This week’s interview is with Lynne Milford (writing as LM Milford). She’s a former newspaper journalist who writes the Allensbury mysteries, covering the exploits of local newspaper reporter Dan Sullivan.
You’ve probably seen her on the group (most recently as the author of the last article published on CrimeFictionAddict.com and before that on our 2023 Advent Calendar). As ever she’s picked 10 questions to answer from Susan Hunter‘s list of 30. Here’s what she has to say…
What is your favourite childhood book?
I would have to say Five Run Away Together by Enid Blyton. It has everything you need in an adventure story and it really appealed to me as a scenario I’d love to have been in. I think it was the first Famous Five I ever read – my mam had an ancient battered hardback version from when she was a child – and I loved it.
Who are your favourite writers?
Agatha Christie is my number one. I just love how she weaves a story and keeps you guessing until the end. I’m also a big fan of Jane Austen. She’s not a crime writer, obviously, but I just love her style and her slightly bitchy sense of humour. And, of course, I’d love to be Elizabeth Benet in Pride and Prejudice. She’s so sparky and intelligent at a time when women weren’t really supposed to be.
What made you decide to sit down and start something?
I was working as a journalist and I was covering a council meeting one evening. While we were taking a break, a group of councillors and officers stood near me, talking quietly. I picked up my pen to mark up my notes for what story I was going to write and they stopped talking and moved away very quickly. Dum dum duuuuum. What was going on there? Probably nothing exciting, but that was when my first book, A Deadly Rejection was born – what did they think I’d overheard and how would they stop me printing the story? I’d been talking about writing a book probably most of my life and when I mentioned it to a fellow reporter he said ‘Well, just do it then.’ And the rest is history.
Do you work to an outline or plot or do you prefer to see where an idea takes you?
I’m a little on the fence here because I’ve tried plotting and outlining and I’ve tried flying by the seat of my pants, and to be frank, neither has suited my creative process. On my latest book, I’ve written an outline and planned with some scene cards, but I’m already starting to shift things around so I guess I’m somewhere in between – James Scott Bell describes it as a ‘tweener’, which sounds right to me. Because I work full-time as well a writing, I’m a very slow writer and my books are usually one to two years apart. I want to speed this up, so who knows, I might find a way that works!
What are you working on at the present?
The Allensbury Mysteries book 5 is my latest project. It doesn’t have a confirmed title yet – I have a working title which is under wraps at the moment – but I’m really enjoying writing it. As ever, it has two strands – police vs investigative reporters – but there’s an additional complication for the team with a cold case to solve alongside a modern murder.
What kind of research do you do? How long do you spend on research before starting your books?
Usually I do my research after I’ve written the book. It sounds completely backwards, but bear with me. The benefit of doing it this way is that I already know what I need to know. It’s really useful to do it that way round, so you don’t disappear down the rabbit hole of learning everything about a subject and not getting around to writing the actual book. Even more importantly, it reduces the risk of doing an ‘info dump’. Research has to be woven into a story, rather than deposited in huge chunks that slow down your story. Tell your readers only what they absolutely need to know at that point and they’ll thank you in the long run. They’re far more interested in the story than in finding out everything you learned through your research.
What is the hardest thing about writing a book?
Ooof, that’s a very good question! It’s probably getting your bottom into the chair and getting started. The blank page can be so intimidating. I usually get around that by writing some bits and pieces on my phone or in a notebook so that I’m then copying and pasting or typing up and then it’ll just flow from there. I think having an outline helps, as does knowing what scene you’ll be working on next. I find that if I do that, my brain will start to write it before I even get to pen and paper or computer screen and then it can all flow out.
What is the easiest thing about writing a book?
For me, coming up with the ideas is the easiest part. Of course, some of them will be completely crazy and unworkable, but it’s important to keep the ideas pot fresh. Taking a scenario or a person and then saying ‘what if x happens’ is my favourite way to do it.
What are you promoting at the moment?
If this is before Christmas, then the Allensbury seasonal special, A Killer Christmas, will be at the top of the agenda. The story came from me saying to myself: ‘What if the Santa’s grotto curtains open and things aren’t as they should be?’.
So, here’s how I’d describe it: It’s Christmas in Allensbury and the festivities are to die for. When a body is found in Santa’s grotto, crime reporter Emma Fletcher is on the case. When the authorities can’t identify the body, she’s determined to solve the murder. Even risking her own life to find the truth.
At the same time, I’ll be promoting A Deadly Portrayal, the fourth in the series which launched in ebook in October and reached the top 20 in the Amazon top 20 in the private investigator hot new releases. The paperback is also coming soon – I’m experimenting with a staggered launch, so we’ll see how that goes. Our intrepid journalists, Dan and Emma, are dragged into the competitive world of the theatre where blackmail, betrayal and murder are on the programme! I’ve had great feedback from readers, particularly the ending which has led to cries of ‘Oh no, you didn’t!’. If you want to know why, you’ll have to get a copy.
How can readers discover more about you and your work?
You can catch up with me on social media, I’m in all the usual places as @lmmilford
I also have my website, which is lmmilford.com – I’m not as active on there as I’d like to be, but can sign up to my newsletter through my website.
My books are on all platforms in ebook and paperback. The first three have an audio version at the moment, but A Deadly Portrayal doesn’t as yet.