Deborah's Books: Blog Tour and Giveaway: Three Sisters, by Helen Smith

Three Sisters, by Helen Smith

Twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles has been invited to a party in the big house at the end of her street. How could she know, as she left her house that evening, that she was making an appointment with death?

This 70-page comic mystery novella will appeal to fans of M C Beaton and Alexander McCall Smith.

Print Length: 44 pages
Publisher: Tyger Books (February 5, 2011)

Praise for the Emily Castles Mystery Series
Fast-paced, funny, and mysterious... Helen Smith is a master story-teller.
~Socrates Book Reviews

It grips you from the very beginning.
~Babs Books Bistro

Bright, colorful and full of surprises.
~Amazon Vine Reviewer

Fast-paced and unusual, I highly recommend this one.
~Eva’s Sanctuary

Praise for Helen Smith
Smith is gin-and-tonic funny.
~The Booklist

My Review:

While murder mysteries have never been my favorite genre, I did enjoy this short novella. It was pretty slow in the beginning, but things picked up quickly about half way through.

I felt like the mystery was a little bit rushed, and a little too obvious (I knew who dunnit right from the start), but I still found it very entertaining. I appreciated Emily's heartbreak over her dog's passing and laughed at how many times she had to mention it to everyone she met. The different acts going on at the party were fun and a little comical. I look forward to reading more of Helen Smith's work.

Amazon | Goodreads | Shelfari | LibraryThing

About the Author:

Helen Smith is a member of the Writers Guild of Great Britain and English PEN. She travelled the world when her daughter was small, doing all sorts of strange jobs to support them both - from cleaning motels to working as a magician's assistant - before returning to live in London where she wrote her first novel which was published by Gollancz (part of the Hachette Group).

She writes novels, poetry, plays and screenplays and is the recipient of an Arts Council of England Award. She's a long-term supporter of the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture and mentors members of an exiled writers group to help them tell their stories. She likes knitting but she doesn't like driving. She likes dancing.

Facebook | Twitter | Website

Interview With Helen Smith:

1. What inspired you to write murder mysteries?

I love reading mysteries and so I decided to write a murder mystery series set in present-day London, where I live. I’m really enjoying writing the stories and the characters, and I hope the sense of fun comes through in the book.

2. Where do you get your ideas from?

I often find inspiration in everyday things around me, or in news stories. A lot of ideas start with “what if?”

3. Do you have plans for more Emily mysteries?

Yes. The first full-length Emily Castles mystery, Invitation to Die, will be published by Thomas & Mercer later this year.

4. What are your current projects?

Invitation to Die will be followed by more full-length mysteries in the Emily Castles series, so I’m working on them at the moment. I’m really enjoying writing the books and hope readers will enjoy reading them.

5. Is there anything that you find particularly challenging in your writing?

I don’t really like plotting.

6. How do you respond to a bad review?

I have never had a bad review from a critic but a few people have left nasty reviews on my books on Amazon. I never respond. I try not to look at the 1* and 2* reviews but it’s hard to ignore them if I look at the book’s description page to check the book’s rank or to look at a nice review if someone has left one. I’m always really delighted when a reader leaves a good review for one of my books on Amazon, so I try to concentrate on the positives and think about all the nice people who have told me they have enjoyed my books, and get on with writing the next one.

7. Which authors and writers from history do you admire most?

Charles Dickens, Graham Greene, Agatha Christie, Patricia Highsmith, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Evelyn Waugh, Muriel Spark.

8. Which contemporary authors do you admire most?

Peter Carey, Haruki Murakami, David Mitchell, Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Margaret Atwood.

9. When did you first become interesting in writing?

I loved reading as a child and used to write poetry and stories. I didn’t start writing in earnest as an adult until I was in my late twenties. I won a prize for a short play that was broadcast on the radio. I had sent it off to the playwriting contest somewhat on a whim, the night before the deadline, so I was surprised when they contacted me to tell me I was one of the winners. By then I had started writing my first novel, and I kept on with that until I finished it and got it published.

10. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?