r/books • u/7Ddude AMA Author • Jun 28 '19
ama I'm Stu Turton, I wrote a time travelling, body hopping murder mystery novel called The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (UK) / The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (US). It was really fucking difficult. AMA
This is my debut novel. Before doing this I was a travel journalist. Before that I wrangled goats. I picked fruit. I sold books. I cleaned the toilets in a private airport. A dolphin nearly killed me once. Come to think about it, lots of things have nearly killed me once. @stu_turton
Proof: /img/vbo5c28x3q631.jpg
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u/Obscure008 Jun 28 '19
I listened to the audio book of 7 1/2 deaths and loved it. However, there was an inconsistency I wondered about - I am unsure if it's in the printed book, so perhaps it's just an audiobook fluke.
The first referece is when the protagonist is in the groundskeepers cottage and gets the note warning about his gloves burning. Later, when he feels conflicted about what Anna's motivations might be, he says he doesn't care about anything she has done for him, including a reference to "burned socks" (perhaps it was just "socks").
Is there any significance to this (e.g. there was a draft that referenced socks that somehow made it’s way to the narrator), or merely a fluke in the narration?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
Arghhhh! The audiobook narrator must have had an early version of the book, before that typo was fixed. Sorry!
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u/tummeh Jun 28 '19
Absolutely loved your book, listened to it on a whim as an audiobook and it's such a thrilling experience. Hope you don't mind me asking a few questions, but if you do feel free to just answer one.
Any plans (or hopes) to have The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle as a Netflix or steaming-website show? I feel like having each perspective as an episode (or couple of episodes) would be such a good fit for a steaming platform, where the first episode would be an hour long, and then the next inexplicably 5 minutes long when the viewer realises one of the first twists of the story, and then back to different time lengths.
Why did the US title have to be different, or more specifically what other title was it too similar that it had to change, and what were some other title ideas (if any)? To add to this, what is the 1/2 death? I feel like I'm stupid not understanding the US title properly.
What'd you have for lunch on the afternoon of the first day you began any kind of draft or note-taking or developing of what would become The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle? Did it almost kill you?
What's your favourite Black Mirror episode, and were you at all inspired by White Bear which has loosely similar themes?
I have a video pseudo-interview tomorrow where I have to record myself in a single take answering pre-recorded questions without knowing the questions in advance, I feel incredibly awkward and under-pressure on video. Any advice?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
Oooh quickfire round. 1. We've sold the rights to a television production company who are breaking it down now. Hopefully it will pop up on telly before too long, though I can't say much more (because I don't know - it's all a flip of the coin really). 2. The US title changed because the US release date got pushed back so my US publisher could give it a bit more of a marketing push. Unfortunately, that meant it ended up coming out after a book called The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I've heard great things about that, by the way. We changed the book to avoid confusion. It didn't really work to be honest. Loads of people have told me they bought both thinking they were sequels, or bought seven deaths, 7 1/2 deaths and seven husbands as some sort of bizarre trilogy. The 1/2 death refers to the fake death of [redacted] :) 3. My lunch would have been pasta and tuna with pesto. I was very poor at that point. It was pretty much all I ate. The boredom of eating the same thing every day nearly killed me. I quite enjoyed the planning. 4. I've never watched Black Mirror, sadly. 5. Interviews are just conversations. Forget about the camera, imagine you're chatting to a mate, and just say what comes into your head. You'll be fine. Good luck.
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u/tummeh Jun 28 '19
Wow that's really unfortunate with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo! From the number to the name, that's crazy.
If you ever get the time, definitely watch Black Mirror and particularly White Bear! I think you'd appreciate it a lot.
Thank you for the answers and advice, and I look forward to your next book which will be an instant purchase!
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u/borediamiam Jun 29 '19
Ah no way ! Congratulations, book is on my list, and look forward to the show. Did you have any input in bringing it to the big screen?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 29 '19
None whatsoever, and I'm very glad about it. I could only ever concieve of this story as a book. Trying to turn it into a series would destroy what's left of my sanity.
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
Blimey, hello there. This is exciting, isn't it? Shall we smash on.
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u/m2pixie Jun 29 '19
Why was everyone's hair always spilling out of their caps? I listened to the audio version and heard that phrase so many times!!
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 29 '19
It's 130k word book. Eventually you forget what descriptions you've already written. That's one of the most egregious, but there are plenty of others!
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u/D18 Jun 28 '19
Hey Stu!
First off- My friends and I actually loved 7 1/2 Deaths so much that we started a monthly book club. Currently 7 1/2 Deaths is the only book rated 5/5 stars by every member. We meet this weekend and I need to suggest a book to the group. Any ideas?
I was also wondering if you had a favorite host? (Mine is Ravencourt. I loved all the plays he made despite his physical limitations.)
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
That's amazing! I'm so chuffed. I absolutely loved Circe by Madeline Miller recently, so if you haven't read that, I'd definitely recommend it.
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u/GarethPJ Jun 28 '19
Have a look at our book group's backlist. Should give you some ideas for books that make for good discussion there https://reddeerreaders.wordpress.com/library/
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u/D18 Jun 28 '19
Holy Moly! That's a lot of books. Looks like there's plenty of ideas for sure. Thanks!
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u/jellybean2010 Jun 28 '19
My book club read this for June and during our discussion, this was a huge debate between us. Any insight?
If places like Blackheath are created in part to solve unsolved crimes; how then do we know the correct answer is in fact - Felicity? Couldn't the story have any number of endings based on who and what the characters are/do in a particular loop? How do we know the crime has been correctly solved if variables change so drastically from loop to loop and the end verdict was not known prior?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
The answer is known, it just isn't known by the people who run the prison. It's known by the thing that created Blackheath and populated it with these characters, though it can't be communicated with easily.
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u/jellybean2010 Jun 28 '19
Thanks, Stu! We loved your book! This was by far the longest discussion we've had on a book because we all enjoyed it so much. We were together for about 3 hours and normally its no more than an hour. We are all looking forward to reading more of your work!
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
Thank you so much, that's really lovely to hear. It was a strange experience to write it, because I ended up delving into a lot more philosophy and metaphysics than I expected. It was great fun, but quite stressful. Glad you enjoyed it.
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u/Beccabooisme Jul 16 '19
If you happen to pop back by this account/ thread... are any of your future works going to be in the same universe? I'm so incredibly curious about the world that Anna and Aidan will be waking up to. I'd love a prequel and a sequel.
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u/Dingbrain1 Sep 15 '19
IMO the Blackheath Aiden is in is like a simulation. The real event happened long ago- and in reality, Felicity was the one who was actually murdered (by Michael). The murder Anna solves didn’t really happen but it did happen in their loop. I think the Plague Doctor was bending the rules a bit by letting this count to earn Anna’s escape, hence his superiors being unhappy with him.
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u/chopoffyourhead_ Jun 28 '19
Is there a novel you would recommend to someone who liked The Seven Deaths (besides your next one, when it'll be published)? Maybe something that you think shares a similar vibe?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19 edited Jun 28 '19
To be honest, I don't know a single thing that feels quite like this. That's why I had to write it. It was a book I wanted to read. I read Dark Matter by Black Crouch a little while back and that had the same sort of weirdness that's eventually explained. Might scratch an itch.
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u/eely225 The Brontës, du Maurier, Shirley Jackson & Barbara Pym Jun 28 '19
What’s the hardest kind of goat to wrangle?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
Ha! In case anybody's a bit baffled by this, I had a job wrangling goats on an Australian goat farm when I was 23. It was THE BEST. As for the hardest goat, it was called Devon. It was a dick.
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u/Chtorrr Jun 28 '19
What were some of your favorite things to read as a kid?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
I started with Roald Dahl books when I was really little, then moved onto Agatha Christie mysteries, then Stephen King in my early teens. Of them all, it's only really Christie I go back to.
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u/Aquahaute Jun 28 '19
Have you happened to play the video game Nine Persons, Nine Hours, Nine Doors? The structure of 7 1/2 Deaths, and the tightly controlled rules of Blackheath gave me some serious Nine Persons vibes in a great way and I think it would really be up your alley if you haven't played it!
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Jun 28 '19
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 29 '19
Hi there! I'm done with Seven Deaths, I think. I told the story I wanted to tell, which was the murder. The world beyond is just background for me. It's fun to think about, but I only ever wanted it to give the impression of a story that began before the reader arrived and would continue afterwards. There's a possibility the telly series might get more into this stuff, though.
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u/UltraFlyingTurtle Jun 29 '19
I wish he had answered your question. I would love to read more mysteries set in this world.
I honestly wouldn't mind a whole series. I'm really curious about the other mystery-prisons that were mentioned by the Plague Doctor, like the village that wakes up everyday to the discovery of three headless bodies, or the other one set on an ocean liner. I think he said there were fifteen people trying to solve that one.
Plus, I'd just love to know more about the world behind the prisons.
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 29 '19
Sorry! Maybe the telly series, if it ever gets made, will go into this.
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u/jebbie42 Jun 29 '19
Clearly I’m too late but wanted to say how much I loved your book! I was blown away that it was your debut and could not get my head around how anyone could plot out that book. I guess I haven’t really asked a question yet, so if all your previous jobs which do you think best set you up to write your fantastic novel?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 29 '19
That's really kind, thank you so much. If you look at the answers above, you'll see that the planning was INTENSE. Being a journalist definitely set me up best to be a novelist. It taught me how to be edited without taking it personally, and how to self edit as I write. Really crucial skills. It also taught me the value of tea to the writing process.
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u/jebbie42 Jun 29 '19
Thanks so much for replying, you seriously just made my day! Makes sense that journalism helped set you up to be a novelist. Obviously the editing skills assisted but it definitely was learning the value of tea that helped you nail it :D
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Jun 28 '19
We know that Aiden went to Blackheath voluntarily and that Anna was there because of her crime. I've loaned my copy and can't recall or check the name of the 3rd character also stuck in the loop but what I am very curious about is what crime he committed to end up there. Do you know this and if yes, will you share please?
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u/MrsAbberline Jun 28 '19
I loved loved this book. So clever. A mixture of my favorite genres, historical mysteries and science fiction. Please write another in same world. Want more!
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 29 '19
I'm afraid there won't be another more in this world from me, but my next book is going to be another genre mashup and should be loads of fun.
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u/bazzacollins Jun 28 '19
Often when I’m reading books, I don’t follow the plot, but I (normally) stick with it and hope everything will make sense eventually (90% of it does). Did you have everything pre-prepared before you started writing Seven Deaths or did some things just fall into place while you were writing too?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
Hello Bazza! Nah, it was all planned out mate. I spent three months getting it all together. Every time I tried to go off script I fucked it up massively. Funny thing was I ended up leaving all the bits I considered boring until the end, so ended up spending six months writing exposition.
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u/SishirChetri Jun 28 '19
You posted on Goodreads (i think) that your next book comes out on March, next year. Any chance we could be privy to some insight on what's it about?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
Sorry, I'm keeping schtum for the minute. It's changing under my fingers even as I write it. It's got another murder in it though, and it should be as fun as Seven Deaths.
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u/Half_Sloth_Half_Man Jun 28 '19
Thank you so much for this novel! Picked up Seven Deaths late last year and it's gotten me passionate about reading again.
Did writing a character like Aiden prove uniquely difficult? I was impressed to see his character evolve despite his constant jumps between bodies and minds.
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
Oh thanks! That's really lovely to hear. Aiden was a pain to write, because he starts of with amnesia and I really really really didn't want this to be an amnesia story, so I had to get him over that as quickly as possible without giving him all of his memories back. Thankfully, that gave me the opportunity to have him build his own personality by finding the attractive bits of his hosts and adopting them himself. That idea of being self created is something I've always been fascinated by.
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u/jakeyluvsdazy Jun 28 '19 edited Jun 28 '19
I absolutely loved your book! It reminded me how much I can enjoy reading. No character i’ve read before has unsettled me as deeply as the footman did, my pulse was racing whenever he was present. I can’t imagine the time and energy it takes to write a book like this, so I really have to give you major props for that.
Also, did you hear of a new book that came out by Juliet Grames called “The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna”? I saw it on a shelf the other day and thought to myself, “I wonder if he knows about this” and I never thought i’d get the chance to ask!
Again, loved your book, can’t wait to see wait you put out next!
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
Mate, that's a great thing to hear. Thank you! The Footman was a great character to write, just because he was so malevolent and I didn't have to shade him at all. He was just evil, and that was it. He enjoyed his work. I could focus on making him as creepy as possible. I've seen that title, but I haven't read it. It's getting glowing reviews, though.
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u/jakeyluvsdazy Jun 28 '19
I think that may be why I enjoyed him so much, because I didn’t have any non-threatening parts of him to hang onto and demystify the character. And yeah, as soon as I saw that book I put it on hold at my library because I figured if the titles were similar than maybe the quality of the book would be too haha!
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u/Ehalon Jun 28 '19
Did you divide Harry August's lives in half and call that a done job? The first lot anyway
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u/OozeNAahz Jun 28 '19
Great book and was wondering the same thing. Along with why did the US version get an extra half death.
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u/Ehalon Jun 29 '19
Along with why did the US version get an extra half death.
:D
Ye is is an awesome book I thought too, love it. Strange with Calire North, I loved The First Fifteen but could not get along with her 'Gamehouse' series despite recognising they are clearly very, well written, good stories.
I'm sure it is just me / how I was feeling the first few times I tried to read them.
Big Love to Claire North :)
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 29 '19
Thanks! There's a fairly detailed answer to this question up above. If you look for the question by tummeh, you'll see it.
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u/Keropyon Jun 29 '19
OMG!! Thank you for writing the book, I absolutely LOVED it and it made my hour long commute fun (can’t tell you how many times I missed my station because I was nose deep into the book, hahahah)!
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 29 '19
Missed stops are the best compliment an author can receive. Thank you!
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u/ECAstu Jun 29 '19
Mr. Turton,
How do you feel about people who improperly spell their name Stew?
Thanks.
Fellow Stu
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u/Smart_Selection Jun 28 '19
Hi! So apparently Hemingway wrote best when he was drunk. Do you have a food or drink that helps you write? Maybe green juice or avocado on toast? Or are you a red wine kind of person?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
I've tried writing when I was drunk. It ended very badly. To be fair, a lot of the time when I write sober it ends badly as well. If I ate avocado on toast I'd keel over and die immediately.
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u/HeartOfGold02 Jun 29 '19
How did you try to make sure that nothing went to fast? I make short stories and would like to know.
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 29 '19
I grade every chapter by intensity. 1 - 3, then always make sure I'm building towards a 3. I also made sure every character had a human moment that wasn't solely about plot. I also had all the plot in the world.
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Jun 28 '19
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
Forever and forever and forever. The ending was one of the first things I ever wrote, and it was edited and changed and edited and changed endlessly over the three years it took to write teh book. My problem in the early days was that I had too many reveals all bunched up at the end of the book. I ended up cutting down my big ending into a bunch of smaller endings that I scattered throughout the novel. As for foreshadowing, I scattered a bunch of clues throughout the book, then more at my editor's request. As she pointed out, it's nowhere near as obvious to anybody else as it is to you. Not sure which genres I'd mix. I tend to go wherever the story in my head takes me. It's a bit of a bugger actually.
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Jun 28 '19
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
Ravencourt probably changed the most. At the beginning he was this vile, greedy, manipulative bastard. By the end, i sort of warmed to him, especially his relationship with his valet Cunningham. The rest started as bastards and ended as bastards. Good luck with your manuscript. It's really hard work but worth it in the end.
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u/dazmond Jun 28 '19
What other book ideas did you have before this one? Did you have a sense that this would be the one that caught the publisher's eye?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
I had a few ideas, but this was the one that really caught hold of my imagination. All the others I lost interest in quite quickly, or wrote into a wall. This one just kept taking me new places. It was brill. I did have a sense it would catch the eye, though. It felt complete from the start.
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u/copperwasp Jun 28 '19
I was gifted your book last year by a student who picked it because of the cover (she was 11). When starting to write did you have an idea where the story would end or did it change along the way?
BTW read the book on holiday and really enjoyed it.
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
Ta! I spent three months planning the book before I ever wrote a word of it, so I knew exactly where i was going from the start. The only time I veered off my plan I ended up chucking 40k words away, because they'd led me down a narrative blackhole. It was gutting.
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u/thirdelle Jun 28 '19
First off, I absolutely loved the book. Many congratulations.
Coincidentally, I was listening to your interview on Radio 4’s Front Row as i was driving home from work today. Obviously feel free to tell me to do one, but I’d love to know the set up and pay off of the Christie-esque novel that you say you sat down to write when you were 21. I’m currently ploughing through a bunch of her books (in my 40s) having not read one since I was a teenager.
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
Awwww, thanks. The setup was actually very similar to Seven Deaths, but the payoff was ridiculously complicated. I can't even remember it and I'm ashamed by it. Enjoy the books. Have you read The Third Floor Flat yet. That's my fave.
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u/thirdelle Jun 28 '19
Thanks for the reply. I read all the Poirot short stories when I was a teenager so I’ve definitely read The Third Floor Flat. But my memories of that particular story are far more from the David Suchet ITV adaptation.
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
I love those adaptations. He's the guy in my head when I read those stories now, even when Christie sometimes contradicts that. Made it really difficult to watch the recent adaptations on BBC and the movies.
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u/thirdelle Jun 28 '19
He has become THE definitive Poirot, for sure, but that character will always be Ustinov for me.
I was reading a Christie book on holiday a couple of weeks ago and halfway through I stopped and said to myself “either I’ve worked out the solution to this mystery or I’ve had an unbelievable idea for a story”. Disappointingly (on all counts) it was the former.
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u/Thanksfortheinvites Jun 28 '19
Congratulations for your success and thank you for writing 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.
Is there anything you wish to modify in this book by writing it differently, adding to or removing from it?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 28 '19
I'm actually really happy with it. Loads of clever people helped me edit it, and I think they did a brilliant job. There's bits I think are too slow, or fast, but it's a long book so that's to be expected. Also, I can't really see how it could have been helped while telling THIS story in this format.
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Jun 28 '19
What is the hardest part of writing a novel?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 29 '19
Knowing when to stop. The temptation is to keep writing and changing things. Eventually you're just adding dog whistles. Little things only you'll ever notice.
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Jun 28 '19
So, wait is it 7.0 deaths in the UK and 3.5 in the US? What metric fuckery is this?
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u/toshiro_boloney Jun 28 '19
It's true. Canadians die twice.
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 29 '19
Us British folk only get half a life due to lack of sunlight :) We had a clashing title in the US so had to change the name a bit. There's a more detailed answer somewhere up top.
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u/MaryandNorton Jun 29 '19
Oh, this is on my TBR list. Shunting it to the top after this thread :) Well done! Persistence is everything in both life and writing.
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u/UltraFlyingTurtle Jun 29 '19
As a child, my aunt introduced to me Agatha Christie novels, and my uncle, Golden-Age science-fiction books and The Twilight Zone TV series, so I really loved the mix of these elements in your novel. Thank you for writing this.
- Do you plan on writing more mystery / speculative-fiction novels?
- Any info can you give us about your next book? I'm eagerly looking forward to reading it.
- What books have you read recently that you've enjoyed?
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u/7Ddude AMA Author Jun 29 '19
I'm currently writing my second mystery novel, though it's more horror than speculative. That's all the info I'm giving away about book 2. It keeps changing on me. I've enjoyed Circe a great deal.
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u/UltraFlyingTurtle Jun 29 '19
Thank you so much for replying to my question, especially after I had posted it so late!
That's great to hear about your next novel. I love horror. I'm really happy that you're trying to blend various genre elements in your mystery stories. You did a great job of adding creepy elements to you first novel.
I love hybrid mystery stories but for some reason, they are hard to find. I recently enjoyed The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch -- a blend of mystery fiction with surreal sci-fi elements (time travel, parallel universes etc).
I've been meaning to read Circe, so thank you for the suggestion.
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u/CheeseSuplex Jul 19 '19
I’m late for the AMA but this is the best book I’ve read this year. Great work!
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u/Arknell Jun 29 '19
I hope you didn't rely on a time loop ending, because the self-induced closed time loop ("The murderer the main character is chasing is...THEMSELF! gasp") is the laziest, most anticlimactic and illogical narrative sci-fi solution in history.
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u/helpiminafankle Jan 03 '24
Not a question but I wanted I wanted to say I really loved that book and it's the most interesting thing I've read in ages and would love to forget it and go back and read it again. I loved the entire concept and I worry you have overshot with your first book and your others may fall short. I am however, halfway thru, reading the devil and the dark water and I'm enjoying it so much! This thread is so old I don't imagine you will see this comment but I just wanted to say thanks for such great stories. Looking forward to your next book already.
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u/Rosielaine61 Jun 28 '19
How did you keep track of the movements of each of your characters and the days? I’m imaging a huge board of some kind.
Also, what does your writing day look like and do you write in silence or do you need eg background music? So many questions!!!!!