Lucy Andrew is a crime writer, crime fiction scholar and former Senior Lecturer in English Literature. She has a PhD in English Literature from Cardiff University. A Very Vexing Murder is out now with Corvus (Atlantic Books) in the UK and in May 2026 in the US with William Morrow (HarperCollins).

How do you discipline/motivate yourself to write and do you set daily targets?
As I write historical mysteries, I do a lot of planning and researching before I write a first draft, including a detailed chapter-by-chapter plan of around 10,000 words and then a detailed plan of each chapter the night before I start writing it. During my first-draft writing period, I aim for a chapter a day (around 3000 words) and then plan the next chapter before signing off for the day. I also have targets for editing – this may be to edit a certain number of chapters per day during my editing period or, more likely, to focus on a particular type of edit – e.g. continuity edit, historical accuracy edit etc.

What are the most important qualities required by a writer? Do you have them?
I think the most important quality to have is persistence – it’s often the difference between published and unpublished writers. The published ones have just kept trying for longer. Attention-to-detail is also important. I’m definitely a details-oriented person, but you need to have a grasp of the bigger picture as well. I’m not so good at this, so I make copious notes of character arcs etc to keep on top of things. You also have to be receptive to feedback from editors – I’m a people pleaser and I enjoy the challenge of making a piece of writing better, so I do try to be as responsive as possible in my edits

How do you market yourself and your books?
I love events and festivals, book clubs, workshops and any other opportunities to get myself out there to readers. I’ve produced a reading group guide for A Very Vexing Murder, which I offer to reading groups, alongside online author visits or in-person visits if the group is local. I’ve set up my own author website, https://www.lucyandrew.com/, where you can sign up for my Secret Sleuths Club author newsletter. I’m also on social media, most prominently, Instagram.

Which writing resources have you found useful, e.g., books, courses, organisations, websites etc.?
For story structure, Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat Writes a Novel and John Yorke’s Into the Woods are great. For preparing your work for submission, Noah Lukeman’s The First Five Pages and Scott Pack’s Tips from a Publisher. D.V. Bishop’s author newsletter offers a wonderful insight into the publishing industry. I Am in Print’s Agent 121 service was so helpful to me when I was seeking an agent. I’m also a member of the Society of Authors, the Crime Writers’ Association and Writing West Midlands, who have great resources and opportunities for writers.

A top tip for other writers?
Write what you want to write, but think about how you can best pitch this to agents, publishers, readers etc in a way that will make them as excited about the project as you are.

About A Very Vexing Murder – published March 2026
A Very Vexing Murder is a cosy crime retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma which transforms Emma’s mousy little sidekick, Harriet Smith, into a feisty con-woman-turned-detective who is hired to investigate a murder that hasn’t yet been committed. It is the first book in the Harriet Smith Investigates series.