By THIRSTY
Tasha Alexander is the New York Times bestselling author of the
Lady Emily mystery series. Her latest novel in the series, Uneasy Lies the Crown, is a non-stop race to find a London serial killer
at the end of the Victorian era. The daughter of two philosophy professors and
the wife of British novelist Andrew Grant, she has written fourteen books, plus
many short stories and novellas, and is known for her meticulous research and smart
storytelling.
Stay
Thirsty Magazine was delighted to visit with Tasha
Alexander at her ranch in southeastern Wyoming for this Conversation.
STAY
THIRSTY: The latest book in your Lady Emily Mystery series, Uneasy Lies the Crown, opens five days
before the death of Queen Victoria. With her passing, you conclude your time in
the Victorian era. What attracted you most about the life and times of Queen Victoria
and why did you choose that period in which to set your stories?
TASHA
ALEXANDER: The Victorian era was a time during which
women were (finally) able to make significant strides toward suffrage, and
that, combined with the political situation on the continent and in England, as
well as the social mobility brought by the Industrial Revolution, gives it a
depth and excitement not found in many other periods. The world is in turmoil,
and on the verge of a war that will reshape civilization, but no one can see
that in the 1890s, a fact I have always found poignant. The English aristocracy
believed they – and the Empire – would go on forever, but in fact they were in
the midst of a decline that would not be stopped. The luxurious trappings of
the Gilded Age may have allowed them to ignore what they wanted to ignore, but
it could not stave off the inevitable. It’s the perfect tapestry to inspire a
writer’s imagination.
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| Tasha Alexander |
STAY
THIRSTY: How do you explain the enduring appeal of the Tower of
London as a setting for compelling stories?
TASHA
ALEXANDER: People are drawn to great stories, and the
Tower is full of them: royal intrigue, ghosts, the theft of the Crown Jewels,
famous prisoners, and horrific executions. On top of that, the buildings
themselves all but pulse with history, making the place a perfect setting for
fiction. There’s plenty of truth to ground a story, with infinite room for
imaginative twists and turns. A deft combination of fact and fiction is
irresistible.
STAY
THIRSTY: You have expressed great reverence for English
history. How did your interest develop and what have you done to further your
understanding of it?
TASHA
ALEXANDER: My passion for history started when I was
a child, and I’ve made a lifetime study of it. My years at university enabled
me to train as an historian, and I’ve continued to hone my skills throughout my
career. I spend a great deal of time doing research—in libraries, digging
through primary sources, visiting locations, and consulting with experts who
offer phenomenal insights—because it’s critical to get details right and to
have a deep understanding of the time about which I write. Fiction is full of
truth.
STAY
THIRSTY: In Uneasy Lies
the Crown, there is a race against time to find a killer. How do you as a
novelist think about the “ticking clock” as a device to keep readers turning
pages at an increasingly rapid rate?
TASHA
ALEXANDER: I didn’t deliberately set out to use the
device, but was driven to it by the character of the book’s villain—he hadn’t
finished his “work.” There’s a different sort of pressure on Emily and Colin
when they’re in pursuit of someone who is in the midst of committing murders,
and that, in turn, can make readers turn the pages more quickly. But it’s not
the right choice for every story. For me, the way plot develops is entirely
dependent on the characters in question.
STAY
THIRSTY: At the heart of your story lies the work of a serial
killer whose signature is seen in how the killer leaves the victims. Where did
your fascination with such grisly slaughter come from and how do such actions
fit into the Victorian era?
TASHA
ALEXANDER: Grisly slaughter has always horrified me,
but I’m interested in exploring what drives people to it. I find motives more
interesting than methods, and prefer to write about villains who are, in some
small way, sympathetic.
Most people think of the
Victorians as prudish and repressed, but they lived in a brutal time. Everyone’s
familiar with Jack the Ripper, but he wasn’t the era’s only serial killer.
Amelia Dyer, a baby farmer who took in infants born to mothers couldn’t afford
to stop working, strangled hundreds of her charges. The Black Widows of
Liverpool, sisters who got arsenic off of flypaper, killed at least four people
in the hopes of getting money from their victims’ insurance policies. William
Palmer, a physician, poisoned more than a dozen people—members of his family
and friends. His public hanging was witnessed by a crowd of 30,000. The
Victorians were, perhaps, less squeamish than we’d liked to believe.
STAY
THIRSTY: You have also expressed an interest in Medieval
history, a subject that you studied when you attended Notre Dame. How did that
interest work its way into Uneasy Lies
the Crown?
TASHA
ALEXANDER: The history of Medieval England is
particularly rich. Most of us are familiar with Henry V from Shakespeare’s
brilliant play. We know about his spectacular victory at Agincourt and are
pained by his early death—we don’t like our heroes struck down by random
illnesses. Early in the Emily books, we learn that Colin’s family estate was built
on land given to one of his ancestors for bravery at Agincourt. I had long
wanted to delve deeper into the history of the Hargreaves family. Combining
this with Queen Victoria’s death and a mystery that starts at the Tower of
London seemed an obvious choice, rolling all the history together.
STAY
THIRSTY: With the long, multi-generational family histories
that the English are so proud of, do you think that such heritage is a help or
a hinderance to modern life?
TASHA
ALEXANDER: I think it can be both. On the one hand, it
makes for marvelous—and often eccentric—traditions that continue to edify us
today. But on the other, it can act as a barrier against those who didn’t come
from the “right” background. In the modern world, we need to balance respect
and appreciation for the past with a new order that is based on merit rather
than birth.
STAY
THIRSTY: Will Lady Emily return in the Edwardian era?
TASHA
ALEXANDER: I’ve just completed the next installment
in the series, set in Pompeii, 1902. Beyond that, if people keep reading, I’ll
keep writing…
(Tasha Alexander photo credit: Charles Osgood)
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