“I knew that he would only have to strike once to wound me fatally.”
The Bombay Circle Press is here with yet another brilliant author who will keep you hooked to her novels till the last page! Georgina Clarke is the debut author of Death and the Harlot which is the first instalment of the gripping and vividly imagined historical mystery series. She has a degree in theology and completed a PhD in history part-time, while working as a parish priest. Her love of the past is at the heart of her fiction: her Lizzie Hardwicke crime series is set in the mid-eighteenth century, Georgina is currently a tutor at the Queen\’s Foundation in Birmingham. When she’s not working, she enjoys dressmaking, running and mooching around old houses. She lives in Worcester with her husband, son and two lively cats. In a special interview with The Bombay Circle Press, Clarke spills tea on her writing journey.
What first sparked the idea for Death and the Harlot, and how did it evolve from that initial inspiration?
I’ve always enjoyed reading historical crime fiction. I wanted to set a story in mid-eighteenth-century England, as it’s a period I think is under-appreciated. It’s so rich in fascinating detail and yet not as familiar to readers as, say, the Regency or Tudor periods. I wanted a female protagonist because, generally, in historical crime, the detective is a man and women are reduced to the ‘side-kick’ or ‘love interest’ role. Mostly, this is because men had greater freedom of movement and we want a detective who can go anywhere and live boldly. So, for a woman to operate in the higher ranks of society, but also be able to mix with the street-dwellers and tavern-keepers, she needed to be a prostitute. And then, like magic, Lizzie Hardwicke walked into my head – and never left.
How has your academic and professional background influenced your interests while writing and your approach to the process?
Mostly, my academic training means that I’m not afraid of a lot of words. My PhD thesis was 100,000 words – and a lot of research. So, I can scrap several thousands of words (if they are not working) and rewrite without weeping. My training also means that I’m happy researching and always keen to chase down details. Fortunately, writing fiction means that I don’t have to worry about footnotes and citations!
Was there a character in Death and the Harlot you particularly enjoyed writing?
In this novel, I think that, apart from Lizzie Hardwicke, I enjoyed writing John Fielding, the magistrate at Bow Street. He was a real person, so my characterisation is drawn from my research. He develops over the series as we have glimpses of his challenges as a magistrate.
What aspects of eighteenth century London were the most important for you to capture as you wrote this series?
I wanted to capture both the frivolity of the period and the grime. It has been important to me that I wrote about the squalor as well as the more familiar ballrooms and fine houses, and the way that the poorest and the wealthiest lived cheek by jowl. I also wanted to show London as an expanding city. It was the largest city in England (as it still is), but it was ‘unfinished’ and people were building and shaping it into what it became. I used the paintings of William Hogarth a lot, for inspiration, as he captures this so well. Many of his scenes provide the background for my imagination.
Looking back at Death and the Harlot now, what do you feel most proud of in terms of story, character, world building, etc?
This was my very first novel and I read it, perhaps, too harshly, as I’ve developed so much as a writer. I can only see the flaws! But, in Lizzie, I created a character that remains fresh and unique. Her wit, her passion, her kindness, her faults, have captivated many readers and her character arc begins in Death and the Harlot.
Keep a lookout at our Bulletin for more updates on the Lizzie Hardwicke crime series by Georgina Clarke. You can find Death and the Harlot in your nearest bookstores and on Amazon!