I'm delighted to welcome Harriet Steel and her highly-rated historical mystery novel, 'High Wire in Nuala' to Writers at the Gate.
Read on to find out more...
About the book...
High Wire in Nuala is the ninth book in The Inspector de Silva Mysteries, a series of vintage-style mysteries set in Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka) in the 1930s and spiced with colourful characters and a dash of humour.
In this
instalment, much to the delight of the locals, a colourful Russian circus rolls
into town, but the fun ends abruptly when, on the opening night, a tragic
accident takes place.
Inspector Shanti
de Silva and his wife, Jane are among the crowd to witness the accident. Or was
it an accident? De Silva senses murder, and soon, he’s juggling with the
evidence.
Will the trail
lead to the circus’s dashing stunt rider and master of the horse, Alexei Goncharov,
or to Alexei’s brother Boris, its boisterous ringmaster? Throw a string of
jewel thefts and some deadly snakes into the mix and the list of suspects
grows.
De Silva will need to keep his wits about him to unravel yet another absorbing puzzle in this charming and addictive mystery series.
- Publisher : Independently published (18 Oct. 2020)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 196 pages
- ISBN-13 : 979-8698191933
- Dimensions : 12.7 x 1.24 x 20.32 cm
About the author...
Educated in the New Forest and London and subsequently
graduating from Cambridge with a BA in Law. I practised for many years as a
solicitor before becoming a writer. I published several historical novels and a
collection of short stories before turning to crime with The Inspector de
Silva Mysteries. I live in Surrey with my husband and when I’m not writing,
I like to visit art galleries and read about history, activities that inspire my
writing. I’m also a keen traveller (although of course, that has to be of the
armchair variety at the moment) and an enthusiastic gardener.
Website: www.harrietsteel.com
Harriet on Twitter: @harrietsteel1
Brief interview...
What was the inspiration behind the
book?
I had been interested in the idea of
writing a mystery series for quite some time when a memorable visit to Sri
Lanka and the people I met there provided the inspiration that enabled me to
turn that idea into a reality. It’s a fascinating country, rich in wonderful
scenery and wildlife, and I was convinced it would make a splendidly
atmospheric setting for my stories. I decided to set the series in the 1930s, often
called the golden age of detective fiction, as I wanted to write
traditional-style mysteries that would entertain and intrigue my readers but
also leave them with a smile on their faces. The dark side of the mystery genre
is not for me.
Can you describe your route to publication from concept to completed novel?
I wrote the opening book in the
series, Trouble in Nuala, in 2016 shortly after I returned from Sri
Lanka and published it the same year. I was enjoying myself so much that the
book almost seemed to write itself! Since then, I’ve found that once I have an
initial idea, the best way forward is to write a fairly detailed outline of the
plot. I don’t always stick to it faithfully, but it gives me something to work
with and helps to avoid the problem of feeling badly stuck that I think most
writers suffer from at times.
When I started out as a writer, I did
a short course in creative writing with the OCA and was lucky enough to have a
marvellous tutor. She always stressed that one of the two most important things
about writing was “show not tell”. The other thing was never to have a scene in
your novel unless it advances the plot or contributes to the creation of
character or atmosphere. I’ve tried to follow that advice ever since.
I publish independently and as of a
couple of years ago, exclusively on Amazon which I’ve found works best for me.
I’ve had the good fortune to find a marvellous cover designer who also does the
layouts for my paperback editions, and also a great editor and proofreader. Over
the years, I’ve learnt quite a lot about book production and marketing but
fortunately where audiobooks are concerned, the rights were bought by an
American company, so the work was done for me.
What ideas do you have for any future books?
Readers seem to be loving The
Inspector de Silva Mysteries and I still enjoy writing them, so I plan to
continue for the moment. The tenth book, Cold Case in Nuala, should be
out next month. As an added incentive to continue, the books have recently attracted
the attention of a TV production company. It’s early days and I can’t reveal
any more, but maybe one-day Inspector de Silva and his world will be brought to
life on the small screen.
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