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Pinkerton Detective Abigail MacKay is a master of disguises—and of
new crime-solving technology! But she’ll have to move fast to stay a step ahead
of Nat Quinn and Jake Conroy.
Nat and Jake are the ringleaders of The Innocents, a western gang
that specializes in holding up trains carrying payrolls—and Nat is pretty savvy
when it comes to using the new sciences of 1868 in committing his crimes.
Charismatic Nat and handsome Jake are on the run, and they’ve
always gotten away before—before Abi. But when Abi is caught by another band of
outlaws during the chase, there’s no other choice for Nat and Jake but to save
her life. Abi owes them, and she agrees to help them bring in the murderer of a
family friend.
The web of criminal activity grows more entangled with each
passing day, but Nat, Jake, and Abi are united in their efforts to find the
murderer. Once that happens, all bets are off, and Abi will be turning Nat and
Jake over to the law. But can she do it? She finds herself falling for Nat, but
is that growing attraction real? Or is he just using her to learn more about
the Pinkertons’ methods? Abi always gets her man—but she may have met her
match in her “best enemies”—THE INNOCENTS.
An Interview with CA Asbery
Did you ever consider writing under a pseudonym?
I kinda
do. I write under my married name and feature on social media under my maiden
name for social interactions. I also write under initials. I don’t hide my
gender, but it’s not immediately obvious when you look at the book cover.
Do you want each book to stand alone,
or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
‘The
Innocents’ is most definitely part of a larger body of work. It’s the first of
a trilogy, but if people like them there’ plenty of scope to keep them going. I
would still continue with each book being a self-contained mystery with the
larger universe of the characters providing an over-arching connection between
the books. The third book is written and at editing stage, but there are plenty
of trials I can still put the characters through yet.
What is your writing Kryptonite?
Emotional
upset for sure. My last book took me a year to write as I was distracted by my
husband being injured in an accident and my mother-in-law passing away from a
long illness. I was very lucky to have a lovely mother-in-law. She is sorely
missed.
What other authors are you friends
with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
I’ve
met many wonderful people on this journey and I’ve found them to be an
incredibly generous and open community. I’d really encourage new writers to
reach out and make contact. Not only will you find that they share resources,
but you’ll probably make all kinds of new friends too. There are too many to
mention but Kit Prate and Joanie Chevalier deserve a special mention. Both have
been so supportive and inspiring to a brand new writer and have gone the extra
mile in helping me cross over so many barriers. Kit introduced me to her
publisher after reading my work, and helped me out of the slush pile. Joanie
helped to point me towards the various groups which help a new writer with
marketing and publicity. Not only that but she actually made up some
advertising material and told me to ‘get my swag on.’ I was being far too
Scottish—reticent and unwilling to look like I was bragging by saying my book
was good. Both ladies have been incredible and I can’t thank them enough. Read
their books and you’ll soon see how lucky I was to be assisted by them.
What was an early experience where
you learned that language had power?
That
would be in my work as a young police officer. I learned that talking people
down from spiraling emotions is a powerful tool in keeping people safe, and
more potent than violence. I also learned that listening to detail is vital
too. Noting the small things helped to push cases along in gathering evidence.
I also learned the complex and intricate ways people use language to put you
down and grab power in a situation. Understanding that really helps you stay in
control of a situation.
What’s your favorite
under-appreciated novel?
That
would have to be ‘The Moonstone’ by Wilkie Collins. Not only is it considered
the first proper detective novel in the English language, it also shows working
class females as rounded characters instead of foils for male attention. It
also is the first to introduce many of the elements we take for granted in
mysteries such as red herrings, false suspects, the skilled investigator, and a
final twist. Collins was actually vastly more popular than Dickens in his day,
but is now largely forgotten in comparison.
As a writer, what would you choose as
your mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
Lol,
maybe a giant sloth? Or one of those dogs or cats which go viral for bumping into
glass doors or falling off things?
How do you select the names of your
characters?
As
I write 19TH century characters I try to keep them in period and
maintain a sense of place. I’ll research popular or unusual names as well as
using names of people I know if they’re appropriate. I’ve also been known to
add really unusual names to my note as I come across them. Some are too good
not to use.
Who is the most famous person you
have ever met?
That
would be either the Pope of the Queen – on a protection duty. When the Pope
visited Scotland I was the police officer at the bottom of the aircraft steps.
We then moved with him into the city. As a fun aside, the glass-covered vehicle
he used was nicknamed the Pope Mobile by the press. The crowds were all still
there when we returned to the airport in the Pope mobile without him. We stood
in full uniform waving flowers out the top to cheering crowds as we drove the
full length of Prince’s Street in Edinburgh (the big main street in Scotland’s
capital city). The crowd cheered us and waved flags as we passed. Only a
Scottish crowd could hail a car full of police officers like that. Great fun.
What kind of research do you do, and
how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
Copious
amounts. ‘The Innocents’ has taken years of research into the work of the early
Pinkertons, especially the female agents and the kind of work they did,
including their methodologies. I research everything, even the stationary which
was in use and the correct codes for the telegraph stations mentioned in the
books. The theatrical make up, used as disguises in the book, began to flourish
right around the period the books are set in. Lighting had improved and people
could see the flaws in the rudimentary stuff previously only lit by candles.
The forensics are fascinating to dig into too. You name it I researched it.
What was your hardest scene to write?
The
interrogation scene. I had to inject a sense of menace into it to make it work.
I know it’s not usual to make your hero do bad things, but he’s a professional
criminal and he has to find out who this mysterious woman is and how much
danger the heroine poses to him.
How long have you been writing?
I’ve
been playing with the characters for about ten years, but work and life got in
the way. I started writing seriously about two years ago and spent about a year
being turned down by everyone. I acted on every bit of feedback and continually
got my work reviewed and improved until it was polished enough to be accepted.
What inspires you?
Often
fact is stranger than fiction, so I’ll start with real crime or criminals. I‘ll
then change it to ensure that even people familiar with that particular crime
can’t guess whodunit. The stories are inspired by real crimes and people but
they are not a memoir. They are stories where everything is historically
possible. It either happened or could
have happened.
How did you come to write The
Innocents?
My
grasp on the methodologies used by law enforcement, when applied the law in day
to day enquiries in the days before technology was available, as well as
historic weaknesses and blind spots in the both the legal and court systems,
make for an authentic backdrop to the characters.
I
was always a voracious reader, my mother teaching me with flashcards at the age
of two, and graduating to the adult section of the library about the age of
ten. I easily finished three books a week for years and was lost without one.
Mysteries were a real love and I consumed the works of writers old and new
constantly. The one thing I always wanted to do was to write but never had the
confidence or time to do more than dream about it.
More about CA Asbery
As
a child I loved to run lines with my actor father when he rehearsed, and peeked
in on the parties full of creative people singing, dancing, telling jokes,
performing and discussing the issues of the day. Childhood taught me that
creativity was something you do, not something you passively watch. That
carried over to a love of singing, professionally and with choirs, as well as
playing some dodgy fiddle music, alongside far better musicians who either made
me sound okay or drowned me out entirely. Either way I managed to carry it off
for a bit and even bagged a musician husband.
I
first became interested in the female pioneers in law enforcement when I joined
the police in Scotland. History has always held a draw and the colorful stories
of the older officers piqued my interest, making her look even further back.
The
very first women in law enforcement had been in France, working for the Sûreté
in the early 19th century. They were, however, no more than a
network of spies and prostitutes, the most infamous being the notorious
‘Violette’. Now there’s another story which needs to be told!
The
first truly professional women in law enforcement worked for the Pinkerton
Agency, and they were trained by the first female agent Kate Warne, an
ex-actress and an expert in working undercover. Kate Warne was an expert at
disguise, adopting roles, and accents. She was said to be daring and able to
pass her characters off, even in close quarters. In the only known photograph
of her she is dressed as a man. This was a skill set my childhood had prepared
her to understand.
These
women were fully-fledged agents, with their skills being held in high regard by
Alan Pinkerton who once said, “In my service you will serve your country better
than on the field. I have several female operatives. If you agree to come
aboard you will go in training with the head of my female detectives, Kate
Warne. She has never let me down.”
I
started to wonder why one of the female agents couldn’t be a Scottish Immigrant.
After all, Alan Pinkerton was one. He came from Glasgow. Being a Scot in
another land is something I know well. They do say you should write what you
know.
My
work has taken me all over the world, but working in the USA and visiting the
places where these women worked deepened my passion for finding out more about
how they lived. I also researched the tools and equipment available to them at
the time. Connections to police and Home Office experts allowed me to research
the birth of forensics with people who knew their subject intimately.
The
topic for ‘The Innocents Mystery Series’ simmered in the background for years,
and all the time I was researching more and more deeply into the period. I love
the rapid pace of innovation and invention in the 19th century.
Nothing pleases me more than finding spy gadgets available at the time which
were invented far earlier than most people would think possible.
Work
and life got in the way of the books being anything more than an idea until I
was suddenly grounded by a serious accident. The enforced leisure time of
recuperation focused my mind and the old dream of writing resurfaced. It
started as a short story which took on a life of its own when it grew and
grew—then grew some more.
Eventually,
‘The Innocents Mysteries’ evolved and I found the perfect home for it at
Prairie Rose. This is my first foray into fiction. I have produced magazine and
newspaper articles based on consumer law and written guides for the Consumer
Direct Website. I was Media Trained by The Rank Organization, and acted as a
consultant to the BBC's One Show and Watchdog. I have also been interviewed on
BBC radio answering questions on consumer law to the public.
I
run a blog which explores all things strange, mysterious, and unexpected about
the 19th century. It was a huge compliment to be told that another
writer finds it a great resource. The link can be found below.
I
live with my husband and two daft cats in Northamptonshire, England—for now.
Another move is on the cards in 2108 to the beautiful city of York.
Social Media Links
Twitter https://twitter.com/CAASBREY
Facebook
group for The Innocents Mystery Series
https://www.facebook.com/groups/937572179738970/?ref=br_rs
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