Kathy: THE GREAT DIVIDE is quite a departure from your Elizabeth Pimms Mystery series. Why the change from a lighter traditional mystery to more gritty crime fiction?
LJMO: I have two overriding, conflicting motivations for writing – one is to provide my readers with a means of escaping their current world; the other is to explore the very things we seek to escape from.
The Dr Pimms series, with it’s warm family scenes, delicious meals and mischievous cats woven into the background of Elizabeth’s forensic investigations, is the means of escape.
The Great Divide explores the darker side of human nature that many wish to escape from.
Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story?
LJMO: In recent decades, a series of horrific crimes perpetrated in institutions around the world have come to light.
I’ve supported some victims of these types of crimes through part of their survival and recovery. I’ve observed that despite fiction often portraying female victims of these crimes as having fairly uniform reactions, the reality is that women’s responses vary widely.
So one of my motivations in writing THE GREAT DIVIDE was to show the breadth of reactions and coping mechanisms women – as individuals – can develop as they deal with similar childhood traumas.
Kathy: Location plays an important part of a mystery. What makes rural Tasmania the perfect setting for your novel?
LJMO: I couldn’t have written this book until moving to Tasmania and experiencing a full winter here. It’s bone achingly cold; a chill that seeps deep into the tissues of your body and doesn’t leave until six weeks into spring.
It’s also fog-enshrouded - days pass without seeing the sun.
My first bitter, claustrophobic winter in the Tasmania mountains became the perfect setting for a Gothic mystery centred on an abandoned children’s home.
Kathy: The mystery in THE GREAT DIVIDE revolves around a children's home. The very words "children's home" conjures up disturbing and troubling thoughts as well as secrets and hidden truths. Am I right to feel a creepy vibe?
LJMO: You picked it - it’s chilling. To avoid spoilers, I won’t say anything further…
Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Detective Jake Hunter?
LJMO: I hadn’t originally intended to write a sequel to THE GREAT DIVIDE.
It was a harrowing book to write, due to the nature of the victims and crimes described, as well as technically challenging to weave such serious material into a fast-paced reading experience.
The response to Jake’s first investigation has been fantastic, though, with many requests for a second installment. So I’m tossing up whether he should move to Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, or remain in a rural setting.
Either way, it seems that Jake isn’t done with the Gothic horrors of Tasmania’s past.
Kathy: Do you have any plans for Dr. Elizabeth Pimms?
LJMO: Certainly! Dr Pimms will shortly spring on to my laptop page to investigate murder and mayhem in ancient Mongolia, exploring the library of Karakorum and the women leaders of Genghis Khan’s empire.
Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?
LJMO: I’d love to return to share all my future books with you and your readers – stayed tuned.
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For more information please check https://www.ljmowen.com/
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