What are some books you’ve enjoyed recently?
Ready Player One (by Ernest Cline)
Bringing Back the Beaver (by Derek Gow)
Sapiens (by Yuval Noah Harari)
Nowhere to Run (by Jonathan Sayer)
Could you tell us more about the process of creating a puzzle book?
First I write the text, puzzle content and design/illustration. That document goes to our brilliant designer Rebecca and our fabulous illustrator Gavin who supply their contributions, notes are fed in while the text and puzzles are proof read. Then when the book is complete Rob and Paul put together the website elements in advance of publication.
What is it that you love about interactive puzzle books?
I think puzzle books are really engaging, there’s a fun sense of frustration and satisfaction as the reader attempts to solve the puzzles and huge sense of achievement at the end when the reader manages to solve the crime!
What is your favourite kind of puzzle?
Probably a logic puzzle. But I also really like clever visual puzzles, there’s huge space for creativity when creating something that codes information into something visual.
As an Olivier-Award-Winning writer of The Play That Goes Wrong, what was your inspiration behind creating The Bookshop Murder?
I’ve always loved mystery stories of all kinds… there’s something so intriguing about the unknown and they’re always a good basis for something that crosses genre because audiences and readers understand the formula and the plot drivers are already built in. In The Play That Goes Wrong the fact that audiences already understand the format of a murder mystery means that you can deliver big laughs without the need for tons of set up. With The Bookshop Murder because the reader understands the formula they dive straight into solving the crime!
How important is it to strike the balance between immersive narrative and intriguing challenges within an interactive book?
It’s important to get the balance right and recognize that both elements are key to a successful merger of the two. The narrative must compliment the narrative and vice versa. If they end up fighting each other then you end up with something that can feel tonally uneven, that’s a challenge that needs to be addressed in the early stages while structuring the book.
