Jo Cunningham: 'Approach your novel through scenes rather than chapters'
BY Katie Smart
15th Aug 2024
Jo Cunningham studied on our Writing Your Novel course in 2015 before joining our Alumni Summer School in 2017. Her debut detective novel Death by Numbers is out now with Little, Brown Book Group.
We talked about what first gave her the idea to write a story where the investigation is led by an unlikely detective and her favourite crime authors.
You studied on our Writing Your Novel course in 2015. How did studying with us impact your approach to writing?
Our tutor Matt Thorne covered different aspects of the craft of writing, gave some really helpful feedback on my novel, and recommended authors I’d never heard of that expanded my reading world.
An aspect that is unique with this course, is that you are being taught within the context of a living, breathing literary agency, and I gained a lot of insight into the publishing industry, and how to communicate what your book is about to potential readers. For instance, at the end of the course we had to pitch our books in a couple of sentences. Making yourself extract the essence of your book is a really useful exercise.
Many of our students find lifelong writing friends on our courses. Are you still in touch with anyone you met on the course?
Yes! We still meet in person, although less often now as we’re quite spread out. My coursemates have been an amazing source of inspiration, encouragement and support. Over the course, you share your work with each other for feedback, and quickly build up a high level of trust and connection. I really treasure that we are still together as a group.
You also joined us for our Alumni Summer School in 2017 – on this course you began writing a detective novel that went on to become your debut Death by Numbers. What advice from Alumni Summer School tutor and crime thriller author Erin Kelly stuck with you?
Erin was a fantastic tutor and really packed a lot into that week. One thing that she told us that really stuck with me, was about approaching a novel through scenes rather than chapters. I’d honestly never thought about that before and when I’m plotting a new story, I feel I’ve really benefitted from that advice.
Death by Numbers is a cosy crime novel with a numbers-focused, risk-averse actuary at its heart. What first gave you the idea to write a story where the investigation is led by this unlikely detective?
A few years earlier, I’d been watching Graham Norton interview Taylor Swift where she talked about how risk-averse her mother was, and how she called her ‘Worst Case Scenario Andrea’. I mentally ‘saved’ that as I knew I’d want to write a character like that at some point, and when I started thinking about a murder mystery, having a cautious sleuth like Una really appealed to me. In addition, I’d also been working with a bunch of very clever statistical modellers and that led me to making her an actuary. I would love to be as clever with numbers – sadly, I have the soul of a geek linked to a very average mind.
The novel is set in the small seaside town of Eastbourne. These close-knit community settings are an integral element of cosy crime – what drew you to Eastbourne?
A while back, I’d booked to go to Eastbourne on a weekend photography course that was cancelled last-minute. I decided to go anyhow and spent the weekend on the hop-on hop-off bus seeing all the sights. Eastbourne is just so appealing as a cosy crime location – dramatic cliffs, grand hotels, aggressive seagulls. After taking lots of snaps, I knew that it would make the perfect setting for my novel.
What crime authors do you admire?
The author who inspired me to start writing a humorous detective book was Douglas Adams, with his Dirk Gently series. He is a master of comic prose, and the mysteries are unusual and offbeat. Another must read for me is Tana French, I love her Dublin Murder Squad series – I started in at book four Broken Harbour which is fantastic standalone, but then went back to the first book and devoured the whole amazing series. More recently, I’ve marvelled at how Janice Hallett can brilliantly use different formats to tell a mystery story, and for a modern Golden Age style story I enjoy Tom Hindle and Katy Watson.
Finally, what’s next for your writing journey?
I’m editing book two in the series – Pet Hates – where Una solves a mystery at an unusual cat show. This is a bit of a learning curve as I want it to be able to read standalone but also have some references that will be picked up by anyone who’s read the first book. Basically, I’m still learning how to write a novel…
Death by Numbers is out now!
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