1–What is the title of your latest release?
2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Regency-era writer and dagger-wielding badass Miss Emmeline St. Germaine is the kind of woman you want on your side in a fight. But when her rights are stripped from her and she is sent to an asylum where murder is afoot, with enemies all around her, will she figure out whom to fight, and how?
3—Some Touch of Madness is a sequel to A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder; first, tell us a little about Book #1, and then, how did it being a sequel affect your writing of Some Touch of Madness?
A GENTLEWOMAN’S GUIDE TO MURDER started with Miss Emmeline St. Germaine, who is determined to right wrongs in her Regency England society. She and her band of women – who call themselves the Crones – rescue abused scullery maids and young ladies being forced into unwanted marriages. Murder hits too close to home, and to save herself from being suspected and perhaps hanged for the crime, she needs to unearth the perpetrator. Some Touch of Madness finds Emmeline still advocating for the abused, but also in peril herself when her brother, because of the events in Book 1 and what he considers her unfeminine fierce stubbornness commits her to an asylum for genteelly insane women.
It was not an easy book to write. Straitjacketed by the cliffhanger-ish end of the first book (so to speak!) I forged a difficult but ultimately satisfying path through a tough situation in which I had placed my heroine!
4—What do you like/not like about your protagonist?
I LOVE that she is so brave; I know she has more courage than I do, the kind of bravery I admire in people. I like her compassion and protectiveness toward those around her. But she is hard to take at times, as she borders on zealotry in her causes. I think she lands on the safe side of fervor, rather than fanaticism, but I’ll leave that up to the readers to judge!
5–What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Courageous. Intelligent. Resourceful.
6–What’s something you learned while writing this book?
My tunnel vision gets in the way of a good book, at times, but a good editor can save me. When I turned in my first draft, I wasn’t overly happy, but I could not see how to fix what I had written. But my editor rode to the rescue and saved this writer-in-distress. His editing and suggestions allowed me to extensively rewrite and find the exciting historical mystery within the first draft.
Ultimately, I wrote a book I am thrilled with. Emmeline once again uses her wit and resourcefulness to defeat evil in several forms. It is gritty and my heroine is strong. I hope the readers enjoy it as much as I do!
7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I wonder, is my writing process complicated compared to others? I do some rewriting as I go along, starting each day with what I wrote the day before. It gives me a kind of running start on the day’s quota. But then I will edit/rewrite at least two and sometimes up to four times after the first draft is done.
8–What’s your writing routine?
Most days: Apply butt to the office chair and work at a desktop computer until the day’s quote is in the bag. But not every day goes smoothly. Sometimes family matters demand time, and some days there are so many other things tugging at my sleeve, especially if there is editing to be done or a book to promote. So, I do the best I can and try to not beat myself up when I don’t meet the quota.
9–Describe your writing space/office!
Oh, lord. I confess that I have a messy desk. It is physically a lovely desk that I bought because it was pretty. It is a creamy off-white and has lots (perhaps too much) of space. I used the cubbies for decorative teacups and vintage touches. The first Christmas I lit it up with a teal Christmas tree. And then it all went to hell as reality descended and the need for space clamored. Since then, it is a landfill site of papers, dishes with lip balms, pens, paper clips, vitamins, scissors, flash drives, hair clips, nail clippers, files, research books, and notebooks. The only things that are in their pace at all times are my booklet of passwords, and my day timer calendar, without which I cannot function.
10—What is easy/difficult about writing for you?
Easy: coming up with ideas, creating characters, researching places/people/history. Difficult: harnessing the discipline to turn all of that into a plot and to figure out beforehand what happens and whodunnit. Too often I get bored with the plodding plotting and rush into the exciting writing and end up in a quandary about two-thirds of the way through. And every single time I say, “never again”, and every single time I rush the writing.
11– Who is an author whose writing style you admire, and what did you learn from them?
I write both historical mysteries and traditional contemporary mysteries. I admire Anne Perry as a historical mystery author; I think she has the best handle on her characters of anyone I’ve ever read. I learned from her not to be afraid of creating complex, troubled characters. Among authors of contemporaries, I admire Sophie Hannah, who writes a wide variety of mysteries, including the new Hercule Poirot mysteries. I learned from her to veil characters’ motives and secrets a little better, though it is something I do my best to do anyway.
12—How do you decide what to write next, a book in an established series or to start a new series?
Sometimes you have to write what’s next on the list, especially if you write a series. Readers want to read the stories they are familiar with, and most of us who write series try to put out one book a year in each series. Good thing I love visiting Queensville to commune with the villagers in the Vintage Kitchen Mysteries and traveling to Georgian England to spend time with Lady Anne and her friends for the Lady Anne Addison Historical Mysteries. But a writer occasionally has to branch out and try something new. Every pro writer has stories in them that don’t fit in one of their established series, which is when you find the time to branch out.
13–What’s your favorite genre to read?
I read mysteries, big surprise, right? But I also like historical fiction and non-fiction, memoirs, and – another big surprise, LOL – true crime.
14–What’s your favorite movie?
I cannot name just one! An all-time favorite is Some Like It Hot, with Marilyn Monroe, but I also love The Holiday, with Kate Winslet, and Enchanted, with Amy Adams. I’m really looking forward to the Enchanted sequel, Disenchanted, coming later this month, with most of the original cast back!
15–What is your favorite season?
This is the easiest question of the bunch, Autumn. I LOVE the fall. I like everything about it: it’s darker, moodier, cooler, and more fragrant and all the best holidays are in fall! I like the colorful leaves and drinking tea while I rake them. I love curling up with a good book in the colder weather. I’m in a northern climate, so I love the first snowfall, often while the leaves are still on the trees!
16—What is your favorite food?
Dessert – pause for laugh. No, seriously, I do like sweets, so I usually say brownies, are the perfect dessert. But on the savory side, I love pasta, so for me, Spaghetti Bolognese is the best!
17–What’s a recent book you highly recommend?
I’ve enjoyed Widdershins: Witches, Witchfinders & Witch Trials by Helen Steadman, followed by Sunwise, Book 2 in the series. It is a fictional account of witch trials in Scotland and England. So good! She helps readers crawl into the mind of a witchfinder, a dark and uncomfortable place to be, let me tell you! But also, one of her characters is a “cunning woman”, labeled as a witch. I do a lot of historical research for my books, and I can tell how deeply Ms. Steadman has researched her books.
18–What’s your go-to dish to cook?
Arroz con Pollo: Chicken with Spanish rice. So good! I took a recipe from a Doubleday cookbook and changed it so much it is now mine. So much trouble to prepare, but once it is in the oven it’s easy-peasy. And so good!
19–What do you do when you have free time?
Mostly, read. And I’ll confess I’m a bit of a TV-holic; the small screen relaxes me in a way nothing else does. I watch a few reality shows – Survivor and Amazing Race – but I love sitcoms: Call Me Kat, with Mayim Bialik, and Bob Hearts Abishola.
20–What can readers expect from you next?
Now that Some Touch of Madness is out, I am moving on to writing for a couple of my series. Next up to write is Sieve and Let Die, Vintage Kitchen Mystery #11 – one of my favorite characters, Val Nibley, is accused of killing her high school bully! That should come out in mid-2023. Next, I’ll write Lady Anne & The Haunted School Girl, Lady Anne Historical Mystery #5. Lady Anne, anxiously awaiting her marriage to Tony, Marquess of Darkefell in Bath, England, is distracted when a friend ropes her in to help (real life) schoolmistress Miss Sophie Lee when one of her students seems troubled and in danger of harming herself. If all goes well that will be out in late 2023.
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SOME TOUCH OF MADNESS by Victoria Hamilton
A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder #2
A hushed-up murder sends Emmeline St. Germaine on a quest for justice
Having chosen to go to a women’s institution rather than live under her brother’s oppressive thumb, Emmeline is second-guessing her decision. Her ulterior motive was to learn under what circumstances her sister died there six years ago, but the conditions are dismal, the treatment is harsh, and the women are restricted on all sides. When one of the women is murdered, Emmeline resolves to solve the crime despite the powerful owner’s hostile insistence that the death was a suicide.
As she uncovers what little evidence there is to be found, Emmeline’s investigation is thwarted at every turn by the increasingly severe restrictions on her movement—until she discovers that the mistreated help belowstairs are more than willing to reveal the institute’s grim secrets. Determined to honor the victim’s memory and follow the trail to the murderer wherever it goes, Emmeline will have to face down thuggish guards and abusive staff, fearful all the while of the price she’ll pay to bring a killer to justice.
Mystery Historical | Mystery Woman Sleuth [Beyond the Page, On Sale: November 8, 2022, e-Book, ISBN: 9781958384732 / ]
Buy SOME TOUCH OF MADNESS: Kindle | BN.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Victoria Hamilton
Victoria Hamilton is the bestselling author of several mystery series including the national bestselling Vintage Kitchen Mysteries and Merry Muffin Mysteries. She does, indeed, collect vintage kitchenware and bake muffins. She drinks tea and coffee on writing days, and wine other times. It doesn’t do to confuse days. She crochets (a little), paints (a little), and reads (a lot). A solitary being, she can be coaxed out of her writing cave for brownies and cat videos.
She started her writing life as Donna Lea Simpson, bestselling author of Regency Romances, paranormal historicals, and historical mysteries, and still has a soft spot for the Regency period.
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