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Meet the Author

Meet the Author: Julia Chapman

Photo of Julie Chapman

Julia Chapman is the creator and writer of the Dales Detective Mystery series. Julia's latest title is Date with Danger (Pan Books). If you have read all of the series you may be interested to know that Julia has also written under the name Julia Stagg and you should be able to find those books on our catalogue too.

  1. Who were your literary heroes as you were growing up and when did you first realise you wanted to write?

My book-related heroes have to be the librarians who ran the two local libraries I used during my childhood. I discovered entire worlds of writing thanks to their brilliant recommendations. I can still remember the joy of reaching the age where my book limit could be raised!

As for the writing bit, I was always a scribbler. And I grew up in a family of story tellers, thanks to my Irish background. Finally having the courage to think I could link the two took a little longer…

  1. You wrote the French based Fogas Chronicles under the name Julia Stagg. What made you decide to try your hand at crime writing?

Simple - I always fancied a life of crime! Ha! To be honest, it felt like a natural shift as aspects of the Fogas Chronicles have a thriller/crime element to them (and that’s just the local politics!). But it was also a chance to stretch myself a bit more as an author, trying my hand at a different genre. In actual fact, I found the transition easy. Getting used to having a pen name was a lot more difficult 😊

  1. Your last book published in April was Date with Danger. For those who have not read it yet can you give us a flavour of it?

Date with Danger is the fifth book in the Dales Detective series and it sees our two heroes, Samson and Delilah, being asked to investigate a tragic accident at the local livestock auction mart. But things are not all they seem and soon the Dales Detective duo are up to their eyes in danger. And stolen sheep.

The series begins with Date with Death (probably the best place to start) and is set in the iconic Yorkshire Dales, in the fictional town of Bruncliffe. It features a strong cast of locals, including the wonderful Ida Capstick, who’s never afraid to tell it like it is, and the surly Troy Murgatroyd, landlord of the Fleece and a man who only smiles when the sun shines. Which, given the location, isn’t that often! This being the Dales, stone walls, fells and sheep also play a prominent role…

  1. How much research do you do for your books and can readers visit Bruncliffe for themselves?

I do a lot of research, not simply to make sure that I’m getting things right but also because I really enjoy that aspect of this series. I live very close to where the books are set (in a fictionalised Settle, for those who want to visit the series location) so everything I learn enhances my knowledge about the area. Topics so far have been as diverse as the influence of Old Norse on local placenames, which dogs make the best fell runners (you’ll have to read the books to find out 😉), and everything you could want to know about tupping!

  1. Is there anything you can share about your latest project? We have readers desperate to know if there will be more books..

Happily I can put your readers at ease! The sixth book in the series, Date with Deceit, will be published in the UK on April Fools’ Day – a very apt publishing date! It takes place at a shoot on a country estate (Bruncliffe Manor) and needless to say, things go more than a bit awry. And for those eager to have even more of Samson, Delilah and their canine companion, the lovely Tolpuddle, I’m happy to report that I’m busy writing number seven. I can’t tell you anything about it yet, though, or I’d have to kill you 😉

  1. Has a book ever changed your life or made you think differently?

That’s such a brilliant question. And the answer is yes. Lots of them. But the best example I’ll give is that when I was in my teens, I read Nevil Shute’s A Town Like Alice. That book had such an impression on me that I vowed I’d go to Alice Springs. Over the next few years, I saved every penny from my various Saturday jobs and then after my A levels, at the tender age of 18, I took a year out and headed to Australia with a friend. We worked in a supermarket over there to keep ourselves going and then, towards the end of our year, travelled right around the country on Greyhound buses. And yes, we went to Alice Springs. 😊

  1. How do you relax when you are not writing?

Anyone who follows me on social media will know that when I’m not tapping away at the keyboard, I’m up on the fells running or I’m riding my bike over the brutal climbs in this area. And the best thing about it is I get to call this research! To be fair, I do an awful lot of ‘writing’ when I’m cycling and running and it’s often when I’m away from my desk that the plotting gets sorted.

Of course, I also read too. I always say that most writers are actually readers first and foremost. And I’m never happier than when I’ve got a good book on the go. Hence my love of libraries!

  1. Can you tell us one thing about yourself that your readers may not know?

While working at the aforementioned supermarket in Australia back when I was 18, I was nominated as Check-out-Chick of the month. I still have the certificate!!