Bloody footsteps
‘As so many writers have discovered, 2020 was a challenging year to produce a novel,’ writes subscriber Judith Cranswick.
‘My first problem was coming up with a suitable setting. Each of my Fiona Mason Mysteries are set on a coach tour. With no possibility of foreign travel for my research in the near future, the next book would have to be set here in Britain. I’ve always been a lover of Jane Austen and had been to many places associated with her.
‘I’m not a planner. For me the joy of writing is seeing where the story takes me. I may have a rough itinerary mapped out but, discovering what happens where, is part of the adventure. Apart from the tour manager and her driver, even my characters are not predetermined. They take on their own personalities as I write which is why a detailed chapter-by-chapter plot would not work for me. Like Minette Walters, I don’t even decide on my murderer until the last few chapters.
‘Things went well at first. With more time to write, my daily word count rose until I was well into the first draft although there were considerable sections where I would need to rewrite when I’d had the opportunity to revisit all the locations. However, by late spring it was clear that the chances of any of them being open to the public were getting more remote. My biggest problem was that I had never visited Chawton House, the home of Jane’s bother Edward. However, the manager proved to be very approachable and sent me photos which helped me to complete the first draft.
‘In late summer, both travel and centre opening restrictions were eased and I was able to take a day trip to Chawton to visit both centres plus have lunch in the village pub. This then became the lunch stop on my fictional itinerary.
‘In all sorts of ways, Blood Follows Jane Austen has been the most difficult book to write but I can honestly say that in the sixteen years since my first book was published, I have never had such support from so many people who have helped me to bring this book to print. If nothing else, one thing this year has taught us all is the value of friends and the generosity of strangers.’
Website: www.judithcranswick.co.uk