Sophie has to go now! But you can meet her in person...
Thanks to Sophie for joining us and thank you all for your great questions. Join us next Tuesday on the Reading group where we’ll announce our December theme!
Callowyouth says:
Without asking you to give away your secret recipe, how do you start crafting the plot to a Poirot? What comes first, a concept or a conflict that pops into your head? A murderer’s character? A brilliant twist? Where do you start?!?
Guardian contributor I always start with either a great opening mystery hook (as in Mystery of Three Quarters) or what I think is a great twist/ending (as in my first two Poirots). Then I work either backwards or forwards.
palfreyman says:
In an earlier response you mentioned Christie’s intellectual curiosity and literary ambition. This is something I thought about when reading some of her books, and recalling others, in preparation for this month.
How serious do you think Christie’s literary ambitions were? Have we knowledge of any manuscripts squirrelled away that were her stabs at “proper” literary fiction?
Guardian contributor I think the distinction between literary and popular fiction is a fairly arbitrary one, to be honest. Christie was very serious about wanting to extend the boundaries of the genre, and also of the kind of books she was expected to write. I think in an ideal world she would have wanted to try writing all kinds of different genres. She wrote several novels that weren't crime, under the name Mary Westmacott - they are literary novels, in a way.
Poirotfan says:
Hi I love your new Poirot books. Don’t you think it’s amazing that she chose a European refugee as her all knowing detective and that he makes fun of Hastings so much? Or perhaps what’s amazing is that dynamic gaining such popularity?
Guardian contributor Yes, it's amazing - and shows, I think, that she wasn't a snob or a little-Englander at all. She used Poirot's outsider status to demonstrate how the English middle and upper classes dismissed the account/experience of anyone who wasn't exactly like them.
siancain asks:
If you could have another author take on writing one of your characters, who would you like to see take up the reins?
Guardian contributor Hmmm. That is a very interesting question. Someone new and up-and-coming whose name I don't know. Whoever could demonstrate to me that they could write about Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer AND write a self help book about how to hold a grudge!
@FayFung3 on Twitter says:
Is it possible that Hercule Poirot and Mrs. Marple would be friends?
Guardian contributor I think if they met they might well be friends, yes. But Agatha Christie didn't put them together in the same story, and so I don't think I should either.
@kategof asks on Twitter:
1 can we expect more Poirot novels? And
2 what is your fave Christie novel? thank you!
Guardian contributor Yes, I'm writing a fourth one for sure - and it will be published in 2020!
My fave Christie novel is The Hollow, or Murder on the Orient Express - can't decide!
@afcwheels asks on Twitter:
Have you decided how you will end Hercule Poirot’s career?
Guardian contributor Agatha ended his career in Curtain in the 1970s! My job is to write a small middle section of his career!
@Komorebi_Days asks on Twitter:
I would like to ask if Sophie will be writing about Harley Quin (from The Mysterious Mr. Quin) also. It would be great to see more stories involving him.
Guardian contributor No plans to, no. Sorry! Poirot is keeping me busy enough!
A question from Twitter - @smithpm81 asks:
i want to know if Sophie pictures David Suchet in her mind when writing Poirot, i know i do when reading her books. (Also i cannot help picturing the actor who played Japp as her character Catchpool)
Guardian contributor When writing, I'm kind of imagining Poirot from the inside/as a character, and I tend not to 'see' him visually. I'm thinking far more about what's in his mind and how he's behaving. I do however think David S is a perfect visual and aural representation of Poirot - I love him!
Our samjordison has a question:
What is it that makes you think Christie is a genius? (I guess I’m also asking: What sets her apart from other crime writers - and why has she remained so popular.)
Guardian contributor Several things, IMHO, make her an incomparable genius:
1) ingenuity of her plots and how they expanded the ambitions and possibilities of the genre.
2) amazing blend of opposites: her books are both v simple and v complex, v dark and v fun/enjoyable.
3) her sheer and tangible love of storytelling above all else
4) her unguessability/unpredictability
5) her wisdom and insight into human nature
6) her prose - crisp, elegant, not a word too much or out of place
markmartin says:
I’m afraid it’s a bit off topic: I love Sophie’s poetry, but she hasn’t published a collection in over 10 years. Has she given it up (can a poet ‘give up’?) or is it just dormant for now?
Guardian contributor Not quite dormant, Mark! My poetry muscles are currently busy writing lyrics for songs in musicals! Together with a good friend, Annette Armitage, I have written 2 musicals - one of them is a murder mystery musical and the other is a musical locked room mystery. One is on tour at the moment, and at the Cambridge Literary Festival this weekend! I still do write poetry and will be writing more in the near to medium future, too.
Callowyouth asks:
Will you write a Poirot that has anything about his love life in it?
Guardian contributor I've chosen not to. Agatha never went into detail about his love life, so I feel I should follow her example!
'My favourite 3 Christies? The Hollow, Murder on the Orient Express and Sleeping Murder'
Emily_Trefusis says:
Over the past twenty years there has been a huge upsurge in popularity for psychological thrillers. More recently, there has been a small but noticeable rise in popularity for crime novels inspired by the golden age of detective fiction. As you’ve written in both genres, which do you find most fun to write? Do you feel whisky-soaked detectives with a divorce-riddled past have become a cliche? And what would your advice be to aspiring crime writers who want to break in to the “golden age” category - do they need to adopt some of the tropes of the thriller (like the wonderful Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle)? Or could a more comedic/Wodehousian edge be a worthwhile spin? Finally, what are your top three Christies? Mine are books that others might see as humdrum - The Moving Finger, The Sittaford Mystery and They Came to Baghdad.
Guardian contributor I don't have a favourite between the two - I love writing dark contemporary thrillers and I equally love writing my Poirot novels. Yes, anything becomes a cliche if it's done too often. I'd say the secret to breaking through in any genre is to write something original, unexpected and unguessable. That's why 7 Deaths of EH did so well - totally fresh and surprising. Key thing is: great hook and great story - whether it's grim/dark or upbeat-comic. People love gripping stories over and above everything else.
My favourite 3 Christies? The Hollow, Murder on the Orient Express and Sleeping Murder.
Martynaling says:
Are there any plans afoot to film your books? All three are calling out to be filmed, Closed Casket especially.
Guardian contributor No plans yet! And I have to say, I'm in no hurry to hear that such plans are being made. In my opinion, TV shows tend to be better when they're original written-for-TV dramas. So many adaptations are v risky (if you're the author and fear having your book messed up in its screen incarncation!)
Mosaix says:
Please, please can we have a murder mystery where the murder isn’t done by a twin wearing a black wig and a big hat, who was sired out of wedlock by an upper class toff, adopted at birth by the nanny who, for some unfathomable reason, manages to keep the whole thing secret until Poirot, by some equably unfathomable leap of logic, guesses the whole thing. The characters having a bit of ‘character’ would help as well.
Guardian contributor You'll be delighted to hear that none of my Poirot novels features twins or the sort of birth circumstances you dislike!
Wendy Barrett says:
Have listened to the 3 poirot books on audible. Brilliantly read by Julian Rhind Tutt. Did he capture the dialogue as you heard it in your head whilst writing? Also how much imput do you have in the choice of audio book narrator, and their approach. Loved the books by the way, as well as your other work.
Guardian contributor Thank you! Yes, JRT is amazing. So lucky to have him - and yes, he sounds exactly right for the part!
diedug asks the questions we’ve all wanted an answer to for decades:
Where did Christie go, and what was she doing, during her “disappearance”?
Guardian contributor At the risk of disappointing you...I have no idea! Sorry. No one knows. I only know what everyone knows, which is that she turned up in a Harrogate hotel!
Fishman has a writing question:
I am going to ask a most cliched question. Sorry but have to! What one tip would you give to someone about to embark on writing a psychological thriller?
Guardian contributor 1) try to make sure your thriller has a great, intriguing, irresistible hook. If readers/editors feel they HAVE to know more after hearing your one-line pitch, that's always good for your prospects.
2) Make sure your story is unguessable. Nothing worse than a thriller where the big twist at the end isn't a surprise because you can see it coming a mile off.
3) Believe in yourself and your story, and don't fear failure. Every single one of the most successful writers in the world are ONLY as successful as they are because they've learned that failure isn't the end, it's only an obstacle to be overcome. The more you're willing to fail, the more you will eventually succeed.
If you want more tips like this, you might want to sign up for my newsletter on home page of my website, www.sophiehannah.com. I'm about to move into the area of Helping New/Early-Career Writers, and will be putting information about this in my newsletter early to mid next year!
'I think appeal of Christie/Poirot has more to do with the perennial interest in making order out of chaos'
theupsetappletart asks:
Is our appreciation for your reconstructed Poirot based purely on nostalgia? Nostalgia not just for the detective, but for orderly cozy world he operates in?
Is there anything (socially, psychologically...) 21st century that might creep in, accidentally or by design, to your Poirot and the murders and mysteries he needs to solve?
Guardian contributor I don't think it's just nostalgia, no. I think appeal of Christie/Poirot has more to do with the perennial interest in making order out of chaos, and how best to fight for goodness in a world that contains much evil. I try very hard to make sure the 21st century doesn't creep in. Though I do sometimes allow myself to create an ahead-of-their-time-psychologically character - like Margaret Ernst in The Monogram Murders.
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ID75577 ID75577 asks:
Do you consider Agatha as your alter ego?
If not, then who ?!
Do men or women write better crime fiction?
And finally, give us (if you have) a favorite motto that you often return to...
Guardian contributor Agatha isn't my alter-ego, she's my literary hero! My alter-ego - I'm not sure who that would be, to be honest!
I think men and women both write brilliant crime novels, and they both also write bad ones. Don't think gender has anything to do with talent and ability to write books.
My favourite motto? I have two!
1) Take nothing personally - even if it's got your name on it.
2) We do as much harm to ourselves and to others when we take offence as when we give offence.
AdaNihan asks:
I enjoy your Poirot stories. Are you going to write some Miss Marple books as well?
Guardian contributor Thank you! No, I don't think Poirot would like me to do Marple too - he'd be jealous. I'd feel as if I were being unfair to him!
Bumbledore says:
If your stories were to be set in the 1930s/1940s, would you consider introducing some real-life historic figures from that time? Or tieing the plot in with historic events?
Guardian contributor I might do that in a very loose kind of way - I did, in fact, in my second Poirot novel, Closed Casket. It was set in Ireland in 1929 and the Anglo-Irish political situation played a small role in the story - but not any real political/historical figures.
SharonSomerset has some praise for Sophie:
Unfortunately I missed Sophie at the Taunton Literary Festival but would have loved to meet her. Sophie has written a lot of poetry, short stories, a childrens book, fiction, several psychological crime/thrillers, non-fiction, and ‘Golden Age’ crime fiction with Poirot. Firstly, is there anything she can’t do! I’d also love to know which category she prefers, or does she need that variety to keep her going? The Poirot novels are brilliantly in keeping with Agatha Christies own work and wonderfully complex, so congratulations on that, and the psychological thrillers (particularly Little Face) are absorbing and disturbing. She’s truly a very talented writer.
Guardian contributor Thank you for your kind words, Sharon! My favourite things to write at the moment are: Poirot and all crime (that's still my main passion), self help (I loved writing my 'How to Hold a Grudge' book!) and - weirdly - musicals! I've written a murder mystery musical called The Generalist which is on at the Cambridge Literary Festival this weekend!
ID2323 says:
Ms Hannah, I am glad to have someone re-awaking the characters - I have read dozens and dozens of Christie, although back before internet sucked away my book reading life.
I hate to say it, but how about a good TV series to binge on? That is what I would really love. 95% of streaming stuff sucks, just horrible, crude, immoral, vulgar, and stupid. A good series without swearing, nudity, sex, and amorality as the norm... but instead moral, dutiful, intelligent, decent, people fighting crime.
My all time favourite TV show was Colombo. An amazing series! I would love you dabbling with TV scripts of Marple and Poirot. But keep Hollywood off them! Hollywood would have them rutting like badgers and swearing like Drunk Sailors. And any Liberals need fending off, keep it in the hands of a Conservative, traditionalist. The BBC would make the stars Social Justice Warriors, and do the show as 2018 values set in a quaint old time (think Dickensinian!).
Guardian contributor It's always tough to find a truly brilliant TV drama to watch! I am not a TV writer, so I'm not sure I can create your perfect TV show, I'm afraid. Yes, Colombo is great! I also love Cagney and Lacey and I believe Murder, She Wrote is brilliant too.
Cookyhunter says:
Hi, Ms Hannah! I found your psychological thrillers absolutely unputdownable, and as funny as they are disturbing. Are there more of the brilliant Culver Valley series on the way?
As for Christie - what is the secret of her appeal?
Guardian contributor Thank you! Yes, there's more Culver Valley to come. And if you go to my website and search for 'More Simon and Charlie' you'll find a link to a free Culver Valley novella that you can download and read immediately! (On home page of my website, bottom left hand corner, you can sign up for my newsletter and be notified soon as a new S & C novel is on the way.)
As for Agatha's appeal - she's quite simply the best, most elegant and most ingenious crime writer who has ever lived. Ingenuity is a big part of her lasting appeal, I think. Also her tackling of all the big themes and aspects of human nature. She really understood people.
ChronicExpat asks:
It is reputed that Agatha Christie didn’t particularly like Hercule Poirot as a character (perhaps based on Ariadne Oliver’s comments about her Finnish detective). What are your thoughts? Do you think she grew tired of Poirot? Do you foresee a point when you might grow tired of him?
Guardian contributor I could never tire of HP - I adore him! He's like an old, wise, close friend. Agatha sometimes expressed irritation with him, yes, but I believe she was very fond of him too. There are lots of quotes where she says lovely things about him. I think she was a very intellectually curious and ambitious woman who wanted to write all sorts of different books/kinds of books - so when she expressed frustration with HP, it was likely to be simply that she wanted to explore other types of writing but HP was what her readers/fans/publishers seemed mainly to want!
'In the books, Poirot's English is actually very correct most of the time - give or take the odd malapropism'
davidabsalom says:
Do you ever get tempted to make Poirot’s English a little more realistic so he isn’t reverting to French on the very easy words and sailing through the hard ones?
Guardian contributor In Agatha's books, Poirot's English is actually very correct most of the time - give or take the odd malapropism. I try to stick to that model of Poirot's dialogue, rather than be distracted by the more Belgian/not-grammatical English of eg some of the TV versions!
David BELL says:
Do you have many constraints placed upon your writing by the estate of Ms Christie? if so and you could add something to his character what would it be? I would love a copy if at all possible. Congratulations by the way.
Guardian contributor It's interesting - I have had no constraints placed upon my writing of Poirot, no - but I suspect that's because the Christie family and I agreed about everything in our initial discussions! Which was a lucky coincidence. Everything I told them I wanted to do, they said, 'That's exactly what we were hoping you'd say.'
Mujokan has a very specific question:
Have you ever run away but been turned into the police by a banjo player?
Guardian contributor No, not yet. But it's on my to-do list, definitely. I've got a list of posh hotels with nice swimming pools that I might disappear to. No one had better find me till I've had a nice sauna, swim and aromatherapy massage! :-)
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Paul Davis asks:
Personally I am delighted that Poirot has been brought back to life, and have very much enjoyed the first two novels. I’m looking forward to the third. But I wonder if Agatha Christie herself would have been pleased; after all, she did kill him off. What do you think?
Guardian contributor Good question, Paul! I think there's really no way of predicting what she might have thought. I've always proceeded on the basis that her family (who take her legacy very seriously) wanted me to write these books, and so, as they're her representatives, I focus on their wishes - and also try to write books that Poirot/Agatha fans will love, of course!
Gramercy asks:
Will there be Poirot adventures set in pre-war Belgium, when he was Chief of Police of Brussels (See The Double Clue)? One looks forward to a Bernie Gunther-like series.)
Guardian contributor I don't think so, because we all (me, publishers, Christie family) thought it was important that The Mysterious Affair at Styles should remain the first Poirot novel in every sense!
Sophie is with us now!
Please post your questions for her in the comments and hopefully she can answer it in the next hour.
She starts with one from franhunny:
Will Sophie Hannah also write another Miss Marple mystery? Or will Ms Hannah concentrate on Poirot?
Guardian contributor I have no plans to write a Miss Marple! I don't think Poirot would like it! Also, I need to make sure I do justice to Poirot, having taken him on - so probably wouldn't want to divide my attention in that way. But I'd love to read a new Miss Marple novel if someone else wrote one.
Join us on Friday 23 November
Sophie Hannah will be joining us for an Agatha Christie-themed webchat on Friday 23 November at 1pm GMT.
Hannah is uniquely positioned to discuss the subject of this month’s reading group because she has inhabited “the little grey cells” of that world-famous detective, Hercule Poirot. She is the first author to have been authorised by the Christie estate to write new stories for the inimitable Belgian. Her novels The Monogram Murders, Closed Casket and most recently, the bestselling The Mystery of Three Quarters have had considerable success and acclaim. The Sunday Times has even declared her “the new Agatha”.
She wrote last year about the responsibility and challenge of bringing Poirot back to life, explaining: “My task – should I choose to accept it, which I soon did, because concocting a baffling mystery for the brilliant Belgian sleuth to solve was the most exciting creative challenge I had ever faced – was to bring the Poirot we all know and love a new case that would frustrate and puzzle him right up until he worked out the solution.” Hannah has also written eloquently about the genius of Christie and is a mine of information on the writer.
Brilliant as Christie may be, it would be a shame to restrict ourselves entirely to the great dame, as Hannah is also a talented author in her own right. She has published several volumes of poetry with Carcarnet Press, and many novels, including the bestselling crime series featuring the detectives Simon Waterhouse and Charlie Zailer.
Her latest book is How to Hold a Grudge, out now in the UK and in the US January 2019. It asks: “What if grudges are great – not a cause for guilt, but exactly what we need to lead a happier, safer, more fulfilled life?” If you find that intriguing, you can find a podcast on the subject here – but make sure to come back and ask a question here, too! Hannah will be with us from 1pm on Friday – but feel free to start posting in the comments below now.
By way of encouragement, and thanks to Harper, we have another five copies of Endless Night to give to the first five people from the UK to post “I want a copy please”, along with a nice, constructive question in the comments section below. If you’re lucky enough to be one of the first to comment, email the lovely folk on culture.admin@theguardian.com, with your address and your account username – we can’t track you down ourselves. Be nice to them, too.
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Thank you so much, all, for a great range of questions! And thanks to The Guardian for having me on! If anyone would like to buy a signed, personalised copy of my latest Hercule Poirot novel, The Mystery of Three Quarters, in time for Christmas, you can do so via the Goldsboro Books website. Once on site, search for book title and you'll find the offer of signed personalised copies! I will also be signing copies of both that book and my self-help book, How to Hold a Grudge, at Hatchards, Piccadilly, on Thur 29 Nov 6-8 pm, and at Waterstones, Piccadilly on Thur 6 Dec from 7.45 pm. Agatha fans, come along and say hello! I'm sure there will be mince pies! S x