Interview with Syrie James - author of ‘The Secrets of Thorndale Manor’
Interview with Syrie James - author of ‘The Secrets of Thorndale Manor’
My review of ‘The Secrets of Thorndale Manor’
The novel is available now at your favourite book store!
About the author:
SYRIE JAMES is the author of fifteen critically acclaimed novels of historical fiction, mystery and suspense, and romance that have been international and USA Today bestsellers and won numerous awards. Her books have been published in more than twenty languages. Syrie is also a screenwriter and playwright and is committed to taking her characters on challenging journeys of growth and discovery.
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INTERVIEW
Tell us about the The Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire series and a quick overview of book two The Secrets of Thorndale Manor?
The Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire series is about bold sister sleuths who are each swept up in murder, mystery, and romance set in ancient English country manor houses. In book two, The Secrets of Thorndale Manor, Athena Taylor (the sister of the heroine from book one, The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall) is the bright, dedicated headmistress of a girls’ school in Yorkshire. She investigates two murders and finds herself in terrifying danger, caught between the pursuit of truth and justice and a powerful attraction for a brooding and charismatic architect, Ian Vernon, the former heir of Thorndale Manor, who’s hiding a secret that threatens to derail everything.
What qualities make a great Victorian Gothic Mystery Romance? (I firmly believe your new novel contains them all!)
My favourite elements in a Gothic Mystery Romance, whether they’re set in the Victorian era or sometime in the 20th century, include old houses full of secrets, an atmosphere that evokes danger, a smart and empathetic heroine with a mission, a charismatic but brooding hero who sweeps her off her feet, multiple mysteries to solve, at least one suspicious death, as many red herrings as I can manage to fit in, and a huge twist at the end!
Share thoughts on the literary influences behind The Secrets of Thorndale Manor.
This series, beginning with The Mysteries of Pendowar Hall, was inspired by the Gothic romantic suspense and mystery novels that I’ve loved all my life. As a girl, I devoured the novels of Mary Stewart, Daphne du Maurier, and Victoria Holt, and my absolute favorite read was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I’ve long been entranced by the thrilling atmosphere, the page-turning plots, the intriguing characters, and the romance—always the romance. Later, I became addicted to murder mysteries, especially the novels of Agatha Christie. All these literary treasures influenced my absolute need to write a series of books in this genre.
Give us a brief description of Athena Taylor: her positive qualities and any vices.
Athena is a smart, hardworking woman, and a wonderful teacher who loves children. She and her sister Selena have founded a school and dedicated their lives to providing girls with the same kind of comprehensive education that boys receive—an unusual concept in 1850. Athena is against marriage, for according to the laws at that time in Victorian England, she’d have to give up many personal rights and freedoms to her husband, and perhaps even the occupation she loves. But her feelings begin to change when she falls in love with Ian Vernon, the charismatic former heir of Thorndale Manor. Athena loves to read and is brilliant at reading aloud in a way that captivates her audience. Her biggest flaw, if it’s a flaw, is that she won’t back down from a challenge or go quietly away when told that she mustn’t investigate something—a quality that puts her in terrifying danger more than once and nearly costs her and sister their lives. And yet, if she wasn't so determined, these mysteries would never get solved—and I hope the shocking conclusion takes every reader by surprise!
How would you describe Ian Vernon and his part in the story?
Ian Vernon is a good man and a talented architect, who is also a skilled builder and knows a thing or two about fixing roofs on an ancient manor house. He has an axe to grind with Athena Taylor. Here’s a brief excerpt when he’s introduced to the reader:
“She recognized that strong jaw, the chiseled face, and the piercing cornflower-blue eyes that matched the morning sky. Although the one time they had been introduced, he had avoided her gaze and uttered only four curt words—How do you do?—Athena had heard a great deal about him.
His name was Ian Vernon. He was thirty-three years old. And he had good reason to hate her. Because Thorndale Manor had been in his family for over two hundred years. It had been his home, his birthright. Until his father had gambled away the family fortune.”
That’s not the only issue Ian Vernon has with Athena. Although they are both powerfully attracted to each other, Athena is determined to uncover the truth about two murder mysteries to restore the reputation of Thorndale Manor, her new home and the site of her school. Ian insists that she leave the past buried … but Athena is as fearless as she is determined. Meanwhile, Ian is carrying a secret that will affect his relationship with Athena and the entire course of the story. No spoilers here—you’ll have to read the book to find out!
What scene in The Secrets of Thorndale Manor was the hardest to write and why?
The scene where I introduced Ian Vernon, the hero, was the most difficult to write, and involved the greatest number of rewrites. In any novel, the introduction of the main characters is critical—you must make them sympathetic, compelling, and intriguing, someone you want to follow for 300+ pages, yet at the same time keep an air of mystery about them. This novel is labelled as an “enemies to lovers” type of story, which isn’t quite right; but I did need to start from a place of conflict, so Athena’s relationship with Ian has somewhere to build. I hope I got it right!
Is there an overall theme or lessons in The Secrets of Thorndale Manor that you hope readers see and learn from?
I’d say the takeaway is the motto of the three sisters in the Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire, the lesson they learned from their mother: if something doesn’t look or feel right, it probably isn’t. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire! Don’t hold back or listen to naysayers. Investigate, for the truth will set you free.
Please share your journey to publication. (A list of your published novels, scripts, etc).
After selling two romance novels, I spent many years as a screenwriter and sold 20 screenplays to film and television. When I returned to my first love, books, I sold The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen at auction to Harper Collins, it became an international bestseller and launched my career as an author of primarily historical novels. I have five novels of historical fiction including three about Jane Austen, a novel about Charlotte Brontë’s life and loves and her struggle to write her most famous work, Jane Eyre, and an ultra-romantic version of Dracula that is a reader favorite. I also have a Victorian historical romance trilogy (the Dare to Defy series), contemporary love stories (the Struck By Love series), and The Forbidden series, Young Adult paranormal romance novels that I co-wrote with my son Ryan. I’m now having the best time indulging my love of Gothic suspense and mysteries with my new Victorian mystery series, The Audacious Sisterhood of Smoke & Fire. The Secrets of Thorndale Manor is my 15th published novel. I realized a dream to become a published playwright this year when my comedic play, “Jane Austen in 89 Minutes,” became a stage hit and is now available for licensing worldwide.
SYRIE IN SYDNEY - 2024
