“Maria’s torn and mangled form continued its bloody trajectory, hitting a stone table headfirst and scattering the tomato seedlings in their clay pots, coming to rest on the concrete floor. Mercifully, by then, Maria was already dead.”
Aunt Maria’s Last Aria is the fourth novel in the much-lauded crime series by bestselling author Anna Nicholas. Anna’s first foray into publishing was the humorous A Lizard in my Luggage which recounted life in the ‘easyJet Commuters Club’, flipflopping between renovating a tumbledown finca in Soller and managing an acclamatory London PR agency. This travel series extended to seven books, before Anna turned her hand to feisty, lovable, super-sleuth Isabel Flores, her pet ferret Furó, and some grisly murders. Novels aside, Anna is a long-standing destination expert for The Telegraph and continues to offer PR consultancy, while writing for high-profile publications – often about Mallorca. In her spare time (one wonders how she finds any) Anna runs marathons, scales mountain peaks, and feeds her ever-expanding menagerie.
What prompted you to become a novelist?
Honestly, it’s always been inside me. Age seven, I announced a desire to become a ‘bookmaker’ – my family were in hysterics - and wrote a story for children. Unbeknown to me, my mother shipped the manuscript to a large American publisher, and they kindly replied saying it was good, but needed amends. I didn’t do them. Between the ages of 15 and 22, I wrote perhaps three or four more books which never saw the light of day and then immersed myself in a copy-heavy press and PR career. The idea for A Lizard in my Luggage came in 2003, when I juxtaposed my rural existence in Soller with the frenetic life of a publicist in Mayfair. Thankfully, travel experts Summersdale took a leap of faith with a fledgling author from a small Mediterranean island and the book was published in 2007. It sold so fast they asked for a sequel, and another, and another…
How tricky was the switch from factual travel to fictitious crime?
It wasn’t such a giant leap. My travel series had an element of fiction, as I had to change stories to protect certain identities. And, to keep the momentum of a story, you must identify the fun moments and add suitable embellishments. Also, as my dear husband Alan will testify, I have a very weird imagination. I’ll return sweaty from a run and gush, ‘I’ve found a great place where you could kill someone, squirrel away the body, and quickly remove any evidence’, to which he replies, ‘this is worrying, Anna’.
Tell us about the writing process.
It all starts with the title. I cannot even ponder a synopsis until I’ve got a title. Once that’s nailed, I ruminate the dialogues and plot lines in bed, rendering me insomniac. I then transfer the plot from head to computer, just a couple of pages, before detailing the macro plot, the micro plots, and the characters. This is the easy bit. There follows the tedious, often frustrating, part where I detail for each chapter what happens on what day, at what time. This breakdown prevents me going off track. I describe it as clutching the threads of a bunch of helium balloons – in high wind. If you let go of just one thread, it goes belly up. The final five to seven chapters I keep a slightly looser format as, weird as it sounds, my lead character Isabel is increasingly dictating terms. She’s taken on a life of her own and can behave in an unexpected manner, causing me to change direction.
And do the books follow the same structure?
Readers get what they expect, which is as it should be. Each book starts in an arresting way, for example with a murder, then we get into the protagonists and the subplot. I like to have two crimes running in tandem, and am fascinated by symbolism, such as the tokens serial killers leave behind – I suspect Alan finds this worrying too. My illustrator, Christopher Corr, is so talented at incorporating all this detail into the cover.
Does art imitate life?
A good number of my characters are based on people who I’ve met. Opera singer Aunt Maria is inspired by someone I know, as is her eccentric husband who sleeps on a mattress supported by tins of fish. As the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction. Meanwhile, the locations are very much based on Mallorca and my books intentionally flaunt everything I adore about this incredible island.
How much research do you have to do?
I am fastidious about research, it’s the journalist in me. I speak to Policía Local, Guardia Civil, forensic pathologists, anyone who will help add authenticity and credibility to my stories. Sometimes, to keep momentum, I have forensic reports back in a matter of days when in real life it’s a lot slower. My Google history features such terms as :‘how long does it take to lose consciousness and what happens to retinal blood vessels during strangulation’. Dubious stuff. Let’s hope the authorities believe that I am a crime writer should my computer ever be hauled off for analysis. In fact, I might delete my history now to be on the safe side...
Set the scene at your writing desk.
Any author who says they get inspired and let the book flow, I cry, ‘balderdash!’ It’s a tough job. Here’s how it looks chez moi. Our basement used to be a store for all sorts of jars of pickled fruit and veg, but it now hosts my writing room. I have French windows looking out to the orchard, but I stare at a white wall as I cannot bear any visual distraction. Call me wacky, but I simply must have a full ream of white paper and four black and/or blue Pilot V-ball liquid ink pens to my left – or the book’s not getting written. I work 09:00 to 20:00, Friday to Monday, taking just a few breaks. At 20:00 Alan gets hungry and, as I’m the cook, I get on with dinner. The other three days I work on my ‘proper’ job of articles, hotel reviews, PR and so on. My parents, aunts and grandparents were all teachers or academics, and strong Catholics – for sure their strong work ethic rubbed off on me.
How long does it take to complete a book?
The goal is to write one book each year. The actual tip-tapping on the keyboard takes four to six months, and the rest is devoted to distribution, rights, marketing and so on. There’s little space for procrastination or prevarication as editors, printers and distributors are all busy people and need lining up in advance. If I miss the agreed date, I will be charged. It’s a business, not a hobby, even more so since I set up my own publishing venture – Burro Books Ltd – in 2019.
Are there more books in the pipeline?
I have already plotted the next three books in the Mallorcan Mystery series. The truth is I love inhabiting the world of Isabel Flores. When real life gets too much, I slip into this blissful parallel universe. So long as I remain smitten with the characters and the village of San Martí, I will keep going.
What has been the biggest moment in your author career to date?
Definitely that phone call in 2005 when Summersdale said they were taking me on. It was the start of a whole new chapter in my life – pardon the pun – and I will forever be grateful for the faith they showed in me. I’m hoping the next biggest moment will come if the current TV and film interest comes to fruition - watch this space.
Finally, any advice for a pre-author Anna?
Don’t think you’re perfect, listen to the experts who are giving you advice. Never give up, don’t take failures to heart, and you will make it.
All Mallorca Bulletin readers are invited to a book signing to celebrate the publication of Aunt Maria’s Last Aria at Rialto Living, Palma, on Thursday 25 July from 6pm to 7.30pm. Lloyd Milen MBE will deliver a welcome and drinks will be served.