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Ayo: You have written a number of non-fiction books on castles, cathedrals and historic houses amongst others, what gave you the idea to try and write a novel? Susanna: My husband got this wonderful opportunity to spend time on an archaeological dig in Canada, and I was a bit jealous. So, since I had a couple of weeks all to myself, I sat down and wrote the first Bartholomew. My husband went to see the Dorset Culture, and I visited the Black Death in Cambridge.

Ayo: Did you always intend to be a writer of crime fiction? And why did you decide to write historical crime fiction instead of something more contemporary? Susanna: I think the historical part came first, and the crime part second. I find medieval life fascinating –– the clothes they wore, their way of life, the laws that governed their lives, the way they thought and their theories about the natural world. The more I learn about the era of the Black Death, the more I realise there is to know. It’s a strange combination of being familiar, because some of the buildings and street-layouts are the same and they were our ancestors, but parts of their culture are so utterly alien.

Ayo: What made you decide to write a series?
Susanna: I enjoyed writing the first one so much, that I decided to do a second. I’d written the third long before I ever considered looking for a publisher.

Ayo: Have you any plans to write a standalone novel?
Susanna: No plans at the moment, because I have my hands full with the two series –– Matthew Bartholomew and Geoffrey Mappestone. But I’d like to do one at some point.

Ayo: Who were your influences when you decided to start writing crime fiction? Susanna: Everyone knows Ellis Peters, and, of course, those were the first medieval mysteries I read. But I’m pretty badly read to be honest. When I go to Crime Writers’ Association meetings, I have to keep my mouth shut, because all these erudite and well-read people are standing around discussing books and authors I’ve never even heard of. I read a lot of non-fiction, but I really should take a good look at those Top Ten lists in Mystery Women and start to improve myself.

Ayo: How easy or difficult was it for you to get your first fiction book published. Susanna: It was amazingly easy, and gave me a very warped view of publishing for the first year – until I tried to publish the second series. I had a friend at College who had just published a (non-fiction) book through an agent. My husband (bless him) sent this friend the first Bartholomew manuscript, and he in turn passed it to the agent. Two weeks later, there was a contract in the offing. I have since learned that this is not how it usually happens.

Ayo: Writing historical crime fiction must mean that you do a lot of research. How do you go about your research?
Susanna: I ‘research’ all the time, in a way. There are always new books coming out on the subject, and I invariably have a couple on the go at any one time. When I actually have a plot I spend a lot of time at the Cambridge University Library, which is a copyright library, so has everything ever published in Britain. It’s a fabulous resource. Then there is the excellent Cambridgeshire Collection at the local library and the helpful staff. I like trawling through old records and trying to piece together the history of an area or an event. My Latin is frustratingly dismal, but it’s getting better with practice The research is often the best part. The scary thing is suddenly learning that something I’d taken for granted was completely different in the past – for example, Geoffrey would not have been able to walk into a tavern and buy a jug of ale. The coinage of the time simply did not permit that, with only silver pennies in circulation.

Ayo: Characterisation or plot? Which do you think is more important?
Susanna: I don’t know! I don’t know that I’ve ever thought about it. Could you do a Mystery Women poll?

Ayo: What prompted you to write a series featuring a medieval physician? Susanna: A physician seemed like the kind of person who might be able to say something useful about a dead body. It seemed like a good idea at the time, although of course now I’ve had to learn a whole lot about medieval physiology, the humours, what Aristotle thought about midwifery, herbal cures and a lot more besides.

Ayo: One of the attractions of your books is the sense of place and atmosphere that is present. What prompted you to choose Cambridge?
Susanna: I live there, and I read somewhere that you should write about what you know. It’s a great place to write about. The most interesting thing, I think, was that King’s chapel was built slap across the middle of one of its main roads. Amazing. They’d never get away with it these days.

Ayo: When the late Ellis Peters’ books were televised, they introduced a lot of people to historical crime fiction, which was great news. However, it has been sometime since any really good historical crime fiction novels have been televised. Is there any chance that we might see Matthew Bartholomew on television? Susanna: I doubt it. My agent tells me that historicals are far too expensive to make!

Ayo: What is your work schedule normally like?
Susanna: When I’m writing, I start before 8am and I often don’t finish until after 10pm, but only in one- or two-week bursts. I find I need that concentrated effort to get a proper working draught. Then I can relax a bit and revert to a normal schedule.

Ayo: What do you find the most difficult when you are writing?
Susanna: The first draught is always the hard part, because I never have any sort of outline. I just sit down and write. That means that when I reach the end, I might not have a killer or a solution, so I need to go back and write then in. It requires quite a lot of hard thinking.

Ayo: Over the last couple of years there has been a renaissance in historical crime fiction amongst readers. How do you feel about this?
Susanna: I’m pleased to hear it, but I didn’t know. Ayo: What crime novels do you read? Susanna: Can I get back to you on this? Richard from Heffers sometimes tells me his favourites, but most of the time I just grab something off the shelf without looking at the title or the author. I’ve just finished a good one by a Swedish author, but I can’t remember his name at the moment.

Ayo: When you sit down to start writing a new novel, where do you begin? Susanna: I write ‘Chapter 1’ and start. I have no idea what it will be about or who the characters might be. It just sort of happens. That’s why I need to do so much re-writing afterwards, to get the draught into something that makes sense. If you read what I wrote to start with, you’d be horrified!

Ayo: A Killer in Winter is the 9th and the latest in the series. Not only does Bartholomew have a number of murders to investigate but he also has to deal with the return of Philippa Abigny to whom he was once betrothed. What gave you the idea for this story especially bringing Philippa back into Bartholomew’s life? Susanna: A reader called Richard mentioned her at an event at Heffers. He asked what had happened to her. Readers are brilliant!

Ayo: How do you go about putting yourself in the mind of a hero who is a physician in the middle ages?
Susanna: As I mentioned earlier, it can be difficult to do, when the culture and ideas were so alien. I’m sure I make mistakes. Also, a lot of the ideas and attitudes would have been totally incomprehensible – and even deeply offensive – to modern readers, so some license needs to be taken. I read a lot of writings by contemporary authors, and a lot of analyses by academics who assess these theories. It’s difficult not to make assumptions – for example, they had very little idea of what most organs did, and I’m a biologist! It’s difficult for me to try to shelf what I know about the functions of the liver in favour of what Bartholomew might have known about it.

Ayo: What do you enjoy doing when you are not writing?
Susanna: I ring bells, sing in a very bad choir, and travel a lot to the Polar Regions for my work. Few of the people I work with know about the writing, and none of my fellow bell ringers or singers.

Ayo: You also belong to a group called Medieval Murderers. What for you has been the appeal of your association with Medieval Murderers?
Susanna: Good friends and knowing that other people are out there when the writing is difficult. And sometimes, when I get huffy letters from a reader who took offence because I mentioned the wrong type of strap on a piece of armour or a coin in my book of 1353 did not appear until 1354, I can tell the others and they are suitably sympathetic and encouraging. Mike Jecks, Bernard Knight, Ian Morson, and Philip Gooden are excellent writers, and I am very proud to be associated with them.

Ayo: Do you discuss the writing of your book with anyone?
Susanna: My husband is good for when I get stuck, but most of the time I’m in a room on my own and there is no one else to talk to. It’s a lonely business.

Ayo: If you were to host a diner party and you could invite five-crime fiction characters whom would they be and why?
Susanna: I probably wouldn’t, because one of them would be sure to get murdered, and I wouldn’t want to have a reputation like that Jessica on the TV programme ‘Murder, she Wrote’. Seriously, I think I would like to include: Nell Bray, of Gill Linscott’s books, because she’d be interesting and funny. Sir Baldwin from Mike Jecks’ series, because there’s a lot I’d like to ask him about 14th century Devon and the Templars. But would his medieval table manners offend the others? Arkady Renko from Martin Cruz Smith’s books, because he is intelligent, literate and unconventional. Kurt Wallander from Mankell’s Swedish books, because he seems a decent sort of policeman. Mind you, if he got talking to Renko the discussion could get a bit black and depress us all. Keating’s Inspector Ghote, because he’s amiable, pleasant and wouldn’t complain about the quality of the food.

Ayo: What are you working on now?
Susanna: The next Bartholomew is called The Hand of Justice and two more Geoffrey’s, one of which is set in the mints of Bristol. It was really interesting, learning about the coinage of 1102. All sorts of stuff was going on with debasing the coins and forgeries. Great environment for a murder …

Ayo: What made you decide to write another series?
Susanna: I love writing Bartholomew, and a second series seemed like a good opportunity to expand into a different era with different characters. The two periods are very different, which I find challenging.

Ayo: The Geoffrey de Mappestone series is actually written by both you and your husband under the pseudonym Simon Beaufort. How easy is it for the two of you to write the series together?
Susanna: We write a lot of non-fiction together, so we have experience of collaborating anyway. We work differently on each book, so it’s hard to say precisely how we go about it. Sometimes we confer on every scene, and sometimes I write a whole first draught and he edits and advises.

Ayo: Geoffrey de Mappestone is a totally different character compared to the other series that you write. Could you explain a bit more about him and the decision to make him a Knight?
Susanna: I'm not sure what you mean here. A knight with a degree of authority seemed like a good person for investigating crimes. There were very few 'Jerosolimitani' (men who helped 'free Jerusalem from the infidel') in England, so to make Geoffrey one was an interesting opportunity to explore the First Crusade a little, along with the social issues of being a Norman in a relatively newly conquered country.

Our thanks to Susanna Gregory for taking the time out to talk to us.

Books by Susanna Gregory:
Hands of Justice (Forthcoming 2004) A Killer in Winter (2003)
A Summer of Discontent (2002) A Head for Poisoning (1999)
An Order for Death (2001) A Masterly Murder (2000)
A Wicked Deed (1999) A Deadly Brew (1998)
A Bone of Contention (1997) An Unholy Alliance (1996)
A Plague on Both Your Houses (1996)

Books by Simon Beaufort (aka Susanna Gregory)
The King’s Spies (Forthcoming 2004) The Bishop’s Brood (2003)
Murder in the Holy City (1998)

More information about Susanna Gregory can be found at:-
http:// www.matthewbartholomew.co.uk