Deadly Secrets at Ballyford Castle
Ellen Butler, author of Deadly Secrets at Ballyford Castle, the latest novel in the Ariadne Winter mysteries series, is visiting Ascroft, eh? today.
Welcome, Ellen.
Tell us about your novel. Is it part of a series? If so, please tell us about the series too.
Glamorous 1950s journalist Ariadne Winter chases murder from Newport to Ireland, uncovering secrets, lies, and danger in a stylish mystery series where every clue counts.
Deadly Secrets at Ballyford Castle is the second book in the Ariadne Winter mysteries.
From Paris runways to Irish ruins, danger follows journalist Ariadne Winter.
When a body turns up at her cousin’s engagement party, Ariadne suspects foul play. Digging into the O’Connell family’s secrets, she uncovers a dark legacy—and a killer who’ll do anything to keep it buried. Even if it means silencing her.
Where did the idea for the mystery that is central to the story come from?
In 2023, I visited Ireland with my husband. We took a castles and manors driving tour around the southern part of the island. The highlight was visiting Kilkenny Castle, once the home of James Butler, 1st Earl of Ormond, 7th Chief Butler of Ireland. However, it wasn’t my husband’s ancestral home that inspired Deadly Secrets at Ballyford Castle, but rather a charming manor house hotel nestled beside the ruins of Ballinalacken Castle near the Cliffs of Moher. Rising above the hotel on an outcrop stands Ballinalacken Castle, a 15th-century tower house. On our first evening, the hotel’s owner took a small group of guests into the crumbling stone castle. The highlight of the tour was the climb up to the top and out onto the narrow archer’s platform. Looking down, I realized how easy it would be to push someone over the edge, and my mystery writer’s brain went into overdrive. I adored Ireland so much; I decided to set Ariadne’s next adventure there.
Is there a theme or subject that underlies the story?
There are a number of themes in the story. Family duty versus personal desire runs throughout the story. Then there’s the theme of women navigating societal expectations—Julia dreams of a fairy-tale engagement but soon discovers that marrying into nobility means a lifetime of scrutiny and compromise. Ariadne is single and independent an oddity in the 1950s where women of her “class” were expected to marry and have children. The novel also explores class and heritage.
How do you create your characters?
Characters often come to me in dreams. As I weave the storyline, I am also creating a bible of backstory for my characters that you may or may not see come out on the page. The backstory helps me to determine a character’s motivation for their behaviour, language, and action.
How do you bring to life the place you are writing about?
I generally tend to write in locations that I have visited. Therefore, when I write about them, I’ve firsthand knowledge of the look and feel of the location, so it is easy for me to place the reader there.
What research do you do to provide background information to help you write the novel?
I’m a research junky and when I’m writing historical fiction, I tend to do as much research as I can. If possible, I conduct interviews of first-hand or second-hand accounts of the locations where I’m setting the story. In addition, I will read non-fiction books and diaries, if they are available, and newspapers from the time. I also do extensive internet research which can often help me locate primary resources.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell readers about the book?
If you enjoy the twists and turns of Agatha Christie style novels with the fashions of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, then Ariadne Winter will be right up your alley.
Thank you for answering my questions, Ellen, and good luck with Deadly Secrets at Ballyford Castle, the latest book in the Ariadne Winter mystery series.
Readers can learn more about Ellen Butler by visiting the author’s website and her Facebook, Instagram, BookBub and Goodreads pages.
The novel is available at the following online retailers:
About Ellen Butler: Ellenis the international bestselling author of the Karina Cardinal mystery series. Her experiences working on Capitol Hill and at a medical association in Washington, D.C. inspired the mystery-action series. Publishers Weekly called the Karina Cardinal mysteries, “intelligent escapism.” Butler also writes the Ariadne Winter historical mysteries as well as historical spy fiction. The Brass Compass has won multiple awards for historical fiction including: a Speak Up Talk Radio Firebird Book Award, Indie Reader Discovery Award, and a Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal. The second book in the duology, Operation Blackbird: A Cold War Spy Novel, is inspired by true events, and won a Next Generation Indie Book Award gold medal for historical fiction.
