Maton was born in Montreal and now lives in Bristol, England, with her husband and three occasionally present children.
The Artful Anna Harris is her debut novel.
My Q&A with the author:
How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?Follow Tracy Maton on Instagram and Threads.
My book was inspired by Patricia Highsmith’s classic, The Talented Mr Ripley. Being upfront about her influence felt important, hence the similarity between our two titles. To a Ripley-fan, the title offers a plethora of hints. For those without any awareness of Ripley, the title still works to a degree, awarding ownership of the story to Anna Harris and implying trickery or cunning, of which there is plenty.
The draft title was The Affable Anna Harris, chosen because the syllables match the original more closely (and Anna is undoubtedly affable, at least on the outside) but the editorial team suggested Artful to avoid any suggestion the novel is a cosy read. I think they were right.
What's in a name?
Anna Harris is a common name of little note. Anna herself is chameleon-like, blending in with ease, keen not to draw too much attention. Any plain name would have served the narrative but I wanted to echo the rhythm of Mr Ripley.
How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your novel?
Not surprised at all. I was drawn to the rebels, the irreverent and the slightly scary and had no interest in the law-abiding school prefects. I’d have been Anna’s friend without a doubt.
Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?
I’ll opt for endings. I had a very clear picture of Anna’s opening scene and delighted in introducing my amoral character by placing her in a church. Very little changed in the editing process. The ending, however, was revised several times albeit with the same outcome for Anna. I’m not sure I would be able to start writing without knowing the beginning and the end. Everything else is up for grabs as I go along.
Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?
Anna’s views are, occasionally, similar to my own. Her humour is all mine. (My sister is convinced she’s Anna’s mother-in-law, which she isn’t.) The elderly lady, Jan, is who I want to be at eighty.
What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?
My psychology degree has proved useful when I’m deciding how characters should behave. Being slightly playful, I also gave Anna an interest in pop psychology, and placed her in a copy of my childhood village where, life being stranger than fiction, there was an actual murder while I was writing the book.
--Marshal Zeringue