Q&A: Claire M. Andrews, Author of ‘A Beautiful and Terrible Murder’
We chat with author Claire M. Andrews about A Beautiful and Terrible Murder, which is a historical murder mystery follows the cunning Irene Adler as she teams up with the mysterious Sherlock Holmes to discover who is murdering Oxford’s elite students in the All Souls class.
Hi, Claire! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Hi hi hi! In simplest terms, I can be described as a compulsive traveler with a penchant for adventuring with friends. I’m not one for relaxing and the longest I ever sit still is to put pen to paper and craft the stories that live on repeat in my head. I love cooking, skiing, swimming and annoying my cats.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Pretty young. There’s probably hundreds of partially filled journals with my stories scattered between Alaska and Scotland, from elementary age to my undergraduate days.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Mama, Do You Love Me? By Barbara Joosse
- The one that made you want to become an author: The Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: The Ironside Academy series by Jane Washington
Your latest novel, A Beautiful and Terrible Murder, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Witty, twisty, diabolical, haunting and murderous.
What can readers expect?
They can expect to get to know the world and characters of Sherlock Holmes like they never have before. This book and its sequel are all about how these famous literary characters came to be who they are in the canon. This isn’t the all-knowing Sherlock Holmes of BBC’s Sherlock series. This is the Sherlock who was remarkable in some subjects, but honestly couldn’t give a damn about all the rest, like in the books. This story also gives Irene Adler the backstory she was never afforded before. You can see how her mind, just as brialliant as Sherlock’s, works and how she was able to outwit him from the get-go.
Where did the inspiration for A Beautiful and Terrible Murder come from?
An airport food court. No lie.
When ideas hit me, they truly slap me in the face. It was like 2 A.M. and I was sitting in the Boston Logan Airport waiting for security for Alaska Airlines to open up so I could go home to visit my family. I’d always wanted to write something about Irene Adler, but the right idea, the right story, had never come to me. I also didn’t know if I would be writing more Daughter of Sparta books yet, so I was exploring other ideas. I’d always loved the setting of Oxford in books. It just looks and feels spooky. The perfect place to solve a couple murders. The idea hit me, in a moment of sleep-deprived delirium, as I debated curling around one of thos horribly uncomfortable chairs for a “quick nap” and I got to writing. As with all my other book ideas, the idea took ahold of me, and I couldn’t rest until I’d written the whole book’s outline down, by hand. I typed it up during one of the layovers and sent it to Amy (my agent) and she loved it just as much as I did.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Irene interacting with literally any of the Sherlock Holmes canon characters. Her scenes with both Holmes and Moriarty have so much tension. Holmes and Irene embody will-they-won’t-they, a constant dance around each other, always pulling close and then flinging themselves apart. They are both such brilliant, bright souls that to get close makes you fear getting burned. Moriarty, on the opposite end of that, is diabolical and devious, the wolf who will snap your ankles to herd you to your death. Irene knows exactly what he’s doing, at all times, but initially feels powerless to stop it. It was a revelation to write her outwitting both him and Holmes, time after time.
Can you tell us a bit about your research process?
Reading. So much reading. I read the entire Sherlock Holmes canon, and then did some deep dives into mid-to-late 19th century Victorian era. I hade some changes to these characters that will surprise avid readers. There were so many piles of books stacked around my house that I had to refer to while drafting ABATM.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?
Writing mysteries is not for the week. It was something completely new to me. I wanted to create a compelling mystery that, when you reached the end, felt like the unspooling of a tangled ball of yarn. Instead, I kept writing myself into knots, and would have to un-write things to detangle myself. Even with a completed outline, I kept finding myself in boxes with no way out, and had to backtrack many times to forge a new path to the finish line.
What’s next for you?
I have a few things up my sleeve, but the one I’m most excisted about is ABATM’s sequel! Those that survive ABATM are changed, some in more terrible ways than others. They have to solve a completely new mystery, outrun a new killer, and impress Queen Victoria every step of the way. It’s deadlier and more dangerous, but just as twisty as the first!
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?
I finished Moth Dark by Kika Hatzopoulou earlier this summer and I can’t stop thinking about it. It was incredible. I also finished Jane Washington’s Ironside Academy series and had to lay on the floor for a bit, wishing, hoping, praying to all the gods that she will take pity on me and write more about Isobel Carter. I miss her so much already.
I’m so, so, so looking forward to Something Wicked by Fallon Ballard, The Wicked Lies of Habren Faire by Anna Fiteni, and Deathbringer by Sonia Tagliareni.
