By the time I sit down to start a new novel, the story I am about to commit to the page has been rolling around in my mind for some time. Of course, there are always surprises - the destitute young girl who turns up on the first page, an unplanned character out of the blue [PARDONABLE LIES]; or a denouement I never expected [MAISIE DOBBS ]. I look forward to those surprises, though the unexpected might be a character, a turn of the story - a twist here, a scene there - that provides the answer I've been seeking to help me shed light on the way things were. For the writer of historical fiction, steeping oneself in the past to bring times gone by to life in a manner which is immediate and visual is paramount.

One of the most powerful aspects of historical fiction is the way it can hold up a mirror to the present, so that in the story we see today reflected. A mythologist would say that such a phenomenon is the way of story - that it is but a reflection of the human condition, insight into the archetypal journeys we share. As the writer, I'm not always aware of those reflections - I'm too close to the story - however, in letters and emails, the readers of my books draw attention to a present they are experiencing and which they see reflected in the past I've created. This is never more true than in the communications I receive from nurses, doctors, psychologists and those who work in support services for the veterans of war. Every week I receive letters from people who had little knowledge of the Great War, however, they are familiar with the traumas that come with war. The professional terminology has changed, but the challenges are strikingly similar.

I know many readers like to guess who did this or that in a mystery - it's what makes a mystery compelling reading - but I try to craft a mystery on different levels. In MESSENGER OF TRUTH , for example, there was the issue of who might have caused the death of the artist, but then there was also the mystery of the painting - what exactly was so compelling about it? But to me, from the time I begin writing, to the moment I write "The End," the mystery closest to my heart is Maisie Dobbs herself. How will her experiences during a given period of time and with a certain series of challenges change her? Who will she be by the end of the book? In AMONG THE MAD, Maisie faces a formidable foe, and when she looks at her own image as the book closes, something of her mystery is revealed.

AMONG THE MAD will be published today, February 17th, and to mark publication I am embarking on a book tour - details to be found on my website at http://click.mail.macmillan.com/?qs=7f294aa02bc4173f8b7be5219407380392fc8f32a1009d9cfb922fa74475213e, or just check out my events listing here on my Red Room Author Page. If I am in your area, I hope to meet you at one of the events, but if you can't come along and you would like a signed copy of the book, you can order directly from the bookstores listed—I'll be signing plenty of extra copies along the way.

With warmest wishes,

Jacqueline