Portobello Book Blog

I’m very pleased to welcome Australian author Marianne Delacourt. Marianne has written several books and also writes under the name Marianne de Pierres. The latest in her Tara Sharp comic crime series, Too Sharp, was released last week. You’ll find buying links at the bottom of this post as well as the chance to read the first in the series for free. 

 Thanks for joining me Marianne. First of all, would you tell me a little about yourself?

Hi Joanne! I’m an Aussie mother with three grown up sons. I started writing seriously about twenty years ago, although I had wanted to be a writer since I was very small. I live in a sunny, hot place and I adore that kind of climate. It keeps me bright and optimistic even on bad writing days. Over my career, I’ve written all kinds of fiction: YA, crime, fantasy, SF and I’m currently writing a biography. I find switching genres to be endlessly inspiring and challenging. My reading preference is crime fiction. I love solving mind puzzles!

What inspired you to start writing?

Reading I guess. I remember as a child being absolutely entranced by stories. I was desperate to create my own and I wrote my first novel chapter at the age of eight. Well, I dictated it and my older sister typed it up. Mum kept it for years. I can remember re-reading it when I was older and realising that my sister had substituted my words for her own, which, of course, sounded much better!

Tell me about your journey to publication

I think mine was a pretty normal story. Lots and lots of rejections until I hit the right agent with the right story. That very first sale turned into a three-book deal with Orbit/Hachette, and then I had fifteen years of continuous book deals. In that time the industry has changed immensely, and I learned a lot about myself and who I am as a writer. Now I pace myself better and only ever embark on projects that I am completely passionate about.

In a nutshell, what is your latest book about?

Too Sharp is book three in the Tara Sharp comic crime series. Tara is a psychic investigator who takes on odd jobs. This story involves her being a minder for a touring rapper who is on the comeback trail. Tara tries to figure out who is behind all the problems his tour is having. As is usual with her, events get out of hand…

How did you come up with the title for your book?

All the titles in the series, so far, are a play on the main character’s surname: Sharp Shooter, Sharp Turn, Too Sharp, Sharp Edge.

How do you plan to celebrate publication day?

I think I’m going to be on an aeroplane!

Do you have a work in progress just now?

I have several 😊 A biography about an American ancestor, a novel about teenagers trying to get basketball scholarships (which I adore!) to college in America, and a SF feminist time travel novel, which is part of my creative writing PhD.

What’s your favourite book you’ve read in the past few months? Or favourite three if you really can’t choose!

I’m currently reading Blackout by Connie Willis, but have been reading a bunch of non-fiction. My kindle is full of books about New York in the 1800s and France in the 1400s – all research for various projects.

If you were on Desert Island Discs, what one book would you take with you?

Is there a book you’d like to see made into a film? Who would be in your dream cast?

Yes, my YA novel Burn Bright. 😊 It would be so creepy and exciting at the same time. I’m not sure about my dream cast because I’m a big fan of the little-known actor.  It would depend on who was up and coming at the time.

How can people follow you or connect with you on social media?

Go to my website www.mariannedepierres.com and on the top right of the page there are links there to my twitter, FB, tumblr, Instagram accounts and a bunch of other social media platforms.

The third novel in Marianne Delacourt’s series of paranormal crime novels about unorthodox PI Tara Sharp, ‘Too Sharp’, launched this week. The novel is available from all online retailers, including Twelfth Planet Press and Amazon. Readers new to Delacourt’s Tara Sharp series can spark their addiction with ‘Sharp Shooter’, the ebook of which is available for free for a limited time to celebrate the launch.