Ask the Author: Luke Richardson
Answered Questions (7)
Luke Richardson
I go for a walk, ideally somewhere with a bit of history. Most of my books start with a trip, so when a scene stalls I go back to my photos and notes from the place and picture Eden standing there. If that doesn’t work, I skip ahead and write a scene I’m excited about, then come back. Keeping the words moving matters more than getting them perfect first time.
Luke Richardson
Travelling to incredible places and calling it research! Close behind is hearing from readers. Getting a message from someone who’s just finished a book at 2 a.m., or who’s planned a trip because of one, never gets old. And now I get to take readers to those places myself on our Adventure Society expeditions, which is the best of both worlds.
Luke Richardson
Finish the book. A finished first draft you can fix is worth more than a perfect first chapter you keep rewriting. Read widely in the genre you want to write, and work out what keeps you turning the pages. Then go and find your own stories: visit places, ask questions and follow your curiosity.
Luke Richardson
Thanks, Steve! If you like a big, immersive read, start with The Ark Files, the first Eden Black adventure. Each book is a standalone treasure hunt, but they build on each other, so you can binge the series in order. Several of the later books, like The Lotus Key and The Sahara Event, are well over 450 pages. If you’d rather start with something brand new, The Alchemist’s Codex has just come out and takes Eden through the streets and catacombs of Paris.
Luke Richardson
Next year, I’m taking a small group of readers to Paris on our second Adventure Society Expedition, following in Eden’s footsteps through the places in The Alchemist’s Codex. The German edition of The Alchemist’s Codex is also coming in spring 2027. Details on both will go out to my Adventure Society newsletter first.
Luke Richardson
The Alchemist’s Codex grew out of the legend of Fulcanelli, the mysterious alchemist who vanished from Paris in the 1920s and was rumoured to have unlocked the secret of eternal life. Walking around Notre-Dame and the Latin Quarter, I kept wondering what would happen if someone had actually found that secret, and what they’d do to keep it.
Luke Richardson
By going there. Every Eden Black and International Detectives book starts with a trip, whether that’s the temples of Angkor Wat, the backstreets of Marrakech or the catacombs beneath Paris. I’ll stand somewhere with a story behind it, start asking “what if?”, and by the time I’m home there’s a book taking shape.
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