ℚ Silence in the Library: Lily Adler Mysteries [2] - Katharine Schellman

Today we have the pleasure of meeting up with author Katharine Schellman to talk about Silence in the Library (13 July 2021, Crooked Lane Books, 349 pages), a Historical Mystery, book two in the Lily Adler Mysteries series.

"Schellman's gracefully written whodunit is equally a tale of 19th-century female empowerment and societal conventions...More than a clever murder puzzle, this is an immersion in a bygone era." --Kirkus Reviews

"The fast-paced, engrossing story has a climactic confrontation worthy of Rex Stout or Agatha Christie." --Library Journal, starred review

|| Synopsis || Teaser: KCR Preview || The Series || Author Q&A || About the Author || Giveaway & Tour Stops ||

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A very warm welcome to Katharine Schellman; thank you for joining us on BooksChatter!

What was the inspiration for Silence in the Library?

"I like to drop hints about my characters’ lives outside of the main story being told, and one of the hints from the first book was about Lily’s father, who was mentioned but never seen. Several of my pre-publication readers asked for more!

So when it came time to plan book two, he was the first change I threw at my sleuth. Their relationship is rocky and unhappy, which makes it an interesting challenge to write. And he ended up being the seed for the entire plot — even though he completely disapproved of his daughter’s sleuthing tendencies, he’s the reason she ends up stumbling over a dead body in the first place!"

How much of yourself is reflected in this book, and how?

"I’ve had friends comment that they can see little bits of my personality in my all my characters, but overall, my sleuth is a very different person than I am. The characters I most resemble are probably a few from book one who don’t appear in this one very much

But I think that makes her an incredible amount of fun to write. I have to really get out of my own head to make her come to life — what I would do and what Lily would do in any given situation are probably very different!"

The first thing that draws me to a book is its cover. Can you tell us about your cover for Silence in the Library - why you chose that concept and who the artist is.

"I was lucky that my publisher chose the incredibly talented Nicole Lecht for my cover designer. She did the cover for book one as well, and I was so happy to work with her again so we could keep the theme and style of the two books the same. She’s working on the cover for number three right now!"

Why should we read Silence in the Library and what sets it apart from the rest? What makes your book unique?

"There are a lot of Victorian and Regency women starring in historical mysteries these days, which I love! But one of the kindest notes I ever got from a reader was a woman who emailed to say she loved how different Lily Adler, my main character, was from many of the amateur sleuths out there.

Lily definitely comes up against many of the cultural constraints that surrounded women in the early nineteenth century — in fact, that’s a big theme in my writing. But instead of throwing caution to the winds, she’s the sort of character to work within those constraints to get what she wants. She certainly does things that would be shocking for a woman of her class and time. But she tends to do them a little more sneakily so she can get away with them!"

Can you tell us something quirky about Silence in the Library, its story and characters?

"The title of the first book in the series, The Body in the Garden, was chosen as an homage to one of my favorite Agatha Christie novels, The Body in the Library. Then for this one, my publisher liked the idea of keeping the same structure for the title. Silence in the Library was fairly easy for us to agree on — but from here on out, I’ll need more “something in the something” titles for any Lily Adler book, and I think that’s going to get a little tricky!

Also, Lily’s full name is Lily Adler, which is a nod to Irene Adler from Sherlock Holmes. What can I say — I love the classics!"

Who would you recommend Silence in the Library to and what should readers be aware of (any warnings or disclaimers)?

"Definitely don’t read it if you don’t like:

• puzzles for you to solve along with the characters
• found family and meaningful friendships
• suspicious new acquaintances
• cheeky navy captains
• the rich diversity of historical settings
• potential new love interests
• complex family relationships
• tea"

Writing historical fiction involves a lot of research. What’s the strangest thing you found while researching this book? Did it make it into the final edit?

"One of the weirdest historical tidbits I’ve come across was the idea of “wife selling” which sounds horrifying but seems like an almost-feminist practice in smaller villages in the Regency. It was very hard to get a divorce at the time, especially for poor women. But if one wanted out of a marriage, she could convince her husband to “sell” her to a new husband that she did want to be married to. It allowed lower-class women to get out of a lot of bad situations, or even marriages that they simply didn’t want to be in anymore.

It had absolutely no legal standing, of course! But apparently it was common enough in some areas that it was an accepted way to end one marriage and start a new one.

It didn’t make it into this book, but I’m still hoping it’ll find its way into another, because it’s just too weird not to share!"

What do you like to write and read about? Do you stick to a particular genre or do you like to explore different ones?

"I’ve written many novels in different genres, but so far only the mysteries have seen the light of day! The other ones were really good practice. Or really bad practice, depending on how you look at it.

Mostly, I love to write about characters I find interesting. When I’m planning a book or a series, I almost always start with the people in it. And then I have to search around a bit to find a plot for them!"

What is your writing process?

"I learned the hard way that I need an outline to write well. My first draft of the first Lily Adler book was a complete mess and almost 45,000 words too long! It took me a lot of drafts to get it into shape.

Now, I always start with an outline, which tends to be between 5,000 and 10,000 words long. I go scene by scene to plan out what happens. Some scenes are written out as a few lines; others take up whole pages with snippets of dialogue and notes about what clues, discoveries, or character beats need to be present.

In some ways, this outline is my first draft, and it usually takes me several days to put together. I still make changes and discoveries along the way as I’m writing. But for me, having the outline as my starting point makes pulling the actual book together much smoother and more successful."

What is in store next?

"I’m currently writing the third Lily Adler Mystery! It’s coming in Fall 2022, which is perfect as it has a bit of a gothic feel to it.

And before that I have a new series launching with Last Call at the Nightingale in June 2022. This one is set in 1920s New York City, which has a completely different feel and rhythm than the Lily books. It’s also slightly less of a traditional whodunit, which was fun to play around with.

I’m hoping readers will love both books!"

And as a final quirky thing, to get to know you a little bit better... do you have a pet or something that is special to you that you could share with us?

"My previous career was as an actor and dancer. Life as a writer suits me much better, but I often miss being onstage. So here’s backstage photo from one of my favorite shows. I was a Hot Box Dancer in Guys & Dolls, and if you know the show you probably instantly guessed that this was for “Bushel and a Peck.” (And no, that’s not my real hair.)"

Wow! Thank you for sharing :-) 

We hope you are having a great tour!

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Regency widow Lily Adler didn't expect to find a corpse when visiting a family friend. Now it's up to her to discover the killer in the charming second installment in the Lily Adler mysteries.

Silence in the Library
Available NOW!

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