Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
After thirty-five years as a teacher-librarian, I decided that it was time to throw off my pink twinset, tartan skirt, string of pearls, sensible shoes and 400 denier tights to find out what life was like on the other side of the bookshelves. I was going to write historical crime fiction! I traded in my “Ssshhh” for a laptop, and joined Writers Victoria to learn the craft of writing. Eight years down the track, I have a contract with Level Best Books in the USA and have seen the first of my ‘Reggie da Costa Mysteries’ published. It’s ‘The Death Mask Murders,’ with ‘A Dose of Death’ to be released in May 2022. I’m working on my fourth novel right now!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
‘The Death Mask Murders’ is inspired by my work as a volunteer guide at the Old Melbourne Gaol. I have always been fascinated by history, architecture and, I have to admit, crime and punishment, having been a teacher for 40 years (haha). Passing through into the 1852 cell block is like an excursion into the past, with its forbidding bluestone walls, grey slate floor and, of course, the scaffold where fifty-one men and women were executed over the course of seventy years, including the infamous bushranger, Ned Kelly. It is atmospheric, to say the least.
In the cells are death masks, crafted in plaster, capturing the accurate physical appearance of the departed, frozen in time. As a guide, I learned that death masks were made to prove that criminality could be predicted, using the pseudo-science of phrenology, widely popularised in the nineteenth century. This theory claimed that a person’s character was determined by the shape, or contours, of the skull. This led me to explore another theme: can a person be born evil?
The seed of an idea for my first novel was sown. What if the psychopath in ‘The Death Mask Murders’ had developed a fixation with death masks and created them as ‘trophies’ of his victims?
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I love to think about plot lines and characters when I walk. I solve problems, recognise the viability of whether a character would act in a particular way, think up red herrings and come up with good ideas as I let my mind relax. It’s easier than staring at a screen or having your fingers hover above a keyboard, waiting for inspiration. As I walk, I send myself messages so that I don’t forget these thoughts, and then I transfer them to a notebook to be considered later.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I’ve been a reader all my life. ‘Wuthering Heights’ introduced me to gothic elements. ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles,’ (or ‘The Hound of the Basketballs,’ as my husband calls it), sparked my interest in all things Sherlock Holmes. Agatha Christie engaged me in my later teenage years, despite that rotten library patron who tore out the last few pages of ‘And then there were none.’ These days I love Val McDermid and Adrian McKinty.
What are you working on now?
I’m working on ‘Death by Deception.’ In the 1920s, there were so many confidence tricksters: ‘snake oil’ salesmen selling patent medicine remedies for all ills; blackmailers who seduced gullible men and women then threatened to expose them unless they paid money; swindlers who took cash for non-existent money-making ventures; fortune tellers; card sharks; pickpockets. Nothing has changed! I’m integrating some of these into my next novel, with the death of a confidence man at the centre. But who dun it???
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I like giving author talks. It’s a two-way street with questions coming from the audience about writing and inspiration. ‘The Death Mask Murders’ has an authentic historical setting, as you’d expect from a former teacher-librarian. I enjoy talking about its historical context and the research that I did to create it. It’s probably the teacher in me. Whether it’s the best method for promotion, I can’t say, but it’s certainly the most enjoyable.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Here’s what I have learned:
Read in the genre you’re writing. Learn from reading other authors’ work. I would advise aspiring writers to join a writers’ group, which offers workshops and support services. You need objective appraisals of your manuscript, not the advice of friends and family. Be prepared to write numerous drafts before you submit. Leave your final draft for a few weeks then come back and read it with fresh eyes. Once you’ve sent it to a publisher and it’s rejected, that’s it, folks! If a publisher asks for three chapters, a 200 word biography, a 500 word synopsis, that’s what you send. Keep versions of cover letters, synopses, etc. and adapt them to suit submission requirements. Think outside the publishers you know. I started with Australian ones, then branched out into the United Kingdom, then to the USA. My main recommendation is to persevere.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
When it comes to reviews, remember that the reviewer is writing for the intended reader, not the writer. You have to develop a thick skin and, if you can’t cope with criticism, don’t read them.
What are you reading now?
‘The Darkness Knows’ by Arnaldur Indridason. I have a thing about Icelandic and Scandinavian writers.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m thinking about whether Reggie da Costa, senior crime reporter for ‘The Argus’ lives on to Book Number 5, or whether I should retire his immaculately cut suits and flamboyant cars and move on. But I’m going to need a bigger wardrobe and an even larger garage if he stays.
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?
I’d take ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Persuasion’ by Jane Austen, the ‘Sean Duffy’ series by Adrian McKinty to make me laugh, and the ‘Tony Hill’ series by Val McDermid for that psychological edge. I know, I know, it’s more that 3-4 books but they can drop them into me by drone these days.
Author Websites and Profiles
Laraine Stephens Website
Laraine Stephens Amazon Profile
Laraine Stephens’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
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