Interview with E. L. Johnson author of The Strangled Servant

 

Welcome Readersto another installment of our author interview series. Today we have thepleasure of chatting with E. L. Johnson, author of multiple historical mystery,and historical romance novels.

JMR-Welcometo the Books Delight, E. L. Tell our readers where you live, what you do forfun and what does the perfect day look like?

ELJ- I’moriginally from Boston, Massachusetts, and now live in Hertfordshire, England.For fun, I curl up with a good book, gig with my band, Bloodmemory, or write!My perfect day is cloudy with grey skies, stark black trees, and a hint of snowin the air. It’s the perfect time to get cozy and read or write by the fire.

JMR-What’syour favorite historical time period? Why?

ELJ- I trained asa historian, so I have a lot of love for historical eras, and huge respect forauthors who write historical fiction well. My first loves are the medieval andregency eras, as I fell in love with the idea of knights, kings and queens as achild, and love the idea of the social customs and societal rules of JaneAusten’s society.

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

ELJ- I quite likeJane Austen, but I’m also an admirer of Mary Shelley, Ann Radcliffe and GeorgeElliot. I would ask Mary Shelley how she got her inspiration, as she wroteFrankenstein when she was 18!

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

ELJ- I was doingmy MPhil at the time and felt like I needed a mental break. Whilst researchingmedieval medicine and magic, I got the idea of a scenario, where what if youhad a witch hunter in medieval England who is tasked with hunting down a witch,but what if he was an atheist who didn’t believe in the supernatural? That wasmy starting point, and I’ve never looked back.

JMR-You published a book, The Lyon and theBluestocking as part of a collaborative series, tell us how that works.

ELJ- Mypublisher, Dragonsblade, created this great series called the Lyon’s Den, witha pre-made world set in Regency London starring a charming matchmaker, MrsDove-Lyon. It’s a pleasure to contribute a standalone novella to this series.

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

ELJ- I quite likewriting about my local area, so I’ve set a few of my books in Hertfordshire, asI can describe the landscape and research the town. It’s fun to be able to walkaround and get a feel for what life might’ve been like centuries ago.

JMR-E. L., tell us about your new book, TheStrangled Servant.

ELJ- I began withthe idea of a fight between best friends. What if you had the fight of allfights with your bestie, but this happened at a public assembly in front ofmost of the town? And worse, what would happen if your friend turned up missingthe next day, and is presumed dead? The entire town knows you are the onlysuspect. I began the story from that idea.

JMR-Whatprojects do you have in the pipeline?

ELJ- I’mcurrently writing the first book in a medieval series set during the Anarchy,so I’m exploring the roles of powerful female characters in the 12th century.However I’m a mystery writer at heart, so there will be murders to solve!

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

ELJ-  Please do connect with me! I’d love to hearfrom fellow writers and readers.

Website:eljohnsonstories.weebly.com

Twitter:@ELJohnson888

Insta:eljohnson_writes

Facebook:@theELJohnson

Tiktok:@alecto99

Goodreads:goodreads.com/author/show/18090432.E_L_Johnson

Bookbub:bookbub.com/profile/e-l-johnson

Amazon:amazon.com/E-L-Johnson/e/B019M4GDU0

Band:bloodmemoryuk.bandcamp.com/album/demo

 

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

ELJ- I think ifyou were to ask me how I’d kill someone, I’d say that I wouldn’t. But I woulddestroy them in a book. I often do that with people I dislike; I create a wholedislikable villain based on an aspect of a person who may have annoyed me, anduse them as an antagonist in my story. They’re great fun.

JMR- Thank you,E. L., for stopping by. Your books look really great! Readers, I’ve included alink to E. L.’s books below. Please be sure to check them out.