Cooking up a mystery
Sarah Todd Taylor’s books have all the right ingredients for adventure. Here, she shares her recipe for children’s stories as her latest Alice Eclair book is released... DAISY FOX
Family Time Correspondent
YOUNG spy Alice Eclair uses her ace cake baking skills to get into all sorts of events in Sarah’s latest book. This time she’s at the World Fair in Paris. An aeroplane engineer has gone missing but can Alice solve the mystery before the fair runs out of cake?
Are mystery stories your favourite? I love mystery stories. I’ve always been a big fan of puzzles and I love a story where you are always wondering what will happen next. It’s especially good fun if the author has written it so that you can solve it along with the detective. I love reading Agatha Christie stories and my favourite detective is Miss Marple.
How do you know what will happen?
I start by scribbling lots of ideas for characters and clues and red herrings in a notebook. Then I decide what I want my big mystery to be and I work out all the clues that will help Max or Alice solve it. I have a huge piece of paper where I write down each chapter, who is in it, what they are doing and what clue will go where. Sometimes I draw a map. When I’ve got everything planned, I can start to write.
How do you create your characters? Sometimes it’s from reading about real people (or in Max’s case, cats). Max was inspired by all the real theatre and museum cats of London, and his character was inspired by the way that some of my mum’s cats are both dignified and clumsy all at once. Alice is a little bit like me and a little bit the person I wish I was more like.
Why is Alice a baker?
I really wanted Alice to have a creative life. I almost made her an actress and then I thought about making her someone who works for a fashion house, but the great thing about her being a baker is that she is ‘backstage’ at so many events. She has a chance to spy on people who would never believe they have a spy in their midst.
Do you like baking?
Can I let you into a secret? I’m not a very good baker. I make a great chilli cheese muffin, but that’s about it. And I’m a terrible cake decorator, unlike my husband, who iced our wedding cake.
Will you make pancakes on pancake day?
Definitely! I love pancakes. My favourite topping is the traditional lemon and sugar.
■ Sarah’s book Alice Eclair, Spy Extraordinaire: A Spoonful of Spying (Nosy Crow, £7.99) is out now.