Q&A: Amy Doak, Author of ‘Eleanor Jones is Playing with Fire’

We chat with author Amy Doak about Eleanor Jones is Playing with Fire, which is the third book in the Eleanor Jones series and sees favourite characters team up with some new characters when a spate of suspected arson attacks and car thefts start rocking the small rural town of Cooinda.

Hi, Amy! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

I’m an Australian YA author and I write mystery-thrillers with fun and heart for teens. I live in a regional city in Victoria that was rich with gold in the 1800s, so there’s plenty of beautiful buildings and parks, and we are surrounded by bushland. It’s a great place to live, and there’s so much story inspiration in the surrounding areas!

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love making up stories – even before I could read or write. I’ve always loved books and always had a very vivid imagination. However, I grew up in a world where people had very practical jobs and although I knew plenty of amazing creatives, they all considered it a hobby. The thought of writing books as a job wasn’t something I could ever have thought possible. In my 20s, through my love of books, I started to meet authors and I realised that maybe this was a thing that I could do too.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: The first ‘grown up’ book (which to eight-year-old me meant a chapter book with zero images) was The Secret Garden. It transported me to another country, time and world and I truly understood how magical books could be.
• The one that made you want to become an author: I think my first authorly love was Enid Blyton, and in particular The Faraway Tree. There was something about the idea of all those different lands that really sparked my imagination and made me want to make up my own stories.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: I love a dystopian read, and last year I read Every Version Of You by Grace Chan. When I finished, I desperately wanted to talk to everyone about it, and I think about it most days…particularly as technology is seemingly advancing at a rate none of us can keep up with.

Your latest novel, Eleanor Jones is Playing with Fire, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Fun, action packed murder mystery!

What can readers expect?

It’s the third book in the Eleanor Jones series, but readers can dive right in here if they want to (they might find it more fun to start at the beginning though). They can expect some tense, exciting moments; humour and fun banter between a loveable group of friends; a twisty whodunnit; and a little sprinkling of romance for good measure.

Where did the inspiration for Eleanor Jones is Playing with Fire come from?

I wanted to write a ‘locked room’ style mystery – the kind where you discover all the suspects early on, and then need to decide who is the guilty party. Also, when I was starting to write it, there were a lot of bushfires happening locally and I thought that would be a terrifying situation to add to a murder mystery. A few conversations with a fire fighter mate changed the trajectory of that original idea though, and instead the fires were focused on an arsonist.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I love the growing friendships Eleanor is developing – particularly with Namita and Ethan. Namita is so different to Eleanor but they’re both very blunt and neither gets offended by the other, and that makes for a fun dynamic. And Ethan has become a bit of a big brother, or older cousin, figure to Eleanor and so their friendship is just so lovely because of that.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing? How did you overcome them?

There’s been a bit of a slow burn romance building between Eleanor and Troy and my publishers and I (and many readers too) were keen for this to eventuate. The thing is, writing romance that feels natural and not cliché is really, really hard (hats off to romance authors everywhere!)

Turns out, I find writing a scene where you’re being chased through the bush by a knife-wielding murderer much easier to create than a kissing scene.

What’s next for you?

I’m just putting the finishing touches on a stand alone mystery: What Have They Done To Liza McLean? It’s set in an elite boarding school and there are conspiracies, corruption, and a couple of dead bodies for good measure! It will be out in October. I’m also working on the first draft of the next Eleanor book, which is so much fun.

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?

There are some awesome Aussie YA titles coming out in the next few weeks and I’ve been really fortunate to read early copies of some of these. I Saw What You Started by Carla Salmon is a adventure-mystery set in a fictional Aussie coastal town with definite Outer Banks vibes. The Escape Room by Adam Cece offers action, teen dynamics and so many twisty puzzles to solve. And the second in the Gus series, Gus And The Burning Stones by Troy Hunter is a fantastic whodunit. Nova Weetman is absolutely Australia’s Judy Blume and her latest, Sonny & Tess, is such a sweet rom com. I also adored Margot McGovern’s This Stayed Between Us, although I was too much of a scaredy cat to read it in the dark!

I have SO many on my To Read Pile and I need to plan a holiday just to get some reading in. In particular: Lady’s Knight by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner, everyone keeps telling me how hilarious and wonderful it is; Miss Caroline Bingley Private Detective by Kelly Gardiner and Sharmini Kumar, I already know I’m really going to enjoy that one; and debut author Holly Cardamone has a YA novel Summer, In Between described as Looking For Alibrandi-meets-Puberty Blues and I’m so keen to read that one!

Will you be picking up Eleanor Jones is Playing with Fire? Tell us in the comments below!