INTERVIEW: Y S Lee

Chicklish interviews Y S Lee, author of The Agency trilogy that starts with A Spy in the House (out now, and available here with free worldwide delivery). Also check out our latest giveaway to win a signed copy of A Spy in the House!

Hello! Can you tell our readers a little about A SPY IN THE HOUSE?

Hello everyone! A SPY IN THE HOUSE is a mystery set in Victorian London. Its heroine, Mary Quinn, is a smart, feisty, 17-year-old with a criminal past and an uncertain future. The novel follows Mary as she's rescued from the gallows and trained as an undercover agent by The Agency, a secret, all-female intelligence force. In this book, Victorian England is dark and dangerous - a far cry from the "tea and scones" stereotype of historical fiction.

Did you know you were writing a trilogy when you started the first book?

Not at all; I was writing a one-off for adults! It was my agent who first suggested that the story might work better as a YA novel. I quickly realized she was right, and then she asked, “Well, is there any more?” How could I say no?

Was it fun to research the background for the book, and have you got any interesting stories from the research, or anecdotes that didn't make it into the book?

Research was terrific fun - but bear in mind, I’m a total nerd. I chose the spring of 1858 because it was an unusually hot season. The scorching weather created an appalling stench in London that became known as the Great Stink. (Reasons for the stink: toilets flushed right into the Thames, and factories dumped in all their waste, too. And it gets worse: Londoners pumped the water straight back out for cooking and bathing!) People thought the smell made you sick – not germs. Despite efforts to fumigate the Houses of Parliament, future prime minister Benjamin Disraeli fled the building one day with a handkerchief over his nose, so evil was the stink. I couldn’t resist a setting like that, although I’m glad my research was, um, theoretical.

Do you have a favourite part of London, or a favourite London attraction (or bookshop!)?

This makes me sound like such a star-struck tourist, but my favourite London attraction is the city itself. If you’re ever up early on a sunny Sunday morning in London, I recommend just going for a long walk. It’s so peaceful – your own private kingdom – and you really get a chance to look at the architecture without having to dodge round millions of people. As for bookshops, I love the second-hand stalls under Waterloo Bridge on the south bank (Sunday mornings only).

Can you give us a hint about what happens in the next instalment, THE BODY AT THE TOWER (out in Spring 2010)? Or, if that would give too much away, can you choose a teaser line from the beginning of A SPY IN THE HOUSE, to tempt us to read it? (As if we needed more temptation!)

I can do both! In THE BODY AT THE TOWER, Mary disguises herself as a twelve-year-old boy to investigate a mysterious death at St Stephen’s Tower – better known as Big Ben. Cross-dressing is hard work! Almost immediately, she makes enemies on site. And then her nemesis, James Easton, turns up. And he recognizes her…

You can download the first chapter of A SPY IN THE HOUSE at my publisher’s website (they call it a “sneak preview”). And there’s a different sample scene at my website.

I hope you enjoy them!

Thank you very much, Y S Lee, and we're really looking forward to reading your books! A SPY IN THE HOUSE is out now in the UK, with THE BODY AT THE TOWER out next year and THE TRAITOR AND THE TUNNEL in 2011.

Interview by Luisa.

Y S Lee's site

Review of A Spy in the House on So Many Books

Giveaway: win a signed copy of A Spy in the House (closing date: 20th July 2009)

Comments

[Jenny]

Great interview! I liked this book, and am looking forward to the sequels :)

[Sophie]

Thanks for the interview! I really enjoyed The Spy in the House so I'm definitely looking forward to the sequels.

[Andrea]

Just finished reading! Much fun - loved the historical details mixed into a great story.