Author Talk: October 16, 2014
Tasha Alexander is the author of the Lady Emily novels, a historical mystery series that most recently includes THE COUNTERFEIT HEIRESS. This ninth book finds Lady Emily embroiled in the murder investigation of one of the guests of a grand masquerade ball, Estella Lamar, a sometime actress trying to pass herself off as the mysterious heiress and world traveler. In this interview, Alexander talks about how much fun the book was to write, and why she chose to set the story in London and Paris. She also discusses the collection of photographs from a 19th-century masquerade ball that inspired her latest work, and how she has allowed Lady Emily to (slowly and believably) grow up over the course of the series.
Question: You have two intriguing story lines going here: a missing heiress, Estella Lamar, and the murdered heiress's imposter. The question is: Was the murderer after the heiress or the imposter? Was this fun to write?
Tasha Alexander: I can’t answer that without giving away the story! This book was immensely fun to write. London and Paris are two of my favorite cities in the world, and Estella, whose character was inspired by an obituary for Huguette Clark, the copper heiress who died in New York in 2011, kept me on my toes. She is unlike any other character I’ve previously written about.
Q: Your chapters alternate between Lady Emily and Colin investigating the murder, and Estella not only disappearing, but also coping with her dilemma. Does this format appear to keep readers totally involved and on edge?
TA: I can’t speak for others, but when I read, I love books with alternating points of view. Writing in first person can be limiting, but I’ve always loved the challenge of it. Getting another perspective from another character adds a dimension that I find extremely satisfying.
Q: This story was inspired by some research during your second Lady Emily book, A POISONED SEASON. Can you elaborate on that?
TA: As I was doing research for A POISONED SEASON, I came across a collection of photographs taken at a masquerade ball held by the Duchess of Devonshire in honor of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. The duchess’s guests hired the best couturiers in the world to design elaborate costumes, and the results were spectacular. I would have loved to include the event in the book, but A POISONED SEASON was set in 1891. So I had to wait. When I started work on THE COUNTERFEIT HEIRESS, I had decided the novel had to open at a fancy dress party, so I once again dug out the Lafayette Studio pictures, at which point I realized that the timing was perfect this time --- I had already chosen July 1897 as the start of the book.
Q: This is the ninth book in the Lady Emily mystery and suspense series. As the creator, what is the biggest change you bring to this character from book one to book nine?
TA: I wouldn’t say there is one big change. Instead, I have tried to let Emily grow in a measured and reasonable fashion over the course of the series, always keeping in mind that she is not meant to be a 21st-century girl. A large part of what I had hoped to do with these books was explore how a young, coddled society girl could morph into an educated, savvy woman with a keen sense of social justice. As Emily’s world has expanded, so has she. She may be less impetuous now --- or at least more aware of her tendency to be impetuous --- but she is the same Emily.
Q: You are a writer family. Your book and your husband Andrew Grant's new thriller, RUN, come out a week apart in October. That's a rare “book release” occurrence. What will October be like around your house?
TA: I am confident there will be a great deal of champagne…
