1--What is the title of your latest release?
BETRAYAL AT BLACKTHORN PARK
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Betrayal at Blackthorn Park follows Evelyne Redfern, a newly minted field agent working in intelligence for the British government, on her first mission during World War 2. To say she’s underwhelmed by her seemingly simple assignment to assess the security of a secret government weapons facility in the countryside would be an understatement, but her task becomes a lot more intriguing when she stumbles over a dead body and has to put all of her crime-solving skills to the test to uncover a murderer who could threaten Britain’s fate in the war.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I have always loved the country house murder mysteries of the golden age of detective fiction, so I knew I wanted to write a book that was a nod to those stories. While I was doing some background research for the Evelyne Redfern series, I stumbled across The Firs, which was a real-life country house that was transformed into a weapons development, testing, and manufacturing facility for the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the war. The Firs ultimately became the inspiration for Blackthorn Park.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely! I think Evelyne would be a scream, and we’d have a great night out dancing.
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Curious, intelligent, and loyal
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I was fascinated by the ingenuity of the engineers and inventors who made weapons of sabotage for the SOE. In one case, they solved problems like how to make a timed fuse that would allow a commando to set a mine and have enough time to escape unharmed by using common household items like boiled sweets that would dissolve at a predictable rate before triggering and explosion. The boiled sweet timing devices were so successful, they went into wide use!
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Ideally, I would write through a full draft before editing anything. However, if I find the words are not coming, I will usually go back through what I’ve written to figure out where I’ve gone wrong. Then I’ll edit the existing words and, by the time I reach the place I left off, I find the words are flowing again.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I’m a big lover of all things food and wine, and I enjoy cooking as well. Recently I’ve been craving the great bagels I used to get when I worked in New York City, so I am working on perfecting my bagel recipe.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
At the moment, I’m working at a desk in a spare bedroom. I have a selection of research books close to hand and plenty of notebooks with various projects. One day soon I’m hoping to have a dedicated office space!
10--Who is an author you admire?
There are too many to name! I have a huge amount of admiration for so many authors working today, not to mention those who have come before me.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Reading The Shellseekers by Rosamunde Pilcher was the book that made me realize that I wanted to write historical fiction. It was a real pivot point in my career.
12--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 for a news organization in New York City when I got an email from my agent asking whether I had time for a quick call. I said yes, knowing that she wouldn’t email unless it was important. Immediately after I sent that a fire broke out in the Union Square area of Manhattan. I sent a reporter down there, called the FDNY for details, and got our rewrite reporter to start a story before asking a fellow editor to cover for me. I took the call with my agent in an empty conference room, had a tiny moment of celebration, and then went straight back to work. Fortunately, the fire was a small one, and no one was hurt. It just goes to show how tricky it can be balancing work, writing, and life!
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I try to read pretty widely, but I often come back to contemporary fiction, historical fiction, and mystery.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
Answering this always feels impossible, but I usually say Laura (1944), which is a fantastic noir murder mystery.
15--What is your favorite season?
I love the autumn, especially in the UK when the days become crisp and cool.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
I prefer small birthdays, so I usually celebrate with my husband and my immediate family—ideally with a good meal and a nice bottle of wine.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I recently watched the first three seasons of Slow Horses and really enjoyed it. I’m looking forward to watching the fourth!
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Living in the UK, it’s hard not to have Indian as a favorite cuisine. However, I also really miss great Mexican food from Los Angeles.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Aside from reading, I’m also a big knitter. I have been knitting for around twenty-five years, and I really love the process of making garments. Right now, I have too many projects on my needles, but I’m hoping to finish up a couple sweaters ahead of the winter.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I am very happy to say that I am working on editing the third book in the Evelyne Redfern mystery series, so there will be more cases for Evelyne and her partner David to solve soon!
With mystery, intrigue, and the hints of romance international bestselling author Julia Kelly is known for, Evelyne Redfern returns in Betrayal at Blackthorn Park.
Freshly graduated from a rigorous training program in all things spy craft, former typist Evelyne Redfern is eager for her first assignment as a field agent helping Britain win the war. However, when she learns her first task is performing a simple security test at Blackthorn Park, a requisitioned manor house in the sleepy Sussex countryside, she can’t help her initial disappointment. Making matters worse, her handler is to be David Poole, a fellow agent who manages to be both strait-laced and dashing in annoyingly equal measure. However, Evelyne soon realizes that Blackthorn Park is more than meets the eye, and an upcoming visit from Winston Churchill means that security at the secret weapons research and development facility is of the utmost importance.
When Evelyne discovers Blackthorn Park’s chief engineer dead in his office, her simple assignment becomes more complicated. Evelyne must use all of her—and David’s—detection skills to root out who is responsible and uncover layers of deception that could change the course of the war.
Mystery Historical [Minotaur Books, On Sale: October 1, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781250865519 / eISBN: 9781250865533]
Julia Kelly is the bestselling author of sexy historical romances about smart women and the men who love them. She also writes fast-paced contemporary sports romance as Julia Blake. She picked up her first romance novel and the bad habit of reading well past her bedtime when she was thirteen. Years later, she decided to try writing books of her own and never looked back.
An Emmy-nominated TV producer and recovering journalist, Julia has called Los Angeles, Iowa, New York, and England home. She never met a pair of stilettos she didn’t love and still stays up too late reading.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2025 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy