I have some writing progress to report. I have had my first article published in Red Herrings, the monthly newsletter of the Crime Writers’ Association. It’s a full-page article directly after the editor’s Happy New Year page. I wrote on the subject of finding the theme. I think having a theme to a story elevates it, and allows it to connect with the reader. Murder on the Orient Express is an example where, while it presents a classic whodunit structure, its theme delves into justice and retribution. The story challenges the black-and-white perception of right and wrong, as the detective Hercule Poirot grapples with a moral dilemma about legal justice versus moral justice. This thematic complexity elevates the novel beyond a simple mystery, inviting readers to question their own ethical beliefs.
I describe the themes of my books. There wasn’t really a theme to The Spy who Sank the Armada. I suppose I was finding my writing feet. It was quasi-biographical, answering the why and how of the known story of Sir Anthony Standen’s life. Thereafter we have deinitely had themes. The conflict between faith and reason is the theme of Fire and Earth. Misogyny is the theme of The Suggested Assassin, and racism is the theme of Called to Account. The theme of my recently completed manuscript is favouritism. In my Red Herrings article it was named The Favourite Murder. I have since, on Claire’s suggestion, changed it to Serpent’s Teeth. I am still waiting to see if the manuscript finds any traction with publishers.
Meanwhile I have started writing the sixth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. I have chosen the establishment of Europe’s first free school as the inciting event. It was established by Joseph Calasanz, in 1616, in Frascati. So when Sir Anthony and Franseca return from visiting their first grandchild in Paris, Anthony will find that Calasanz wants him to teach languages to the poor children of Frascati. Education will make an excellent theme. Calasanz faced considerable resistance to the education of poor children. What was the point? What education to the poor need to sow seeds and harvest crops? I confess that I was shocked at how the Standen children have grown. Their youngest, Catherine, is ten now, and Antonio is 31. Anthony and Francesca may find that they have a second grandchild when they get home. I haven’t decided what crime will be there for Sir Anthony to solve. Someone will be trying to scupper Calasanz’s good work, and there will be red herrings, that’s for sure!