Jess Armstrong's debut novel, The Curse of Penryth Hall, won the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Competition. She has a master's degree in American History but prefers writing about imaginary people to the real thing. Jess lives in New Orleans with her historian husband, two sons, yellow cat, speckled dog, and the world's most pampered school-fair goldfish. And when she's not working on her next project, she's probably thinking about cheese, baking, tweeting, or some combination of the above. She recently talked about The Curse of Penryth Hall with Daryl Maxwell for the LAPL Blog.
What was your inspiration for The Curse of Penryth Hall?
This was a book that very much picked its own path, so there wasn't really one single piece of inspiration but more like several smaller ones along the way that helped the end story take the shape it's in now. Part of that is because I am a notorious pantser. If you aren't familiar with the term, it means I draft novels by the seat of my pants. Some people intensively plot before they start writing, but I have a lot of trouble doing that. So, I start writing, and the plot follows. Usually, when I am beginning a new project, I have a vague idea—a vibe—something that really captures my imagination, and I craft a novel around that mood. It could be a song, a photograph that I saw, or a vignette in a historical monograph. Pretty much anything can bring that initial spark.
Of course, this manuscript was like nothing I'd written before—when I started writing it back in the summer of 2021, I wasn't entirely sure where it was going. I knew I wanted to try to write a mystery—I'd never done that before—and I wanted to set it in the interwar period. That was pretty much all I knew. I'd grown up reading mysteries, and I wanted to play around with the figure of the "brooding, somewhat self-destructive male detective" and make that character my heroine. It wasn't until I started digging into the folklore aspect of it that the book took the shape it is now.
Are Ruby, Tamsyn, Ruan, or any of the other characters in the novel inspired by or based on specific individuals?
Not really. There were certainly people like them in the historical record, but my characters are more an amalgamation of traits and backstories than anything else. The way I write isn't particularly conducive to basing them off real historical people. I typically start with a vague biographical sketch of who my characters are, where they're from, and particular likes or dislikes (kind of like how Ruby loves the sea or how plants surround Ruan), these become a framework for the character to build from. Sometimes, I randomly pick things. But my characters always grow in tandem with each other—changing and shifting as the book progresses, kind of a moving literary puzzle.
How did the novel evolve and change as you wrote and revised it? Are there any characters or scenes lost in the process that you wish had made it to the published version?
I have to admit I am pretty ruthless with my own writing and generally take the approach that if something doesn't make the end version of a manuscript—it needed to change. I also don't save my deleted scenes. I'm sure that's horrifying to some folks and I admit it's a little scary in the moment when my finger hovers over the delete button, but it's also an incredibly liberating feeling. So far, I've never needed to go bring anything back from the cutoff bin. However, that being said, I have had to bring characters back that I killed off in earlier drafts.
This was particularly true for The Curse of Penryth Hall when I un-killed two separate characters that I had previously killed off and completely recast a third's role in the manuscript. Of course, doing that caused me to more or less rewrite the last half of the book. I can still remember staring at my laptop screen, wondering if I'd made a colossal mistake, but I made the changes, and the book is so much better because of it.
What drew you to set The Curse of Penryth Hall in the period after World War I? How familiar were you with that period of time in England? Did you have to do a bit of research? How long did it take you to do the necessary research and then write your novel?
I've always been into history and actually have an M.A. in American History and Museum studies. I think I started getting really into the First World War and the interwar period around the centennial of the war, and I have been reading a lot about it recreationally over the last few years. It's such an interesting time with parallels to our own.
Because I already had that groundwork of knowledge, The Curse of Penryth Hall came together pretty fast. I think from starting it to when I submitted the manuscript, it may have taken roughly five months—which included at least two revisions and a week-long evacuation from Hurricane Ida. Since I already knew a lot about the world, I didn't have to do as much deep-dive research for that part. It was mostly fact-checking on that part. I did spend a lot of time researching the folklore aspect, and it's still something I'm researching for future books.
If I hadn't already had that groundwork for the time period, it probably would have taken me a few months longer, just because I'd need to ground myself in that research, too.
What was the most interesting or surprising thing that you learned during your research?
Whenever I choose backstories for my historical fiction characters, I like to do cursory fact-checking in addition to my normal research just to be sure there were examples of people doing similar things in the historical record and that I haven't made my characters do something unintentionally anachronistic. Usually, what I end up finding are examples of actual people who have done far more extraordinary things than I could have come up with. That was the case with Ruby and her war experience, for sure.
I was already pretty familiar with the time period but I still wanted to look into the lives of women ambulance drivers just to find some examples for reference. During my research, I was captivated by the story of Mairi Chisholm who decided she was going to join the war effort, ended up making her way to Belgium and eventually partnered with her friend and nurse Elsie Knocker to set up an aid post very near the trenches in hopes of being able to help more of the wounded. In an early draft, I had Ruby and Tamsyn make a passing reference to the pair in dialogue as a nod to their bravery but I ended up having to cut that dialogue in a revision pass because it didn't work in the scene.
The Curse of Penryth Hall was the first time I've encountered the term Pellar. Do you remember where/when you first encountered it?
Pellars were pretty new to me too. I'd been somewhat aware of the term. I know there's a character in the video game Witcher 3 that is a Pellar, but beyond that, I hadn't really paid a lot of attention to the actual folk tradition surrounding them. Even when I've come across them in secondary sources, their stories get mentioned in passing or blended in with other types of magic practitioners. It was only when I was digging into accounts from 18th and 19th-century folklorists that Pellars really came into focus in my mind. I've taken creative liberties with the character of Ruan, but he's very much a creation from those 18th and 19th-century stories.
When I first had the idea, I envisioned Ruby as a scholarly figure, traveling the countryside collecting folk stories. She was a skeptic, even in that version, but she wasn't the character she is in this iteration. In trying to understand her and the world she'd be versed in, I read a lot of 19th and 20th-century accounts from Cornish folklorists and that's where I really dug into the lore of the Pellar. I'd find accounts of local white witches, then occasionally you would get mention of someone needing to "go to the Pellar" for something, particularly bad—so I kept digging until I had an idea of the character I needed to create.
Of course, the problem with having such an intriguing and mysterious side character is that it runs the risk of him overshadowing the main character! Once I created Ruan, I really had to rework the character of Ruby to make her just as vibrant and complex of a character so as not to get overshadowed by the Pellar.
Your novel ends with Ruby seeming to be drawn into another adventure. Is The Curse of Penryth Hall the beginning of a new series? If so, what are your plans for the series? Do you have an idea at this time how long the series will be and how many books will be necessary to tell the story you want to tell?
It is! The second book will be coming out in Fall 2024, and there should be more information to share on that one soon. I can go ahead and let you know that the second book picks up about six weeks after The Curse of Penryth Hall ends with Mr. Owen and Ruby heading off to Scotland where they attend a séance that quickly goes awry. Secrets, seances, and murder in Scotland—what could be more fun?
As to how long this series could be—I really don't have a sense of it at this point. I definitely have near-term and long-term character arcs for Ruby and several other main characters, along with where the series is headed overall—time will tell how long it takes to get there.
Ruan seems very rooted to Lothlel Green. Is there a chance that he will show up in any subsequent novels to join Ruby on her future adventures?
Ruan will be back in the next book. He's also my mom's favorite character, so I'd be in a lot of trouble if he wasn't!
What's currently on your nightstand?
At the risk of sounding like my main character, I have Owen Davies' Grimoires: A History of Magic Books sitting on my nightstand.
Can you name your top five favorite or most influential authors?
I've always been an avid reader, so for me, this list changes over time as I find new authors or rediscover my old favorites. James Lee Burke is definitely up there on my list. Deanna Raybourn is up there too along with Simone St. James.
Even though I write mysteries, romance has also had a huge effect on the way I write my characters and how I see and develop my arcs. If you haven't dug into the genre much, romances are a master class in character development and arcs. There are so many people out there doing incredible work within the genre--to list some of the folks I've been reading recently, there's Diana Biller, Charish Reid, Elizabeth Hoyt…I could literally go on and on. I really don't think the genre gets the respect it deserves for the craft required to write them. People kind of overlook it or can be dismissive of romance novels but as a writer (and reader!) I'm constantly amazed at the skill required to write a compelling and satisfying romance.
As a debut author, what have you learned during the process of getting your novel published that you would like to share with other writers about this experience?
I'd reassure them that everyone's path is different, everyone's process is different and that there is no magic secret to getting published besides persistence and luck. When I say luck, what I mean is getting the right manuscript at the right time, in front of the right eyes.
I see so much well-meaning writing and publishing advice floating around the internet promising if you just do this one thing, you'll get that agent, that deal, that prize—but it's just not true and I fear it ends up discouraging people when they start querying or go out on sub (sub is when an agent submits the manuscript to publishing houses for consideration).
There is so much in this industry that we writers cannot control. I think the big thing I'd recommend to writers hoping to get published one day is to focus on the craft and to find joy in the writing process because everything after that point is entirely out of our hands.
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
Tuck Everlasting. I think I read it in fourth-grade English class and was obsessed with the concept of immortality. As a child, I couldn't understand the choices Winnie made in the end, but as an adult, I totally see it differently.
Was there a book you felt you needed to hide from your parents?
Not at all. My mom took the approach that if I could physically read it and wanted to read it, then she wouldn't stop me. I suppose there might have been limits, but I never found them. I take the same stance with my own kids—if they want to read it, have at it!
Every week as a child, I'd go max out my library card and walk out the door with a stack almost as tall as I was of books—usually high fantasy or history—those were my favorites back then. Of course, I'd finish them before the week was out and get bored at home. My grandmother lived with us back then, and when I ran out of things to read, she would take me downstairs and let me pick out something from her books. Grandma had hundreds of historical romances from the 80s and 90s, stacked two deep on her shelves along with detective novels, mysteries, you name it! Her shelves were a treasure trove of paperback glory—and I could take my pick of anything I wanted—except for her copy of Valley of the Dolls. To this day, I still haven't read it and have no idea what it's about.
Is there a book you've faked reading?
I'm completely embarrassed to admit this, considering what a giant bookworm I am—but I totally faked my way through 6th grade Language Arts. I don't think I read a single assigned reading that year and still somehow managed to keep on the honor roll.
At that point in life I was way more into Anne Rice and Stephen King than I was the classics. I redeemed myself by high school when I became obsessed with Jane Eyre and The Scarlet Letter though. I also had a big The Crucible phase. It probably explains a lot about what I write now, come to think of it.
Can you name a book you've bought for the cover?
I guess I've taken the adage of "don't judge a book by its cover" to heart because I literally never have bought a book based on that alone. I might pick it up because it's pretty, but I've never bought one because it was pretty. I'm constantly reading back cover copy to decide what I want to add to my ever-growing to-be-read pile.
Is there a book that changed your life?
Not per se. But I was in a master's program for mental health counseling for about two years, and as part of one of my courses, we read Cultivating the Mind of Love by Thich Nhat Hanh along with Martin Buber's I and Thou and it was definitely a shift in the way I thought about interpersonal relationships and my own self. I did a lot of growth in those two years and I do think really digging into those two relatively short books was a big part of that.
Can you name a book for which you are an evangelist (and you think everyone should read)?
Oh, this is a tricky one! Books are so personal that I don't know if I can pick one book for everyone—but I will say that I am constantly pushing Simone St. James' historical gothic novels at people. Particularly The Haunting of Maddy Clare. Her Silence for the Dead is a close second for me. It's not often that I can say a book both scared me to death and made me feel safe but Simone St. James has this beautiful way of plumbing the darkness and leaving the reader with an optimistic ending for the main characters.
Is there a book you would most want to read again for the first time?
Honestly—probably Fourth Wing. I loved the experience of reading this book and totally binge-read in probably 2 days. Of course, the downside is that I am convinced I missed some important clues for the future books because of the breakneck speed I read it the first time.
Note to self: slow down on the next one.
What is the last piece of art (music, movies, TV, more traditional art forms) that you've experienced or that has impacted you?
It's less of a piece than multiple pieces. One of my favorite things to do is to spend time alone in an art gallery, but I also have two young children so I seldom get to do that. Earlier this year, I found myself in DC with an unanticipated morning to myself. I ended up spending a couple of hours wandering the National Gallery alone. It was just lovely. There's something about being by yourself looking at other people's art that is just so powerful to me and got my creative juices really flowing. It wasn't specific to the art itself, but more being in the presence of so much greatness that is both humbling and inspirational.
What is your idea of THE perfect day (where you could go anywhere/meet with anyone)?
Probably exploring a ruin somewhere on a temperate late spring/early summer day. If I could manage to go for a hike and explore ruins, followed by a casual picnic along a lazy, slow river—that would be THE perfect day. It doesn't really matter where—give me a ruin and nature and I'm there.
What is the question that you're always hoping you'll be asked but never have been? What is your answer?
I don't think anyone has asked me about my playlist yet. So here goes:
Q: What are the top 3 songs on The Curse of Penryth Hall writing playlist?
A: I always have music on when I'm writing that matches the emotional vibe or resonance of what I'm writing. These songs may or may not surprise people who have read the book:
- "Patsy" by Jack O'Rourke (his stuff is incredible. If you are a fan of folk at all and don't know him, go look him up. I listened to this song so much my 7-year-old started requesting it when we got in the car)
- "Ship Song" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. I mean, this vibe? Perfection.
- "NFWMB" by Hozier again the vibes are spot on.
What are you working on now?
Right now, we're in edits on the second Ruby Vaughn novel, so that's taking up most of my creative headspace right now. I'm so excited how this one is shaping up so I can't wait to share more about that book with readers!
