A Q and A with M.C. Beaton - and Agatha Raisin joins the lineup at KCET television!

On Thursday, March 2 at 10 p.m. PT, KCET, the nation's largest independent public television station, will begin airing quirky British mystery show Agatha Raisin starring Ashley Jensen ("Extras, The Lobster, Ugly Betty"). (Agatha Raisin will also be available for streaming episodes 14 days after the original telecast.) Join the conversation on social media using #AgathaRaisin

The show is based on the novels of the same name, written by New York Times Best Selling Author M.C. Beaton. In addition to the Agatha Raisin series, Beaton has published several romance, stand-alone mysteries and crime novels including the Hamish Macbeth series and Edwardian Murder Mysteries. I was lucky enough to have M.C. Beaton answer a few questions for me - see those below.

"In the television show series opener, the prickly but likeable London-based public relations executive finds herself burnt out on office politics and jumps at the change to retire early to a picturesque village in the Cotswold's. But she soon finds a second career as an amateur detective investigating mischief, mayhem and murder in her new deceptively quaint town, when Agatha's entry in a quiche-baking contest kills the judge."

What was the impetus for creating Agatha - is she based on anyone you know? A bit of yourself? And where did her name spring from?

"My editor at St. Martin’s Press. Hope Dellon, wanted a Cotswold detective story and so Agatha Raisin was born.  Agatha – I was thinking of P.G.Wodehouse’s formidable Aunt Agatha and Raisin for wrinkles. A bit of myself, yes. But I really wanted an anti-heroine, someone like Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair that you might not like but would like to win through in the end."

How much of the settings and characters of the Raisin series are based on your own experience living in the Cotswolds?

"All the settings are based on my love of the Cotswolds but the characters all come from my imagination."

Now, I admit, I have a favourite character - but do you enjoy writing one series more than the other?

"I don’t enjoy writing one series more than the other.  When I’m with Hamish, I forget Agatha and the other way around."

Are you excited to see Agatha come to television? Have you been on set as a consultant or observer? Have you met Ashley Jensen? Does she fit your image of what Agatha should be?

"The reason I was pleased that Agatha was televised was because the film company handling it was Mammoth Television, responsible for Endeavour, Miss Marple, Hornblower and so on. I was invited to all the read throughs. Ashley Jensen does not look like Agatha in the books but she plays the character perfectly.  She is not only a brilliant actress but a very warm-hearted woman."

Where do your ideas spring from? When and where do you do your writing? You've written scores of books - any plans to slow down?

"If you write as much as I have, you develop a sort of muscle in the brain which is always writing something and if I stop writing, discomfort sets in.  I plan to slow down after the next five years or so." You can connect with M.C. Beaton on her website and like her on Facebook.

I'm looking forward to watching the Agatha Raisin series  - don't forget, tune in time is Thursday, March 2 at 10 p.m. PT on KCET.

Q&A with Eleanor Brown - The Weird Sisters

I am thrilled to have Eleanor Brown, author of The Weird Sisters stopping by today for some Q and A!  This debut novel is garnering lots of press - it was a five star read for me.

Have you always aspired to be a novelist? If you weren't writing what would be your chosen path in life?

I haven't always wanted to be a novelist, but I have pretty much always wanted to be a writer. I grew up in a family that prized reading, and to me writing is just being a part of that conversation. I'm so lucky to have been able to make that part of my life on a large scale.

For a living? Wow. I suppose I'd still be doing something with reading - being a bookseller or a librarian. Occasionally, though, I do get these wild hairs to do something completely different, like become a manicurist or open a cheese shop. That kind of fantasy is good for the soul, I think.

I'm sure you have been asked this in every interview so far, but please indulge me! Where did the idea for The Weird Sisters spring from? Why Shakespeare?

Writing a novel, at least for me, isn't about a single inspiration. It's like (and forgive the cliche) rolling a snowball down a hill. So I started off with wanting to write a story about three very different sisters that explored the idea of birth order, and then other ideas started attaching themselves to that core - what it means to be an adult, whether redemption is possible, what to do when you are asked to do the thing you think you cannot, and eventually I had a novel.

As for Shakespeare, I can't remember where exactly in the snowball that came, but I was thinking about my characters' names and the way our names shape who we are. And then I wanted to write about the way families communicate, and I thought about how this very literary-minded family might speak in the words of authors. And voila, Shakespeare!

And how did you choose the quotes you used?

The quotes came in a mixture of ways. When i was doing the initial research, I made a list of great lines I came across, or ones I thought might relate to topics in the novel. And some of those I used, but more often than not I'd hit a point in a scene where I'd need a quote and didn't have quite the right one, so I'd go scrambling back to my Complete Works and scour until I had something workable.


It was extra tricky because part of the point of their communicating in these quotes is that they are completely out of context, so I couldn't search topically, I had to go more by the right words that could be taken out of context. I also made a point to avoid many of the most commonly quoted lines, so I couldn't fall back on "Out, damned spot!" every time I needed something.

I see that you are the youngest of three sisters. Did you draw upon any of your own experiences in writing The Weird Sisters? What do your sisters think of the novel?


If I hadn't grown up in a family of three sisters who happened to fall fairly strictly into the birth order stereotypes, I don't think I would have been interested in writing this particular story. But the Andreas family are all their own, and they don't bear much resemblance to my family at all.

I'm fortunate that I've heard nothing but supportive things from my family. My parents still live near Washington, D.C., where I grew up, and when The Weird Sisters hit a local bestseller list, I joked that it was because my parents had bought all the copies in the area.

The books lying about, the fantastic idea that a library card can solve anything ( I work in a public library!) all speak of someone who loves books. Was/is this true of your home? Any authors that have influenced you? What do you enjoy reading?

Oh, book lovers and librarians are my very favorite people! My parents really taught me to love books and reading - taking me to the library every week, giving me books as gifts, talking to me about literature and writing and reading to me. Like the Andreas family, I will read just about anything in a pinch, but I will stop traffic to get to a new book by Alice Hoffman, Pat Conroy, Stephen King, or Maeve Binchy. I love each of them for different reasons, but I just can't put their books down.

Are you surprised by the reception that The Weird Sisters has enjoyed?


I think shocked is more like it! As a writer, you live so much in your own head that it's kind of startling when people you don't know start talking to you about something you created. I kept my expectations modest, so everything feels like a wonderful surprise.


But what's underlying the shock is gratitude and happiness - I'm so grateful to the readers who enjoy the book and tell other people about it. And I'm happy that the book I wrote as an attempt to understand some things in my life is speaking to other people as well. It's just amazing.

I'm really looking forward to your next book - can you tell us anything about it?

Wow, thank you! I am totally superstitious about talking about works in progress, but I have been doing a lot of thinking about love and marriage and divorce. We'll just have to see where that takes us!

Eleanor, thank you so much for taking the time to stop by!

Thank you so much for inviting me to visit, and thank you even more for the gorgeous review of The Weird Sisters you posted. I'm unbelievably touched.

Interview AND Giveaway with Jill Mansell!!

I am so excited to welcome Jill Mansell to A Bookworm's World for an interview! She was kind enough to answer my many questions! Her latest North American release Miranda's Big Mistake has just landed on bookstore shelves. (My review)


Luanne: I'm thrilled that Sourcebooks is releasing your titles in North America! With twenty titles, is there one that is your personal favourite or that holds a special place for a reason?
Jill: Hi Luanne, I’m thrilled too! I love all my books of course, but I have to confess I do have an extra-soft spot for Big Mistake, and I’m not just saying that because it’s the one just coming out. The scenes outside Wimbledon tennis tournament are my favourite. I’ve never camped outside there on the pavement, but never say never. Who knows, I may get to give it a go this year!

Luanne: I've heard about the Harley Davidson pen (not sure if everyone has!) - but are there other routines you follow when writing? Same time? Same place? Or can you write anywhere?
Jill: I only really write in two places – in my bedroom, in bed, with a great view over the sports fields behind our house (Lovely sportsmen…). Or downstairs in our living room, with the TV on and lots of snacks to keep me going. I’ve just discovered the Ellen de Generes show and watch it every afternoon on cable while I’m working. I still write by hand, with my gorgeous H-D fountain pen, and my seventeen year old daughter types up my work for me, in between studying for her school exams.

Luanne: How do you plan your novels? Do you map out the entire plot at the beginning or does the book evolve as it progresses?
Jill:A bit of each. I’ll start off with one plot idea, then basically keep adding to it as the characters come to life and start doing things for themselves. I usually know what’s going to happen in the next twenty or thirty pages- after that it all gets a bit of a blur, although we do of course know that there will eventually be happy endings for those who deserve them!

Luanne: Your characters and plots are warm, witty and very funny. Where do you get your ideas/inspirations? Are any of the situations drawn from your life or those close to you?
Jill: My daughter tells me that my characters sound exactly like me and say the things I say – she finds it quite surreal! Some situations are made up, but others come from my own experiences, such as the paintballing scenario in the book. Do you have paintballing in the States? It was something I’d never done before and it left a big impression on me, so it would have been a big shame not to use it.

Luanne: What was the inspiration for Miranda's Big Mistake?
Jill: I think hair salons are fab places to spend time. The secrets! The gossip! The things people say that they wouldn’t say anywhere else! If it wasn’t for all those things, I’d never go – I’d just stay home and cut my hair myself!

Luanne: Can you give us a sneak peek into you're working on now?
Jill: I’ve just finished my next book, which is about a female limo driver and a gorgeous male sculptor who creates larger than life wire sculptures. And as it’s my birthday soon, I’ve commissioned a wire-sculptor to create me a piece for our garden! America-wise, my next book to be released is called Millie’s Fling. It’s set in Cornwall and features a best-selling author with a catastrophic love-life and a roller-skating Gorilla-gram…

Luanne: I would love to visit Great Britain some day. I'm a Canadian - have you ever been to Canada? Or any plans to come on a book tour?
Jill: I’ve never been to Canada, but would love to. It’s always a possibility, depending on how well my books sell.

Luanne: Many, many Canadians are die hard Corrie fans. (It's on 6 days a week on the CBC) What's your favourite television program? Or do you watch at all?
Jill: I watch heaps of TV and I love Corrie – I had no idea it was popular over there too! I also love ER, Oprah, America’s Got Talent and American Idol…if it moves, I’ll watch it!

Luanne: Any encouraging words for aspiring authors?
Jill: Never give up – it seems like such a cliché but it’s so true. I nearly gave up after my first book was rejected by agents. I’m so glad I didn’t. Also, write about characters you care about. Try and end each chapter with a bit of a cliffhanger. Oh yes, and never give up…

Luanne: What do you do to relax and have fun? Hobbies?
Jill: Eating out at nice restaurants is one of my favourite things. And shopping. And reading, of course.

Luanne: What's on your nightstand? (We're talking books here...)
Jill: Sarah Addison Allen’s Sugar Queen – I bought it yesterday and will start it tonight. Loved Garden Spells. I just finished Adriana Trigiani’s Very Valentine – good, but I preferred the Big Stone gap trilogy. There are so many Americanisms in VV that sometimes it’s hard to understand the story.

Luanne: I'm a nibbler when I'm blogging. What do you munch on for snacks?
Jill:Fruit gums. Crisps. (That’s potato chips.) Dried pineapple and mango. Fruit sticks. Coffee. Cheerios, straight from the packet.

Luanne: Do you have input into the cover art?
Jill: No, I leave that to the experts. I love my covers to bits.

Luanne: And this is a question that I'm hoping there is a short negative answer to - you have no plans to stop writing, do you!?
Jill: Never never never!

Luanne: Thanks so very much for stopping by! Can't wait to read Millie's Fling and find out what that gorilla-gram is all about!
Jill: Thanks Luanne. You have a great blog. I’m so happy you like my books. Love Jill x

And courtesy of Sourcebooks I have a copy of Jill Mansell's Miranda's Big Mistake to giveaway to one lucky reader! Leave a comment to be entered. Open to both US and Canada. Ends Thursday, June 25 at 6 pm EST.