We chat with author Stephanie Barron about her latest release Jane and the Final Mystery, which is the final volume of the critically acclaimed mystery series featuring Jane Austen as an amateur sleuth.
Hi, Stephanie! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’ve been writing mystery, suspense, espionage and historical fiction under two different names, for the past thirty years, with thirty-one novels to date. I wrote my first novel on a bet with my husband, Mark, when I was working as an intelligence analyst at the CIA—he promised that if I managed to finish a complete manuscript, I could quit and write fiction fulltime. I wrote my first novel, got an agent, and William Morrow published it in 1993.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
When I was about 14. I started writing an epic fantasy, a variation on the theme of Lord of the Rings, with a girl as the protagonist. I had probably read LOTR about fifteen times at that point!
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Probably Beatrix Potter—The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, or Squirrel Nutkin, or my absolute fave, The Roly-Poly Pudding.
- The one that made you want to become an author: POSSESSION, by A.S. Byatt
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Rules of Civility, by Amor Towles
Your latest novel, Jane and the Final Mystery, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Jane Austen ends her journey.
What can readers expect?
Seriously ill and in the last months of her life, amateur detective Jane Austen travels to Winchester in 1817 to investigate the death of a schoolboy enrolled at Winchester College, the oldest boys’ public school in England.
Where did the inspiration for Jane and the Final Mystery come from?
I’ve been following Austen’s life during the fifteen novels of this series, as she moved around England from the age of 26 to her death at 41. Fifteen years of her life, fifteen episodes in the series. As she did in fact die in the city of Winchester, and is buried in its cathedral, I knew I had to use that setting. The fact that she had close personal ties to the boys’ school, Winchester College, made it a natural place to put a murder investigation.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
Winchester’s the ancient royal and ecclesiastical center of southern England, dating back to Roman times, and it’s a wonderful place to spin stories. Learning about medical care and the 1817 hospital was particularly interesting, as was reading period memoirs of boys who endured the arcane culture of the school—Antony Trollope, for instance.
What’s next for you?
I’m not entirely sure. I’m weighing ideas at the moment.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
I’ve just binged suspense novels set at boarding schools. The standouts for me? The Secret Place, by Tana French; Ninth House and Hell Bent, by Leigh Bardugo; The Lying Game, by Ruth Ware; and of course, The Secret History, by Donna Tartt.
You can find Stephanie on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and at her website.
