Today we are very excited to share an interview with Author Tirzah Price (In Want of a Suspect)!
Meet the Author: Tirzah Price
Tirzah Price is a former librarian and Book Riot contributor and holds an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When she’s not writing, reading, or talking about YA books, she experiments in the kitchen and knits. She lives in Michigan.
About the Book: In Want of a Suspect
The first book in a thrilling mystery duology that follows Lizzie Bennet and Mr. Darcy from the acclaimed Jane Austen Murder Mystery series!
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that London’s first female solicitor in possession of the details of a deadly crime, must be in want of a suspect.
The tenacious Lizzie Bennet has earned her place at Longbourn, her father’s law firm. Her work keeps her busy, but luckily it gives her plenty of reasons to consult (and steal occasional kisses) with Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, a stern but secretly softhearted solicitor at Pemberley.
Lizzie is hired to investigate a deadly warehouse fire and to find the mysterious woman who was spotted at the scene moments before the flames took hold. But when the case leads to the sitting room of a woman Darcy once proposed marriage to, the delicate balance between personal and professional in their relationship is threatened.
Questions of the future are cast aside when the prime suspect is murdered and Lizzie’s own life is threatened. As the body count rises and their suspicions about what was really going on in the warehouse grow, the pressure is on for Lizzie and Darcy to uncover the truth.
Classic characters with an enthralling twist—Lizzie and Darcy, as introduced in the hit novel Pride and Premeditation, are back for more suspense, danger, and romance!
~Author Chat~
YABC: What is most exciting or daunting about writing within an established universe you’ve created in previous books?
It was such a joy to slip back into the world of Lizzie and Darcy and play around with those characters again. I loved getting the chance to revisit their lives and imagine what they were up to. But it was also daunting because this was an established world that I wrote more than three years earlier when I had no intention of ever writing a sequel, so I had to refresh my memory and also ensure consistency between books.
YABC: Does this book parallel another Jane Austen novel?
It does not, although there are a few nods to Austen and some of her iconic characters, if you pay close attention!
YABC: Will we see cameos from the characters of Sense & Second-Degree Murder or Manslaughter Park?
Yes! I was delighted to bring the Dashwood sisters back–they are some of my favorite Austen characters to write, and they’re such a fun dynamic duo.
YABC: How do you approach a duology differently than your previous books?
With my first three books, I really envisioned them as loosely interconnected standalone mysteries which allowed me to focus on one book at a time. But when it comes to writing more than one book with the same protagonists, I wanted to really think about character growth and development in each book, and across the series. So there was a lot more plotting and thinking intentionally about what that would look like over multiple books. It was a fun challenge, although I occasionally wished I could go back in time to when I was writing Pride and Premeditation to set up some small details!
YABC: What do you like most about the cover of the book?
Oh my goodness, I have been blessed to have some of the most gorgeous covers ever. When it came to approaching the covers for this duology, my team really wanted to make sure they look great next to the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries, but we also wanted them to have their own unique look to signal that this was a new spin-off series. I loved that the cover looks like cross-stitch, making it similar to the embroidery covers of the earlier series while also being its own unique thing. Artist Emma Congdon is also a cross-stitch designer, which makes the covers feel even more authentic–she even converted the art into a cross-stitch pattern for me to stitch!
YABC: What new release book are you looking most forward to in 2024?
I can’t believe 2024 is almost over, but I am really looking forward to reading Jason June’s Flopping in a Winter Wonderland to get ready for the holiday season!
YABC: What’s a book you’ve recently read and loved?
I just finished Killer House Party by Lily Anderson, which was a smart and funny YA horror novel about a graduation party gone terribly wrong. Earlier this year, I adored Witty in Pink by Erica George, a Regency-era enemies-to-lovers romance.
YABC: Which character gave you the most trouble when writing your latest book?
Pride and Premeditation is told in third person, from Lizzie’s perspective. With this spin-off series, I added chapters from Darcy’s perspective, which was really fun… but it was also an interesting and sometimes difficult exercise to try and tell certain scenes through his eyes. Writing from Lizzie’s perspective was very comfortable for me, so changing things up definitely got me out of my comfort zone, but I think the results were really fun.
YABC: What advice do you have for new writers?
Keep writing, and pay attention to what brings you joy while writing. Finding success in publishing can be a long game, but I think as long as you keep finding joy in the process, that can carry you through the tough times.
Title: In Want of a Suspect
Author: Tirzah Price
Release Date: November 12, 2024
Publisher: HarperCollins
Genre: YA mystery
Age Range: 14-17
