In this week's Jen’s Jewels, I’m delighted to chat with bestselling authors Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White, who joined forces to create THE AUTHOR’S GUIDE TO MURDER, a riveting mystery set in the atmospheric Castle Kinloch. This locked-room whodunit brings readers deep into a shadowy, satirical world where the lines between truth and fiction blur, inspired by their own experiences within the publishing industry. From Brett Saffron Presley, a character who exposes the eccentricities of literary fame, to the nuanced bonds between three unforgettable heroines, each page is packed with intrigue and wit. Join us as they share the real-life inspirations behind this unique novel, their approach to balancing humor with suspense, and what’s next for this powerhouse trio!
Jen: Castle Kinloch is a gothic, atmospheric setting that plays a crucial role in the mystery. How did you three collaborate to create the setting, and did any real-life locations inspire it?
Team W: All three of us have visited Scotland more than once, and two of us have actually stayed in a fourteenth-century castle near the Culloden battlefield, so that was definitely in our minds when we created Kinloch. Of course, the castle in the book is a Victorian fake, yet it intentionally mimics the Scottish castles with which we are all familiar—with crenellations, dark stones, and the ubiquitous Great Tower.
Jen: Brett Saffron Presley is a larger-than-life character with his own literary empire. What inspired his character, and how does he reflect aspects of the modern literary world?
Team W: They say that truth is stranger than fiction, which means that a lot of fiction was inspired be real life. In the case of BSP, let’s just say he’s a combination of certain notorious “bad boys” in the publishing world, whose behavior has historically been covered up, overlooked, excused, or even celebrated, while women writers are expected to play nice at all times or face vilification. There seems to be a divide between male and female writers, that somehow books written by men are “more than” and worthy of literary attention; that books about the male experience reflect some kind of universal truth, while the female experience is simply…female. We disagree, and in writing this book we wanted to slay that particular dragon, using the mightiest weapon of all—humor.
Of course, none of the real-life stories that abound are quite as bad as the one we created, but some come perilously close...and since we finished writing, one or two additional not-so-shocking tales have come to light that would seem to vindicate our portrayal of Brett Saffron Presley.
Jen: The novel offers a clever mix of mystery and satire, especially when poking fun at the literary world. What inspired you to explore the publishing industry this way, and how did you ensure that the humor enhanced rather than overshadowed the suspense?
Team W: Each of us have been on this publishing roller coaster for a very long time and have experienced and/or witnessed the extreme highs and lows of our chosen profession. We’ve also written across a wide range of genres, from time-travel to regency romp to multi-timeline historical; from spy thrillers to historical murder mystery to contemporary women’s fiction. What we hadn’t done, either singularly or collectively, was write a cozy locked-room mystery. The satire came as naturally as the humor, with humor being the easier part because Team W does have a remarkably sensitive funny bone that sadly (at least, in our view!) isn’t often flexed in our individual books.
Jen: The dynamic between the three female protagonists is one of the novel’s highlights. How did you decide on their unique personalities and careers, and how did you approach developing their friendship throughout the story?
Team W: The dynamics of our relationships and the friendships we share with each other was the basis for the three authors in the book—although none of the characters is based on any of us, even loosely. We started out with certain publishing genre-types and went from there, being purposeful in developing three very different female writers who find their BFFs in each other.
Jen: A locked-room mystery demands intricate plotting. How did you approach the challenge of building tension and keeping the reader guessing while ensuring that the story's pacing and character development remained engaging?
Team W: As in all our books, we utilized what we’ve termed (and should probably trademark) the Unibrain—one brain in three bodies. Considering that the three of us collectively have written over sixty books, both separately and together, it’s almost instinct now to know when and where to add the tension and bits of mystery while also developing the characters and moving the story forward. And if something’s not working, there are always two other brains to consult. It’s almost cheating, really.
Jen: The novel combines mystery, humor, and literary satire in a unique blend. How did you balance these elements, and did each of you bring a different strength or perspective to writing these aspects?
Team W: We each have a unique writing voice honed over our long careers (did I mention we’re all battle-hardened veterans of the publishing world?). We apply our distinct strengths while crafting the character we are creating for the story, whether it’s a flair for witty dialog or scintillating love scenes, or an instinct for knowing which character to kill off.
We have other talents, too, that we bring to writing our collaborations. Lauren is particularly well-versed with historical events and periods, Beatriz is a pro at deep-diving obscure Google searches, and Karen knows enough about genealogy to ensure that no two characters get romantically involved if they shouldn’t be.
Jen: Readers are often curious about what's next for their favorite authors. Can you share any upcoming projects you're working on, solo or as part of this team?
Team W: We’ve already started outlining Team W book #6—but that’s all very tight-lipped. Meanwhile, Karen has two new books out in 2025: book # 3 in her Royal Street series, The Lady on Esplanade, and her first single title since 2021, That Last Carolina Summer. Lauren’s next solo historical novel, The Girl from Greenwich Street, about one of New York’s most notorious unsolved murders (Alexander Hamilton was counsel for the defense at the trial!) is out in March 2025, while Beatriz will be following up last summer’s Husbands & Lovers with a new novel set on her fictional Winthrop Island, going back and forth between the present day and a real-life shipwreck that occurred off the Connecticut coast in 1846.
Jen: If this book were adapted for television or film, which actors would you envision playing Detective Chief Inspector Euan McIntosh and the three American novelists?
Team W: Sadly, Douglas Henshall who plays DCI Jimmy Perez in Shetland is getting a bit too old for DCI Macintosh, but Tom Hughes might be able to manage that intense stare.
Jen: With each of you having strong social media followings, how do you use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok to connect with readers, and what role does fan feedback play in shaping your future projects?
Team W: We mostly use Instagram and Facebook to connect with our readers. Because there are three of us offering ideas while plotting, there really isn’t room for reader feedback to influence future projects. However, because there have been requests, we make sure each book (especially this one) has enough Easter eggs from our individual books as well as from our earlier collaborations to keep our readers happy.
Jen: Thank you for joining me for my Jen’s Jewels column! Your collective work has captivated readers across genres, and I'm thrilled to have had the chance to chat with you about this intriguing new mystery.
Team W: Thank you, Jen! It’s always a pleasure.
Agatha Christie meets Murder, She Wrote in this witty locked room mystery and literary satire by New York Times bestselling team of novelists: Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White.
There’s been a sensational murder at historic Castle Kinloch, a gothic fantasy of grey granite on a remote island in the Highlands of Scotland. Literary superstar Brett Saffron Presley has been found dead—under bizarre circumstances—in the castle tower’s book-lined study. Years ago, Presley purchased the castle as a showpiece for his brand and to lure paying guests with a taste for writerly glamour. Now it seems, the castle has done him in…or, possibly, one of the castle’s guests has. Detective Chief Inspector Euan McIntosh, a local with no love for this literary American show-off (or Americans in general), finds himself with the unenviable task of extracting statements from three American lady novelists.
The prime suspects are Kat de Noir, a slinky, sexy erotica writer; Cassie Pringle, a Southern mom of six juggling multiple cozy mystery series; and Emma Endicott, a New England blue blood and author of critically acclaimed historical fiction. The women claim to be best friends writing a book together: a historical novel about the castle’s lurid past and its debauched laird, who himself ended up creatively murdered. But the authors’ stories about how they know Brett Saffron Presley don’t quite line up, and the detective is getting increasingly suspicious.
Why did the authors really come to Castle Kinloch? Is the murder of the long-ago laird somehow connected with the playboy author’s unfortunate demise? And what really happened the night of the great Kinloch ceilidh, when Brett Saffron Presley skipped the folk dancing for a rendezvous with death?
A crafty locked-room mystery, a pointed satire about the literary world, and a tale of unexpected friendship and romance—this novel has it all, as only three bestselling authors can tell it!
Mystery [William Morrow, On Sale: November 5, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780063259867 / eISBN: 9780063259881]
Tongue-in-cheek satire meets cozy murder mystery
A Satirical Literary Mystery with Some Funny Moments
Karen White is the New York Times bestselling author of 28 books, including the Tradd Street series, Dreams of Falling, The Night the Lights Went Out, Flight Patterns, The Sound of Glass, A Long Time Gone, and The Time Between. She is the coauthor of All the Ways We Said Goodbye, The Glass Ocean and The Forgotten Room with New York Times bestselling authors Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig. She grew up in London but now lives with her husband near Atlanta, Georgia.
Intrigue. Espionage. Romance. Swordplay. Comedy.
Lauren Willig is a New York Times bestselling author of historical fiction. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages, awarded the RITA, Booksellers Best, and Golden Leaf awards, and chosen for the American Library Association's annual list of the best genre fiction. After graduating from Yale University, she embarked on a PhD in History at Harvard before leaving academia to acquire a JD at Harvard Law while authoring her "Pink Carnation" series of Napoleonic-set novels. She lives in New York City, where she now writes full time.
Beatriz Williams lives with her husband and children in Greenwich, Connecticut.
Jennifer Vido writes sweet romances set in the Lowcountry, earning acclaim as the award-winning author of the Gull Island series. Her debut novel, "Serendipity by the Sea," secured the prestigious Best First Book award from the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest. In 2024, Vido's talent garnered further accolades, with Baltimore Magazine readers naming her Best Local Author in their annual Best of Baltimore poll, while the Baltimore Sun acknowledged her with an Honorable Mention in their Best of 2024 Author category. When not writing fiction, she interviews authors for her weekly Jen’s Jewels column, leads water exercise classes, and directs a legal nonprofit. Currently residing in Maryland, she and her husband are proud parents to two grown sons and a rescue dog named Fripp.
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