Author Spotlight: Ellis Blackwood

Ellis Blackwood is the author of the Samuel Pepys Mysteries. This cozy historical mystery series is set in 17th-century London. All of the books in the series feature a delicious mix of fact and fiction. Mysteries are set during real-life events of the time, such as the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London. Each story includes real people from history (like diarist Samuel Pepys) and fictional characters (like Pepys’s inquisitors Abby Harcourt and Jacob Standish).

Cozy Crime Reads Interview with Ellis Blackwood

What attracted you to the cozy mystery genre?

My favorite books when I was growing up were mysteries. Specifically, The Hardy Boys and The Three Investigators – I read every one I could get my hands on, and fortunately, there were dozens. The titles alone had me drooling! Then later, I’d devour Sherlock Holmes and Inspector Morse, while becoming addicted to Columbo on the telly. As a career freelance journalist, the prospect of writing a cozy mystery felt beyond alluring.

What are a few of the essential elements that make a cozy stand out to you as a reader?

It’s the world, isn’t it? As a child, I was obsessed with “cozy” as a state of mind. I hated rough, itchy clothing with a passion. Everything had to be soft, comforting, womblike. Snuggled under the covers. A cozy mystery draws you into its world, to the exclusion of everything else. Sanctity. Nostalgia. Books set in snow do that for me, watching old Doctor Who episodes does it, as does reading a favorite cozy mystery series.

Do you have a favorite amateur sleuth?

It feels self-promoting, because I created her, but I do absolutely adore Abigail Harcourt, the female half of my Pepys Mysteries inquisitor duo. I barely prepared her for the page – no lists of characteristics nor ten-page backstory – I just started writing. All I knew was that I wanted her to be strong. She’d be my modern window on the 17th-century male-dominated world – and she’d kick against it. So she’s grown organically into this bright, feisty, slightly snarky, yet damaged and quietly scared individual. Abby feels so empowering. As I write her, I’m cheering her on inside. It’s weird how that happens.

What inspired your first cozy mystery?

I’ve always loved folk horror: that uneasy sense that the forests are hiding something. Pagan rituals, horned masks – and witches. Real-life witches, not the Halloween construct with pointy hats. When it came to a setting for my first Pepys Mystery, 17th-century rural English witchcraft was a no-brainer. Samuel Pepys had a real-life sister, whom I could accuse of witchery, in a village miles from London; thus, The Brampton Witch Murders was born.

How do you research and create the "cozy" elements in your books, like the settings and community?

Ha! I don’t remember the moment, but at some stage my mind went “Ta-da!” and came up with The Samuel Pepys Mysteries as a concept, with a real-life historical figure as the hook. Had I known then the depth of research that would be required to write the things, I might have thought twice. I strive for historical accuracy, it’s very important to me – and that means a LOT of background reading. Fortunately, it’s a fascinating period.

What is one key step in your writing process that helps you transform an idea into a finished book?

Plotting. I’ve written books before, under my real name – Ellis is a pen name, and I Iove the mystery of that – and plotted only one of them. The others, I allowed to flow. Pantsing. I cannot see how it would be possible to pants a murder mystery; there are just too many clues and red herrings that need precise placement. On the plus side, though I find plotting painful in the extreme, it does make writing the book a heck of a lot easier.

What advice would you give aspiring cozy mystery authors who want to start writing their first novel?

I researched the subject extensively on YouTube before I started. I’d particularly recommend a writer named Jane Kalmes, whose videos I pored over endlessly.

How can readers connect with you online?

You can sign up for my monthly Pepysaholics newsletter via my website, www.EllisBlackwood.com, which has loads of other Pepys Mysteries info.

You can also follow me on Amazon, Facebook, Instagram, BookBub, and YouTube.

Where to Buy the Samuel Pepys Mysteries

Signed paperback copies of the Samuel Pepys Mystery Series can be purchased from EllisBlackwood.com. Ebooks can be purchased from Amazon or read for free with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. Some books are also available in audio format from Audible and the author’s website.

If you sign up for the free monthly Pepysaholics newsletter, you can get a free novella that tells the story of Mr. Pepys’s Stolen Diaries.

You can see all of the Samuel Pepys Mysteries below. Use the arrows on either side of the images to cycle through all of the books on this digital bookshelf. Click on the book to see it on Amazon or Book Funnel.