which I hope to submit soon.
12)
Anything else I forgot to ask you?
Thank
you so much for having me! I would love to know which 5 characters YOU would invite to dinner! And what your readers
would say too!
0 comments:
Share your thoughts!