Valued for Murder by Victoria Tait

In addition to being a cozy mystery writer, Victoria Tait is a British Army wife and a world traveler, having lived in the UK, Ireland, Africa, and, most recently, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Valued for Murder is Victoria’s second Dotty Sayers Antique Mystery.

Inspiration for the Dotty Sayers Antique Mysteries

Victoria said she wasn’t even thinking about writing this series when the British military moved her husband back to the UK from Kenya. “We had to sell most of our furniture. To furnish our new quarter, I visited various auction houses in the Cotswolds and met some fabulous, eccentric characters and was introduced to the fascinating world of auctions, antiques and collectables.”

In planning this series, Victoria was intent on creating a great reader experience. “I listened to KM Weiland’s podcasts about character arcs and decided to have a female protagonist with a growth arc, like MC Beaton’s Agatha Raisin, rather than Miss Marple’s flat arc. But unlike Agatha Raisin, I wanted to start with a shy, downtrodden character who has to choose to either stay where she is or emerge into the world.

“I have been criticised for a naïve character in the series prequel, who is unrealistic and couldn’t possibly be so naïve. But she is a young military widow, and as a British army wife myself, I’ve known women whose entire lives are controlled and organised by their husbands and the military system.”

Victoria recognizes that the beginning theme of the series of breaking away from a controlling military system was borne from her own frustration with the military hierarchy during the pandemic. “I was told what I had to do, generally to do with quarantining flying between our current home in Sarajevo and the UK with my kids for school, without being given any help or assistance. Indeed, one senior military person told my husband to make me ‘shut up and get on with it’.”

As the series progresses, Victoria said the books will follow aspects of her protagonist’s journey toward independence in her life. “She’ll also expand her knowledge of the antiques world through her work, while testing her moral compass and how she deals with the inevitable mistakes she makes.”

Personal challenges

“The pandemic has altered the world’s axis for every one of us,” Victoria said. “As we, hopefully, come out of it, life for many is harder rather than easier. I hope my books provide entertainment and escape for readers. And for those who are finding money tight, I run regular sales of my books and most of my newsletters contain links to free or discounted cozy mystery books.”

Victoria’s newsletters also tell a bit about her personal story. “If readers want to find out more about the crazy life I have travelling between the UK and Bosnia and Herzegovina, the fascinating experiences of living in the Balkans, and the heart-wrenching stories I hear from those who lived through the Bosnia conflict and the siege of Sarajevo, they can sign up for my newsletter at www.VictoriaTait.com.”

The world of antique auctions

“Most of the in-person research for this book was done before I knew I would write a book, never mind this series. I loved attending viewings of the auctions and watching other people. I included an anecdote in Fake Death about an evening auction viewing which was full of the local well-to-do and country set in the tweed jackets, and joked they were only there to see what their dead or hard-up friends were selling. This came from a viewing I attended and a conversation I overheard.”

Victoria added that in the same book, her lead character speaks with a client on the phone to pass on his bids to the auctioneer. “Her client believes he knows who he is bidding against on the other phone and purposely pushes up the price, knowing his opponent will keep out-bidding him. After an auction for a painting of some dead pheasants and a bowl of fruit on a table, one of the auction staff told me that his client had deliberately pushed the price up above £300,000 for fun!”

Learn more about Victoria Tait at VictoriaTait.com. Did you like this interview? If so, click here to read more Behind the Story interviews from your favorite authors.