Sophie Cleverly
About Author
Sophie Cleverly was born in Bath in 1989. She wrote her first story at the age of four, though it used no punctuation and was essentially one long sentence. Thankfully, things have improved since then and she has earned a BA in Creative Writing and MA in Writing for Young People from Bath Spa University.
Now working as a full-time writer, Sophie lives with her partner in Wiltshire, where she has a house full of books and a garden full of crows. The books largely consist of fantasy and historical novels; many of them for children and young adults. You probably don't want to know what the crows consist of.
The first title in the Scarlet and Ivy series is Sophie's debut novel, written after Ivy appeared in her head one day and demanded she told the twins' story.
Author link
Interview
A Case Of Grave Danger (The Violet Veil Mysteries), Harpercollines Children's Books, January 2021
Sophie Cleverly, author of The Scarlet & Ivy mystery series, introduces another mystery series with aplomb in A CASE OF GRAVE DANGER, the first book in The Violet Veil Mysteries.
With an empty coffin and an undertaker at the heart of the story, A CASE OF GRAVE DANGER has just the right level of creepiness to leave children wanting more!
We asked SOPHIE CLEVERLY to tell us more about THE VIOLET VEIL MYSTERIES:
1. Your first series was the Scarlet & Ivy mystery books; can you tell us what your new series, The Violet Veil Mysteries, will feature?
The series is set in the Victorian era, where Violet Veil is an undertaker's daughter. She finds her life a little dull - she would like to be her father's apprentice, but he thinks she's not up to the task because she's a girl.
The series sees Violet seeking mysteries and adventures as she tries to find her place in the world. She also has a little help from her faithful greyhound Bones, and her curious sixth sense that allows her to perceive ghosts.
2. What is the first book, A Case of Grave Danger, about?
Well, luckily for Violet, a mystery falls right into her lap! A boy named Oliver is found dead and brought to them. But later that night, Violet and Bones hear some spooky noises out in the cemetery. They go to investigate and find that Oliver is actually alive and well. Now they must help Oliver find out what really happened to him and solve his own "murder" before it's too late.
3. Why do you enjoy writing books where a mystery needs to be solved? Is this what you enjoyed reading as a child?
I think most books contain an element of mystery - a question that keeps us reading. It's so fun to write and really gripping for readers.
I definitely loved mysteries when I was a kid (including classic ones like Famous Five and Nancy Drew), but then I would read absolutely anything!
4. Who are your favourite detective / mystery authors?
There are some great ones at the moment like Robin Stevens, Katherine Woodfine, Sharna Jackson, Fleur Hitchcock...
I also have a real soft spot for fantastical mysteries. Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood & Co and Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart series are big favourites of mine.
I think my favourite author Terry Pratchett also wrote some great mysteries - The Watch books in the Discworld series are particularly brilliant.
5. Why did you decide to set this series in the Victorian era? Did you need to do any research for it?
Part of the reason was because I have always had a particular fascination with Victorian cemeteries. I've spent a lot of time hanging out in graveyards over the years and I find them to be really interesting and almost magical places.
One of my all-time favourite books is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, and I had always wanted to write my own graveyard story. When the idea for Violet's character came to me, it seemed like the ideal opportunity to do it.
The Victorian era was the heyday of the cemetery and the undertaker and there was such a culture around these things that is fascinating to learn about. I definitely had to do a lot of research - I read a fair few books and web articles, but my absolute favourite thing was to visit real 1800s cemeteries.
Highgate in London and Arnos Vale in Bristol in particular are amazing places with some brilliant events and tours. I think I learnt the most about Victorian life and death from these visits, and they really sparked my imagination.
6. And why did you make your main character, Violet, the daughter of an undertaker, who can see ghosts?
I came up with the idea one dark and stormy night when I was lying in bed. It was when I was studying for my MA in Writing For Young People, and I was experimenting with a lot of new stories. For some reason, the words "The Undertaker's Daughter" came to my mind.
I thought it sounded like a really cool title (it was the working title of the book), and it set the cogs whirring in my brain. I felt that as someone on the edge of life and death, it would be fun if she could sense ghosts - it would make her a bit special and add another layer to the story.
7. Violet also helps us understand what a difficult time girls had during the Victorian era. What for you would have been the hardest thing about being a Victorian girl?
I think that not being allowed to have a full education and just being expected to marry a bachelor if you were rich, or go to work if you were poor, would have been a real struggle.
By Violet's era things were a lot better and the Education Act meant that everyone was able to go to school, at least when they were young - but Violet's family have been in a rather unique situation, and they choose to prioritise her younger brother's education over hers. Even in the 20th century, this happened to my Grandma - she was very smart, but she was sent out to work as a teenager while her brothers were given further education.
As someone with a chronic illness as well, staying alive would be a huge challenge! I'm so grateful to live with modern medicine.
8. Do you enjoy creating the 'bad guys'?
Definitely! I always like to try and make it clear that no matter how awful a villain is, they are still a human being. There's no excuse for their behaviour, but I think it's important to understand what is driving them.
Miss Fox in Scarlet and Ivy is truly nasty, but once you learn more about her, you begin to realise that the damaging society around her is what has left her that way.
9. How well do you need to know your characters and settings before you start to write?
I find I usually have to have a rough idea, but that often they will introduce themselves to me in the first draft. A lot of times I'm discovering characters at the same time that the reader does! And researching can often give me new ideas while I'm writing, too.
10. Is it important to plot out your stories in advance so you can build in clues etc?
Yes, I think especially with mysteries, it's pretty vital. You want to be one step ahead of your reader, and to know the whole solution so that you can tease it bit by bit. There can still be surprises, though. Sometimes I've written in a minor detail and suddenly realised later that I can make it into an important clue.
11. Do you find it hard to write, or do you enjoy the writing process? What do you do when you get stuck?
A bit of both, haha! It can be hard to really get into the right headspace for writing. When I do, though, I find it hard to stop because I'm so immersed. And I have an illness/disability and a young daughter, so those are two things that definitely add to the difficulty.
I do find that generally having a good plan before you start is the best preventative measure for getting stuck. But even then I still have the odd bit of writer's block. Sometimes I pause and re-brainstorm the chapter until I have a little plan for it and feel more confident about what I'm doing. If it's really a struggle, I might just skip to the next bit where I know what should happen!
12. Can you tell us what you have planned next for Violet Veil?
I'm currently writing book two in the series. Violet is definitely going to be hungry for more mysteries to solve. For a sneak peek: this one involves a Victorian theatre, a fortune teller who claims to speak with the dead, and a seemingly magical necklace...
13. Where and when do you prefer to write?
I used to always write in the evenings, but since having my daughter I find I have to grab time whenever I can.
I'm most comfortable writing on my main computer which is in my office/dining room at the back of our house. My desk has a nice view of my garden (which currently has a friendly hedgehog visitor) and a little bookcase with all my different editions on it.
14. Can you describe what would be your ideal writer's shed?
Another of my most favourite books is A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett, and ever since I read it I have desperately wanted a shepherding hut on wheels just like the one that Tiffany's Granny Aching has! I would love to fill it with fairy lights, a log fire and preferably a dog...
A Case of Grave Danger (The Violet Veil Mysteries)
The Whispers in the Walls (Scarlet and Ivy, Book 2)
The Lost Twin (Scarlet and Ivy, Book 1)
