Greetings, Noters!

It’s been a minute, hasn’t it?

Fall 2024 is flying by, and with November right around the corner, I am whittling away at the many writing goals I hoped to achieve this year. The biggest one—publishing the final Court of Mystery novel—is just around the corner, and I am in the home stretch of Jax’s latest adventure in the Realm of Virtues. The release date (November 19th) will be here before we know it. Hopefully, by then, I’ll have to come to terms with saying goodbye to the magnificent fictional woman who has so heavily influenced my life. I shudder to think about where I might be if Jax hadn’t glided into my world; I am so very grateful she chose me to reveal her story to. I’m also excited for readers to experience her final adventure; I poured a great deal of time and love into bringing her arch to a satisfying conclusion. I can’t wait to hear what you think.

You can preorder Eternal Empire, Book 14 in the Court of Mystery series, on your favorite eBook platform for a special preorder price of $2.99. Paperbacks will be released on November 19th.

My guest this month understands the importance of celebrating our writing journey.

Without future ado…

A Bit About the Author: Alice Fitzpatrick is the author of Secrets in the Water, the first of the Meredith Island Mystery series, and short stories. Her summers spent with her Welsh family in Pembrokeshire inspired the creation of Meredith Island. She is a fearless champion of singing, cats, all things Welsh, and the Oxford comma. Alice lives in Toronto but dreams of a cottage on the Welsh coast. Stay connected with Alice via her newsletter at alicefitzpatrick.com.

Alice, welcome to Noteworthy. I’m thrilled to chat with you today and learn more about your work. Before we dive into your new release, Secrets in the Water, I’d love to know what book made you fall in love with reading.

As an introverted child who had trouble making friends, I sought out books whose protagonists were strong girls who were not afraid to go on adventures by themselves. My favourites were Pippi Longstockings and Lewis Carroll’s Alice books. In fact, I loved these books so much I continued their adventures by writing sequels.

Writing sequels? How cool! I loved writing Nancy Drew stories where Nancy and her friends met a new girl named Sarah and solved mysteries alongside her. Fanfic is often the gateway to writing for many of us when we are young. So, how did your writing eventually take off?

My writing life changed when I was signed by my publisher through a Twitter pitch. While I’d participated in American Twitter pitch events for years, nothing really came of them. I was just about commit to self-publishing, when I did one last submission to the one and only Canadian Twitter pitch event and received a manuscript request and a contract offer from Stonehouse Publishing in Edmonton, Alberta. All it takes is one person to fall in love with your story.

I’m always so heartened to read stories about online pitch events. You’re right; it only takes one person. How did you meet Kate, the protagonist in your book?

The idea for Kate came from an unpublished story I’d written decades before about the Welsh seaside resort where I spent my childhood summers. At that point, my protagonist, was a fourteen-year-old investigating her aunt’s supposed suicide. When I decided to turn it into a full-length novel, I followed the advice of write what you know, aged Kate by forty years, made her a retired English teacher who wrote historical novels, and gave her a sidekick.

Wow! That’s amazing that Kate “grew-up” and became who she is in Secrets in the Water. What themes or lessons can readers look forward to discovering in this novel?

At its heart, this book is the story of a woman seeking to reclaim her family’s lost history and an exploration of how our memories and perceptions of people change over time. In order to investigate a cold case with no forensics and no police records, Kate must rely heavily on the unreliable memories of her aunt’s contemporaries, memories which are often conflicting. To further complicate matters, the islanders have idealized Emma, choosing to ignore her weaknesses and failings, and reluctant to share any information to the contrary.

What’s one thing you know about your protagonist that your readers don’t?

In the early years of their relationship, Kate and James, her police detective ex-husband, would sit in parks and coffee shops and people-watch, taking turns guessing details about passing strangers: their jobs, interests, relationships to the people they were with. This honed Kate’s sense of observation which serves her well as both a writer and an amateur detective.

What was one of the toughest lessons you learned while writing Kate’s story?

I spent eighteen years searching for a literary agent for Secrets in the Water, convinced that once I’d signed with an agent, a publishing contract was guaranteed. But while my agent couldn’t sell my book, I could and I secured three publishing offers. That taught me that if you’re persistent and target the right publishers, it’s easier to get a publisher than an agent. When people learnt I was writing a book and asked the inevitable, “What’s it about?” they often shared the mysteries in their lives. I realized that while my story wasn’t unique, it did make my book appealing to readers.

Is there anything you need for a successful day of writing?

I work in silence surrounded by books, my two rescue cats, and family photographs. A picture of my grandfather who ran his own business until he retired in his eighties motivates me keep doing what I love, while a photo of me when I was dancing reminds me of the many expressions of my creativity. My great-grandfather posing with his pet fox taken in the middle of Victorian London gives me permission to be as eccentric as the characters in my books.

And since I’m British, I need tea, lots of tea!

A good cup of tea can cure anything! For our last question, what book (other than your own 😊) have you been recommending to people lately? Are there any must-reads you have to share?

Diane Scott’s Christine Lane mysteries are one of my favourites. They follow the adventures of a policewoman stationed on Toronto Island in the 1960s, which is just before I moved to Toronto to attend university. I also read a lot of Indigenous books, especially the Thumps DreadfulWater crime series by Canadian Indigenous writer Thomas King.

Some wonderful recommendations to add to my to-be-read list! Alice, thank you so much for being here today on Noteworthy. Readers, Secrets in the Water is available now wherever books are sold!

Secrets in the Water

Alice Fitzpatrick

Emma Galway's suicide has haunted the Meredith Island for fifty years.

Back on the island to lay her grandmother to rest, Kate can't avoid reflecting on the death of her aunt. Learning that her late mother had believed Emma was murdered and had conducted her own investigation, she decides to track down her aunt's killer. With the help of her neighbour, impetuous and hedonistic sculptor Siobhan Fitzgerald, Kate picks up where her mother had left off. When the two women become the subject of threatening notes and violent incidents, it's clear that one of their fellow islanders is warning them off. As they begin to look into Emma's connection to the Sutherlands, a prominent Meredith Island family, another islander dies under suspicious circumstances, forcing Kate and Siobhan to confront the likelihood that Emma's killer is still on the island.

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