Today, enjoy an interview with Mel Pennant. I devoured her debut, A Murder for Miss Hortense, in which the titular character investigates a web of mysteries between the 1960s and present-day 2000s. It’s complex, intriguing, immersive, and written with vibrancy and a clear voice. If you enjoy character-driven mysteries, definitely pick this one up.
Connect with Mel on Instagram and her website. Grab a copy of A Murder for Miss Hortense from your retailer of choice here.
Thanks so much for joining, Mel! Set in an Afro-Caribbean community in a quiet suburb of Birmingham, A Murder for Miss Hortense follows the titular character as she pieces together a mystery that has haunted her since the 1960s. The mystery is complex, spanning forty years and involving many people. How did you plot this mystery, from timelines and pacing to its cast of characters? Did you find it challenging to balance the past and present?
I wanted to find a way to bring the past into the present because what happens in the past is key to solving the current mysteries in A Murder for Miss Hortense. I plotted very organically. In fact there wasn’t really a plan to begin with. But once editors got involved, I had to think very carefully about how it all slotted together particularly to ensure that there was a thread that propelled the story forward and created enough suspense in both the past and present to keep the audience engaged. The challenge came in keeping track of all the threads and making sure that people that were meant to be dead in 1963 didn’t suddenly appear on the page in the year 2000!
I was transfixed by Hortense, who is superficially a traditional cozy mystery heroine (a retired nurse who cooks, bakes, and gardens) but, unlike a typical sleuth, is also stubborn, obsessive, and frequently disagreeable. How did you construct Hortense’s character? What personality traits of hers make her an effective sleuth?
Initially I found Miss Hortense difficult to give a voice to—because I was a bit scared of her. In my head I knew what she had to be: this larger than life character who was the moral compass of the book, but she is a very different character to me (I’m a big people pleaser, Miss Hortense is definitely not!). There was a risk of me making her one dimensional as a consequence. It was actually thinking about her in her relationships with the other characters in the book that enabled me to get her voice, in particular her relationship with her foil, sidekick and loyal best friend Blossom. In trying to figure out where her soft spots were in her relationships, and where her hard spots were, the lengths she would go to protect others and her drive and determination to seek the truth, I was able to put pen to paper.
As a playwright and screenwriter, you have experience with multiple forms of storytelling. How do your different passions inform your novel writing? For example, what aspects of writing plays are most influential on writing prose?
I love listening to the way people talk, the rhythm of language, the humour that can be conveyed, the things people say or don’t say and the way they say it. Dialogue is therefore a big part of my writing—obviously in plays and screenplays but also in novel writing. I really enjoy exploring how the characters express themselves.
With all formats of writing, I tend to put pen to paper when I begin to hear the characters talking and I just have to get down what they are saying. I also, at a more advanced stage of writing, like to read out what I’ve written whether it’s plays, screenplays, or novels. There is something about hearing the words, what they sound like to the ear, that assists in shaping the story. I’m also interested in conflict in all of the spaces that I write in—the twists and turns, that line or moment which makes you go “ohh, I didn’t see that coming” or that suddenly changes your perception of things that have gone before.
As a debut author, what have you learned during this publishing process? Is there anything that surprised you as you brought your book to market, and/or do you have any advice for emerging authors?
The time it takes, for traditional publishing, can take quite a long time. I got my book deals in 2023, and my book was published in June 2025. I don’t think this is uncommon. I was also surprised by the number of people involved: editors, copyeditors, line editors, marketing, publicists. From that perspective it feels very collaborative, not dissimilar to playwriting where there are a number of people involved in bringing a play to the stage, and it’s great to have so many people backing the book.
For emerging writers, I’d say you just need to be intentional in all the spaces you are in. Looking back, I can see that where I am now is as a result of some initiatives I became involved in many years ago not with a view to getting a novel published, but with a view to seeking peers, and others in the creative writing space, learning and being mentored by others who understand the creative industry and so forth.
Lastly, what’s next for you? Can we expect more Miss Hortense, and/or do you have any other projects you’re excited to share?
Book two, which I’m very excited about. I’ve just received the first edits on draft one from my editors. There will be more of Miss Hortense in her element with the Pardner Network of Bigglesweigh. I hope that there will be many more books in the series too. I’m also writing a play. It’s my first full length play for a couple of years and I’m very excited (if challenged) to be back in the space.
Thanks so much to Mel for the interview. Detectives, I hope you enjoyed it! If you aren’t already subscribed, please be sure to sign up for the Cluesletter and get author features like this alongside other mystery goodies, delivered to your inbox every other Tuesday.