STORY BEHIND 'MURDER IN THE PARISH' WITH FAITH MARTIN

Faith Martin was born in Oxford, and has spent all her life within twenty miles of the university city, even working at Somerville College for six years before turning to writing full time.

Faith has been writing for nearly 30 years under four different pen names and has had nearly 50 books published so far.

We caught up with Faith ahead of the launch of her new book. Read about Faith's writing journey below. 

What’s your inspiration for the book?
When I read some of the reviews for my last Hillary Greene novel, I noted that several readers commented that although they thoroughly enjoyed it, they would have liked to see more of Hillary in the actual narrative. And whilst her team can provide impetus, interest and variety to the series, this time, I wanted to write a book that was all about Hillary!

What’s the hardest thing about writing?
Sometimes, the hardest thing about writing a book is actually writing the book! When you are your own boss it’s far too tempting to be lenient with such a lazy employee. So I try to stick to my writing schedule (through gritted teeth if necessary) even if it is sunshining outside and I can think of a hundred things I’d rather be doing than sitting in front of a computer screen. Alas, books simply won’t write themselves — which I have to say, I’ve always thought was rather unreasonable of them.

Who are your favourite writers?
There are so many contemporary authors writing fantastic contemporary novels, but my first love has always been the golden age of crime writing. I must have read every Agatha Christie crime novel by the time I was sixteen and have since discovered other giants of the era. To name but a few: Patricia Wentworth, John Bude, Brian Flynn and George Bellairs.

What’s the setting for the book?
I’ve lived in a small Oxfordshire village all my life, and only venture into a city on very rare occasions — and never willingly! So, naturally, I tend to set my novels in rural communities. On television, country villages have tended to be idealised to a certain extent, and so can come across as unreal. Over the last forty years, however, real village life has changed enormously, and I wanted to give my readers a taste of that in Murder in the Parish.

How do you want readers to feel after they’ve read your book?
After reading Murder in the Parish, I really hope that my readers feel as if they’ve come to know Hillary Greene better. She is, after all, the lynchpin of the series. Which is why, in this novel, I’ve given the reader access to some of Hillary’s private childhood memories and much more of her thoughts. I’ve always strived to make her human, flawed, but fundamentally decent; and no matter what’s happening in her personal life, her job is always her top priority. This is because she’s completely aware that whether she succeeds or fails can affect so many people for either good or ill. And in this novel, I think that self-induced burden she carries with her is put the test in ways she’s never had to deal with before. And because she is not a comic-book heroine with superpowers, she struggles, as any human being would, with fear and self-doubt. And yet, being Hillary, she’ll battle on, sardonic sense of humour to the fore. As always!

MURDER IN THE PARISH is out NOW.