October went in a bit of a blur. I took a translation project that I grossly underestimated in terms of both time and money, which in turn “reactivated” the nerve entrapment in my wrists.

But worry not, I’m back, and I’ve interviewed a great writer for my return post, Carmen Radtke. My good friend Radtke’s page-turning and addictive mystery The Case of the Missing Bride was released on September 5, 2017, and has been giving readers a new favorite author ever since.

So without further ado, here’s Carmen with my most pressing questions. Enjoy!

How and when did you start writing?

I’ve always written, since I discovered that I could use a pen and paper to make up poems (when you’re seven, any rhyme will do) and stories (the hamster and the stolen diamonds could’ve become a classic had I but known about the concept of a second draft).

Is it any wonder I became a newspaper journalist, sticking to facts and deadlines so tight I rarely got to explore the concept of a second draft?

Most reporters want to write a novel one day, lavishing time on crafting one immaculate sentence after another. Me too. Which is why, with impeccable timing, my first novel was partly written under my desk, while I typed away like a woman obsessed between earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

Can you tell us a bit about your book?

The Case of the Missing Bride is set in 1862 and tells the story of a group of young, impoverished Australian women, travelling half-way across the world, to marry prosperous Canadian miners. When one of the brides is missing after a stormy night, it’s thought of as an accident, but one girl knows better and embarks on a secret mission to find a killer.

These women really existed – I found a short paragraph online, during an idle research into “imported brides.” They set out in high hopes from Melbourne, but when they reached San Francisco for a stopover, they vanished without a trace. I can’t imagine a world where this would have ended well for them. Maybe that is why I couldn’t let it go. In my novel, at least I can save most of them, and give them some of the happiness the real life did not hold in store for them.

What genres do you prefer to read and write? Who are some of your favorite authors?

As a reader, I’m polygamous, voracious and insatiable. I love historical fiction, mysteries, grittier crime, comedy, thriller, some fantasy and science-fiction … After moving half-way around the world twice, I still have the complete works of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Rex Stout, Ngaio Marsh, plus Janet Evanovich, Dick Francis, Terry Pratchett, Tony Hillerman, Elizabeth Peters … On second thought, in about two-thirds of the books on my shelves, there usually is a crime of some kind involved.

Strangely enough, my next novel also features crime of some kind. A Matter of Love and Death (Bombshell Books) will be released on 29 November, under the pen-name Caron Albright. It’s historical again, set in Australia in 1931, during the Great Depression and comes complete with a plucky heroine, a dashing nightclub-owner, artists and crooks.

What are you working on now?

I’m currently working on a screenplay – a contemporary Romantic Comedy makes a change from the crimes of the past and the heartbreak of current events. If I get stuck or bored, I – like most writers – have a file, loosely labelled ideas.

Where can we follow and read you online?

You can follow me on Twitter: @carmenradtke1, connect on Facebook (Carmen Radtke) or visit my website https://scribbler25.wixsite.com/mysite.