Ashley Weaver is a mild-mannered Louisiana librarian who enjoys creating mayhem in her Amory Ames mystery series, presenting husband and wife amateur sleuths reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s Poirot – complete with country houses, elegant parties and unexpected death. Hi there, I’m your host Jenny Wheeler and today Ashley talks about the tricky relationship between Amory and her playboy husband Milo, and gives her take on why cozy murders are so popular. Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode: Why she feels she was ‘born in the wrong era’ Things she’s learned in six years of writing Why in whatever she writes “someone gets murdered.” The appeal of the ‘Golden Age of Mystery‘ Her reader’s reaction to Amory’s “complicated” marriage The writers she admires the most Where to find Ashley Weaver: Website: https://www.ashley-weaver.com/ Facebook: @AuthorAshleyWeaver Twitter: @AshleyCWeaver What follows is a “near as” transcript of our conversation, not word for word but pretty close to it, with links to important mentions. Jenny: And now, here’s Ashley. Hello there Ashley and welcome to the show. It’s great to have you with us… Ashley: Thank you so much for having me! Jenny: Beginning at the beginning – was there a “Once Upon a Time” moment when you decided you wanted to write fiction?? And if so what was the catalyst for it? Ashley Weaver Ashley: Well I was always an avid reader growing up. My parents read to me a lot, and took me to the library. I think I was in elementary school, and I don’t remember if it was a little school project but they had us write a story. I remember having a click in my head that I could take ideas from my own brain and put them on paper, and make my own stories. That was kind of the beginning of when I realized I could take a story from my head and put it on pages, and make my own books so to speak. I’ve been kind of writing ever since then. I wrote my first full novel starting my freshmen year at high school, and it was sort of what I’d call a gangster mystery romance, set in a prohibition area of Chicago. I would write a few pages after school and on weekends, and I’d bring it in for my friends to read. They would read it at the lunch tables during break and give me feedback, so that was kind of my first taste of writing for an audience. Ever since then, I’ve just enjoyed writing stories and putting them down on the page. Jenny: So you say freshman year – how old would you be for people who aren’t so familiar with the American education system? Ashley: Around 14, my first year of high school. Jenny: You’ve now got six historical mysteries published in the Amory Ames series – set in England in the 1930s. Why choose the mystery genre and this historical period? Amory Ames #1 Mystery Ashley: Well for one thing – the time period thing – I’ve always felt like I was born in the wrong era. I’ve always enjoyed reading historical books and watching historical shows set in different times and things like that. We were watching a lot of movies from the 30’s and 40’s, so when I was young I liked that Ginger Rogers aesthetic with the women in the evening gowns and the men in tuxedos, dancing in fancy night clubs. As I got a little older and learned about the period between the wars, and moving from the older social structure into the more modern 20th century and that push and pull of modern progress, the time period became even more interesting to me. That’s why I settled on the 30’s. As far as mystery – I’ve dabbled in a lot of things, I’ve tried a few genres but I kind of found that consistently, whatever I wrote and whatever I’ve written, somebody gets murdered in it! So it was like mystery was sort of my thing. Mystery has always been something I’ve enjoyed reading from the time I was really young – I read Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, and then I grew up and got into Agatha Christie. So that golden age of mystery held an appeal for me. When I started writing this series, the setting and time and place were already set in my head. Jenny:Your central character Amory Ames has a controversial marriage to a Milo who is charming and loving but elusive . . . But the relationship evolves through the series I think . . . .I don’t know if it’s fair to describe him as a fickle spouse . . . .How has he been received by readers? Ashley: Well I knew right from the beginning that I wanted Amory to have a complicated marriage. I find that in a lot of stories, there’s kind of a world in romance where they get married and it’s happily ever after. I thought it would be interesting to take the after of the happily ever after and get a couple who were charming, beautiful rich people. I’ve had mixed reactions to Milo; he seems to be one of those characters that readers either love or hate. I get some readers who say, “if I was her, I would have divorced him”, or “she should divorce him and move on”. But then also, it’s a different time. There are different social repercussions for divorce, so Amory is also having to deal with that sort of thing. But then there’s people who do really enjoy him, and there’s speculation about his character. Amory Ames Mystery #2 One of my favourite reactions was when I was at a signing- I was doing an Q &A- and one gentleman raised his hand and said “I have a question- will we ever get to see Amory enjoying the pleasure of investigating Milo’s murder?” So I guess he wasn’t a fan – but Milo does have his fans! He’s sort of your stereotypical rogue, but it’s not always going to end up a happily ever after in those whirlwind romances. Amory is having to deal with that as she deals with mysteries. Jenny: Yes – I got this suspicion in the back of my mind that there’s going to be some backstory revealed in the future which is going to explain it all in a way that is satisfying for readers! It certainly keeps the books alive, because everybody keeps guessing! Ashley: Yes, I try to always keep people guessing. Also, I feel like with this series, for me it’s been six years writing – but for the framework for the story, it’s been under two years since the first book to the most recent book. So in real life, people don’t work through their problems too quickly. Some kind of tend to keep them in this semi realistic framework, where it’s a bit up and down. It can’t just go through a lot of troubles to the perfect marriage; they’re still having to work through things. Jenny: Yes, and also not going from a few questions to immediate demands of divorce. I’ve seen a suggestion they are similar to another famous smart and witty married couple who solved mysteries together – Nick and Nora Charles in Dashiell Hammet’s The Thin Man – have you deliberately modelled them on the earlier pair? Nick and Nora – Myrna Loy and William Powell – in the Dashiell Hammett movie Ashley: I did enjoy the Thin Man movies growing up. I didn’t deliberately model Amory and Milo on the Thin Man movies, but I’ve always loved the idea of husband and wife sleuths – Nick and Nora, and I think it’s an interesting dynamic when you’re partners in life and partners in crime. So I thought it would be kind of fun to take in. The mysteries are kind of additional conflicts to the conflicts they have in their marriage. So in a way, bad things that happen in the way of murders and mysteries they encounter also brings them together, and teaches them how to communicate and work as a team. Jenny: The reviews make constant comparisons to the ‘Golden Age’ of mystery writing – the classic Agatha Christies. Have you consciously styled them on Golden Age mysteries and if so what do they have in common with the earlier stories? Ashley: Well the Golden Age mystery series has certainly been an inspiration to me. It’s kind of my favorite genre to read I guess – I’m a big fan of Agatha Christie. I grew up reading a lot of her books, so she’s kind of an inspiration to me. But I guess I like the time period, and I think what my books have in common with a lot of those is sort of what a lot of cosy mysteries have; that limited group of suspects in a certain place and an amateur sleuth is suited to solving the crime, whatever it may be. And then of course there’s also the violence off screen so to speak. I think people can relate to that “quainter” side of murder I guess. Jenny:Yes – it’s more like a puzzle to be solved. Ashley: Right. Jenny: Amory Ames is a strongly gender neutral name and you’ve said the name came to you in a dream . . . tell us about that… Did you go to bed inviting your subconscious to give you a character name or was it an entirely random experience? Ashley: It was completely random. I remember waking up, and I had had a dream about a woman named Amory Ames. I didn’t remember anything else from the dream except for the name, and I thought that would make an interesting character. So I had what I call my computer document – it was just titled “Ideas” – and anytime I have an idea for a story, whether it’s just a line or two of dialogue, a one sentence plot idea or a paragraph of a story, I’ll write it in my Ideas documents. So I just started writing a little bit of this. I wrote a couple of paragraphs, and I knew it was something I wanted to keep working on. I moved it from the “Ideas” document to a separate document, and that’s how the first book came about. Amory Ames myster #3 Jenny: What do you enjoy most about creating these stories? Ashley:There’s so many things I enjoy. I guess in the initial stage of each book, I enjoy coming up with the settings and developing the characters. I like picking where the story is going to take place. Each of the books kind of has revolved around a different theme so to speak. One is set in Paris, and they’re involved with the perfume industry. The most recent one is set around a play. So I enjoy coming up with where the mystery is going to happen, and how it is going to unfold in an interesting way. Then of course, I enjoy picking the characters and kind of finding the names that will suit them. It’s always fun for me to pick out the names of the characters. And then I really enjoy coming up with ways to keep Amory and Milo on their toes, in the mystery and in their relationship. You’ve got to balance the good moments and those little conflicts that are going to arise. I love when the mystery all comes together, because I don’t do an outline. I don’t outline, and I actually don’t even write my books in order. When I first started out, I ended up writing about 85,000 words. It was 50,000 words of completely random scenes and then I’ll fill in all the scenes and piece them all together. At about 50,000 words, I figure out who the killer is! I don’t decide ahead of time – I hope, that if I’m not sure who the killer is, then maybe the reader won’t be either. But I find that if I give everyone a little bit of a motive and kind of explore those motives, usually something will click for me and that’s a really exciting moment. Jenny: Do you use writing software – like Scrivener for that when you’re writing random scenes? Ashley:I’ll just use Word. I’ll do the 50,000 words usually and I’ll open a fresh document and start to piece it all in in order. I guess in a way, it sort of becomes a complicated outline because I’ve got all these different scenes but then I know several scenes that are going to happen, and kind of have to fill in to get to where I need to go. Jenny:So does the killer usually reveal himself after about 50,000 words? Ashley: Usually, yes. I’m trying to give everybody their motive when I’m writing, but also there needs to be kind of hidden motives. So I’m thinking about that as I go. Usually it will work for me. I think in one book, very early on I knew who the killer was going to be. But in my last book, The Act Of Villainy, I was pretty far along before I came up with a solution, and then I got really excited about how it all came together. Of course, once it’s finished I’ll go back through and make sure I don’t have any loose ends. I’ll try and tie up all the little clues I’ve left behind. Hopefully by the end, it all makes sense! The Essence of Malice – Amory Ames mystery #4 Jenny: Did you start out with a series in mind? Ashley:I did. When I wrote the very first book, I kind of knew that I wanted to explore Amory solving several mysteries.Just as a reader, I really enjoyed series. If I find one I like, it’s always exciting to know there’s more to read. I kind of thought it would be fun to follow Amory, and then of course her relationship with Milo – that kind of gets explored as the series progresses too. I had written the first book, and I had kind of left it at a little bit of a cliffhanger. The very last book was not even included when I submitted it to my agent. She read it, and she said she liked it but it needed to have a little bit more closure because readers don’t like to be left hanging. She said I could still have a series and have a little bit of unresolved issues going into the next book, as long as I don’t leave people dissatisfied. So I added the next scene, and she was right; it turned out much better. I did want a series from the beginning, so when she submitted it to editors, initially she signed it for two books and then about a month later, they came back and offered me two more. From pretty much the beginning, I knew it was going to be at least four. Jenny: The mystery genre comes second only to romance in terms of popularity and still seems to be on the rise – what is it do you think that readers enjoy about mysteries? Ashley: I think mysteries in a way are unique in terms of readers’ experiences, because readers can take part in mysteries. You don’t know who the killer is; you’re trying to solve it right along with the detective. So you’re kind of in there in a unique way that you’re participating in the story, which you can’t always do with other genres. I think also people have struggled with their own difficulties in life, so when you can take a book where you’ve got a big conflict like a murder, and then it’s like immediately resolved and justice is served. In the end, it’s satisfying to the reader. Turning to your wider career . . . Jenny:Yes, that’s a good way to describe it. You have a fulltime job as a Louisiana librarian – how do you fit your writing around your other work? Ashley:Well I’m a night owl, so I do most of my work late in the evenings. I’ll come home from work and do what I need to do for dinner and things like that, and then I’ll write in the evening. But I don’t necessarily write every day. Some days I’ll say in January for example, I’ll set a goal of 1000 words a day. So I’ll start out writing, and when I get through January I’ll have 31,000 words completed. So I kind of squeeze it in like that. A librarian kind of fits in with my career, because I have all the research at my fingertips so that’s convenient. 1930s fashion Jenny: If you were going to set up a magical mystery literary tour for Amory Ames readers, where would you suggest they go? Ashley: Well I guess in one way, you could kind of follow the progression of the books set in different locations. In the first book, they’re kind of in the South Coast of England, and then London and then the third book is in the British countryside. And then I did a short story where they’re actually in Capri, and then they went to Paris. And then the next book- that’s actually coming out next year – it’s just finished, and they’re going to New York. So I guess you can kind of go from city to city and follow them there! But I’ve also put in – especially in Paris and London- a lot of the little night clubs and restaurants and things they visit. They’re places you can still go today. Actually, I wrote the Paris book after I’d been to Paris but I hadn’t been to London yet when I wrote the second book, Death Wears a Mask. I that book, there’s a scene set at the Ritz. When I wrote that book, I got to go the Ritz so it was exciting for me to see this place where I had set a scene. I had tea there, so I was kind of taking part with Amory and Milo as well! Amory and Milo at the Ritz – one of the settings for mystery series Jenny: Some of the secondary characters as well – in An Act Of Villainy, I wondered if some of the secondary characters were actually real people from that time; if you’d used real names. I must admit I haven’t got around to Googling them and satisfying my curiosity. Do you use any secondary characters as support characters? Ashley: I haven’t, but I like the idea now that you mention it! It’s always kind of interesting to see a historical character kind of turn up in the background of a novel, so I do kind of like that idea. In An Act Of Villainy, everyone is just made up partially because usually they’re a suspect or they get murdered, so I don’t want to inflict that upon anybody real! Jenny: Is there one thing in your writing career, that you’ve done perhaps more than any other, that is the secret of your success? Ashley: I think the key for me was writing what I enjoy. When I first started out writing, I grew as a writer and I would try to emulate other styles, or I’d try to write something kind of lofty, or try to sound fancy for lack of a better word. I realized that when I was trying too hard, it came across that I was trying too hard, so I wanted to write something that I enjoyed. I think that when you enjoy your writing, the reader enjoys reading it. So what I really liked to read what these mystery novels – I had a lot of fun writing them. When I sat down and tried to write this historical cosy mystery novel, that’s kind of what really liked for me. Writing for yourself as much as writing for others is really important. Jenny: Is it another way of saying that you trusted your own voice – you found your writers voice, and trusted it? Ashley: Yes, I think so. I think that’s important. I kind of found that too as I said, I would have my ideas documented on my computer and things. If I get a random idea for a scene even now, even a scene I’m not working on- I’ll go write it for the fun of writing it. I believe that really helps to hone your style and develop as a writer, just letting the ideas come out without trying to make them sound a certain way. Jenny: Yes – and would that be without the characters, other than the ones that you’re working with? Ashley:Oh yes. There’s probably 50,000 words on this “Ideas” document; a lot of it I’ll probably never use but I just enjoy writing it. I like to write the ideas down just in case they come in handy later. Turning to Ashley as reader Jenny: The series is called “The Joys of Binge Reading” because I see it as providing inspiration for people who like to read series. So – turning to your taste in fiction – who do you “binge read?” Any recommendations for listeners? Ashley: Well my classic, go to comfort reads are Agatha Christie. I always love Georgette Heyer’s books – I find that she has snappy dialogue and such spot on descriptions of the expressions people use, and their tone of voice when they say things. I just really enjoy her books. LIane Moriarty a favorite In mystery, I really enjoy Deanna Raybourn and Tasha Alexander, and Anna Lee Huber. I actually belong to a mystery writers group called Sleuths In Time, composed of all authors who write historical mystery series. So I enjoy all of their books. I’ve been enjoying Liane Moriarty – I know she’s had the Big Little Lies series – just all the books that I have read of hers have made me laugh out loud and cry! All of her books are really good at evoking emotions. And then more on the Thriller side – I enjoy the Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child Pendergast series. Circling back to the beginning at the end Jenny: At this stage in your career, if you were doing it all again, what would you change – if anything? Ashley:I’m not really sure if I would change anything! I’ve really enjoyed the process and the path I’ve tale to get to where I am. I’ve been so blessed and grateful to have supportive family, friends and of course readers. It’s been pretty good. Jenny: What is next for Ashley the writer? What are you working on, and new projects? Ashley: Well I just finished as I mentioned earlier, the books set in New York. That’s going to be coming out in September. It’s called a Dangerous Engagement. Then I’ll be starting Amory Ames # 7- that’s the one I’ll be writing 1000 words a day on in January. So there will be more Milo adventures to come! Jenny: Great. Have you ever thought about doing something completely different, like for example contemporary? Ashley:I’ve thought about it – I’ve dabbled in a few things. It’s usually when I get ideas I’m really inspired about- they’re set in a historical time period, just because that’s what enjoys me most as a reader so that’s what draws me. But I’ve dabbled around with a few ideas, and I’ve got a few things on the back burner so I guess you never know. Jenny: With your incredibly full life, how do you discipline yourself to switch off? What is your favourite way to relax and unwind? Ashley: Well of course I mentioned reading a wide variety of things, and I spend a lot of time with my family – I have a little two year old niece, so I spend a lot of time with her and we have a lot of fun. I enjoy my time travelling. I work full time at the library, but they’re great at giving me vacation time and all that. So I enjoy travelling – early this month, I went for a week to Paris so that was really fun. Jenny:Did you do any research in New York for the book that is coming out this year? Ashley:I actually did go to New York at the beginning of this year, when I was in the process of writing the book. I feel like that gave me a lot of inspiration. It wasn’t specific things I was researching or anything like that- I definitely got a taste for the city and a vibe that helped me when I was writing it. Jenny: Do you enjoy interacting with readers and where can they find you online? Ashley: I absolutely love hearing from readers. I’m on Facebook at facebook.com/authorashleyweaver, and then I’m on Twitter @ashleycweaver. My website is www.ashley-weaver.com, so they can find me there. I haven’t done a lot of book clubs, but I’m interested in doing book clubs. I’ve done a few things actually – a local book club probably about 30 miles away messaged me saying they were reading my book, and would I be interested in attending their book club. So I got to do that – that was a lot of fun. So yes, I love to hear from readers and do a lot of interacting with them. Jenny:Where in Louisiana are you actually? Ashley: I’m in Oakdale, Louisiana which is kind of right in the middle. So it’s a smaller area here – I’m about probably two hours from Baton Rouge, and maybe about three hours from New Orleans. Jenny:So you have the pleasure of having a rather quiet community? Ashley:Yes. It’s pretty quiet and low-key. Jenny: Look it’s been wonderful talking Ashley, thank you so much for your time. We’ll be looking for coming books with absolute interest. Ashley:Thank you, thank you for having me. It’s been an absolute pleasure. Thanks To Our Technical Support: The Joys of Binge Reading podcast is put together with wonderful technical help from Dan Cotton at DC Audio Services. Dan is an experienced sound and video engineer who’s ready and available to help you with your next project… Seek him out at [email protected] or Phone + 64 – 21979539. He’s fast, takes pride in getting it right, and lovely to work with. Our voice overs are done by Abe Raffills, and Abe’s another gem. He got 20 years of experience on both sides of the camera/microphone as a cameraman/director and also voice artist and television presenter. Abe’s vocal delivery is both light hearted and warm and he is super easy to work with no matter the job. You’ll find him at [email protected]

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