Emily Brightwell is the New York Times bestselling author of the Victorian Mysteries featuring Inspector Witherspoon and Mrs. Jeffries. According to the Cozy Mystery List, the first book in the series, “The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries” was published in 1993. The latest book is number 40 in the series. Emily recently spoke to Gotta Write about Mrs. Jeffries and the Midwinter Murders.
What inspired Mrs. Jeffries and the Midwinter Murders, your latest Victorian Mystery?
EMILY – This tale was inspired by a local, real-life murder that happened some years back. It was an interesting case in that the first assumptions by the authorities as to the nature of the crime, the ‘why’ of it, were completely wrong. I was fascinated by this case and I wanted to explore the idea that humans tend to settle on what often appears to be the first logical solution to a crime, circumstance or problem. But appearances can be deceptive and that’s the theme at the heart of this story.
Introduce us to the characters of Mrs. Jeffries and the Midwinter Murders. How have they grown over the course of the Victorian Mystery series?
EMILY – Inspector Witherspoon, one of nature’s true gentlemen, has grown enormously from his first case, The Horrible Kensington High Street Murders. He’s now a rather good detective – and that was quite deliberate on my part.
I believe that all of us grow and change as we experience life. Fictional characters shouldn’t be any different. Mrs. Goodge, the household cook, has evolved as well. In the first few books, she acted as the voice of the establishment. She felt that everyone should know their place in society and be content with that. What’s more, like so many of her class – women who’d been in ‘service’ since she they were in their early teens, she was very much influenced by the attitudes of her various upper-class employers. Like them, she was certain that crime was caused by lower class people with no morals. But as she helps investigate one homicide after another, she sees that murder is no respecter of class and that the rich can kill as often as the poor. It completely changes her view of society.
I’ve tried hard to make sure all of my characters grow and change. It’s the only way to keep the series fresh and interesting – when characters evolve, they react differently in the fortieth book than they did in fourth or fifth book and that makes for a more interesting story.
Do you have a favorite line and/or scene from Mrs. Jeffries and the Midwinter Murders?
EMILY – I have three favorite scenes but if I tell you what they are it will give the game away. Let’s just say I had a lot of fun doing these scenes and I hope people will enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. My readers are clever folks and I know once they read the book, they’ll ‘suss out’ the scenes I particularly loved.
Can you tell us about any challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
EMILY – The biggest challenge for me has been to keep the “Mrs. Jeffries” series interesting and fresh for my readers. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m now working on book number forty-one and the most challenging thing for me as the author has been to have my characters change in a logical, but compelling fashion. For instance, Betsy and Smythe are now married with a child – but they started out as a housemaid and chauffeur with a fifteen-year discrepancy in their ages. Wiggins and Phyllis both started out as characters who just wanted to survive and have a roof over their heads. Yet now both of them, because of their investigations, see a brighter, better future for themselves. They are determined to become professional detectives at some point in their lives.
When is your favorite time to write? (A certain season, time of day, etc.)
EMILY – Morning is my favorite time to write, but I can do it anytime of the day or night if I’m on a tight deadline (which is usually the case.)
What do you look forward to most about the holiday season?
EMILY – The beautiful lights, the wonderful food and the carols. Love them all, especially the food. Cooking and baking are so fun and at Christmas, there is no such thing as ‘too much’! You can indulge yourself with peanut butter fudge, hot cocoa and as many sugar cookies as you want.
What are some recent reads you loved?
EMILY – I’m a big fan of John Scalzi and I just finished his “Interdependency Series”. I also love political thrillers and recently read Daniel Silva’s “The Cellist” which I really enjoyed. I’ve got the latest Louise Penney book on the top of my ‘To be read’ pile which also has novels by Maureen Child, Michael Connelly and John Grisham in the stack. To me, reading is like breathing. I simply can’t go without having a couple of good books on my nightstand.
What can readers expect from you next?
EMILY – I’m not sure, we’ll have to see but I do know that I love telling stories and hope to keep on doing it for years.