Today the Chicks are happy welcome the marvelous (and prolific) author Vicki Delany, who has penned more than fifty books! (Wow.) Today she talks about research–the fun kind–as she wings her way to the United Kingdom. Are we jealous? Yes, indeed! Take it away, Vicki:
My Research Trip to England
It can sometimes be difficult to take the characters in a cozy mystery series out of their home environment. Cozy readers generally like the interaction between the characters they know and love (and love to hate), so if they are going to travel it ‘s necessary to take the whole gang along. Not always easy. But, I wanted to take two of my series to the UK this year and so I thought up ways to do it. Celebrating a special occasion seemed the best.
In the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, Gemma Doyle and her friends travel to London for the wedding of her mysterious sister, Pippa, to Grant Thompson, a book dealer originally from their town of West London Massachusetts. (The couple met in a previous venture to London in There’s a Murder Afoot.)
Sherlock Holmes pub, London
In The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime (January 14, 2025 from Crooked Lane Books) as Gemma is leaving her sister’s wedding reception, someone she was once close to approaches her wanting to show her a rare book. Gemma is not particularly interested in either the book or the man, but the following day she visits the bookshop near Trafalgar Square she used to be part owner of. Whereupon she finds her prior acquaintance dead, and she has a lot of questions. When Gemma has questions, she wants to find answers and so she begins to investigate. Much of that investigation involves trapsing through the streets of London. Particularly when Pippa, who is so highly placed in the British government no one knows what she actually does, begins to show an interest in the business, Gemma needs to watch her steps very carefully.
Gemma is originally from London and, although she might not have, like Sherlock Holmes, an “exact knowledge of London”, she does know how to get around without being seen on CCTV cameras, coming to the notice of the police, or attracting any other unwanted attention.
I myself do not have even a passing knowledge of London, but I had enormous fun taking Gemma to that city and seeing it through her eyes. On and off the tube we go; we enjoy afternoon tea at The National Portrait Gallery or the Wolseley.
afternoon Tea at the Wolseley, London
We pop into the Victoria and Albert or the Tate Britain for a break; we go shopping at Harrods. Although, I have to confess, I don’t personally shop at Harrods (or anywhere else) for disguises or jump off trains as the doors close, trying to shake off pursuit. I am not alert for CCTV cameras so I can dodge them, and I don’t wear a hat low over my face so as not to be identified by the ubiquitous all-seeing eyes. Above all, I most certainly can not get around the London Underground without a map.
Scouting out locations for Trafalgar Fine Books
As a side trip, hot on the trail, Gemma and Jayne take the train to Yorkshire to question the aristocratic branch of her family at their grand manor house.
Holdsworth House and Hotel, Halifax, Yorkshire, inspiration for Thornecroft Castle House and Hotel
Thus, I was able to combine one research trip into two books as in the forthcoming book from my Tea by the Sea series, Tea with Jam and Dread (July 29, 2025 from Kensington) the gang also goes to England. To Yorkshire for the 100th birthday of Elizabeth, Dowager Countess of Frockmorton. a former employer of Rose Campbell, grandmother of Lily Roberts. Unlike Gemma, Lily has never been to England before and she struggles to deal with confusing roundabouts, mushy peas and black pudding, ordering from the bar, and driving on the “wrong” side of the road. As well as reluctantly getting involved in the investigation of a murder and the theft of valuable jewels, she finds time to help in the kitchen at Thornecroft Castle House and Hotel, preparing the afternoon tea for the birthday party, and brings home some new recipes.
With both of my characters from separate series visiting the same location, I snuck in a cross-over. See if you can spot it!
Readers: Do you like your favourite characters to travel or do you prefer them to stay close to home?
Vicki Delany is the recipient of the 2019 Derrick Murdoch Award for contributions to Canadian crime writing. She is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than fifty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series, the Year-Round Christmas mysteries, the Tea by the Sea books, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates).
Vicki is a past chair of the Crime Writers of Canada and co-founder and organizer of the Women Killing It Crime Writing Festival. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
Chicks on the Case 
I love getting to visit new places through books, and it’s fun to see through the eyes of different characters. Plus it switches things up in the series and gives entirely new characters and environment to investigate.
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That’s what I was hoping for
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Congratulations, Vickie! I enjoy travel if it has a logical purpose.
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Vicky, your new book sounds wonderful and I am looking forward to reading it. I love all cozies, and enjoy “visiting” new places through them. I especially enjoy ones set in the UK after visiting there myself in 2018. I loved it, and can almost picture myself there as I read.
Thank you and all the chicks for all you do!
Carol
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You are very welcome.
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Hurrah, Vicki! I love books that both stay at home or go on travels. I’ve still yet to visit the UK, so I appreciate novels like yours so I can explore by armchair. And thank you for posting those lovely research pics!
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Vicki, what a fabulous trip. We may be in London in the spring and I know who to hit up for tips! And I love you were able to research for two books. I didn’t know you can have tea at the National Gallery. And now I do!
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We had tea at the National Portrait Gallery, not the National Gallery although it’s next door.
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I’ll check it out!
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What a fun trip! I so love London, especially just wandering around and people watching, admiring the beautiful buildings–and then stopping for tea and scones somewhere!
Thanks so much for visiting the Chicks today, and congrats on the new book–hurrah!
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Uh… scones. Yummy
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Vicki, welcome to Chicks, and congrats on yesterday’s pub of Nighttime–plus Tea with Jam and Dread coming up this summer. (As a Sound of Music fan, how much do I love that title?) It’s fabulous that you were able to research both books and have a wonderful vacation at the same time. Those lovely photos…sigh. I am happy to accompany my favorite characters when they travel–and I enjoy when they have at least a few members of the usual gang in tow. I particularly appreciate when the “out-of-this-world” books don’t alter the general arc too much. That way they can stand alone and be super-special for readers!
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You’re living the dream! I know they say, “Write what you know,” but I think we should change that to “Write where you want to go”! Thanks for stopping by today!
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I always say do not write what you know. Write what you want to learn.
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Vicki, thank you so much for visiting us! This looks amazing…would love to be on a trip like that. So glad you had a lovely time. LOVE the pics too.
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Vicki, your trip sounds like a dream! My last book in Liv & Di I moved most of my Dixie cast to Vegas. My agent tried to talk me out of it, but my editor loved it. Reader reactions were mixed. I look forward to reading about your gang on the road. I love the high tea and country house research and wish I could stow away in your suitcase!
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What fun! Love your books, and I married my British husband at Holdsworth House! I’m about to do the opposite, take my British cast to America. 🙂
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That’s great. Isn’t Holdsworth House amazing? We just loved it. There was a wedding when we were there.
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I like both but probably staying at home as then all of the characters are there. Or should I say the usual suspects. But Londan, Scotland and Ireland are good choices for going off on a jaunt since we all speak the same language (sort of). I was fortunate enough to get to London for a week with one night in Paris for my birthday when my niece decided to go visit a friend and colleague in her company. She invited my sister (her mother) and I to go along. They came in from Dallas and I came in from Atlanta and we arrived at Heathrow at about the same time and met in baggage claim. Then Erika picked us up and took us to her five-story house in Chatham. We all fit in quite well, along with her husband, son and brother. She was on block from the train and one block from a bus stop. It could not have been better. We did as much as we could including a foray to Bath and Stonehenge which was amazing. We went to the Tower of London, Windsor Castle, and Hampton Court, had high tea, ate at a couple of pubs, went to Piccadilly Circus, Westminster, a boat ride on the Thames, minded the Gap, took the Chunnel to and from France, and went to Harrod’s ( I could not believe that they had a whole Seafood Department in the department store). We saw Big Ben, Parliament, Stratford on Avon, 10 Downing Street, walked across the Tower Bridge, and drove across all of the bridges. I am sure that I left stuff out. It was the trip of a lifetime and staying with an English family was a boon as to what to do and where to go. If I like the author and the characters, then I will read it no matter where they are.
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