Behind the Book: A CURTAIN TWITCHER’S BOOK OF MURDER by Gay Marris

What is your story about and where did you get the inspiration to write it from?

A Curtain Twitcher’s Book of Murder is set in the 1960s, on a respectable residential road in south west London. Chapter by chapter, it moves from house to house, laying bare the occupants’ private lives, providing a ring-side view of grisly murders, tragic suicides, strange disappearances, and an exorcism. While the reader learns every detail of the darkly humorous, sad, and sometimes incidental reasons why people hurt each other, characters in the book remain oblivious. I’m fascinated by the minutiae of human conduct – what makes us tick – and the rules that govern social propriety, particularly in domestic settings. This novel exaggerates the premise, ‘Good neighbours keep themselves to themselves.’ No matter if mayhem and murders happen to pass, unseen, beneath our noses, as long as the front gardens are tidy, all’s right with the world. I myself grew up at a similar time, in the sleepy suburbs of Middlesex. Back then, the local high street had a saddlers, a seed merchant, and a fishmongers. No coffee shops, but more than one place to buy a galvanised bucket… or indeed, net curtains. Atbara Avenue, where my fictional action takes place, is inspired by these childhood stomping grounds.

How close was the experience of being published to what you expected? Were there any big surprises?

 Honestly, I’d really no idea what was coming. During my career as a research scientist, I wrote lots of papers for peer-reviewed journals, articles for magazines, and content for textbooks, so I thought I was prepared. Complacent old me! I’ve since found the publication journey for fictional work is quite different. In my previous incarnation, though readership varied according to content, I was always disseminating facts. Satisfying, but not much emotional investment required. When it came to A Curtain Twitcher’s Book of Murder, from the get-go I had a sense that I was setting free a precious creation and trusting others to ‘take it from here’. This stirred proud-nervous feelings, like those I experienced when I left my children at nursery for the first time. More intense than I expected, but they soon passed. Bedford Square Publishers have been wonderful. I didn’t realise just how many talented people work behind the scenes to make a novel ready-for-shelf. I’ve been blown away by their attention to detail during the copy-editing process. Equally, the degree of thought that went into the cover design (which I love), the energy invested in marketing and publicity – not things I’d even considered when I started – all amazing, and quite humbling. I couldn’t be more grateful.

What was the most important piece of advice you received while collaborating with Cornerstones?

 I got lots of great advice from Cornerstones. I think the piece that’s stuck with me the most was about listening to critique, especially when one’s invited it in the first place. I’ve learned to be grateful for all feedback. Negative comments, as long as they come from a constructive place, are far and away more helpful than flattery. It takes a true friend to tell you, ‘That sentence makes no sense at all’.

What stage in your writing career are you at now? Are you working on anything new?

 A Curtain twitcher’s Book of Murder is published in June 2024. At the moment, I’m playing my part in the publicity events around its launch, including signings, ‘evenings with’, and radio interviews. These are new and exciting challenges for me, and the learning curve is getting steeper! In terms of writing, I try to sit down and produce at least some words every day. Even if these are unpolished, I believe it’s vital to maintain momentum. I’ve completed a first draft of a sequel, and am working hard on a new cosy-crime project, too. The latter differs from the Curtain Twitcher books in that it has a single protagonist – a female amateur sleuth with a dogged character who, like me, has a zoological background. It follows one ‘whodunnit’ story arc, rather than episodic chapters, so, hopefully, readers will be scratching their heads till the classic denouement.

If you could go back and talk to yourself just before you started writing your first manuscript, what would you say to yourself?

 This is a great question. I’d sit myself down for a serious chat, the tone of which would be somewhere between a tough reality check and a pep talk: Brace yourself for the long haul. There’s going to be disappointments and setbacks along the way, so get good at dusting yourself off and regrouping. Keep the faith. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. Stay focussed on becoming a published author and, whatever happens, don’t stop writing. These are things I still tell myself, daily. In short, to quote Henry Ford: ‘Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way you are right.’