First, thank you so much to everyone who’s been sending me pictures of the beautiful Arsenic for Tea displays from all around the country. I can’t believe how inventive booksellers are being. Have a look at the Pinterest board here – and if you’ve got anything to add, please get in contact!
Today I was also lucky enough to visit a school that could double for Deepdean in any TV adaptation – Moreton Hall Prep School in Suffolk.
Three ace young detectives, Tashy, Tilly and Pippa, who had met me at an event in Cambridge a few months ago, got their teacher on the case, and I was invited to talk to the pupils about my books, and explain a bit about how I concoct my mysteries.
We talked about how important setting is to writing mystery stories, how to craft your pool of suspects, and what makes a good detective, and at the end I set them the challenge to write a mystery of their own. I’m going to be helping to judge the competition, and the winning story will be featured on this site next month, so watch this space!
I had a lovely time meeting them and answering their questions (I hope I managed to persuade them that I would never actually murder anyone in real life). Here I am with some of them and the books!
Moreton Hall were so welcoming and friendly, and Waterstones in Bury St Edmund helped out by selling books – I had a lovely time, and I even got a cupcake for bunbreak! Thank you all for a great day.
