Maddison Michael’s Jack of Hearts releases tomorrow, and she was kind enough to answer some questions for us.
You can get your copy of this exciting start to a new mystery series HERE!
Did you always know you wanted to be an author? What is the first story you remember writing? How did you get from there to where you are today?
The first story I really remember writing was when I was eleven years old and growing up in Western Australia. My teacher told our class about a story-writing competition and it was honestly like a lightbulb went off in my head. I already adored reading, and suddenly I thought, I want to do that. I want to write a story.
So I did, and I ended up coming second in the whole state of Western Australia. Looking back, I think that was the moment the spark for wanting to be a writer really began.
Then by the time I was eighteen, I knew writing was ultimately the career I wanted to have. I was an absolutely avid reader. I was one of those people who would stay awake until three or four in the morning because I simply couldn’t put a book down. There was something magical about disappearing completely into another world, and I knew I wanted to create that experience for other people too.
The manuscript that eventually became my debut novel, The Devilish Duke, actually began life under the working title The Rake’s Rules. The story evolved enormously over the years, as did I as a writer, but it eventually became the book that earned me my first publishing contract.
It was a long journey between that eleven-year-old entering her first writing competition and becoming a published author, but in many ways I think I’ve been following that same spark ever since.
What is the most inspiring place you’ve visited and has it shown up in one of your books?
This is such a difficult question because I adore travelling and almost everywhere I visit inspires me in some way. But one of the most memorable places would have to be Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, England, the historic home of the Devonshire family.
For a historical author, walking through somewhere like Chatsworth is an absolute dream. It was used as Pemberley, Mr Darcy’s home, in the 2005 film adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, so there was already that wonderful literary connection for me, and honestly it was sooo amazing to be there!! The architecture is magnificent, and then you step outside into these extraordinary gardens and grounds. My family and I spent hours wandering around and soaking it all in, and being physically surrounded by that history gave me such a sense of scale, atmosphere and detail that’s very difficult to get from a photograph alone.
How much research do you do into the time period and places you write about? Do you have any experience dressing in character or participating in living history situations, or are you more a fan of libraries and online resources?
I do a lot of research, and these days the internet is an incredible resource, particularly when you know what you’re looking for. But I also have a large collection of reference books that I return to constantly.
One thing I particularly love is sourcing books and other written material from the actual period I’m writing about. There’s something very different about seeing how people at the time described their own world rather than only reading a modern interpretation of it. Old newspapers are fantastic for that as well. They give you wonderful little details about what people were talking about, worrying about and experiencing at the time.
I particularly loved researching The Jack of Hearts – and the magic that was instrumental to the story, which I found so fascinating. Through Project Gutenberg I was able to access old books and manuals on stage magic and illusion, and from doing this I based all of the murders in the novel around genuine stage illusions from the period. Obviously, in the real performances nobody was actually murdered, but when I began reading about how some of these wonderfully macabre illusions worked, my crime-writer brain immediately thought, Oh my gosh, these are perfect to use for the killer.
So I took these genuine theatrical illusions and asked what would happen if a killer removed the illusion and made the danger horrifyingly real.
That is one of my favourite parts of historical research. You find something completely authentic to the period and suddenly it opens up a door into the story.
What drew you to the era you write in? Is there something about the time period you think most people don’t know about? What do you think would be the most difficult part about living in that period?
I write in the Victorian period, and I absolutely love it because it was such an extraordinary time of change.
Obviously, the clothes are fabulous, which is a wonderful bonus when you’re writing historical fiction! But beyond that, I’m fascinated by how much society, technology and the position of women in that specific time period were beginning to shift.
I think people sometimes view the nineteenth century through the lens of the Regency period and from that assume that all historical periods meant women simply had no freedom or space to move whatsoever. Which isn’t correct for the Victorian era – now don’t get me wrong, there were certainly enormous restrictions and inequalities in Victorian society, but particularly as the century progressed, there was also change taking place. Women’s rights movements were gaining traction, social expectations were being challenged, and new inventions and technologies were transforming everyday life.
As an author, that gives me so many more tools to play with. I love discovering something that sounds surprisingly modern and then realising that, yes, it genuinely existed at the time. I can give it to a character knowing it belongs in that world.
As for actually living there, I think the hygiene and sanitation would probably be the hardest adjustment for me! Things were certainly improving by the later Victorian period, but I’m very attached to modern plumbing.
What are your favourite kind of characters to write? Do you have a specific trope that you’re drawn to?
I love writing strong heroines, particularly women who challenge the conventions and expectations of the world around them (which pretty much all of my heroines do)!
I’m probably less drawn to one specific romance trope than I am to characters who have strength, intelligence and something worth fighting for. My background in policing and my own love of suspense and thrillers also mean I inevitably gravitate towards mystery, danger and investigation.
That has become even more pronounced with The Jack of Hearts. This new series is completely about mystery and suspense rather than romance, so the murders and the investigation sit at the heart of the story.
I’ve really loved being able to really immerse myself in that side of the storytelling. A huge part of my former career in policing was about seeking justice, and there’s something deeply satisfying about writing characters who are trying to do exactly that. They have to uncover the truth, follow the evidence and ultimately bring somebody to justice.
Where is your favourite place to write? Does it change depending on where you are in the process?
I write best in my dedicated writing space. I like having everything organised and at my finger tips so that when I sit down, my brain knows this is where the work happens.
I have my notes, my research, my computer and my music if I need it, and everything is set up in a way that works for me. I definitely function better when my writing environment feels ordered rather than chaotic.
That becomes especially useful when I’m deep inside a complicated mystery and have clues, character motivations and plot threads that all need to connect.
Which comes first for you: the plot or the characters?
For me, they’re very closely connected, because I can’t plot the story properly until I understand what is motivating the characters.
I need to know their backstory, what’s driving them, what they want and why they’re making the choices they make. The same is true for the antagonist too. I need to understand why that person is doing what they’re doing (which is often unfathomable) and how their actions make sense from their own perspective.
Once I understand those motivations, I can start building the plot around them so that everything connects logically.
Do you know where the story is going before you begin, or does it come to you as you write? Do scenes come to you fully formed or are you as surprised as the reader?
I love plotting. Absolutely love it.
For a mystery in particular, I need to know where the story is going because there are so many moving parts that have to work together. I need to understand the crime, the antagonist’s motivation, what my protagonists are going to discover and when they’re going to discover it.
Then there are the clues and red herrings, which I have to layer in on purpose but with finesse, so the reader doesn’t guess the villains identity straight away!! And doing this is probably one of the most fun things for me as an author. I want to place information in front of the reader that they might initially gloss over or interpret one way, but when the truth is finally revealed they can look back and think, Oh! Of course. It was there all along.
I love creating that moment where everything suddenly clicks into place.
So while the writing itself can always bring its own energy, I like having the architecture of the mystery worked out because I need all those clues, motivations and revelations to make sense when the reader reaches the end.
Does your writing process include any kind of ritual? Story-specific playlists, tea, or candles, for example?
Music is probably my biggest writing ritual.
I create a playlist of songs that speak to me in some way about the story or the characters. When I’m plotting, I’ll play those songs over and over until they become associated with the world of that particular book in my mind.
Then when I move into writing, I can put that music on again and it takes me straight back into the emotional mindset of the story.
It becomes almost like a doorway back into that book for me.
Do you write better in the morning or evening? How do you handle the distractions of working from home, especially if you’re sharing the space with others?
I naturally gravitate towards writing in the afternoon and evening.
I think a lot of that comes from the years when I was working in the police and fitting my writing around my career. Writing often had to happen when I came home, so I developed the habit of working later in the day, and that pattern has stayed with me even now that writing is my full-time career.
These days I’m also usually working to a contract or deadline, so there comes a point where you simply have to sit down and write whether inspiration has politely arrived or not!
Having my own dedicated writing office helps me so much with distractions because everything I need is there and it gives me that clear separation between everyday life and writing time. Not to mention I can close the door… lol
When it’s difficult to physically travel, how do you find ways to escape?
Books. Always books.
Reading was my escape long before writing became my career. I was the child and teenager who would stay awake until ridiculous hours because I simply had to know what happened next, and that hasn’t really changed.
Research is another form of escaping for me now. I can disappear into an old newspaper, a nineteenth-century book or a piece of historical research and suddenly I’m somewhere else entirely.
And of course writing itself is probably the ultimate escape. One of the wonderful things about writing historical fiction is that I get to spend my working day mentally walking through another time and place in history, which I liken to time-travel!!
From all your books, who is your favourite hero and why?
Oh, that is difficult because I love them all! And it’ probably a little unfair asking an author to choose between her heroes, because it feels suspiciously like choosing a favourite child, lol!
But if I absolutely had to narrow it down, it would be Devlin from The Devilish Duke and Sebastian from The Bachelor Bargain. They’re two of my ultimate favs – as they’ve had really horrid and tragic pasts and equally bad reputations, but at their heart they are honourable and would give their lives to protect their ladies – I love them!!
What do you like to read when you’re not reading in your genre? Did you have a favourite book or series when you were growing up?
I’ll read almost anything if there is a great story at the heart of it.
I love suspense and thrillers, which probably surprises nobody after reading my books! I also really enjoy dystopian fiction and young adult novels, and on the non-fiction side I read a lot of personal growth and motivational books.
I actually started reading romance when I was about fourteen. I devoured Mills & Boon and then discovered authors who became absolute favourites.
Julie Garwood was a huge one for me. The Bride, The Wedding and The Lion’s Lady are still among my all-time favourites. I also adored Amanda Quick, and Lisa Kleypas is another author whose work I love.
Ultimately though, genre matters less to me than storytelling. Give me characters I care about and a story that makes it impossible for me to put the book down, and I’m there!!
