Interviews
Ransom Notes Interview with Victoria Thompson
Victoria Thompson: I've always loved history -- not studying it in school but learning about things that happened long ago and the people who lived then. What always amazes me is how little people have changed since the beginning of time. The technology has changed drastically, but human nature remains stubbornly the same no matter what century it is.
Ransom Notes: What made you choose the turn-of-the-century New York City setting for your Gaslight mysteries?
VT: My daughter chose to attend New York University in Greenwich Village because of their highly regarded performing arts program. While she was living just a few blocks from Washington Square, I stopped in Barnes & Noble's store in the Village to pick up books on the history of New York to read for fun. I'm not making this up! I was already doing my research before I ever dreamed of writing the series!
The turn of the last century is a particularly interesting time, because the issues people were confronting then are the same ones we're still dealing with-the dangers of looking for Mr. Right, stalkers, middle-class drug abuse, the media's abuse of power, and domestic terrorism, just to name a few.
Murder on Marble Row was inspired by a front-page news story in The New York Times in October 1896. A businessman went to his office one morning, and a bomb that had been concealed there exploded, killing him. Everyone immediately suspected anarchists, but the police failed to properly investigate, so the crime was never solved. I realized this same story could have appeared in today's newspaper, so it seemed a perfect theme for my book.
Murder on Lenox Hill hinges on equally timeless issues, from simple-minded Grace Linton's pregnancy to the church-related scandal that follows, and of course the mental-health aspects of the investigation into those crimes as well as into the death of Sarah's husband.
RN: What made you decide to use young people as a major focus of the crimes in Murder on Lenox Hill?
VT: The most horrible crimes are those perpetrated against the most innocent among us. Even worse is when someone uses a position of power and trust to violate those innocents. I wanted to examine this issue more closely in Murder on Lenox Hill.
RN: Can you tell us anything about your future plans for the Gaslight mystery series?
VT: When author Catherine Coulter gave me a cover quote for the series, I had to promise that Frank and Sarah would eventually be together. I must keep that promise but, fortunately, Catherine didn't set a deadline! We're now getting very close to solving Dr. Brandt's murder. The next book in the series is set in Little Italy, and it's almost finished.
I love to hear from readers. Please email me through my web site, victoriathompson.com. I will put you on my email list and send a notice when the new book is released.