DEBUT SPOTLIGHT: Carolyne Topdjian
Last year was a banner year for gothic fiction, and 2022 looks to be coming on just as strong, with several contemporary and historical gothic titles releasing this year. One of my most anticipated reads of early 2022 is Carolyne Topdjian’s THE HITMAN’S DAUGHTER, a riveting gothic mystery set in a once-luxurious, possibly haunted hotel during a New Year’s Eve blizzard. There’s so much of my own personal literary catnip in that last sentence, that I was beyond thrilled when Carolyne agreed to an interview to tell me even more about her debut. So, without further ado…
THE FULL SYNOPSIS
The Château du Ciel was once the destination for the rich and famous to play, drink and ski―complete with a private railway to shuttle those desiring extra privacy―now, however, the guests are few and far between. The New Year’s Eve party was supposed to hoist the rundown hotel back to its former status, until a massive blizzard hits, trapping the guests who’ve come to celebrate the grand hotel’s last hurrah. The circumstances might even be romantic, if the hotel wasn't reputed to be haunted.
When hotel employee Mave Michael finds the resident artist dead, and shortly thereafter hotel security finds Mave alone with the body, the reputation that Mave has fought long and hard to outrun comes back to haunt her. You see, her father is a notorious hitman who is serving multiple life sentences in prison. She has changed her name and location dozens of times, but he somehow manages to track her down―even sending her a postcard on the eve of her birthday, January 1st. She’s the perfect choice to frame for murder, and now the number one suspect. Mave can no longer deny the lessons in survival her father taught her, and calls on that and her uncanny sixth-sense in “finding” lost objects to navigate the maze of the hotel. To save herself, she not only has to stop running from her own past, she must unearth the history of the hotel, its elite guests and buried secrets―one deadly sin at a time.
Topdjian’s debut thriller is intense with foreboding and an eerie sense of place. The past and present perspectives captivate the reader and connect brilliantly to reveal a shocking conclusion. Fans of Jen Williams, Karin Slaughter, and Alex North will enjoy this one!"—Booklist
THE INTERVIEW
Paulette: Hi Carolyne, thank you so much for joining me! I can’t tell you how excited I am to read The Hitman’s Daughter! Now that I’m finished with developmental edits, I’m eager to dive back into my TBR list, and your novel is one of the books at the top! Can you tell us what inspired you to write The Hitman’s Daughter?
Carolyne: The initial inspiration behind The Hitman’s Daughter came from a stint I had as a shopgirl in a grand hotel. The chateau was part of the historical Grand Trunk Railway that used to run in the early twentieth century from Montreal to Toronto to Portland and beyond. Once I learned about the hotel’s boarded up trainline, I was forever fascinated. The seeds for Mave Michael’s story were planted then and there, but it wouldn’t be until years later that I actually developed them into a novel. I’ve always loved gothic settings and plotlines—especially ghost stories—so the genre and hotel felt like a perfect match. I had a great time escaping into the eerie atmosphere of the chateau and infusing it with mystery, fast-paced action, and romantic drama. For those curious…
The Hitman’s Daughter is about a young woman, Mave Michael, who’s running from her past while working in a formerly-grand hotel in the remote mountains of Colorado. On New Year’s Eve, a blizzard hits and traps Mave and the guests inside the hotel. Mave then discovers the resident artist murdered, and her identity as the daughter of a hitman is revealed. Suddenly framed for the crime, Mave has to rely on the survival skills her father taught her to save herself. She also has to unearth the dark secrets of the hotel and its elite guests.
Paulette: I have chills. Your plot and premise hit so many of the right buttons. I love ghost stories in gothic settings, and there’s just something about rundown, formerly-glamorous hotels that especially fascinate me. In the Ozarks, we have a famous haunted resort hotel called The Crescent, and my next project, that I’m currently researching and plotting, is set in a former resort-turned-boarding school based on that hotel. I’ve taken ghost tours there, and you can almost hear the clink of vintage champagne glasses in some of those rooms. The atmosphere is a character in its own right. I can’t wait to visit the Château du Ciel.
I’m always interested in hearing about an author’s writing process. Can you share a little bit of yours?
Carolyne: In terms of process, I’m a pantser at heart who plots out of necessity in order to weave together (hopefully) a thrilling mystery. So you might call me a “planster.” When I draft, I tend to write methodically at a tortoise’s pace, 1K a day, seven days a week. I’ve learned the hard way: I don’t cope well as the hare with sprints and breaks. While I draft, I get old-school with notebooks on the side. I jot down ideas, create charts, and use cursive handwriting itself as a tool. I’ll listen to music for inspiration. (The Hitman’s Daughter has a playlist on Spotify.)
At the same time, I tend to visually plan and research as I go. I use a lot of aesthetic boards both pre-writing, and during drafting and revising. I have to see the story in my head, a lot like a daydream, in order to nail a scene. Sometimes, I get my ideas directly from images I’ve found on Pinterest. Novel aesthetics can work on many levels: as literary inspiration, prompts, and anchors. I have a lot of fun—maybe too much—collecting images with music pumping through my earphones!
Paulette: Wow—we are so similar it’s eerie. I too am a planster, and I have notebooks and loose bits of paper and ephemera drifting all over my desk with snippets of ideas or sentences that come to me as I’m meditating or even driving. Currently, I have a vintage-style leather journal in which I’m writing secret love letters in my next main character’s voice—even my handwriting is totally different! It's almost like method acting, I feel. I’m a very visually and aesthetically driven author, as it sounds like you are, and painting a picture through prose is a goal I’m always striving for as a writer. I’m an unapologetic hedonist and I love all of those sensory details, and I must write to music.
So, given our mutual love for vintage hotels and haunted houses, and the secrets and stories hidden inside their musty walls, if you could live in the time or place where your novel is set, would you? And why or why not?
Carolyne: Absolutely! I love old grand hotels. Given their rich history, they seem to ooze stories from their walls. I imagine it would be quite thrilling to wander the drafty hallways of the fictional Château du Ciel. Not only is the Château six-hundred-thousand square feet of French architecture, nestled and isolated in nature, its slogan is “Soar in Luxury, Remain Forever.” So who knows, I might become thoroughly romanced if not pampered while haunted, and never check-out. Come of think of it, it’s the perfect place to organize a writer’s retreat—what do you say, Paulette?
Paulette: Let’s do it! Sounds like my idea of heaven. We are absolutely kindred spirits. My husband already knows he might lose me to a decrepit Victorian mansion someday. Hey…the heart wants what it wants!
And now, for my very favorite question: What are you reading?
Carolyne: I tend to read more than one novel at once; mostly because I love to devour first chapters. Once I get a hold of a book, I often can’t resist flipping open its cover. The next thing I know, I’m hooked. Currently (in no particular order), I’m immersed in Our Little World by Karen Winn, This Fierce Blood by Malia Márquez, The Weight of Lies by Emily Carpenter, and Hollywood Down Low by Leigh Paulk. The latter is by my Pitch Wars mentee, and I can’t wait for the rest of the world to experience her sizzling mystery, too.
Paulette: I can’t wait to read it! I featured Malia recently on the blog, and This Fierce Blood was my favorite cover of 2021 and it’s next in line on my TBR when I finish Gabriella Saab’s The Last Checkmate.
In closing, can you tell us about any future projects you’re working on?
Carolyne: I’m delighted to share that I’m currently drafting and revising book 2 of the Mave Michael series. Fingers crossed, readers can expect to see the sequel for The Hitman’s Daughter—tentatively titled The Black Moth—hit bookshelves sometime in 2023.
Paulette: Well, I for one cannot wait to meet Mave and experience all of her gothic adventures. Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with me, Carolyne! And happy haunting!
THE HITMAN’S DAUGHTER is available now anywhere books are sold, or you can purchase it from Barnes & Noble, BookShop, or Amazon
Carolyne Topdjian is the author of The Hitman’s Daughter (2022, Agora/Polis Books), a gothic mystery which Library Journal describes as a “fast-paced, haunting novel of survival” (starred review). In addition to writing suspense novels, Topdjian has published short fiction in PRISM International, Dreamers Magazine, and Firewords Quarterly. She is a professor in the Faculty of Media and Creative Arts at Humber College and a three-time Pitch Wars mentor. She currently lives in a 114-year-old haunted house. You can connect with her on Twitter @TopdjianC, or at www.carolynetopdjian.com.