Goodreads asked L.A. Shute:

Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

L.A. Shute In the very beginning I decided absolutely against trying to write a mystery or "inspector" story - because it seemed to me that every (especially new) writer does that. And they all sound the same. Without skill or direct knowledge everyone tries to set their story in the Victorian era and make their protagonist a Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot wannabe. I would not stoop to that. But reading a very old short mystery story recently I realized it didn't have to be that way so I gave in and decided to try a mystery story but one that would be different than all the rest. I'm not sure I succeeded in that regard but I like the way it turned out and I'm happy with it. I, also, used it to include many of my friends and acquaintances as actual characters in the story (names were changed) because I had kind of been challenged by them over the years to do so. It made for a more personal but fun story. I've gotten lots of good reactions to it. "A Hollowtree Murder".

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