CHAT WITH C.A. ASBREY

Chris Asbrey has lived and worked all over the world in the Police Service, Civil Service, and private industry, working for the safety, legal rights, and security of the public. A life-changing injury meant a change of course into contract law and consumer protection for a department attached to the Home Office. She has produced magazine and newspaper articles based on consumer law and written guides for the Consumer Direct Website. She acted as a consultant to the BBC’s One Show and Watchdog, and been interviewed on BBC radio answering questions on consumer law to the public.

She lives with her husband and two daft cats in Northamptonshire, England—for now. She’s moving to the beautiful medieval city of York.

Time to chat with Chris!

What is your latest book?

The Innocents is the first in a trilogy of 19th century murder mysteries. My detective is a female Pinkerton and she has the skills the real women who performed that role really had; she is up to date with the modern detective methods of 1868, conversant with the sciences of the day, feisty, clever, and an expert at accents and disguises. She is nobody’s sidekick and goes in alone to collect intelligence– just like the real women did. In the first book she is sent in to help bring in the most cunning thief in the country, who also happens to be as forward-thinking and as interested in science as she is – except he uses it to commit better crime. When he saves her life, she owes him and resolves to bring in the murderer of a family friend. They find their respective skills dovetail perfectly, but if they’re found working together he could be jailed and she could be ruined forever. Neither of them bargained for their growing attraction either.

Is your recent book part of a series?

‘The Innocents’ is most definitely part of a larger body of work. It’s the first of a trilogy, but if people like them there’ plenty of scope to keep them going if there’s a demand. Each book is a self-contained mystery with the larger universe of the characters providing an over-arching connection between the books. The third book is written and at editing stage, but there are plenty of trials I can still put the characters through yet.

Do you write under a pen name? If so, can you tell us why?

I kinda do. I write under my married name and feature on social media under my maiden name for social interactions on line. I also write under initials. I don’t hide my gender, but it’s not immediately obvious when you look at the book cover.

How did you choose the genre you write in? Or did it choose you?

It definitely chooses me. I’ve loved mysteries all my life and read them voraciously all my life. I joined the adult section of the library at ten and read about three a week for years. I love the fact that there are there are rules to writing a mystery, and the writer has to keep to them if the reader is to be able to play along. The story has to keep moving, all the clues need to be available and the plot needs to be convincing. The rules were set out in ‘The Detective Club’ which featured members such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, G. K. Chesterson, and E. C. Bentley. Not all the rules hold true today; for instance, “No Chinaman must figure in the story.” That is simply a ridiculous premise today. Agatha Christie broke another rule. “The detective must not himself commit the crime” but they still provide a framework for the modern mystery writer. The method of murdering the victim must be a robust and feasible technique and not invented or spurious. The motive for murder in a whodunit should be personal, and not an act of war or part of a professional hit. That takes the killing into a different genre of writing. I think that pushing the boundaries in the mystery have to be done by taking the reader with you. It’s a really interactive medium and a mental game.

If you were to advertise your book on a bumper sticker, what would it say?

He was wanted. She wanted him more than anyone else.

How often do your characters surprise you by doing or saying something totally unexpected?

I love it when they do that. One minor character took over and grew into a major one. Another decided to kill herself and left me wondering how to write my way out of this one. When creativity starts to play it’s important to go with it. It makes for a far more interesting plot.

Is it important for you to know the ending of a book before you write it? The title?

I do start with a title, but it can change as the story proceeds. For some reason I need a hook to hang the story on. The ending can definitely change, and often has. I need to keep track of clues, red herrings, characters, and even aliases, but somehow it all comes together. In some plots it’s vital to know the ending. The third book in the trilogy is a howdunit. We know who kills and why, but my characters have to prove how he kills in a case which stretches their forensic skills to the limit.

Some writers edit excessively as they write; others wait until a novel is finished to do the bulk of the editing. How about you?

I always re-read what I wrote the day before and edit as I go but when I finish, I re-read and edit as well as sending the book out to trusted friends and beta readers who not only edit, but would point out any plot holes and scenes which don’t work. That results in more edits until the manuscript is honed and exactly as I want it.

Have you ever imagined what your characters are doing after you’ve finished a book or series?

Oh, yes. I’m already thinking what will happen in the fourth as I promote the first.

How much research was involved in writing your book? How did you go about it?

Copious amounts. ‘The Innocents’ has taken years of research into the early Pinkertons, especially the female agents and the kind of work they did, including their methodologies. I research everything, even the stationary, or 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. Lighting had improved and people could see the flaws in the rudimentary makeup used previously on stages lit by candles.

Greasepaint was invented in the 1860s by Ludwig Leichner, building on the work of Karl Freidrich Baudius (1796–1860) in the 1850s. Lighting also improved costumes and acting techniques. It drove a desire for more natural representations in every area, simply because people could see the stage more clearly. Crepe hair went out and quality wigs came in. Colors were mixed to mimic skin tones and classes in their application were popular in the acting profession. Latex wasn’t invented until 1920, but prior to that rubber was molded or even applied to a light fabric backing. When it was the right shape it was expertly painted to look exactly like a nose, dewlap, bald cap, or any other body part. I even researched whether someone with as much hair as the average Victorian woman could wear a short wig. The answer came from a young woman who enjoys cosplay—and she explains online how to pleat her long, thick hair and coil it flat under the cap before putting the short wig on. It absolutely IS possible.

The forensics are fascinating to dig into too. You name it I researched, right down to what shades of clothes were available at that time. I don’t want all that to become a lesson to the reader though. It should be a backwash, a setting in which the plot unfolds. I’m first and foremost a storyteller and I want to carry the reader with the tale and not have them worrying about whether something was available at the time or whether it was possible.

I do enjoy finding things which seem like anachronisms but were actually invented much earlier than people think, but I have my characters discuss these things so it’s clear I’ve done my homework. I have a blog where I detail the strange, obscure, and the things too mundane to be taught in history classes. I was very flattered to be told by another writer that they’d used it as a resource.

CONNECT WITH CHRIS:

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CHAT WITH INGRID FOSTER

Fantasy Suspense Author Ingrid Foster lists Pennsylvania Farm Girl, Veteran, World Traveler and Desert Dweller among her many descriptors. Having written her first story when she was eight, she didn’t officially get the writing bug until January 2005. She currently lives in the Sonoran Desert with her husband and furry babies.

What is your latest book?

My Fantasy Suspense novel entitled My Father’s Magic just went into print and later this year I plan to publish my second book in the Esme Bohlin Suspense Series, Revenge of the Dark Queen.

How did you choose the genre you write in? Or did it choose you?

It chose me. My Instructor at Long Ridge Writer’s Group, Lynne Smith, told me after reading Fresh Meat, that I was a natural for the horror genre. But she never had a chance to read my novel, My Father’s Magic. While having some horrific elements, it is truly what I call Fantasy Suspense. It has the immediate telling of the villain of the story and the fast pace of a suspense novel while in a contemporary fantasy setting. So, in truth, I waffle between the darker stuff like with my Dark Desert Tales and the Fantasy, but all of it is dark, fantasy-based and an entertaining ride from start to finish.

Are your characters ever based on people you know?

Not intentionally, but there are some personality similarities between my characters and people I know in real life.

What else have you written?

I’ve published two short stories from my Dark Desert Tales Collection, “Fresh Meat” and “A Home for Rose.” Both will be included in a somewhat altered state and along with one novella, one novelette and a surprise story in my upcoming book, The Dark Desert Tales Collection, to be published next year.

What do you think some of the greatest misconceptions about indie authors are?

That their books are poorly edited and unprofessional. The vast majority of Indie Authors spend a great deal of time on their craft, they value their readers and want to provide the best product they possibly can. Like many others, going Indie was not a hasty decision. I researched both avenues, listened to more experienced authors both Publishing House published and Indie and finally decided to go Indie with my own brand name, Lucky Nut Press. I wanted the freedom to make choices that were right for me and my stories without having to yield to the latest market trends and big house bottom lines.

How often do your characters surprise you by doing or saying something totally unexpected?

All the time, every day and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Some writers edit excessively as they write; others wait until a novel is finished to do the bulk of the editing. How about you?

The first book, I edited each chapter as I went. I stopped doing that. I see it as two completely different mindsets. I keep early mornings for writing and late mornings or afternoons for editing.

After working for a very long time on a novel, many authors get to a point where they lose their objectivity and feel unable to judge their own work. Has this ever happened to you? If so, what have you done about it?

Yes, after five years on My Father’s Magic I was done so I chose some objective people and had them read it. After two editors and a team of beta readers, the book was ready to publish.

What are some of the crazy things people have said to you upon learning you are an author? How have you responded?

“Oh, I’ve got a great story idea for you!” or they’ve sent me their stories without asking, expecting me to read them and give a glowing opinion. But, I didn’t choose writing, it chose me. So, IMO, we all have a need to write as a way to vent, but just because you do that doesn’t mean you’re a writer. A writer is someone who has to write, it’s as natural as breathing and we are happiest when writing. If you don’t have that drive, that desire and passion to write, look around you, your talent and passion are most likely doing something else.

Have you ever written characters that you truly despise?

Yes, the antagonist in My Father’s Magic. He had a lot of the same characteristics of someone from my past. Someone I came to despise. Needless to say, I was glad when my main character (protagonist) Esme kicked his ass.

Do you have any advice for first-time authors?

Read everything, inside your favorite genre and outside and then when the need to write becomes so intense that you have no choice, write and write and write. Reading feeds your inner writer, gives you ability to think outside the box and original ideas and concepts are what sells. If you want to write something that’s been hashed a thousand different ways like vampires, come up with a different take on vampires or at least a character that is close to home for you.

Can you tell us about your road to publication?

I’m 55 years old, I devoted my life to writing January 2005. That’s when I stopped fighting my inner writer. Long story, very personal, let’s just say a well-meaning family member convinced the 17-year-old me that giving into my need to write would drive me slowly insane. Over the past few years I’ve learned too things, that cutting off my need to write hurt me more mentally than writing ever could, and two, to embrace all of me, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the crazy. A whole life is a happy life. But back to being published, after a dozen or so query letters I decided writing was a much better use of my time and then when I decided to go Indie, a good friend helped me self-publish my first story, “Fresh Meat.” I’m a fast learner, so I was then able to epublish “A Home for Rose,” and My Father’s Magic.

What do you like best about the books you read? What do you like least?

I absolutely love a story that grabs me from the first paragraph. If a story doesn’t do that, most likely it won’t later and I’ll pass on it.

How much research was involved in writing your book? How did you go about it?

A lot. It took me five years to write My Father’s Magic and a lot of that was because I researched Goddess worship, Paganism, the European Germanic Migration and other topics along the way.

Is there a question I haven’t asked you that you would like to answer?

Where did the idea for My Father’s Magic come from?

After a few years of writing other stories, I got the feeling I had an emotional block inside me that needed to be addressed. Writing has always allowed me to explore my feelings. I’ve always wanted to tell my story, but when I started writing a memoir, the ADHD part of me said, “Boring!” So I decided, “Why not tell your story but in a fictional, fantasy way?”

So I drew a map of a fictional place on a whiteboard and the magical village of Albion was born. Then I started coming up with characters and even though the characters are not me or people I know, I used a lot of my own background, emotions and experiences to write this book.

Do you feel your latest book is your personal favorite or one of your previous novels?

Is it wrong to say your own novel is your absolute favorite read? In truth, I write stories that I myself enjoy. I believe that if I’m not enjoying the story, my readers won’t either, and so I write for me. It’s an absolute pleasure and bonus when others enjoy my stories as much as I do.

Having our work out there to be judged by strangers is often daunting for writers. Do you have any tips on handling a negative review?

The only negative reviews really involved my two Dark Desert Tales, basically that they were too short. So with that in mind, I decided to take them back to the drawing board and explore ways I can increase their story line. I wrote them both to meet assignment requirements for a class I was taking, that’s why they’re short. But with the freedom to expand and allow my characters to spread their wings, it will be fun to see what happens.

Do you miss spending time with your characters when you finish writing them?

Yes, always. My first book was about five friends and even though I couldn’t quite get the story to work I never forgot my five friends. A couple years back I put them into another story. It’s pretty much the same location, but a different plot and it will most likely be a trilogy.

Have you ever wished that you could bring a character to life? If so, which one and why?

I have this adorable little creature in My Father’s Magic that takes a bigger role in Revenge of the Dark Queen. He has six spider legs and two cat legs complete with paws. His fur is as soft as cashmere and changes color to reflect his mood. He has large Onxy eyes and he’s the last (as far as we know) of his species thanks to an flea-carrying plague that took place in the human world centuries before. I’d love for him to come to life.

If you were to advertise your book on a bumper sticker, what would it say?

I brake for katzenspinders!

A lot of authors are frustrated by readers who don’t understand how important reviews are? What would you say to a reader who doesn’t think his or her review matters?

Have you ever started out to write one book and ended up with something completely different?

LOL, yes, The Gathering, the novella that will come out in my Dark Desert Tales collection, started out being about a middle-aged couple moving into a haunted apartment complex in southern Arizona. It’s now about a young widow who returns to southern Arizona to spread her husband’s ashes as promised. Unfortunately almost at the same time, a construction project disturbs a buried pile of ancient bones and all hell is about to break loose.

What’s the coolest surprise you’ve ever had?

Okay, this may be a little morbid. But I had a near-fatal car accident in 1994. After five days in ICU and pretty much out of it, I woke up to see my two-sisters entering my hospital room. Mind you, I’m the youngest of four by eight years and as we are spread all over the country it had been years since I saw them. Having them there when I opened my eyes was the absolute best surprise!

If you could have one skill that you don’t currently have, what would it be?

I’d love to learn how to fly helicopters.

What was the most valuable class you ever took in school? Why?

My 5th Grade English class. I was in a bad place regarding school until 5th Grade, mainly because of severe dysfunctional issues at home. My parents divorced when I was in 5th Grade ending my severe abandonment issues and for the first time I could focus on school. I’ll never forget setting at my desk working in my Language Skills workbook and it seemed like everything opened up to me and I began my life-long love of words.

What’s your favorite film of all times? Favorite book?

I have three movies: The Long Kiss Goodnight, Something’s Gotta Give, and Love Actually

Favorite books: The Prophetess by Barbara Wood, Stephen King’s It and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Do you have any guilty pleasures?

Doesn’t everyone? 🙂 Okay, mint chocolate chip ice cream and key lime or lemon meringue pie

What simple pleasure makes you smile?

Spending time with my family, a child’s laughter and walking my dog.

 

CONNECT WITH INGRID

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