![]() ![]() My favorites have backdrops of spooky, Gothic elements that make you wonder if a supernatural hand is at work, but then are resolved with a satisfying rational explanation. It’s the ultimate puzzle because not only are you looking for who did it but also how. I’ve always been drawn to locked-room mysteries, the type of mystery in which a crime looks truly impossible. I knew, then, that I could write this book. When I wrote a short story featuring Tempest Raj, she sprung to life so vividly that she demanded I do more with her. ![]() ![]() But I didn’t yet have the perfect main character who fit the idea. I clearly saw the wondrous architectural creations such a family could build into houses, from sliding bookcases leading to secret libraries to fireplaces built with bricks that hide secrets. The seed of an idea came to me years ago: What happens when a carpenter and a stage magician fall in love? They form a Secret Staircase Construction business to bring magic to people through their homes. This is my twelfth novel, and one that took me a long time to figure out how to write. Family, friendship, and good food, all wrapped up in a Gothic-tinged locked-room mystery that pays homage to deliciously devious classic mysteries like those of Agatha Christie and John Dickson Carr-that’s what I set out to create with Under Lock & Skeleton Key. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |