Great to catch up with Alice Castle today. Before turning to crime, Alice was a feature writer on national newspapers. She writes the Death in Dulwich cozy crime series for Darkstroke/Crooked Cat as Alice Castle and psychological thrillers for HQDigital under the name A.M. Castle.
Hi Alice, how lovely to see you in my virtual cocktail lounge. What can I get you at the bar?
A: Hi Anne, thanks so much for inviting me! And great to clink glasses with you again. I’d love a Mojito, please
So where did we first meet in real life?
A: We met via Twitter, when you cleverly realised we both write murder mystery series starring female amateur sleuths, based in Dulwich and south east London! Luckily yours are based in the 1990s and mine are contemporary, otherwise we’d probably have to bump each other off.
Very true! And our first meeting was, of course, in Dulwich. First impressions?
A: It’s such a pleasure to meet someone who’s so effortlessly good at networking. It’s not one of my skills but you have it in spades. Since then we’ve been to CWA events together as well as First Monday Crime. And met for mojitos of course!
Not sure about the networking but happy you think that! Any points in common?
A: We both have a background in journalism and I’d say there is a very strong sense of place in our books.
And cats – don’t forget the cats! You’ve moved away from Dulwich in your latest book, tell me about The Perfect Widow.
A: The Perfect Widow, published by HQDigital, is a bit of a departure for me as it’s a psychological thriller about a woman with a seemingly perfect lifestyle. However, when PC Becca Holt arrives to break the news that Louise’s husband has been killed in an accident, the widow doesn’t react in the way Becca would have expected. And there are only three plates set out for dinner, as if Louise already knew Patrick wouldn’t be home that night… I love my heroine, though she’s the scariest person I’ve ever written about.
What are you working on now?
I’m writing a more traditional murder mystery, for HQDigital again. It uses one of the classic whodunit devices, the locked room, which I’ve never tried before and I’m really enjoying playing with the constraints it imposes. Plus I have a fabulous cast of twisted, dysfunctional characters who are getting up to no good at all. I’m hoping my cozy crime readers will love it as a fresh take on a genre.
I’m sure they will! Thinking about all the book events we’ve missed during lockdown, what would be your dream panel (at any event) – subject, fellow panelists or a Q&A with someone you have met or would love to meet?
A: I get very nervous about public speaking, though I’ve done a fair bit of it now. I’ve also given workshops on crime writing, which I enjoyed more. I once interviewed P D James and Ruth Rendell for a newspaper article and, although they’d be quite a daunting combination, I’d love to appear on a panel with them – they really had all the answers and I could just soak up their expertise!
Definitely be interested in that one. What are you most looking forward to when lockdown is finally lifted?
A: I really miss going to art galleries, including Dulwich’s own Picture Gallery which stars in one of my whodunits and is the most perfect space to sit and think in. It’s also wonderfully cool on a hot day. In its grounds is an ancient mulberry tree which will be coming into fruit soon so it would be great to pop along and snaffle a few of those while no one’s looking!
I won’t tell! One thing lockdown has made you think about/want to do?
A: I think lockdown has made me think a lot more seriously about climate change and our use of fossil fuels. Outside my study window I’ve seen so many more species of birds, as well as squirrels and foxes, and it’s been lovely watching children learning to ride their bikes in our quiet street. I hate the thought of going heedlessly back to pollution and traffic jams.
Indeed. Thank you so much for joining me, Alice hopefully not to long before we can meet up properly.
Find out more about Alice Castle and her books here and follow her on Twitter @AliceMCastle. She lives in south east London with two children and two cats.