Dead Letters by P.J. Murphy
I hope you are having a good start to your week. Today I'm on tour with iRead Book Tours, which is a fabulous virtual book tour company and they always offer giveaways with their tours. On todays post P.J. Murphy answers questions about the book and a little bit about him.
“If you want to find me, search within these pages.”
Bestselling author Richard Debden is missing. The only clue: a copy of his unpublished final novel delivered to his ex-girlfriend, Amy. When those closest to Richard reunite for his memorial, Amy turns to Chris, his former best friend, to help unravel the mystery. Could Richard still be alive and in need of their help?
Richard’s manuscript tells of two abandoned children in wartime Britain, instructed by a shadowy Postmaster to deliver letters to ghosts and release them from their torment. As Chris and Amy delve into the text, they identify parallels between fiction and reality; clues to a trail that leads across the country and – they hope – to Richard.
But they are not the only interested party. A mysterious society is following them, their motives unclear. Can Chris and Amy unlock the secrets of Dead Letters, or will more sinister forces get there first?
Dead Letters is the captivating second novel by P.J. Murphy, author of Troubleshot.
Q. Dead Letters brings together many
different elements: mystery, ghosts and stories within stories. What do you
hope your readers take away from this book?
A. That’s changed quite a lot since when I began writing Dead Letters. Initially, I wanted to focus on the concept of ghosts being stuck in their moments, in the same way that certain events follow us through our lives. When I came to edit the novel, I grew to appreciate the importance of it being fun to read. That’s when I started focusing on the mystery elements, the humour, and the plot hooks. Overall, I hope readers come away feeling they’ve had an enjoyable experience, unlike many other novels in the market.
Q. Dead Letters
was selected as the mystery genre winner in the 2023 Page Turner Awards. How
was that experience for you?
A. It was my first competition success, so was amazing! Entering competitions can be very dispiriting: you submit your entry, pay your money, and that’s it, you hear nothing. The Page Turner Awards were excellent about keeping in touch throughout the various selection rounds, so I felt I was part of something. And the prize wasn’t bad, either: I won this book tour!
Q. In today’s tech-savvy world, most writers use a computer
or laptop. Have you ever written parts of your book on paper?
A. Actually, I wrote my first three novels on paper! It was useful for jotting stuff down wherever I was – and I found it a lot less soul-destroying staring at a page than a blank screen. I used to edit the text as I typed it up, and that counted as my second draft. But I converted to using a tablet a few years back. You can take them anywhere; it’s just so convenient, and it saves me the struggle of deciphering my handwriting.
Q. Dead Letters makes a few jokes at the
expense of the fantasy genre. What are your favourite genres?
A. I have probably read more fantasy books than anything else. Certainly, if you consider the length of the novels, fantasy beats other genres hands-down in terms of page count! Some people (including the protagonist in Dead Letters) perceive fantasy as very formulaic, but that’s true of all genre fiction. The great thing about fantasy is its scale and the range of possibilities for world-building. But I think every genre can cope with a ribbing, and it’s certainly true that there’s good fantasy and bad.
Q. Does that mean
your next novel will be fantasy?
A. It’s not on the immediate horizon. I’m actually in the middle of writing a sequel to my first novel, Troubleshot, a satire about a clash between a community and local government. After that, I plan to try a weird take on an espionage novel, which I like to think of as a cross between Bond and Groundhog Day. But never say never… let’s see where my writing takes me!
Q. Where can readers
find out more about your writing?
A. I have a Facebook page and an author page on Amazon and
Goodreads, but the best place to follow me is my website
www.pjmurphywriter.com. There, you can
find links to all my published works, plus a blog I update regularly, sharing my
publishing experience.
P.J. Murphy writes novels that introduce unusual and humorous twists to classic genres. If you pick up one of his books, you’re in for an interesting read that never loses its sense of fun. As a writer, P.J. tries to stick to the adage ‘write what you know’, although with the addition, ‘just make sure you exaggerate and distort it beyond all recognition’. He is planning to write a novel about taking a road trip with a parrot. He has never owned a parrot.
connect with author: website ~ facebook ~ goodreads
Dead Letters sounds like a fun and exciting book to read.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Sounds great.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great novel. Thanks for hosting this giveaway.
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