Q&A with Kemper Donovan

We chat with Kemper Donovan, author of the instantly gripping cosy crime The Busy Body.

How would you describe your book?
I think of this series as 'literary cosy' in that it fulfils the requirements of a cosy, but in more of a knowing/winking, and literary way. Fans of the mystery writers Richard Osman and Anthony Horowitz are likely to enjoy my books.

Tell us about your podcast!
For over seven years now, I’ve co-hosted a podcast called All About Agatha, which is all about Agatha Christie. Over that time I’ve reread every single full-length mystery Christie wrote, as well as every single short story, her two autobiographies, and everything in between. My close study of Agatha Christie directly informed the creation of my original mystery, and it will continue to inform every mystery I write within this series. In a way, The Ghostwriter Series is my tribute, as a scholar and a fan, to Agatha Christie.

Why does the Ghostwriter, who narrates the story, not have a name?
I wasn’t determined not to name my narrator when I started writing this story. I suppose I didn’t name her right away because she’s a ghostwriter, after all, and ghostwriters are used to hiding who they are.

Soon, though, the notion of shying away from the spotlight became a part of the Ghostwriter’s character - the idea that she preferred this distance, and was uncomfortable sharing too much of herself with anyone, including even the reader of the story she was telling. I began to believe she didn’t want anyone to know her name - including me! 

Why did you choose to set your story in Maine?
There’s something about 'retreating into the woods' the way Dorothy does in the wake of her defeat that feels not just understandable, but elemental, if that makes sense. It’s a universal impulse that we see play out over and over again in fairy tales, for instance, the wilderness of the woods functioning as the place people go to when they want to escape other people…. and for me, there is no more sylvan a state than Maine.

Who were your main influences when writing?
After having spent years and years poring over Agatha Christie’s novels, awash in their brilliance, I decided to see if a little bit of that brilliance had rubbed off on me - enough that I could create my own mystery. This is how The Busy Body came about. It really was Agatha all along!

Are there going to be other Ghostwriter mysteries?
I’m so glad you asked; yes, there will be! The Ghostwriter will live to see another day, and another murder - and another detective! In this way, the series is a 'sidekick' series, in which our literary Watson pairs up with different detectives in entirely different settings. Stay tuned ...