Cherringham: A Lesson In Murder
by
Matthew
Costello and Neil Richards
Nothing ever happens in the small Cotswold village
of Cherringham, making it the perfect place to retire to – or so ex-NYPD
Detective Jack Brennan thought. But
before long, local web designer and single mother Sarah Edwards had convinced him to help her investigate a
suspicious suicide. Since then, he and Sarah have solved mysterious deaths,
unlikely accidents and perplexing robberies. “Peace and quiet” never really
suited Jack anyway…
Cherringham is an ongoing “cosy crime” eBook series, that
launched in December 2013 and features unlikely sleuthing duo Sarah and Jack. Released in monthly episode, it is written by award-winning game and TV
writers UK-based Neil Richards and
US-based Matthew Costello in a transatlantic collaboration – which mirrors
that of Jack and Sarah. The new series, released from March, launches with A
Lesson in Murder, in which the two are asked to investigate the violent
death of a popular teacher at Cherringham Girls School.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Co-authors
Neil Richards and Matthew Costello are known for their
script work on major computer games. The Cherringham crime series is their
first fictional transatlantic collaboration. Matthew has written and designed
dozens of bestselling games including the critically acclaimed The 7th Guest, Doom 3, Rage and Pirates of the Caribbean. He is also the
author of a number of successful novels, including Vacation (2011) and Beneath
Still Waters (1989), which was made into a movie. Neil has worked as a
producer and writer in TV and film, creating scripts for BBC, Disney, and
Channel 4, and earning numerous Bafta nominations along the way. He’s also
written script and story for over 20 video games including The Da Vinci Code and Starship
Titanic, co-written with Douglas Adams, and consults around the world on
digital storytelling.
(Matt’s
Answers in red)
Where
are you from?
Born Brooklyn, NYC, live
in Bedford, Westchester, NY
I was born in Ireland and have lived in
England most of my life. My wife and I lived in London for many years but when
we wanted to raise a family we headed out to the country which is where we live
happily ever after…
Tell
us your latest news.
A recent novel has been
optioned for film, to be shot in Costa Rica. I’d love to tell you the title,
but for now it has to stay under wraps.
I also write for TV and games – in the last
couple of weeks two of those shows won awards for the scripts. It’s always a real boost to see projects that
have involved a big commitment be recognised.
When
did you first consider yourself a writer?
5th Grade when
I insisted to the good Sister that I read my stories to the class…
Some people say it’s when you get paid for
a piece you’ve written. For me – the first time I felt like a real writer was
when I saw my name on the end credits of a TV show.
What
inspired you to write your first book?
I wanted to create the
same feeling the great writers created for me…that excitement and the desire to
turn the pages fast.
A commission!
Do
you have a specific writing style?
Yes. Strong POV, with a ‘you
are there’ attention to each moment.
Depends very much on the genre – but I feel
most at home writing fast, tense stuff…
How
did you come up with the title?
We wanted to create a
village that sounded like it belonged/nestled amidst all the other wonderful
Cotswold villages. Save for all the cosy crime, doesn’t Cherringham
sound…cheery?
We also wanted a village name that sounded
familiar – but didn’t exist anywhere in the world. Google Cherringham and apart
from a street somewhere in the States, every result is our book series.
Is
there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
Bad things can happen in
delightful villages, and yet there are always good people to help…
Yep, I’d agree with that. Also felt
important that our two characters – Jack the ex-cop and Sarah the single mum –
shared a common moral view.
How
much of the book is realistic?
We have based many
places, locales and even our village on an amalgam of a lot of places that are
very much real.
Though the crimes are fictional – and you
certainly have to hope you don’t live in a village with such a high murder
rate!
Are
experiences based on someone you know or events in your own life?
Since we all know….fear,
mystery, interest and excitement….a writer, such as me, filters their
experiences into the very different nature of the book’s characters and their
experiences.
Of course fragments of characters and
real-life events inform everything you do – but not so’s anyone would ever
recognise themselves in the eventual stories.
What
books have most influenced your life?
Now Playing at
Canterbury, Art of Film, Grapes of Wrath, Moby Dick, Sherlock Holmes, No Blade
of Grass, John Hadfield’s Horrors, The Magus.
I read a lot – but in the end it’s movies
which have always inspired me most.
If
you had to choose, which writer would you consider a mentor?
Harlan Ellison. Gave me
absolutely crucial bits of advice when I just started out.
I was lucky enough to work with the English
writer William Boyd when I was in my 20’s – and I learnt an enormous amount
from seeing how he constructed character and story.
What
book are you reading now?
Re-reading (for stylistic
and structural research) Silence of the Lambs
I’m half way through a spy-thriller series
by Alan Furst set in the 1930’s. Love them.
Are
there any new authors that have grabbed your interest?
Yes. In the interest of
their careers and those I might forget, I will not site any.
Ditto!
What
are your current projects?
Cherringham, a new
trilogy (with Neil Richards), the final volume for Macmillan of my Vacation
trilogy, an interactive augmented reality ghosts app, and various consults on
game projects.
I’ve co-written a pre-school interactive
e-book with my wife, which is now in production. Also just finished ten scripts
for another kids show for the BBC. With Matt, planning a new book trilogy
(crime – but way, way darker).
What
would you like my readers to know?
That I write with the
dearest hope the readers enjoy every word, every page, every scene…and for a
while, their very real world -- and its darker and dire parts….disappears.
Couldn’t say it better – but also more than
just diversion, entertainment, a hope that readers feel in some way better for
having passed the time in our story world.
Matt Costello & Neil Richards
LINKS
GIVEAWAY
1st
Prize – Winner written into a Cherringham episode plus an ecopy of the book
2nd
Prize – ecopy of the book
love the cover.......
ReplyDeletewould be so much fun to be written into a book of this series!!!
ReplyDelete