Elly Griffiths: The Mystery of Multiple Points of View
Award-winning novelist Elly Griffiths explains what it was like to write her latest crime novel, The Postscript Murders, using multiple points of view.
Elly Griffiths is the author of the Ruth Galloway and Brighton mystery series and the stand-alone novels The Stranger Diaries and The Postscript Murders. She is a recipient of the Edgar Award for Best Novel, the Mary Higgins Clark Award, and the CWA Dagger in the Library Award. She lives in Brighton, England.
In this post, Griffiths explains what it was like to write her latest crime novel, The Postscript Murders, using multiple points of view, how she found inspiration for her mystery, and more!
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Name: Elly Griffiths
Literary agent: Kirby Kim at Janklow and Nesbit
Title: The Postscript Murders
Publisher: HMH
Release date: March 4, 2021
Genre: Crime
Elevator pitch for the book: Peggy Smith is a murder consultant, advising authors on ingenious ways to kill their characters. But, when Peggy is found dead, her friends find themselves involved in a real-life murder mystery.
Previous titles by the author: The Stranger Diaries, The Dr. Ruth Galloway series, and The Brighton mysteries
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What prompted you to write this book?
My aunt has always been good at thinking up murder plots. I thought: What if there was a respectable elderly lady whose job was advising authors on murder?
How long did it take to go from idea to publication?
The idea had been in my head for several years, ever since my aunt moved to a seaside retirement apartment (something about the move seemed to increase her interest in murder!). At first, I had planned to take the characters to Russia but lockdown prevented me from travelling to research this. So, they go to Aberdeen in Scotland, a place I know well and which does actually have a Russian connection.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
Part of the plot involved Bitcoin, and I learnt a lot about how this works. It does mean that I now get lots of spam emails offering to make me a millionaire though.
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
The Postscript Murders is the first time I have written a book from four different points of view. It was challenging sometimes, especially when I had to drop clues into the narrative but, when I finished writing, I found that I missed the characters.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope that they will enjoy a twisty literary mystery but mostly I hope that they will enjoy spending time with the characters.
If you could share one piece of advice with other authors, what would it be?
Don’t wait for inspiration, start writing today.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
