What is the title of your latest release?
WHISPERS AT PAINSWICK COURT
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Set in a charming English village, a determined young woman must solve a deadly mystery while guarding her heart against unexpected romance.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
My husband and I first visited Painswick “the queen of the Cotswolds” a few years ago and were both charmed by the town and especially by its beautiful churchyard. Deciding it would be a wonderful place to set a novel, we returned for a longer stay last summer. While there, we met members of Painswick’s Local History Society, who provided many editions of their excellent publication, the Painswick Chronicle, which guided me as I wrote.
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Fun question! Having spent many months with Anne Loveday while writing the novel, I would say, “Yes, I would.” I admire her kindness and her desire to help people.
What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Anne is a kind, spirited, and capable.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned a great deal of Painswick’s history, fascinating lore about yew trees, and accounts of King Charles I’s connection to Painswick—all of which helped shape this novel.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I write a rough draft first and then revise and edit later.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Far too many favorites! I’ll say crunchy cookies dipped in my tea or coffee.
Describe your writing space/office!
I write in a turret-shaped room high in our home. It used to be our sons’ bedroom until my husband built onto our house so I could have a dedicated office. It’s often a mess but I love it.
Who is an author you admire?
Jane Austen, of course!
Is there a book that changed your life?
Besides the Bible I would say The Secret Garden and Jane Eyre, which both sparked my love of British literature.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I was working as an editor in a publishing house when my first novel was sent around anonymously (under a pen name) to my colleagues for review. I had a nervous few weeks awaiting the outcome! Thankfully, they liked it and wanted to publish it. That novel was Lady of Milkweed Manor, which released back in 2008.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
mysteries (with romance!)
What’s your favorite movie?
Here are my top 5: Persuasion (1995), Babette’s Feast, Enchanted April, The Last Holiday, and It’s a Wonderful Life
What is your favorite season?
Springtime in England or Autumn here in Minnesota
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Time with my husband and friends followed by a Dairy Queen Blizzard.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
A Worthy Risk by T. Elizabeth Renich
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Thai
What do you do when you have free time?
Read, walk (with an audiobook), or watch period dramas.
What can readers expect from you next?
I am working on another stand-alone, suspenseful historical romance.
WHISPERS AT PAINSWICK COURT by Julie Klassen
Historical Regency Romance and Mystery Set in England for Fans of Agatha Christie and Jane Austen
Anne Loveday, a surgeon’s daughter, is determined to live a single, useful life. To escape her matchmaking stepmother, she accepts an invitation from an old friend to return to Painswick, the place she and her sister spent many happy summers until that last, fateful year.
Soon after arriving, Anne is asked to serve as sick-room nurse to Lady Celia, who forbade her nephew to marry Anne’s sister years before. Pushing aside resentments, Anne moves into Painswick Court, a shadowy old house rumored to be haunted. Also in residence are Lady Celia’s spinster daughter, her handsome adult nephews, and a secretive new lady’s maid. Two local doctors visit regularly as well, one of whom admires Anne while concealing secrets of his own. As an escalating series of mishaps befalls her patient, Anne realizes someone is trying to kill the woman. But who? When Anne finds herself a suspect and her determination to avoid romance challenged, can she discover the real killer—and protect her heart—before it’s too late?
Acclaimed Regency author Julie Klassen marries the best of historical romance and mystery in a novel full of English village charm, intrigue, and love.
Romance Historical | Christian | Mystery [ Bethany House Publishers, On Sale: December 2, 2025, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780764244865 / eISBN: 9781493451265 ]
Anne Loveday, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?
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About Julie Klassen
Julie Klassen loves all things Jane–Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. She worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. Three of her novels have won the Christy Award for Historical Romance. Her book, THE SILENT GOVERNESS, was also a finalist in the Minnesota Book Awards, ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards, and Romance Writers of America’s RITA Awards. Julie is a graduate of the University of Illinois. She and her husband have two sons and live near St. Paul, Minnesota.
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