Today Claire Barclay is visiting Ascroft, eh? to tell us about Crime in Cornwall, the latest novel in the British Book Tour mysteries series.

Welcome, Claire. Let’s get started, shall we?

Tell us about the novel that you live inside. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.
I am Claire Barclay, owner of The British Mystery Book Tours. I take my tourists to the sites of mystery novels in Britain. In Crime in Cornwall we go to Cornwall in the beautiful southwest of England. I’m not a sleuth, but anyone would have been curious about who murdered the Oliver Nott, the author, in my neighbor’s garden. I was burning to know who did it and willing to watch and note who looked suspicious. This is the second book in the series. In the first, I keep my tourists close to home in Hampshire (Hazards in Hampshire)—you’d think that would be safe, but no! Poison was a problem. In the third book, I go to Yorkshire (Perils in Yorkshire), such a beautiful spot, so wild. In the fourth (Danger in Edinburgh) I’m in Edinburgh, the stately city, steeped in a murderous history.

Does the writer control what happens in the story or do you get a say too?

I’m a strong personality, if I do say so myself, and I have definite ideas about what I should and should not be doing or saying. The writer guides the plot ,but I get to use my own voice in the dialogue.

How did you evolve as the main character?

I have to admit I seem to be a reserved type of personality—at least others see me that way. But on the inside, I’m adventurous. I started a business of my own—that’s an adventure. My new legacy from my step-father facilitated this, but I’d  travelled a lot, worked in many countries and arrived at my mid-forties reasonably successful and solvent and ready for adventure. Still, I wasn’t prepared for a love affair, and  Detective Inspector Mark Evans, isn’t an easy man. I might not be up for this challenge. 

Do you have any other characters you like sharing the story with? If so, why are you partial to them?

My sister Deidre is a love. She’s nine years younger than me, a rational, organized thinker and a barrister taking on the defense and sometimes the prosecution of murderers. A very smart woman, my sister—and a managing one, sometimes to the point of irritation. I’m partial to her because she loves me and I love her. 

What’s the place like where you find yourself in this story?

Cornwall is a magical place, not just because it is the home of the legendary King Author, but because its very cliffs seem to tell stories of smugglers and romance. Not that the Cornish are romantic. A more practical, sensible people you couldn’t find. They see themselves as independent with remnants of their own language and an accent that takes some concentration to understand—and they have their own flag.  

Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about you and the book?

I love taking my tourists to the sties of mystery novels and listening to them talk about the authors of the area, They are so opinionated! It helped that Deidre and my niece Kala came with us to the coast and to Penzance for a few days. Deirdre sorted out some of the disquieting clues that jumped to my attention. Of course, I couldn’t enjoy the tour as much as I wanted to in this book because I had a murderer getting in my way.

Thank you for answering my questions, Claire, and good luck to you and your author, Emma Dakin, with Crime in Cornwall, the latest book in the British Book Tour mysteries series.

Readers can learn more about Claire and her author, Emma Dakin by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, and Goodreads pages. You can also Join Her Newsletter. She sends out information once a month and you will get a free chapter of a book when you join.

The novel is available at the following online retailers:

 Amazon  – B&N IndieBound

About Emma Dakin: Emma lives in Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. She has over twenty-five trade published books of mystery and adventure for teens and middle-grade children and non-fiction for teens and adults. Her love of the British countryside and villages and her addiction to cozy mysteries now keep her writing about characters who live and work in those villages. She introduces readers to the problems that disturb that idyllic setting.