In Silent in the Sanctuary, I wanted to set the book in a classic English snowbound situation in which a murder happens and the house is full of suspects. I wanted to see if I could write it, because it’s a tricky thing to do – and I think I made it more so by having someone immediately confess to the crime. It poses then not one but two questions for the reader: Why was the person killed? And why did someone confess?

3. Tell us a little about the story:

The story opens with Julia and two of her brothers summoned home by their from a six-month spell in Italy. Joined by her brother Lysander’s new bride and an Italian bachelor with eyes only for Lady Julia, they arrive at the family home – a deconsecrated abbey in Sussex – to an estate brimming with houseguests.

Among the relatives and townspeople in attendance is the enigmatic Nicholas Brisbane with whom Julia collaborated in Silent in the Grave to solve her husband’s murder and with whom she had hoped to collaborate on something even more personal upon returning home … only to learn Brisbane has brought a fiancé to the festivities.

The homecoming takes an even more ghastly turn when one of the guests turns up dead, and the most unexpected of Julia’s relatives claims to have done the killing.

When a snowstorm shrouds the countryside in white, it falls to Lady Julia and Brisbane to sift through the clues – and the guests – before murder comes again to the isolated abbey.

4. What do you want readers to take away with them after reading the book?

I have a two-fold objective: I want them to have had a wonderful time, and I want them to be absolutely incensed that they don’t have their hands already on the next book. I hope they will love – as I do – the nice, twisty plot. I get it just where I want it, and then I twist the screw again. It’s much more fun that way.

Author Q&A:

Q. What kind of books do you write?

A. Historical fiction with a mystery slant. I say this because I hate to trot out the word “romance,” which creates very specific expectations, and not be able to then fulfill that expectation. The same could be said for mystery fans. That said, I think a lot of romance and mystery readers will find something they’ll enjoy in my books.

Q. Do you do anything in particular to keep your reader turning pages?

A. One of the things I try to do – and it’s very, very cruel – is try to end chapters where the reader doesn’t want to put the book down. I like nothing better than getting an e-mail from a reader saying, “I staggered into work ‘cause I was up ‘til 4 a.m. – it’s your fault! You did it on purpose, didn’t you?” Yes, I did.

Q. How does Lady Julia change in this book?

A. In Sanctuary, Julia continues on with a lot of changes she was making in her life in the first book. She is coming into her own more as an independent, self-determined woman. She’s figuring out what she wants out of life.

Q. Is Julia based on you?

A. My books are hugely autobiographical. Everyone who knows me and reads the books, says: “‘Oh, my god, this is you talking on the page.” It’s not like I have a lot in common with Julia (on the surface): I’m not actually English aristocracy. I’m not wealthy. I’m not a widow (I actually have a very nice marriage to a very lovely man). But when you compare our perspective of the world, my world view is not that different. Julia’s default emotion is optimism, as is mine. She would prefer to look at the bright side and have a laugh, than linger under the duvet. She would rather get on with things. She likes adventure but appreciates the support and security of her family. I think her values are similar to mine: you treat people decently because it’s the right thing to do.

Q. What is the purpose of her large family?

A. I really wanted a large cast of characters who can pop in and out of each book. No one will be in all the books – except for Julia, Brisbane and Julia’s older sister Portia. Brisbane, because readers would literally kill me if he wasn’t. (You wouldn’t believe how much time my readers spend trying to figure out who would play Brisbane in a movie version of the book. I ask them, “Who should play Julia?” They couldn’t care less, because they all see themselves as Julia.)

As for Portia, I didn’t plan to have her in every book, but so far she has turned up in all three, including my next Lady Julia Grey novel, Silent in the Moor. She’s quite the bossy sister; she loves to manage everyone – and they let her.

And here’s a little trivia about the March family name: I wanted to be able to use “mad as a March hare,” and I did a little research and learned that it was not something Lewis Carroll invented for Alice in Wonderland but rather comes from a 13th century proverb. I realized it could have been about my Marches, and I loved that. Their heraldic badge is a hare.

My Marches are crazy, but they have a good solid name that has pleasant connotations to people who love literature.

That’s it! Thanks!

jmd