Ellen Read Interview Published on: 30, Dec 2020

I have visited the Daintree. It’s a beautiful area, known here as ‘where the rainforest meets the reef’, because that’s exactly the way it is. You can walk in the rainforest — something I’ve always loved doing, and then you have a soft sand beaches and the Great Barrier Reef.

My biggest moment was when I went out to the Great Barrier Reef. I’ve actually gone out a few times. I don’t snorkel but I’ve been on glass-bottom boats and in underwater observatories. The tropical fish have such vibrant colours, and the reef is beautiful. The underwater observatory provided the opportunity to see the fish, turtles and the reef at eye level.

I love Tennyson, Wordsworth and Keats who were known as the romantic poets.

It has, indeed. I start reading when I was very young. I’ve always had a great love of books. Without my love of reading, I wouldn’t be a writer.

My mother always bought me books to read and took me to the library to borrow books. My grandfather, who read a lot, used to take me to the library to help him choose his books. Those experiences have stuck with me.

The first novel took me a couple of years to write. I had to fit it in with my day job.

A poem — The Miller’s Daughter — by Tennyson inspired me. The other inspiration came from the location. It’s set in the New South Wales’ Southern Highlands. A beautiful place. Very different to the tropical environment where I live.

With a murder mystery, all the loose ends need to be tied up. The mystery needs to be explained. Because The Dragon Sleeps is a love story too, it was important to have a satisfactory ending with it too.

The book is set in the late 1920s. I wanted a character that epitomised that era. My thoughts took me to silent films of that time. I wanted the character to be debonair and very polished but also wanted him to be brave and strong. One silent screen actor, John Gilbert, inspired me to create Benedict.

There are many heritage buildings in the city in Townsville, showing the early Federation style. There are also many ‘Old Queenslanders’. In this case, an old Queenslander refers to a style of house that is built on stilts and has a high-pitched roof and very wide verandas. They were built this way to cope with the heat and floods.

Even as a child, I took notice of flowers and the insects on them. I always asked the names of the flowers. The colour and shapes fascinated me. Later I became interested in architecture and nature in general.

I always love the solution in Murder on the Orient Express. The murder took a lot of planning because there is more than one killer, but I won’t say more for fear of spoiling it for people who haven’t read the book.

Most definitely. I enjoyed reading and learning about different cultures and their beliefs.

My second book in the Thornton Mysteries is The Inca’s Curse. It’s been published. My publisher has the third book and I’m finishing the fourth. I’m working on a couple of things at the moment — research for the fifth book in the series, and another cosy mystery series that also features the Thorntons but will revolve more about Alexandra and Edith.

I don’t think promotion stops. I’m back to promoting The Dragon Sleeps because I have an audiobook coming out soon.

AllAuthor has been very supportive. It’s been an enjoyable working experience. I’d like to thank them so much.