Welcome to the Author Interview. This time, it features the lovely Christine Asbery, author of The Innocents.
If you’re an author who’d like to take part in the series, email me: debbie@myrandommusings.co.uk
Now over to Christine:
1 Firstly, tell us a little bit about yourself
I was born in the Far East, lived most of my formative years in Scotland and have worked all over the world.
I now live in England. I’m in the process of moving to York.
I’m married to a musician and am finally fulfilling a life’s ambition by writing.
2 Tell us a little bit about your books
My first book, The Innocents, is now out. It’s the first in a series about a female Pinkerton in the 19th century and the clever charismatic criminal she crosses swords with.
The second book is called Innocent as Sin, and it’s released on July 26th. The characters introduced in book one are back and embroiled in a new mystery.
Each book can be read as a standalone mystery but the series is linked by the will-they-won’t-they relationship between the two main characters and the murderous vendetta waged against the hero by his arch-enemy.
3 Where do you find your inspiration for your books?
History has always held a draw. I was once a police officer and the colourful stories of the older female officers piqued my interest, making me look even further back.
The very first women in law enforcement had been in France, working for the Sûreté in the early 19th century. They were, however, no more than a network of spies and prostitutes, the most infamous being the notorious ‘Violette’.
The first truly professional women in law enforcement worked for the Pinkerton Agency, and they were trained by the first female agent Kate Warne, an ex-actress and an expert in working undercover. Kate Warne was an expert at disguise, adopting roles, and accents. She was said to be daring and able to pass her characters off, even in close quarters. In the only known photograph of her she is dressed as a man. This was a skill set my childhood had prepared me to understand.
These women were fully-fledged agents, with their skills being held in high regard by Alan Pinkerton who once said, “In my service you will serve your country better than on the field. I have several female operatives. If you agree to come aboard you will go in training with the head of my female detectives, Kate Warne. She has never let me down.”
I started to wonder why one of the female agents couldn’t be a Scottish Immigrant. After all, Alan Pinkerton was one. He came from Glasgow. Being a Scot in another land is something I know well and they say you should write what you know.
4 What, for you, is the best thing about being a writer?
The freedom of working when you want. I’m more owl than lark and I’m at my best late at night. I’m terrible in the morning and getting up for a 9am start was as bad as a 4am start for me. I can now fit my body clock.
5 And the worst?
I suppose it’s the fact that a writer can’t just write. They have to market, network, sell, and promote.
6 If you could have any super power, what would it be and why?
Invisibility, because I’m very nosy by nature. Think of the eavesdropping.
7 Do you have any tips for anyone wanting to write their first book?
You have to start networking and building up a social media presence at least a year ahead to market the book. There’s no point in writing a wonderful novel if nobody knows it’s there.
8 Tell us one random fact about you
I play bad violin.
9 Who is your favourite author?
It depends on my mood. I love Agatha Christie, Kathy Reichs, Bill Bryson’s dry wit, Mark Twain, Maya Angelou, Edward Rutherfurd, and Charlotte Bonte to name but a few.
10 And your favourite book(s)?
Jane Eyre, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, I loved The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe when I was a child.
11 What book are you reading right now?
The Doctor’s Bag – Medicine and Surgery of Yesteryear by Dr. Keith Souter. It’s a fabulous insight into medicine and treatments in the 19th century.
12 Where is your favourite place to write?
My corner on the sofa or on the porch in good weather. I use a laptop, not a pc.
13 Do you prefer to write in silence or do you have a writing soundtrack?
I can do both. I often write while my husband watches T.V. in the evening. If I’m outside I like to hear birds and natural sounds.
14 What can we expect from you next?
Innocent as Sin is the second in the series, and Innocent Bystander comes out later this year. The publisher has asked for a fourth and I’m working on that right now.
The second books sees the heroine working with a notoriously cruel bounty hunter who is trying to bring in the criminals she had a truce with in the first book. Can she go through with it? And why has someone dumped a frozen body in the church hall after disguising him as a tramp?
15 Anything else you’d like to share with us?
I do copious amounts of research. ‘The Innocents’ has taken years of research into the work of the early Pinkertons, especially the female agents and the kind of work they did, including their methodologies.
I research everything, even the stationary which was in use and the correct codes for the telegraph stations mentioned in the books. The theatrical make-up used as disguises in the book began to flourish right around the period the books are set in as lighting improved and people could see the flaws in the rudimentary stuff previously only lit by candles. The forensics are fascinating to dig into too. You name it I researched it. Everything in the books either happened or is historically possible.
16 Where can we find you? (Links to your Amazon page and social media)
My blog, my Facebook page, my Facebook group, Amazon, Twitter and Goodreads.
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