Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Christine Anne Asbrey and I have written a series of historical mysteries set around a female Pinkerton and the charismatic clever criminal she was sent to bring in. I am an ex-police officer and live in England, although I’m actually Scottish. I’m married to a musician, and have two cats. I’m in the process of moving to York to be nearer both sides of the family. I’ve three published books in The Innocents Mysteries Series, and have written one more which is still being edited, and started a fifth. I plan to do six to give closure to the stories all the main characters in the books.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
I became interested in the earliest women in law enforcement and I was surprised to find out that the first professional detectives were employed by the Pinkerton Detective Agency in 1856. I’d never heard of the work these remarkable women did. They protected Abraham Lincoln, caught killers, prevented murders, captured robbers, and were expert at working undercover.
That inspired my character, Abigail MacKay, and after years of research, the groundwork was laid for The Innocents Mysteries Series. I was always interested in forensics, as well as the Victorian period, so looking into the work the female Pinkertons did was a joy.
In some ways it was frustrating because so many of the records were destroyed in the Chicago fire, but enough stories still survive from the time to give a fascinating insight into the work they did and the types of personalities they had,
In some ways the gaps in the records are actually a blessing, as they became a blank canvas on which to project my tales. I filled them with the kinds of women I knew, and who had done exactly that type of work. I created in the training from research, my own experience, and from the research into the women who later did the same kind of work for British Intelligence. I wanted to make the characters realistic.
I tried to recreate a real woman, based on the type of people attracted to that kind of work, and to show that strength and femininity can go hand-in-hand. I made her unapologetically clever, in a time when that wasn’t appreciated in women, and I stuck her in the middle of some complex mysteries and dangerous situations.
It’s often said that it takes the same mindset to catch a thief as it does to commit a successful crime, so I gave her a criminal opponent who was the other side of her coin. He’s just as smart as she is. Where she’s scrupulously honest, he’s cunning and disreputable; where she uses science and new inventions to investigate, he uses them break the law; and where she can be impulsive and reckless, he is cautious and plans meticulously. What they have in common is their shared values when it comes to human life, their tragic pasts which shaped their paths, and their growing attraction.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I’m a night owl, for sure. I also don’t use a desk at all. I use a laptop on a couch and write when the spirit takes me. There’s nothing rigid about the way I structure my work. I don’t sit down at a certain time of day and do so many words in a set time period.
I do plot my books, but if the story takes over and goes in another direction, I’ll let it. It generally makes for a better story in the end.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Almost all of the classic mystery writers through to the present day ones; Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham, Edgar Allan Poe, Ngaio Marsh, Arthur Conan Doyle, Wilkie Collins, Ruth Rendell, P.D James, Patricia Highsmith, Kathy Reichs, Val McDermid. They all bring in different aspects to the mystery genre. Some laid the groundwork, while others brought in more grounded reality, until the modern day when the tales became more gritty and realistic. I like books which show the methodologies used by the detectives, as well as making the rounded people.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on part five of The Innocents Mysteries. Part four has a huge cliffhanger, so I want them all finished so they can either be released together or close apart.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I wish I knew! I advertise a lot on both Twitter and Facebook. I’m still trying to find the best way to stand out in a crowded market
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Get lots of different people to read your work when you are editing. Human beings miss things. The more times it’s checked the better.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Try it. Don’t be afraid of failing. Be afraid of not trying.
What are you reading now?
I’ve just finished Kids Who Kill; Eric Smith by Kathryn McMaster. I just bought The 19th Century Underworld; Crime, Controversy, & Corruption by Stephen Carver. Those are both non-fiction.
After that I’m reading Honour the Dead by John Anthony Miller. It’s a mystery set in 1921. You might see a theme in my reading habits.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I plan on finishing up The Innocents Mysteries Series, and then I plan to write the murder mystery set in 19th century Edinburgh.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Do the complete works count? Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ruth Rendell, and Ngaio Marsh.
Author Websites and Profiles
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