 It felt like this day would never come! EVIL IN EMERALD was written during the height of the Melbourne lockdowns which one would think would be an ideal time to be writing but I have to admit, I struggled. While it seemed like the world I knew was slipping away from my grasp, there were days when I stared at an empty screen. At one point I pretty much scrapped what I had written and started again. But it all came together in the end and I am delighted to see EVIL IN EMERALD finally get the wings to fly. The inspiration for this story comes from my own brush with amateur theatre in my early twenties when I joined the local Gilbert and Sullivan Society. It must have had a profound influence on me because G&S themes have run in other books. GATHER THE BONES, for example, has several oblique references to RUDDIGORE (which I think was the show I had the most fun in!) - indeed the title itself is a riff on a song from Ruddigore. PIRATES OF PENZANCE marked the height of my theatrical ambition - I actually scored a role (not just third chorus girl from the left). I was cast as Isabel - one of Major General Stanley's daughters. I had a whole two lines to say and no singing but it still gave me proper billing and a place in the 'principal's dressing room'. Oh to be that young (and that thin!) again. Just as in the last Harriet Gordon Mystery, Harriet and Curran cross with another part of my past (the military), in this book Harriet gets to reprise my experience of an amateur dramatic society. Not that we had any murders... So Pour, oh, pour, the pirate sherry; Fill, oh, fill the pirate glass... and drink to EVIL IN EMERALD - Available now in print, digital and audio!  A much younger (and thinner) Alison as Isabel in Pirates of Penzance.
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 My dear readers...
Greetings from Singapore. The date is November 1910 and I am taking a break from playing tennis to join the ladies and gentlemen of the Singapore Amateur Dramatic and Music Society in their Christmas production of PIRATES OF PENZANCE. The Victoria Hall is booked... and we have been hard at work rehearsing. The only reason I got talked into joining the company is because my tennis doubles partner, Griff Maddocks, rather fancies himself as the Pirate King. However I have a small part and it is always interesting to mix with a different crowd... and they are quite different... There are a great deal of undercurrents that I don't really understand yet! So here is the cover for my third Harriet Gordon Mystery - EVIL IN EMERALD! It will be released on 29 March 2022 (in print, digital and audio) so a little while to wait. BUT the good news is it is available for pre order (click HERE for the links). A book only starts to feel real when it has a cover (and a title). Fortunately the title EVIL IN EMERALD was set in stone (no pun intended) from the get go but there is that moment of breath holding before the cover concept arrives. I particularly like how the cover artist has incorporated Victoria Hall in the background. I am loving the gem theme to the books and seeing the three books together... blue, red and now green... really makes it look like a set. All for now... Best wishes Harriet (and Alison) xxx (PS Don't forget to sign up to my regular newsletter for up to date news about my books and for the exclusive opportunity to download THE UMBRELLA - a Harriet Gordon prequel! Click HERE) |
A.M. StuartReaders can connect with A.M. Stuart at her website, Facebook, or subscribe to her newsletter on the form below. Subscribe to Alison's NewsletterArchives
October 2024
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