Author Tempeste Blake interviews mystery writer Samantha Goodwin on her new release – Murder At Macbeth.
It’s MYSTERY THRILLER WEEK (www.mysterythrillerweek.com) and I’m doing a little happy dance. I’ve made great new friends at this event and found some fantastic reads to add to my library.
And speaking of new friends. Samantha Goodwin, author of Murder at Macbeth, and I recently sat down over tea and had a chat about … okay, really we talked via email and messenger, but I’m painting a picture so play along … we sat and drank tea and chatted about writing and books, especially those of the mystery variety, and here’s how some of the conversation went.
T: Do you have any writing habits or superstitions?
S: I handwrite everything as I find my ideas flow better! It’s great because it means I can write anywhere, my favourite location is outside on those rare sunny English days. It is however, not the most time-efficient way of writing as then I have to spend time typing everything up as I go along and start editing!
T: Where did you get the inspiration for your story?
S: I was inspired by a newspaper article about a London West End actor who was accidentally stabbed live on stage. That got me thinking; what if that had been intentional? What a dramatic way to murder someone and believe you could get away with it.
I’ve always been fascinated by the superstitions surrounding Macbeth about it being cursed and the fact the play itself is about corruption and deception provided an interesting parallel to the murder mystery. Plus, I found the concept of interviewing suspects who are also actors really interesting; they could so easily be playing a part to hide the truth.
T: How long did it take you to write your novel?
S: It took me one year to finish the complete first draft of my novel and then another year to complete the editing. Which considering I was working full time and pregnant while writing it, I was really pleased about! I carved out time to write every day but it usually ended up being only 30 minutes in the morning before work or 1 hour during my lunch break. At first it seemed completely impossible to write an entire book with such little time, but before long I found I could get into the swing of it and write pretty quickly. I actually found the balance of doing my editing and looking after a newborn much more difficult. I did a lot of one-handed typing while holding a sleeping baby!
T: I know asking about favorite characters can be like asking about a favorite child or pet, but . . . do you have a favorite character or one you’d love to bring back in another story?
S: I love both of the detective characters, I’ve deliberately set the novel up so it could work as the first in a series so it would be great to bring them both back in future stories. The astute Detective Inspector Finley Robson leads the murder investigation. Smart and resourceful, he has an uncanny ability for getting to the bottom of the toughest cases. However, he is also struggling to overcome his own troubled past and finds the unusual theatrical case resonates deeply with him. Detective Sergeant Nadia Zahra is his tenacious, no-nonsense partner who has risen quickly through the ranks to become one of the youngest detectives at the London Metropolitan police force. Fiercely loyal, she maintains a healthy disregard for bureaucracy and is a force to be reckoned with.
Follow the remainder of the interview on Tempeste Blake’s website: Author Interview: Debut Mystery Author Samantha Goodwin
Tempeste Blake
@samanthagoodwinauthor