Interview with Chrystal Schleyer

Back in the day, I loved Susan Howatch’s Penmarric and the other Gothic novels I encountered in high school. Although not marketed that way, A Rather Peculiar Poisoning is a great contribution to that genre. While exploring the ins and outs of a dysfunctional family in the first decade of the twentieth century, it gradually reveals a complex history centered on the identical twins Easton and Weston Asquith, who face vastly different futures because the rules of primogeniture still govern their lives. Read on to find out more from this interview with the author, Chrystal Schleyer, whose debut novel appeared earlier this week.

A Rather Peculiar Poisoning is your first novel. How did you come to write a novel, specifically this one?

I’ve actually been writing for twelve years, mostly YA, before A Rather Peculiar Poisoning, so I’d been writing novels, hoping to publish since then. For this one specifically, I’ve always enjoyed mysteries, but never thought I could write one myself. After shelving a manuscript before this one, I decided why not try the genre I love so much and see if I can write one.

At the center of the novel is a pair of identical twins, Easton and Weston Asquith. What should prospective readers know about them?

Readers should know that they are complete opposites, not just in personality, but in how they view things should be done and in the things they want from life.

In an accident of birth, Easton is eight minutes older than Weston. How does this difference, so minimal on the surface, affect their lives?  

It affects everything for them. It means Easton inherits everything—money, estate, wardship over their sister—and that affects every decision that Wes makes in his life.

Both brothers are engaged at the beginning of the novel. Introduce us, please, to Eloise Sutcliffe, Easton’s fiancée.

Eloise is both of the brothers’ childhood best friend. She considers their estate as home more than her own home is. She grew up reading in their attic nook, riding on their boat, and being taught to hunt in their woods.

Weston, in contrast, is set to marry a stranger, Della Drewitt, and she’s  not too happy about the arrangement. Why is that, and what does it say about her?

Della’s mother wants Della engaged to Wes for his family’s name and threatens to disinherit Della if she doesn’t agree, but Della doesn’t want to marry for status. She wants someone who actually loves her, not just the money that comes with her—which I think anyone can relate to.

The brothers are not the only children of Lachlan Asquith. What can you tell us about Lucy?

Lucy is the twins’ younger sister. She was born developmentally behind and looking so similar to her deceased mother that her father has a hard time not spoiling her. Because of this, and her increased outbursts from always being spoiled, the twins fight over the best type of care for her.

Without the wonderfully creepy backdrop of Asquith manor, the tale would lose much of its charm. Could you say a bit about the house and its surroundings, including Lammore, which Eloise sees almost as an independent spirit?

I loved adding hidden passageways into the manor itself as well as the poisoned garden. I wanted Asquith to have an almost gothic atmosphere, and writing Lake Lammore as nearly a character itself in Eloise’s points of view was a favorite. I love how Eloise confesses her secrets and life to this lake.

Are you already working on another novel?

I am! And I so hope it makes it to the shelves one day. It is my love letter to the south, to Bookstagram, and to all things mystery.

Thank you so much for answering my questions!

Chrystal Schleyer lives in South Carolina with her husband and children. Tucked away in a little black house on an old hay field, she happily lives in the middle of nowhere. A Rather Peculiar Poisoning is her debut novel. Find out more about her and her book at https://www.chrystalschleyer.com.

Photograph © Chrystal Schleyer. Reproduced with permission.