One of the reasons that reading is such an amazing adventure is that it's full of discoveries, ones that make you wonder how you ever existed without the author and books to which you suddenly have been introduced. Anne Cleeland came into my reading world in the summer of 2013, and her unique Acton and Doyle series completely captured my heart and imagination. To see just how much I love these books, go to the Reviews section of the blog.
Not only is Anne Cleeland a brilliant author, but she is a gracious, lovely person who is generous with her time and interaction. So, it is with the greatest pleasure and enthusiasm that I present an interview with Anne Cleeland, and what is a great thrill for those of us already enamored of the Acton and Doyle series, a preview of book #4 entitled Murder in Containment. Yes, fans who hang on every word of this series, there is an excerpt of the next book after the interview! But, don't skip the interview because Anne reveals great insight into the world of Chief Inspector Michael Acton and Detective Sergeant Kathleen Doyle, and she gifts us with fascinating information on her writing and how she came to this series. Oh, and if you comment on something in the interview content, you might get picked to receive a copy of one of Anne's Acton and Doyle boooks.
Anne Cleeland Interview:
1.
Anne, before you wrote the Acton and Doyle
mystery series, you authored two historical fictions, Tainted Angel and
Daughter of the God-King, which are wonderful reads as well. What was the impetus for switching to the
mystery genre?
This is a chicken-and-egg question, Kathy! I love the Regency era (early 1800’s) and I’m
a big Jane Austen fan. (Note: alert
readers will see references to Pride and
Prejudice in the Acton and Doyle series.)
So
I decided to write a Regency story, but I was struggling to come up with a
decent plot. For inspiration, I went to
listen to Stephanie Laurens, who’s written a million Regencies. She explained to the audience that she didn’t
write a plot as much as she pictured a scene in her head—and for me, it was one
of those Aha! moments. I’d been thinking
about a scene in my head, so I went home and banged it out—the Grantham Street
stakeout scene in Murder in Thrall. Suddenly there they were—these two people, having
this incredibly awkward conversation, and both wearing a mask, because they
couldn’t let the other see who they really were. After that, I wrote the first three books in
the Acton and Doyle series almost without stopping, and only then did I write
the historical books.
It
just goes to show—go with your instinct.
If you are writing a story, it shouldn’t be a struggle. It’s OK to listen to advice, but find your
own formula.
2.
I think all of the fans of the Acton
and Doyle series are fascinated with Acton’s “special condition.” So, please can you enlighten us as to how you
came up with this particular condition for Michael Acton?
As you can probably tell, I’m a big Sherlock Holmes fan, and I thought
about what it would be like if Holmes fell in love—it wouldn’t be a normal
romance, would it? So that was the germ
for the idea. It’s tricky, though,
because I have to be careful to avoid making him creepy—there were some editors
and agents who thought it was a non-starter.
As
Doyle would put it, he’s madly in love, with the emphasis on mad. A reader wanted to know when we’re going to get
some backstory, and it’s coming, I promise!
3.
Doyle’s Irish lingo and personality both keep
her in trouble and endear her to readers, but I’m wondering how you came about
deciding on the lead female as Irish.
The story has a Cinderella element, which may not be politically correct,
but makes it more appealing, I think.
(And they are mutually good for each other; after all, she’s rescuing
him more than he’s rescuing her.)
So
Doyle needed to be working-class, and being Irish meant it was even more of a
mismatch—not to mention Irish women have a long history of being “fey.” Part of her charm, I think, is because she’s such
a fish out of water, working at Scotland Yard and married to a famous
aristocrat.
4.
Without giving anything away, with Acton and
Doyle enjoying a very close and active relationship, do you think that Michael
would be able to share Kathleen with a child?
That’s the big question, and it adds an element of uncertainty. On the one hand, he’s a little dark and
ruthless—especially when it comes to his relationship with Doyle. On the other
hand, he’s not going to do anything to make her unhappy (well, nothing that she
finds out about, anyway.) So we shall
see.
5.
How much do you have to work on getting the
wonderfully witty and engaging dialogue between Acton and Doyle?
This is one of those things that writers are afraid to say because it
makes them sound a little coo-coo: It’s
as though you are listening to a conversation, rather than making it up. I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer, and when the
two of them start talking to each other, I’m typing as fast as I can just to
keep up—the first draft doesn’t get revised very much.
Their
conversations are a lot of fun because he’s cool and Holmes-like, while she’s a
wisecracker. Somehow, it works.
6.
Your secondary characters, DS Thomas Williams
and DS Isabel Munoz, add so much to the enjoyment of the
books. Can you expound upon their place
and importance in the series?
I think I’m an old-school writer—I like to have a
clear protagonist whose point of view we share, and secondary characters whose
role is to interact with the protagonist.
Munoz is the classic mean girl (we’ve all met one) and
Doyle is equal parts annoyed and envious. For her part, Munoz is conflicted,
because she doesn’t want to like Doyle, but we can see that she does.
Williams
is the classic true-blue friend, but he’s conflicted because he’s in love with
Doyle, even though he knows he shouldn’t be.
Each
of these characters interacts with Doyle in a way that makes her more relatable
to the reader, I think.
7.
England as the setting? As Acton
is a Lord, I understand that England is the perfect setting, but did you have
other reasons for England? (England
happens to be my favorite setting for a story.)
England is my favorite setting, too!
And I’ve always loved British detective stories—and Masterpiece Mystery,
too. Acton gets away with murder (literally)
because he’s a member of the aristocracy.
And it also means that there’s an evil dowager, and a manor house, and fastidious
servants—it just wouldn’t be the same story, if it were set anywhere else.
8.
There are readers that I know, including
myself, who are so in love with this series, I think we’d like some reassurance
of its continuing. Are there a certain
number of books planned in the series or a dedicated goal of where the series
wants to take Acton and Doyle?
The next book is called Murder in
Containment, which refers to murders that are committed to contain a
scandal, or to cover-up wrongdoing. I’m
not certain about the release date yet, but I’ll keep you posted, never fear!
Book #5 is Murder
in All Honor, and that’s what I’m working on right now. Lots of surprises, coming up! I’ll be happy
to keep writing them as long as anyone wants to read them, there’s no
particular goal—as you know, it’s just one long, winding story. (And alert readers will always see the seeds
for the next story in the previous book.)
9.
With all the book festivals and gatherings
that are now in operation, how do you choose which ones to attend? Are there certain ones that are a must for
you?
Mystery
conferences are fan-oriented, and if your readers enjoy mysteries, it’s a lot
of fun to attend one. Bouchercon is the
big, national conference in October (held in Raleigh, this year) and I also like
to attend the Malice conference in Washington DC every May. There are regional conferences, too—I attend
one on the west coast called (appropriately) Left Coast Crime. Conferences are
a great opportunity to meet your favorite authors and fellow readers; I’ve made
lots of new friends.
10. Marketing is so important to the success of
books, what do you or your publisher consider the most important ways of
getting the word out?
You are looking at it! Websites
and blogs are so influential, today—there was never an easier way to get the
word out to so many people! It used to
be that New York reviewers would try to dictate what was popular, but now all
the power is with the readers, which is how it should be.
Nowadays,
the publishers expect the author to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes
to marketing, so I’ve taken to facebook and twitter, too. (@annecleeland) And I’m happy to come speak at book groups
and libraries—please contact me at www.annecleeland.com.
But
nothing beats guest-posting on a popular blog like this one. Thanks, Kathy!
11. What would you like your readers to
know about you that isn’t in your bio information? Any special interests or talents (besides
your magnificent writing)?
I
love, love, love college football. My best friend from college goes with me to
all the UCLA games, and no one else is invited because we don’t like to be
distracted. It’s a lot of fun!
12.
It’s always amazing to me that
authors actually find time to read other authors, with your writing, book
touring, and other book events, but it appears that authors do make time for
other reading. What are you currently
reading or have recently read?
I
don’t read as much as I used to, but I am reading Dreaming Spies by Laurie R. King (speaking of Sherlock Holmes!) Her
Mary Russell series is terrific.
13. And, just because readers are usually curious
how their favorite authors manage the writing process, are you more of an
organized plotter/outliner or a seat-of-the-pants writer? Do you have certain times of the day you
feel more productive in your writing?
Also, as readers often have favorite reading places, do you have a
favorite writing place?
As
I mentioned, I’m a seat-of-the-pants writer, which is no easy feat when you are
writing a mystery. For example, in Murder in Containment, I had to go back
and add in a character, because I realized at the end that he was one of the
villains, but I’d hardly mentioned him in the story. (See if you can figure out
who ;)
And
I can write anytime, anywhere—middle seat on the airplane? No problem! I love it so much that it’s hard to stay away.
I do think I’m a little sharper in the
morning, but overall it doesn’t seem to matter; I write when I’m watching TV in
the evenings, too.
Anne's Bio:
Anne Cleeland is a lifelong Southern California resident, and currently makes her home in Newport Beach. An attorney by trade, she's been reading mystery stories since her Nancy Drew days, and especially loves Agatha Christie and the other Golden Age British mystery writers. Her Acton & Doyle mystery series features two Scotland Yard detectives, and if you are a fan of Masterpiece Mystery, you may enjoy this series.
Anne also writes a historical series set in 1814 because she
loves historicals, too. Being a romantic at heart, all her stories have a
strong romantic element.
She has four grown children, three wonderful grandchildren,
and one nutty dog.
Chapter 3
Later
that day, Doyle stood beside Acton and the coroner as they somberly
contemplated the dead SOCO photographer, lying in her bleak stainless steel
drawer in the morgue. Law enforcement necessarily involved personal risk;
still, it was never easy to lose one of their own, and one would think a Scene
of the Crime Officer—and a photographer, to boot—would not be in any particular
danger. Upon hearing the news, Doyle had
sacrificed her lunch hour to visit the decedent—not much of a sacrifice,
really, since she’d no appetite to speak of in the first place. And despite the fact he was hip deep in
high-profile cases, Acton had offered to accompany her, and so here they were,
taking a long, dispassionate look at the remains of the blonde woman in her
thirties who’d evidently met a bad end.
The lividity marks showed she’d died prone on her back, and the bruise
patterns indicated one or more blows to the forehead. After a small silence, Doyle asked Acton, “Do
we have a preliminary report?”
“Found
dead in her flat; reported by a neighbor who noticed the smell. Possible
domestic violence; the neighbor remembers hearing an altercation with a man.”
The
coroner indicated with a finger, “Cause of death was blunt force trauma;
fractures to the frontal bone and supraorbital process. Weapon was cylindrical;
estimate 3 inches in diameter.”
Doyle
nodded. Dr. Hsu, the coroner, tended to be very matter-of-fact about the most
grisly of subjects, no doubt a result of his profession mixed with his Chinese
heritage—Doyle had the vague idea that the man’s religious beliefs included the
recycling of departed spirits. I suppose
that would put a different light on death, thought Doyle, if you believed that
the persons lying before you would come back to life under a different
identity, good as new.
“She
faced her killer, then. Defensive wounds?” asked Acton. If there had been a
face-to-face battle, the chances were good that the woman would have helpful
DNA on her hands or arms.
“None
apparent,” was the coroner’s regretful answer. “And although we took swabs from
under her nails, preliminaries indicate that she was wearing latex gloves, even
though there were none at the scene. Some spot bruising on her forearms—nothing
of significance.”
“Perhaps
because she warded off the blows?” Doyle
demonstrated by raising her arms and crossing them. “Otherwise, she just let
someone come up and conk her in the face, which seems unlikely.”
“Only
spot bruising on her arms,” Acton reminded her. “Therefore, not from blows.”
Doyle
frowned as she considered this paradox—paradox being a vocabulary word—but
Acton was apparently following his own train of thought.
“Was she reclining when struck?”
“Upright,”
the coroner replied. “Then fell back.”
“Sexual
activity?”
“Nothing
evident.”
“Was
she bound?”
“No—no
bruising at the wrists.”
“Tox?”
“Prelim
shows no drugs or alcohol.”
Acton
was silent for a moment, and Doyle took the opportunity to ask, “Who’s been
assigned to the case? And have we any likely suspects?”
Acton
replied, “DI Chiu is the Crime Scene Manager. No obvious suspects; no
indication there was a steady boyfriend.”
Doyle made a wry
mouth. “Not a surprise, my friend. She carried a crackin’ torch for you, you
know.”
He did not
disclaim, but remained thoughtful. “That doesn’t mean she didn’t have a
boyfriend—or someone.”
But Doyle shook
her head doubtfully. “With her, I’m not so sure—she was the reclusive type; I
imagine she rarely went anywhere. She
probably did those role-playing video games, and kept a cat.”
The
coroner lifted the corpse’s hand. “The cat had started in on her fingers.” It was an unfortunate truism that when cats
were hungry, they were not sentimental creatures.
“No
sign that the motive was robbery,” Acton noted.
“But it may be helpful to delve into that aspect, and take another
careful look `round.”
Doyle
wasn’t sure she followed him. “And why is that?”
Acton
crossed his arms, his hooded gaze on the woman’s remains. “She was struck
facing her attacker, yet there are no signs that she attempted to ward off the
blow. What does that tell you?”
The
penny dropped, and Doyle looked up at him. “She couldn’t see him.”
He
nodded. “So it was either dark, or she was blindfolded. But she was upright, not bound, and we’ve
ruled out sex play, so it must have been dark. He may have been lying in wait.”
Doyle
knit her brown, considering this. “But there were reports of a verbal
altercation.”
“Indeed.”
“Then—then
I suppose we’re speakin’ of two different people?”
“Perhaps,”
said Acton, who was not a leaper-to-conclusions.
At
Acton’s signal, the coroner moved in to zip the bag and re-shelve the corpse,
and Doyle took the opportunity to observe in a low voice, “I don’t know,
Michael; it doesn’t seem in keepin’—that she had a fight with someone outside
her flat, and then got coshed by someone
else, waitin’ inside. Some
people—” she tried to put her instinct into words. “Some people are lookin’ to
get themselves murdered, and some people are not. She’s one of the nots.”
“Yet
here she is,” he gently pointed out.
Stubbornly,
she persisted. “I’m only spoutin’ your
theory, my friend; if the facts don’t fit the usual motivations, then attention
should be paid. The SOCO people are inclined to blather in their cups—perhaps
she said the wrong thing to the wrong person, and this is a containment
murder. It may be useful to take a peek
at her recent caseload.”
Acton
made no immediate response and she eyed him, aware that the dead woman was
willing to work off the grid for Acton, so to speak, and on at least one occasion
had manipulated evidence for him.
Hopefully, I am not yet again investigating a murder that my own husband
committed, she thought crossly, and briefly toyed with the idea of asking him
outright. Instead, she asked, “Was she doing anythin’ for you on the side,
Michael?”
He
was amused, and glanced at her. “Is that a euphemism?”
“No,
it is not.” She was not in a joking
mood, a rarity for her.
“No,
on both counts.” He paused. “I
discouraged any attempts to communicate outside of work, and she was someone
who didn’t want to be rebuked.”
No,
thought Doyle; she was the type who was content to entertain fantasies, rather
than act on them. “Can you put me on the case? I always felt a bit sorry for
her, and now I’m sorrier still.”
He
met her eye, and Doyle knew exactly what he was thinking. “I’ll be safe as
houses, Michael—and I’m dyin’ for a new assignment. I’ll just go ask a few questions, have a look
`round her flat, and see what there is to see.” Inspired, she added, “I need
somethin’ to take my mind off the mornin’ sickness. I’ll feel better if I’m doin’ good works.”
“Right,
then. But no heroics.”
“Not to worry; I am in no shape, my friend.”
“Not to worry; I am in no shape, my friend.”
Acton
had to leave after taking a call on some urgent matter, so Doyle rang up DI
Chiu with an eye to going out immediately to interview the neighbors—it was
important to move quickly, before any leads went cold.
But
when she picked up, DI Chiu was not necessarily pleased to hear that Doyle was
to join her team. “The PCs already did a preliminary, DS Doyle.”
“I
know, ma’am, but I knew the victim, and I’d like to lend a hand.” Doyle then
played her trump. “DCI Acton is the SIO, and he’s given the go-ahead.”
There
was a slight pause. “I will meet you there, then.”
Doyle
copied the address, rang off, and then immediately rang up Williams as she made
her way up the stairs from the morgue. “Hey.”
“Can’t
talk long; I’m heading into the interview room.”
“I’ll
make it quick; tell me about DI Chiu.”
“Smart.
Doesn’t suffer fools.”
Oh-oh,
thought Doyle. “Well, aside from that, why wouldn’t she like me?”
“Not
a clue, Kath; maybe she’s territorial, and doesn’t like the Acton connection.”
“There’s
not the smallest chance I’d be promoted over her, for heaven’s sake.”
“I’ve
got to go—I’ll ring you later.”
“It’s
not important, Thomas, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Thoughtfully, Doyle rang off and
headed outside, hoping the victim’s flat had been aired out—the scent of
decomposition always set her off, nowadays, and she didn’t want to give her
husband any excuse to take her off her only remaining case.