Today we welcome Holly Newman to the blog to answer a few questions in honor of the release of Murder of a Dead Man, the fourth book in her series, A CHANCE INQUIRY.

Welcome! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what got you into writing?

I don’t recall a time I wasn’t fascinated with books. Once I learned to read and write, if I didn’t have a new book to read, I started scribbling my own stories. We moved several times during my elementary school years, and making new friends was not always the easiest thing to do. Reading and writing became my solace.

Are there any books that have really influenced you as a writer?

Two, a non-fiction and a fiction.

The non-fiction is Getting the Words Right: How to Revise, Edit and Rewrite by Theodore A. Rees Cheney, particularly Chapter One: Revision by Reduction. It is only thirty-four pages long. It would be great reprinted as a pamphlet for writers.

The second is an old cold war romantic suspense that I think was written in the 1970’s, Message from Absalom by Anne Armstrong Thompson. The author does a superb job of creating sexual tension between the protagonist, an American tourist in Bulgaria, and the antagonist, a KGB agent, stalking her. When I read the book, a writer lightbulb went on in my mind. I wanted to be able to create tension like that.

What do you enjoy most about writing Historical Mysteries and what do you enjoy the least?

I enjoy the tidbits of research I do on murder weapons and forensics. What I enjoy least is determining who did it and why. I always seem to have multiple possibilities by the time I’m three-quarters through the book. I could write multiple endings, but I don’t want to do that, I want the best ending for my readers.

What inspired this series in particular?

Human Trafficking. They say prostitution is the oldest profession. I believe human trafficking is right up with that. I remember news of a human trafficking ring broken-up was on TV and I got to wonder about human trafficking in the regency. That was the inspiration for *The Waylaid Heart.*

How do you find the right balance between the mystery and romance elements in this series?

That is hard, and I admit I don’t always get it right. But Lady Cecilia and Sir James are the epitome of opposites attract. Sir James, a man known to be reserved and phlegmatic, adores Cecilia and says she is his life’s adventure.

What is your favorite part about the relationship between Lady Cecilia and Sir James?

Their banter and how they seem to know what the other is thinking.

Who is your favorite character from Murder of a Dead Man?

Liddy Wingate, an eight to ten-year-old child with a port-wine stain across her face.

What are some books you are enjoying reading right now? Do you have any recommendations?

Lately I’ve been enjoying books with a smattering of magic or fantasy in them.  Like the recent books released by Jennifer Chance (Captured) and Rita Boucher (A Touch of Magic). Similar to the issue of the with mysteries and romance balance, sometimes it is hard to strike the right balance with fantasy and romance where one aspect doesn’t overwhelm the other.  The challenge is knocking around in my mind.

Holly Newman is a pseudonym for Holly Thompson. She lives in Florida seven miles from the Gulf Coast with Ken and their six cats. Holly decided to be a writer when she was in the fifth grade and filled notebooks with stories—until a mean-spirited high school teacher told her she had no talent for writing. Crushed, for several years she stopped writing, but the writing bug didn’t go away. Her first book won first place in the University of Texas at Dallas fiction writing competition and was first runner-up for the Rita award from Romance Writers of America.

Holly’s interest in the Regency period came while in high school and she volunteered to re-shelve returned books at the community library. Every week there were Georgette Heyer novels to be shelved. Curious, she checked one out and became immersed in the world of the regency.

Fast forward ten years. When attending Science Fiction Conventions she met people who read science fiction; but also enjoyed the works of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, just as she did. They liked these books so much that they wore regency costumes at the science fiction convention. They even had regency era dancing on the convention program. These Science Fiction readers and writers knew a lot about the regency era. Intrigued, Holly did research on the era and quickly went from being a casual regency reader to a regency history buff. After that, with encouragement from science fiction authors, it was just a small step to writing regencies.