Laura Jensen Walker

Bestselling, award-winning author Laura Jensen Walker is the Agatha and Lefty-nominated author of more than 20 books including Murder Most Sweet, Hope, Faith & a Corpse, and Death of a Flying Nightingale.

A rabid Anglophile since being stationed at an RAF base with the USAF in her twenties, Walker lives in Northern California with her Renaissance-man husband and two rescue terriers, where she drinks tea and dreams of England.

Her new novel is The Alphabet Sleuths.

My Q&A with the author:

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

I always have to have a title before I begin writing a book. The title tells me what the book’s about, and tells readers the same. When I decided to write a cozy mystery about senior sleuths set in a retirement community (well before The Thursday Murder Club released) I didn’t want to copy Richard Osman’s international bestseller, but I did want the title to have a similar feel. I also wanted to make readers curious: why are they called the Alphabet Sleuths? Who are these sleuths? Happily my publisher liked the title and did a fabulous job illustrating the story with the cover.

What's in a name?

Since my title is The Alphabet Sleuths, I had to illustrate the title with the names of the four main characters: I knew they needed to start with A, B, C, and D. I came up with Claire’s name first, the first Alphabet Girl the reader meets. Claire’s an elegant, classic name which fits the character perfectly. The next character named was Barbara, the beautiful, Botoxed beauty queen and former actress who loves her vintage Barbie doll. Easy-peasy. That left me with A and D. I wanted a diverse cast of characters and needed an Asian name. A friend mentioned her ninety-something father’s girlfriend, Atsuko (pronounced Ahtz-ko) which I loved. That took care of A.

Now I just had to come up with a D-name. I wanted something strong and solid to fit my no-nonsense retired cop, the youngest member of the group at sixty-two, but not something that was too common or contemporary which left out Dakota, Demi, Deven, and Diana. I didn’t want a Donna, Debbie, or Diane—popular names when I was a kid—so I finally settled on Daphne since I’ve never known a Daphne. (“Like in Scooby-Doo!” my niece said.) Sure.

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

Very surprised! I’ve adored mysteries starting with Trixie Belden in the fourth grade, and as a teen I devoured all kinds of mysteries: Agatha Christie, Mary Stewart, Phyllis Whitney, Victoria Holt, Mary Higgins Clark, and the like. But I never dreamed I’d ever write one because mysteries are all about plot and I’m not a good plotter—my brain doesn’t work that way. I’m what’s known as a “pantser” (seat-of-the-pants writer.) Always have been, always will be. For me, it’s always been about the characters. I follow wherever my characters lead, and these characters provided the plot.

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

I find endings harder to write because you have to tie up all the loose ends and leave the reader satisfied. Having said that, I usually have an idea of the ending before I begin—knowing it might change as the story unfolds. The beginning of the book sets the tone, and since I write chronologically, I have to know the beginning before I can write any further. In The Alphabet Sleuths, the opening line came easily: “Claire Reynolds hadn’t planned to kill a man that day, but stuff happens.” I love that sentence! Having said that, however, I’m working on a new novel now (not a mystery) and really struggling with the beginning. Maybe because it’s a triple timeline and I’m trying to decide which timeline to start with. Sigh.

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

Some of them. I’m like Claire in many ways: an avid reader, dog-lover, breast-cancer survivor who chose to go flat, and an Anglophile who drinks Yorkshire Gold tea and loves having a library in her house. I’m also a bit prissy and naïve at times. (Like Claire.) The other three Alphabet Sleuths are a world apart from me, however, especially Barbara, whose looks have defined her whole life (and Daphne, who’s a big sports fan.)

Visit Laura Jensen Walker's website.

My Book, The Movie: The Alphabet Sleuths.

--Marshal Zeringue