Allison Brook

A former Spanish teacher, Allison Brook (AKA Marilyn Levinson) writes mysteries, romantic suspense, and novels for young readers. She loves traveling, reading, knitting, doing Sudoku, and visiting with her grandchildren on FaceTime.

Her new novel, Death on Dickens Island, is the series debut of the Books on the Beach Mysteries.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

I'd say Death on Dickens Island is an apt title for this, the first book in my Books on the Beach series because it says it all. The peaceful community of Dickens Island has been shaken by a murder. A word regarding titles: I may suggest titles to my publisher, but they often select one of their own.

What's in a name?

I give my characters names that I think suit them. A name has to sound right to me. I often look up the meaning of a name to make sure that it's right for that character. Also, in this series I've used a few names that we associate with literature quite deliberately. I called the island Dickens Island as a tribute to Charles Dickens. And my sleuth Delia Dickens is actually named Cordelia, like King Lear's youngest daughter.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your novel?

Not very, I'd think. Death on Dickens Island is about Delia's relationships: with her son, her parents, her aunt and uncle, and with her first love now back in her life. I also have a ghost as a character, which wouldn't surprise my teenage reader self at all, having loved reading the Topper books, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and seeing Blithe Spirit.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

I don't find either difficult to write. I usually begin my novels with a dialogue because that pulls my reader immediately into the story. The endings always seem to fall into place naturally, often in the oddest of places.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

I've created many characters over the course of writing twenty-six books, and I'm not thinking about myself as I write about them. That said, I'm sure many personal aspects can be found in my characters like my love of animals and enjoying dining out.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

That's difficult for me to pinpoint, but I'm sure that movies I've seen, books I've read, personal experiences, what's going on in the world--all influence my writing to some degree. In the last two children's books I've written I was surprised to see how politics inspired a major theme in the series.

Visit Allison Brook's website.

--Marshal Zeringue