Author Interview: Pam Lecky
JMR-Welcome to the Books Delight, Pam. Tell our readers
where you live, what you do for fun and what does the perfect day look like?
PL- Hi, and thanks so much for
the invitation, Jeanie. I am an Irish historical fiction author, living in a
small town just north of Dublin city, Ireland, and close to the sea. I love to
meet up with friends for a coffee or a night out (though of course not in the
last year!). The cinema and theatre and live gigs are also some of my favourite
things to do. I am an avid gardener (I studied horticulture) so the garden provides
my perfect relaxing time, away from those pesky characters who are always clamouring
for notice in my head! A
perfect day would involve the seaside, prosecco or a French Martini and friends/family
(in no particular order) – in Ireland or my favourite place on earth, Italy.
JMR-What’s your favorite historical time period? Why?
PL- The 19th century has always been my go-to
period, however, lately I have been dipping my toe into later eras, right up to
and including WW2. What has always fascinated me about the Georgian and
Victorian eras (but particularly the latter) was the pace of change. From a
young age I was drawn to the architecture, fashion and social history of that
time as well.
JMR-Who is your favorite historical figure? Why? If you
could ask them one question, what would it be?
PL- Michael Collins – he was a bit of a rogue and died so
young and so tragically. As to what I would ask him, it would probably be ‘was
it worth it?’
JMR- How did you come to be a writer of historical fiction?
PL- From a very young age I was an avid reader. My father
was too, and he loved history. As I grew older, I found I gravitated more and
more towards historical novels, although I also read a lot of crime. Combining
those two elements just came naturally. However, I am contemplating writing
more contemporary stories, too.
JMR- Your Lucy Lawrence series combines historical
fiction with a crime solving mystery. What does it take to write a great crime
novel?
PL- Nerves of steel and a twisty mind for the author!
Interesting characters and as an original plot as possible help. I have always adored
mysteries and love nothing better than trying to misdirect my readers until the
very last chapter. It is easier to write a crime novel if you are more of a
plotter than a pantser – something I have had to work on, but I am glad to say
I’m finding it easier now and it speeds up the process too.
JMR- Did you visit anyone of the places in your book?
Where did you feel closest to your characters?
PL- I visited Lake Buttermere in the English Lake District.
It was one of the locations in The Bowes Inheritance, my debut novel,
which is a romantic suspense/mystery story set in the Lake District of Cumbria.
The lake is the site of a wedding in the book and where the two main characters
finally admit their feelings for each other at the top of Haystacks Mountain
(very romantic!). It was wonderful to see it and even better in that I met up
with some other authors while I was there. Bar Dublin and London, most of my
books are set in locations I have never visited. So, it is extra special when
you finally get to see them. As soon as I can travel again, I intend to visit
the locations in the south of England (Hampshire) which feature in Her
Secret War, my next release.
JMR- Pam, tell us about your new book, Her Secret War.
PL- Up to
this, I have written predominantly in the late Victorian era and my Lucy
Lawrence Mystery series is great fun to write and set in a period I absolutely
love. However, I wanted to stretch myself with something new. I have always
been fascinated by the wars of the 20th century, and in particular
the murky world of espionage. However, I was keen that whatever I wrote would
have a strong Irish flavour. Her Secret War, set during WW2, began
to formulate in my head.
I wanted
to begin the story in wartime Dublin. Ireland, still reeling from the War of
Independence and the Irish Civil War which quickly followed, declared itself
neutral during WW2. And despite Churchill’s attempts to get Ireland to join the
Allies, the government stood firm for the duration of the war.
But then
the Luftwaffe bombed Dublin on 31st May 1941. Tragically,
twenty-eight men, woman and children died, and ninety were injured. The enclave
of North Strand, where the largest bomb fell, was decimated with almost three
hundred homes destroyed or damaged and nearly four hundred people were left
homeless. Germany claimed they dropped the bombs on North Strand in error and
eventually compensated the Irish Government. However, the incident occurred
only a couple of miles from where I grew up. As I considered the plot of Her
Secret War, I felt this event would be the perfect opening for the book.
I decided to take my readers on a journey with a strong female lead overcoming the direst of circumstances. My main character, Sarah Gillespie, is the only one of her family to survive the North Strand bombing. Her plight resonates with the thousands who survived similar incidences throughout the war, all over the world. From the ruins of her life, Sarah must make some difficult decisions. Like many Irish, she has family in Britain and when they hold out the offer of a new life and a job, Sarah decides to leave Ireland. Unfortunately, her new life slowly falls apart as she is drawn into the dark world of WW2 espionage.
Both my
family and local history inspired Her Secret War. My mother and her
sisters left rural Ireland to work in Britain during WW2. Her Secret War
is not their story, but there are glimpses of their experiences hidden amongst
the fiction. Her Secret War will be published by Avon Books UK/Harper
Collins on 14th October 2021 and is now available for pre-order (https://MyBook.to/HerSecretWar)
JMR-What projects do you have in the pipeline?
PL- I am currently working on the third book in the Lucy
Lawrence Series. The Art of Deception will be published just before year
end. I am also working on the sequel to Her Secret War, which has a
working title of The Enemy Within. This book is scheduled for
publication in the autumn of 2022, again with Avon Books UK/Harper Collins.
JMR- Tell our readers how to find you on social media and
the web.
PL- Here are all my social media links. I love to hear from
readers – so don’t be shy!
JMR- What question were you hoping I’d ask but didn’t?
-PL Who were the authors who influenced me the most? (The
answer would be Georgette Heyer, Elizabeth Gaskell, Dorothy L Sayers, Ruth
Rendell and PD James).
Thank you, Pam for stopping by! Readers, I know you will want to check out Pam's books so I've added a link to Amazon.
Thanks so much for hosting me today
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