Hello again, Sorry it’s been so long since I updated this diary. My only excuse is that life has got in the way of all my good intentions.
I’ve just returned from a lovely week in Dartmouth where I presented one of my Murder Mysteries in the library there. A Fatal Fate was great fun and I’d like to thank all the wonderful actors who took part and really got into the spirit of things. It was great being back in Devon again and I’ve come back with a lot of ideas for future books.
The weather was great and I did my usual walk to Greenway. My visit to Agatha Christie’s home held a special significance this year because of all the celebrations I’ve been taking part in recently. At Greenway I found a lovely portrait of Agatha’s sister, Madge, the mistress of Abney Hall where I’ve been hosting my book clubs. Madge (pictured below) was a remarkable woman in her own right, having been a published author before her sister and having had plays performed in the West End of London. It was Madge who challenged her younger sister to write a detective story (The Mysterious Affair at Styles) and many of the country houses in Agatha’s books were based on Madge’s Abney Hall (pictured below), a house the author visited often from a young age (and the house that provided refuge after her eleven missing days in 1926).
Since I last wrote this diary my latest Wesley Peterson mystery, THE CHAPEL OF BONES has been published. It’s a book I’m particularly pleased with and it’s attracted some brilliant reviews. The initial inspiration came from a visit to York where I saw a medieval bestiary (a richly illustrated book created by monks to teach about the wonders of creation). After seeing those strange creatures, real and imaginary, in the bestiary, I began researching the use of gargoyles and grotesques on medieval buildings and my research led me in all sorts of fascinating directions, from holy wells to the exile of Henry Tudor in Brittany and the story of St Julian, the patron saint of murderers.
The result was a twisty modern day mystery beginning with the discovery of the mummified body hidden behind the wall of a house undergoing renovation. The body is that of an academic who was studying Devon’s medieval history and who disappeared around the time the house was owned by a commune who believed it was built on an ancient sacred site. The investigation takes Wesley to a run down zoo with a sinister past and the theme of strange beasts runs through the story, especially when archaeologist, Neil Watson uncovers the remains of a chapel decorated with grotesque carvings of mythical creatures. I do hope all my readers enjoy reading THE CHAPEL OF BONES as much as I loved writing it.
Now Autumn has arrived, I’m looking forward to finishing Wesley’s next case (I won’t say anything about it yet) and I’m also looking forward to Joe Plantagenet’s latest investigation KILLING IN THE SHADOWS coming out in paperback on 12th November – not long now.