Marty Ambrose’s writing career has spanned almost fifteen years, with eight published novels for Avalon Books, Kensington Books, Thomas & Mercer—and, now, Severn House. She also teaches creative writing at Florida Southwestern State College. She placed as a finalist in the Florida Writer’s Association Literary Palm Award last year with the first book in her Lord Byron Mystery trilogy, Claire’s Last Secret. Marty lives on an island in Southwest Florida with her husband, former news-anchor, Jim McLaughlin, where they tend their mango grove.
Her second book in the trilogy, A Shadowed Fate, is set in Florence, Italy in 1873, and narrated by Claire Clairmont—the last survivor of the famous Byron/Shelley circle. She is still reeling from a series of events triggered by the arrival of an old friend, which culminated in a brutal murder, and begins a desperate search for her long-lost daughter while repairing the past with lovers who betrayed her. Publishers Weekly describes the book as a mix of "regret and wistful longing for dead loves, [which] imbue the story with a seductive power."
Marty Ambrose stops by In Reference to Murder to take some Author R&R about researching and writing the book:
Researching the Lord Byron Mystery Trilogy
When I moved from writing mysteries to historical mysteries set in Italy, I had no idea the “road of research” would take so many twists and turns. Doing the background work for the Lord Byron Mysteries involves journeying down so many complex avenues, especially because many of my characters are actual literary figures who possess a large degree of fame from their work. Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, and Percy Bysshe Shelley all figure prominently in my books, though they are narrated by the “almost famous” member of their circle: Claire Clairmont, Mary Shelley’s stepsister. So, I have to pay respect to their well-known personas, but also find a way to make them work as characters in my own mysteries—a tricky balance, especially when there are so many readers who are quite devoted to these authors’ reputations. I find that I have to immerse myself in their biographies, letters, and journals; but, I also travel to Italy (a tough job, but someone has to do it) to find details that have never been recorded, one of the most interesting aspects of research. I love the thrill of connecting with places and people who have knowledge that they are more than willing to pass on.
Biographies: I always start here because my literary characters have had so many biographies written about them—especially Lord Byron. His life has been analyzed minutely over the last two centuries. As a writer, I delve into the facts (though they are sometimes a bit contradictory from bio to bio), so I know the basics of dates, activities, and historical events. But what I look for is something that stands out as a possible dramatic point that can be used in my novel. For example, I spent quite a great deal of time researching Byron’s pursuits in Ravenna during 1821, so I could include some of the intriguing episodes in his fictional memoir that I include in my book. He was involved with the Carbonari—an Italian revolutionary group—and this figures prominently in my book to build tension in the plot. Luckily, Byron and the others had big lives, so there is no end to mining these kinds of biographical details.
Letters and Conversations: Famous literary figures in the nineteenth-century tended to write letters—a lot of letters. And, luckily, the people who received these letters kept them. What is provocative is each author takes a slightly different perspective on the same event. Bryon wrote letters about his relationship with Claire, Mary Shelley wrote letters about his relationship with Claire and, of course, Claire wrote letters about her relationship with Byron. I found by taking all three versions of this central couple in my mysteries, I could shade its complexities and subtleties. Since Clair is the narrator, I did defer to her at times! Most compelling, though, was the number of people who wrote about their “conversations” with members of the Byron/Shelley circle. Much like today, people liked to write “tell-all” books in which these celebrated personalities were “framed” in moments of sharing reflections or simply idle chit-chat. I read some of these volumes with skepticism but found they often had a nugget of information that I could use in character-building.
Travel: By far, traveling to Italy twice has been one of my absolute favorite aspects of doing historical research—especially because my husband is fluent in Italian. I visited the towns where my characters lived (often somewhat remote—which added to the adventure!) and walked through many of the houses where they lived. I used the descriptions of these spots for setting details. I find if I don’t see a place, I have a hard time making it “come alive” in my books. Streets have a certain look and feel and smell. Palazzos occupy space in a particular way. The Italian landscape has light and shadow that is so distinctive. Every locale I visited gave me more and more of an ability to flesh out the background setting for my characters.
Locals: One of the most delightful aspects of researching in Italy is talking to local librarians, archivists, and academics. They often had knowledge of my characters’ lives in Italy that I could not find in a biography. One local whom I met in Bagni di Lucca was considered as an expert on the Byron/Shelley circle in the area (which isn’t covered too extensively in the bios). He spoke only Italian, so my husband translated, and he showed us sights and explained little historical “footnotes” that I included in my mystery, such as the cave where Mary Shelley and Claire would enjoy the hot steam of the thermal springs, or the woods where they would roam near the town. It always amazed me how eager locals were to share their knowledge and simply drop everything to spend time with my husband and me on our quest!
Certainly, researching historical mysteries is time-consuming, even frustrating at times; but, the excitement of digging for information and finding some unknown fact propels me through the bumps on “research road.” And there is nothing so satisfying than having a reader/reviewer comment on the “meticulous research” of one of my books. Bellissimo!
You can learn more about Marty Ambrose and her writing by visiting her website and also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. A Shadowed Fate has just been released and is available via all major bookstores.
