Kate Parker, author of Deadly Gamble, the latest novel in the Deadly mysteries series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.
I very much enjoyed reading Deadly Gamble so I’m delighted that she’s here with us. Welcome, Kate.
Tell us about your novel. Deadly Gamble is the eleventh novel in the Deadly Series. It takes place in early spring 1941 for the most part in Portugal. Portugal had the good luck or misfortune to be the only neutral nation on the Atlantic coast of Europe during WWII. Because of their neutrality, Allied and Axis spies could work freely in Portugal, trying to buy or steal the other side’s secrets. In this story, Livvy Redmond is sent to Lisbon to deal with a refugee who has stolen German secrets that the British want. When the series began, before the war started, Livvy was helping Jews escape Nazi held territories. Once the war started, Sir Malcolm Freemantle, the British spymaster, recognized Livvy’s talents and used her for occasional missions. In between, she is a reporter on a London daily newspaper.
Where did the idea for the mystery central to the story come from? Portugal is a warm country, and especially in the older architecture there are floor to ceiling windows that open onto tiny balconies. I see a balcony and immediately think, wouldn’t it be fun to have the murderer push the victim off the balcony and disappear into the building, only to reappear with the other witnesses down below? Wouldn’t it be even more fun if Livvy was standing down below when it happened? Not much fun for the victim, but the reader will enjoy it. It makes a great beginning for the story.
Is there a theme or subject? Like its name, Deadly Gamble, there is a lot of gambling in this story. There is the gambling at the Estoril casino, the largest in Europe at that time. There is the gamble the refugees are taking that they will raise the money and get the visa that will get them a berth on a passenger ship leaving Lisbon for the New World. There is the gamble that the spies, Allied and Axis, will outsmart the other side and uncover secrets useful to their winning the war. All these people taking chances. This is a fun world for the reader.
How do you create your characters? My characters tend to spring, fully formed, with secrets and needs to my mind. Livvy has always been my favorite as she is at the center of any secrets and uncovering any murders.
How do you bring to life the place you are writing about? My favorite technique is to travel there, such as London and Copenhagen. When I can’t, I rely on books of the times, photographs, newspapers. Then I look for the telling details that make the place unique as well as explain how and why people act the way they do in this environment.
What research do you do? Besides the travel, the books, the newspapers, and photos mentioned above, once I start writing the first draft, I stop whenever I need a detail and research until I find the information I need to make the writing clear. When I get to the second draft, I seldom have to stop unless I discover a mistake in my plot.
Thank you for answering my questions, Kate, and good luck with Deadly Gamble, the latest book in the Deadly mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Kate Parker by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook page.
The novel is available at the following online retailers:
About Kate Parker: Kate grew up inside the Beltway, when DC was a sleepy southern city and you could walk along the sidewalk directly in front of the White House. Now you can’t get within a block of the White House, and it takes Foggy Bottom and the Pentagon to house even part of what the Old State, War and Navy building held. All this fed Kate’s love of history. With retirement, Kate moved to North Carolina and took up writing historical mysteries. Now with a career spanning over a decade, Kate is a USA Today bestselling author and the Deadly Series is her longest-running series. She lives with her daughter and a 110-pound puppy.
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