Author Interview: Pam Lecky

 






JMR-Welcome to the Books Delight, Pam. Tell our readers where you live, what you do for fun and what does the perfect day look like?

PL- Hi, and thanks so much for the invitation, Jeanie. I am an Irish historical fiction author, living in a small town just north of Dublin city, Ireland, and close to the sea. I love to meet up with friends for a coffee or a night out (though of course not in the last year!). The cinema and theatre and live gigs are also some of my favourite things to do. I am an avid gardener (I studied horticulture) so the garden provides my perfect relaxing time, away from those pesky characters who are always clamouring for notice in my head! A perfect day would involve the seaside, prosecco or a French Martini and friends/family (in no particular order) – in Ireland or my favourite place on earth, Italy.



JMR-What’s your favorite historical time period? Why?

PL- The 19th century has always been my go-to period, however, lately I have been dipping my toe into later eras, right up to and including WW2. What has always fascinated me about the Georgian and Victorian eras (but particularly the latter) was the pace of change. From a young age I was drawn to the architecture, fashion and social history of that time as well.

JMR-Who is your favorite historical figure? Why? If you could ask them one question, what would it be?

PL- Michael Collins – he was a bit of a rogue and died so young and so tragically. As to what I would ask him, it would probably be ‘was it worth it?’

JMR- How did you come to be a writer of historical fiction?

PL- From a very young age I was an avid reader. My father was too, and he loved history. As I grew older, I found I gravitated more and more towards historical novels, although I also read a lot of crime. Combining those two elements just came naturally. However, I am contemplating writing more contemporary stories, too.

JMR- Your Lucy Lawrence series combines historical fiction with a crime solving mystery. What does it take to write a great crime novel?

PL- Nerves of steel and a twisty mind for the author! Interesting characters and as an original plot as possible help. I have always adored mysteries and love nothing better than trying to misdirect my readers until the very last chapter. It is easier to write a crime novel if you are more of a plotter than a pantser – something I have had to work on, but I am glad to say I’m finding it easier now and it speeds up the process too.

JMR- Did you visit anyone of the places in your book? Where did you feel closest to your characters?

PL- I visited Lake Buttermere in the English Lake District. It was one of the locations in The Bowes Inheritance, my debut novel, which is a romantic suspense/mystery story set in the Lake District of Cumbria. The lake is the site of a wedding in the book and where the two main characters finally admit their feelings for each other at the top of Haystacks Mountain (very romantic!). It was wonderful to see it and even better in that I met up with some other authors while I was there. Bar Dublin and London, most of my books are set in locations I have never visited. So, it is extra special when you finally get to see them. As soon as I can travel again, I intend to visit the locations in the south of England (Hampshire) which feature in Her Secret War, my next release.

JMR- Pam, tell us about your new book, Her Secret War.

PL- Up to this, I have written predominantly in the late Victorian era and my Lucy Lawrence Mystery series is great fun to write and set in a period I absolutely love. However, I wanted to stretch myself with something new. I have always been fascinated by the wars of the 20th century, and in particular the murky world of espionage. However, I was keen that whatever I wrote would have a strong Irish flavour. Her Secret War, set during WW2, began to formulate in my head.

I wanted to begin the story in wartime Dublin. Ireland, still reeling from the War of Independence and the Irish Civil War which quickly followed, declared itself neutral during WW2. And despite Churchill’s attempts to get Ireland to join the Allies, the government stood firm for the duration of the war.

But then the Luftwaffe bombed Dublin on 31st May 1941. Tragically, twenty-eight men, woman and children died, and ninety were injured. The enclave of North Strand, where the largest bomb fell, was decimated with almost three hundred homes destroyed or damaged and nearly four hundred people were left homeless. Germany claimed they dropped the bombs on North Strand in error and eventually compensated the Irish Government. However, the incident occurred only a couple of miles from where I grew up. As I considered the plot of Her Secret War, I felt this event would be the perfect opening for the book.

I decided to take my readers on a journey with a strong female lead overcoming the direst of circumstances. My main character, Sarah Gillespie, is the only one of her family to survive the North Strand bombing. Her plight resonates with the thousands who survived similar incidences throughout the war, all over the world. From the ruins of her life, Sarah must make some difficult decisions. Like many Irish, she has family in Britain and when they hold out the offer of a new life and a job, Sarah decides to leave Ireland. Unfortunately, her new life slowly falls apart as she is drawn into the dark world of WW2 espionage. 

Both my family and local history inspired Her Secret War. My mother and her sisters left rural Ireland to work in Britain during WW2. Her Secret War is not their story, but there are glimpses of their experiences hidden amongst the fiction. Her Secret War will be published by Avon Books UK/Harper Collins on 14th October 2021 and is now available for pre-order (https://MyBook.to/HerSecretWar)

 

JMR-What projects do you have in the pipeline?

PL- I am currently working on the third book in the Lucy Lawrence Series. The Art of Deception will be published just before year end. I am also working on the sequel to Her Secret War, which has a working title of The Enemy Within. This book is scheduled for publication in the autumn of 2022, again with Avon Books UK/Harper Collins.

JMR- Tell our readers how to find you on social media and the web.

PL- Here are all my social media links. I love to hear from readers – so don’t be shy!

www.pamlecky.com­­

Amazon

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Instagram

 

 

JMR- What question were you hoping I’d ask but didn’t?

-PL Who were the authors who influenced me the most? (The answer would be Georgette Heyer, Elizabeth Gaskell, Dorothy L Sayers, Ruth Rendell and PD James).


Thank you, Pam for stopping by! Readers, I know you will want to check out Pam's books so I've added a link to Amazon.




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