Q1. How did you approach balancing humour with darker themes like murder and mystery?
My two previous novels were both darkly funny but bleak with underlying serious themes. With A Plot to Die For, the emphasis was on fun and entertainment. That said, I tried to ensure the humour - the jokes - are never at the expense of character or plot. People use humour in the grimmest of circumstances as a coping mechanism if nothing else. In the best writing you will often find comedy and tragedy in the same sentence.
Q2. Do you see Abbeyford as a tribute to the kind of Irish communities you grew up around, or is it more of an imagined version of them?
Abbeyford is an imagined town with its own history - which is a microcosm of Irish history - and a cast of colourful characters. In many respects it is an affectionate portrait of small towns, and the strong sense of community you find in them, typified by the rallying cause that is the Tidy Towns competition.
Q3. What inspired you to set the story around the Tidy Towns competition, and why did it feel like the right backdrop for a mystery?
Tidy Towns is so integral to life in small town Ireland. Every town and village competes fanatically for the ultimate prize. It is not just about prettifying the town by planting and litter collection. It is about promoting biodiversity, restoring old buildings, inclusion and participation. It was a perfect backdrop for my returning hero, a celebrity gardener, Finn O’Leary, to reacquaint himself with the people and the place. It also lent itself to a sub-plot featuring a fierce rivalry with a neighbouring town.
Q4. Did your background in stand-up comedy influence how you shape dialogue or timing in your writing process?
When you’re performing stand-up, you are obliged to be compelling, to hold the audience’s attention at all times, and so you are always editing on the hoof. When writing I try to keep that imperative in mind. As an actor and stand-up, one also needs to be a reasonable mimic and to have a good ear for dialogue which helps when you’re trying to flesh out characters on the page.
Q5. What came first for you in this book—the idea of the town, the characters, or the murder itself?
The characters of Finn and his mother, Maura, came pretty early. I was helping to care for my mother at the time and I thought the mother/son combination would make a good basis for an amateur detective team. Her carer, Happiness, arrived soon after along with Aoife, the sister of Finn’s old friend. I’d conceived of the second, more dramatic murder at an early stage in the process also. That provided a landmark for me to reach.
Q6. What do you think is Finn’s biggest strength and biggest flaw as a protagonist?
He’s curious, observant, a good listener and crucially people feel they know him and confide in him. His horticultural skills also come in handy in finding clues. On the other hand his biggest flaw is his stubbornness, his scepticism and his initial reluctance to get involved in catching killers.
Q7. What crime novel would you recommend for readers who are just starting to explore the genre?
You have to start with the queen herself, Agatha Christie. A recent example of the cosy crime genre I greatly enjoyed was the extremely well-crafted Of Mice and Murder by Sally Smith. For a more robust contemporary thriller I could recommend Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan.
Q8. If you could describe A Plot to Die For in just three words, what would they be?
Funny, warm, horticultural.
