Tony Lee Moral Interview

Q: Let me start with asking you to tell us a little bit about yourself.
A. I write about mystery and suspense and I divide my time between London and California. Alfred Hitchcock has been a huge influence on my life and work. I’ve written three non-fiction books about the Master of Suspense and he inspired my latest novel The Haunting of Alice May. Hitchcock had the greatest of all things, a story to tell. In finding ideas to adapt to film and television, he often turned to newspaper articles, short stories, plays and novels. Audiences knew that with a Hitchcock story they would have a good time, they may be frightened, or they may be amused, as Hitchcock had an individual personality as a storyteller and the Master of Suspense. I used his principles of suspense when writing The Haunting of Alice May. Nearly all stories do well with suspense, no matter the genre. Suspense has largely to do with the audience’s own desires or wishes, so getting it right is a very important part of the writing process.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
A. I’ve been writing ever since I was a child. I enjoyed The Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Three Investigators series of books, which are intriguing and carefully plotted mystery and suspense books, especially the early ones by Robert Arthur. I think The Mystery of the Stuttering Parrot has to be my favourite because the clues are very well laid out and are a real brain teaser, with a satisfying ending and a suave villain.

Q: Could you give us the highlights of your professional writing career including how you got your first writing break?
A. I published my first book on the making of Alfred Hitchcock “Marnie” when I was in California in 1999, so twenty years ago now. I write often during the evenings or weekends. Actually I wrote an article on “Blue Sky Thinking” which you can read on my Ghost Maven website. I interviewed a psychologist who told me that creative thinking is best done in wide-open spaces which is where the phrase Blue Sky thinking originated. But if you want to be detailed and analytical, or if you have a looming deadline, confined spaces work best. As I lived in Pacific Grove and Monterey for two years, where my novel is set, I would visit and write scenes on location in note books so I could capture the sights, smells and vistas of Monterey Bay.

Q: Would you tell us about your current book release The Haunting of Alice May?
A: “The Haunting of Alice May” is a love story between a ghost and a human. When Alice May Parker moves to Pacific Grove, California, she is rescued from drowning by Henry Raphael. Handsome, old fashioned and cordial, he sees straight into her soul. Soon the two are involved in a romance but destructive forces threaten to tear them apart. I was inspired by the JM Barrie play “Mary Rose” and how the dead come back to haunt the living. Themes in the novel include what it means to be alive, what it’s like to lose someone you love, and the possibility of an after life.

Q: Where did you get your inspiration for The Haunting of Alice May?
A: The Haunting of Alice May was greatly inspired by Hitchcock’s films, as many of the chapters are written like scenes in films. I was also influenced by a story that Hitchcock always wanted to make but never did called Mary Rose about a young woman who disappears on a Scottish island, and appears many years later as a ghost. This is the equivalent of the Henry character in my novel, who seems unchanged while all around him grow old.

Q: What is the main thing you hope readers remember from this story?
A: My novel is about what it means to be alive and the challenges that come with becoming an adult and trying to understand how one fits into the larger workings of the universe. It’s a meditation on love, loss, growing up and also being alone, which I hope I have written in a suspenseful and entertaining way.

Q: What inspires you to write?
A. Definitely people and places. I lived in Monterey Bay for two years so I know the region incredibly well. I walked along the same coastal paths that Alice walked, and visited the Monterey Aquarium many times, as well as Point Pinos Lighthouse, Big Sur and Point Lobos. In fact, I lived in the very same house on Forest Avenue that Alice lives, a couple of blocks from Lovers Point, as well as worked in the Old Cannery on Cannery Row where Alice goes for the step back in time dance. I also delved into the supernatural history of the area. For example, I discovered that Point Pinos lighthouse is supposedly haunted, and I used that as a pivotal plot twist in the story.

Q: Would you share with us what you are working on now?
A. I have three more novels that I’ve written that I am seeking to publish; two set in New York and the third in Italy. They all share elements of mystery and suspense, though they are different in tone and style.

Q: When you’re not writing what do you like to do?
A. Travel is very important for my writing and I have been lucky enough to visit many places for my other profession as a documentary filmmaker. I have a passion for photography and love historic locations, and try to incorporate them in my fiction work. I’ve travelled a great deal in Italy, which is the source and inspiration for another murder mystery thriller that I am seeking to publish.