Q&A: Ava Eldred, Author of ‘Exit Stage Death’

We chat with author Ava Eldred about Exit Stage Death, which is a gripping YA musical theatre murder mystery where strange happenings are plaguing Camp Chance, but can a group of friends solve these alarming disappearances before curtain-up?

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

Of course! I’m an author living in London, where I write YA mysteries about becoming who you are because of the things you love. By day I work in theatre, and over the years I’ve been a producer, playwright, box office assistant, was once a stage manager for a week (never again!) and now mostly work in marketing/audiences, with an occasional bit of creative development sprinkled on top. All of those experiences fed in to Exit Stage Death! I also love cats, which feels like a massive author cliché, but it’s true so I’m saying it anyway! My first novel The Boyband Murder Mystery was published in 2021.

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

I was always making up stories as a kid – I can’t remember a time when it wasn’t there. But as soon as teachers I didn’t like recognised it and started saying I was going to be a writer, I rebelled against that and decided I’d be literally anything else to prove them wrong. The problem there was that I never actually made another plan, and also… I wanted to be a writer! They were right! So I’d say I rediscovered it in my late teens, around the same time I got deeply in to theatre. The shows I was seeing were really inspiring me to want to make things, and writing was the obvious outlet for that. I then spent most of my 20s writing and developing stage musicals, which I loved but learned is not necessarily my genre – I’m better with long form, so turned to novels about 7 years ago and have never looked back!

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: That’s too hard! Let’s go with first novel, which was Stranger With My Face by Lois Duncan, probably when I was far too young!
• The one that made you want to become an author: Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld. Among many many others!
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Always Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, but specifically now, Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. And mostly what I’m thinking about is how consistently I wept through the last 20% of it.

Your latest novel, Exit Stage Death, is out June 5^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Theatrical, fun, coming-of-age (that’s one word!), mystery, twisty!

What can readers expect?

I hope readers will think Exit Stage Death is a really fun read, full of musical theatre references and tropes, but also a proper murder mystery! There are love stories, both platonic and romantic, and we also explore ambition, family pressure, and what happens when the dream other people have for you doesn’t align with what you want for yourself, but the mystery element is always at the forefront. You can also expect complicated characters who were the most fun I’ve ever written, which I hope translates to the page!

Where did the inspiration for Exit Stage Death come from?

After writing The Boyband Murder Mystery, which was in parts directly inspired by my experiences of teenage boyband fandom, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever put something so personally important to me in to my work again. It’s a really exposing thing! But then, when it came to it, I couldn’t resist! Exit Stage Death is, in many ways, even more me than Boyband was, so the inspiration for the really strong bonds you form very quickly in theatre, the pressure that comes with having a dream, all the emotions that come with that – those were all pretty realistic to my experience as an usher, which was my version of Camp Chance in that it was where I found my theatrical feet, and definitely one of the places I came of age.

Thankfully the murder mystery element is pure imagination!

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

Without giving too much away, I really loved writing Livi and Juliet as a pair. On the surface they’re so different, and their differences are the first thing Livi latches on to when they meet, but if you ask me, they’re a lot more similar than either of them thinks they are. That push and pull was so fun to write.

I also had a great time with what I’m calling the ‘end of act one’ sequence, like this is actually a musical – again, no spoilers, but it ends with Livi and Sam on the main stage, finally talking about what’s happened between them in the past, and it was lovely to be able to clear the air between them so they could get on with their relationship in the present.

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

Mysteries are always hard, and I am… not a natural with a timeline! It’s so important, especially with a book that happens over a really short period like Exit Stage Death does, that it matches up to the minute, and keeping on top of that is always the biggest challenge for me. My drafts look wild because there are so many comments in the margin reminding me which parts need to match up, and, for example, what time everyone left the party the night the body was found!

The romance element was also a fun challenge with this one – the characters involved have history, and working out when to reveal that, and how to make sure that the point they’re at when we meet them in the book feels true to what’s happened off page, was really important in making sure that when they finally get together, we understand what that means in context. That took a bit of trial and error, but I love where they’ve ended up!

What’s next for you?

I’m working on a book that I first had the idea for six years ago, but only worked out how to properly write this year. It’s another theatre-set novel, but different to Exit Stage Death in pretty much every other way! I can’t say much more than that because it’s still in such infant stages, but I’m so excited for that one. Fingers crossed people will get to read it one day and we’ll be able to chat like this again!

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year?

As we speak, I’m reading an early copy of The Goldens by Lauren Wilson which I think is going to be huge. One thing about me is that I can’t resist a heist in any form, and my friend Eleanor Vendrell’s The Great Orchid Heist was no exception. Absolutely loved that one. Fair Play by Louise Hegarty blew me away, obviously the Taylor Jenkins Reid I mentioned before, and I haven’t read it yet because it isn’t out in the UK for another few weeks, but I’m pre-emptively adding 32 Days in May by my funniest pal Betty Corrello to this list, because I know it’ll be an instant favourite!

Will you be picking up Exit Stage Death? Tell us in the comments below!