Natalie Marlow Interview - Needless Alley

Natalie Marlow's debut novel NEEDLESS ALLEY is one of the first whetting of one's appetite of 2023, a fresh voice from a bygone age as her story set around a private detective in Birmingham during the 1930s is a engaging and enjoyable historical fiction novel. It is both tantalising to see where the series will go and how her lead character William Garrett will develop over the forthcoming years in partnership with Baskerville Press

Read my review of Needless Alley here, and below is an exclusive interview with the author ahead of the novel's publication on Thursday 19th January 

Interview with Natalie Marlow

 

·        What was the genesis of William Garrett?

This is such a good question. I wrote Needless Alley following Raymond Chandler’s rules in The Simple Art of Murder. For Chandler, the detective must be a ‘complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must me, to use a weathered phrase, a man of honor – by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it.’ This was my starting point. However, William was the culmination of a lifetime of reading classic crime fiction.

 

·        Where do you live? Has this impacted your writing?

I live in the Midlands, near Coventry. I’ve lived here all my life, apart from my time at university. And, yes, the landscape, history and people of the Midlands has impacted my writing to an extent I doubt I could write about anywhere else.

 

·        Where did the idea to incorporate this Peaky Blinders world with a detective come from?

The whole Peaky Blinders thing was just an accident! I’ve only watched the first series, and I decided not to watch any more as I didn’t want it to influence my writing. Queenie, who is the most ‘Peaky’ of all the characters, is very loosely based on a relative. My great grandma was a canal boatwoman and ran the illegal bookmaking in her area of Coventry in the 1920s and 1930s.

 

·       What are your influences upon this book?

My main influences are the books and films of the 1930s and 1940s. I’ve read a lot of Graham Greene. He called his thrillers his ‘entertainments’ and both Brighton Rock and A Gun for Sale are important influences on Needless Alley. I’ve also read a lot of Hammett, Cain, and the female noir writers, particularly Vera Caspary and Dorothy B Hughes. However, my biggest influence is Raymond Chandler. I adore Chandler.

 

·        We started corresponding due to a love of film and pre-WW2 Hollywood stars – what are your favourites?

This is such a tough question, Jamie! I’ll stick with pre 1939 films just to thin the herd. I love The Thin Man series; It Happened One Night; Top Hat and The Gay Divorcee; The Old Dark House; The Lady Vanishes; The Maltese Falcon; Mr Smith Goes to Washington; Bringing up Baby; The 39 Steps; Dames; Gold Diggers of 1933; The Women; Scarface…I could go on!

Favourite pre war film stars? I adore Myrna Loy, Jean Arthur, Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Blondell, William Powell, Dick Powell, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart and, of course, James Stewart.

 

·        What are you currently reading?

I’m writing right now, so I find it difficult to read. However, I’m listening to a lot of Golden Age detective fiction on Audible. I like the British Library Crime Classics.

 

·        What are you currently bingeing on TV?

I’ve just finished watching Slow Horses on Apple and loved it. Have you seen The English on BBC IPlayer? I love big sweeping narratives and this one was a doozy. Highly recommended.

 

·        What advice would you have for would be authors who think it is too late to write?

I honestly thing maturity is an advantage. I don’t think I would’ve had the patience, or time, in my twenties to write Needless Alley. My advice to any writer is to sit down and write a few hundred words a day. Don’t get het up about other people’s word counts or processes. Write your way but just write.

 

·        How good is your relationship with Baskerville?

Baskerville have been wonderful. They’ve really guided me through the process of being a debut and have been very supportive of my writing. I’ve been overwhelmed by their support.

 

·        What are your hopes for Needless Alley?

Honestly, I’d love for someone to read Needless Alley and love it the way I love my favourite books. We’ll see!

Needless Alley is out on 19th January from Baskerville (Hachette) in all formats

You can follow Natalie on Twitter @NatalieMarlow2