The summer of 2021 brought record-breaking rain to Louisiana, and with it gloom and a heavy atmosphere. For New Orleans author Jess Armstrong, the rain helped inspire some of the mood and settings found in her debut novel: "The Curse of Penryth Hall" — a gothic murder-mystery set in Cornwall after the first World War.
In this book, we meet and follow plucky heroine Ruby Vaughn as she seeks answers while having to face her own complicated past. The story was sparked in Armstrong’s imagination that rainy summer.
“I started this as a little bit of a writing test for myself in 2021," Armstrong said. "One day I woke up with this strange idea that I wanted to write a gothic murder mystery romp — I wanted to take a traditional historical lady sleuth detective and drop her into a gothic plot and see what happened.
"This was the first thing I’d written in a long time that was just for me. It was the book I wanted to read at the time, and it was also the most fun I’ve ever had writing one.”
While she enjoyed the work and had a lifelong love of the genre, writing a mystery novel was no easy feat for Armstrong.
“Writing a mystery is definitely a lot different, at least for me, than writing other genres," she said. "Most of that is because of how I write — I’m a 'pantser' by nature, not a plotter, which means I end up figuring out the story as I go along.
"I usually have a vague notion of what is going to happen, but not much beyond a general direction — which, as you can imagine, can be a big problem when planning a mystery.
"I had to really train myself to be more structured while I write. I still discover a lot in the process and subplots and twists will reveal themselves as I go along, but I at least know who the killer is and why before I ever set pen to paper.”
Revisions are key
The real key to structuring the story and mapping out the mystery was found in the revision process, Armstrong said.
“For me, revision is as important as the first draft, because it’s in revision that I’m really able to hone in on the characters, their relationships and how everything comes together,” she said.
The book also has strong themes about family relationships and dealing with passing of time. Some key elements involved in these themes weren’t present in the original draft, Armstrong said. Instead, she allowed the story to change and take shape through revisions.
"What was a surprise to me was how strong of a found family aspect there is in the finished novel. The nature of Ruby’s relationship with Mr. Owen, her employer, changed a bit over time. At first they had more of an arm’s length relationship, but as I worked through edits, he ended up in more of a father-like role to her, which I really love.
"One of my favorite things about writing by the seat of my pants is that I’m often surprised at how the characters grow and change throughout the narrative. They constantly surprise me and it makes it that much more fun to write.”
Award-winning novel
"The Curse of Penryth Hall" was awarded first prize in the Mystery Writers of America/Minotaur First Crime Novel Competition. It was included in the December 2023 LibraryReads list, a monthly list of 10 favorites chosen by library staffers across the nation. The novel will be officially released on Tuesday (Dec. 5), with a 6 p.m. book launch at Garden District Book Shop, 2727 Prytania St.
Armstrong has a master's degree in American history, describes herself as a "cheese enthusiast" and enjoys baking and Twitter. The fun she had while writing the novel is apparent and infectious with its colorful cast of characters and ambiguous supernatural elements, leaving the reader curious and excited to seek and discover the truth alongside Ruby Vaughn.
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"The Curse of Penryth Hall"
Book launch with author Jess Armstrong
WHEN: 6 p.m. Tuesday (Dec. 5)
WHERE: Garden District Book Shop
2727 Prytania St., New Orleans
INFO: gardendistrictbookshop.com
Contact Rachel Lauth at lauthrachel@gmail.com.