Q&A With C.L. Miller 

Saturday night I finished reading C.L. Miller’s debut mystery novel, The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder. I am excited to also be doing this Q&A with her this week! 

Q: C.L. Would you like to give a brief description of The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder for those who haven’t read it yet? Where did the idea for the book come from?

A: The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder follows the story of Freya Lockwood who has avoided the quaint English village in which she grew up for the last twenty years. That is until news arrives that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer, and Freya’s estranged antique hunting mentor, has died . . . and the circumstances seem suspicious. Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya follows both clues and her instincts to an old manor house for an ‘antiques enthusiasts’ weekend’. But not all is as it seems; the antiques are bad reproductions, and all the other guests have something to hide.

I grew up in the antiques world – my parents wrote the Miller’s Antiques Price Guide, and my mother was an expert on the BBC Antiques Roadshow. I had always wanted to write crime and when I put the two together the story took flight.

Q: How long did it take for you to write The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder? I admit, I’m surprised this is your first book, the writing and story are so amazing that anyone would assume you’ve been writing books for a long time. 

A: Ahh thank you. I’ve been trying to get published for a long time – about ten years and I have three books that didn’t make it. From the first idea until the book was published its about three years and in that time, I found an agent, a publisher and editor. Publishing isn’t a quick industry!

Q: I read in your acknowledgements section that Carole Ashby, whose now an ex-Bond girl, inspired the character of Aunt Carole. Did you base the character of Freya Lockwood off yourself, or someone else?

A: Freya isn’t based on me although there are probably elements of my character in her. Her character grew as I wrote and is probably a combination of many women I have met in my life.

Q: What made you want to have the crime solving duo be Freya & her Aunt Carole? I think it’s very clever! It’s not something done a lot in murder mystery stories. 

A: I was hoping to show something a bit different and intergenerational sleuthing team. A woman, Freya, in her late forties was at a crossroads in her life…we don’t see many middle-aged women in commercial fiction, and I wanted to highlight this – that there can be new adventures around the corner once our role as caregiver has somewhat changed. And I didn’t want a Miss Maple sitting in the corner knitting and observing – I wanted a vivacious and full of gumption woman, Aunt Carole, in her early seventies who was still having the time of her life. I enjoyed writing about the dynamic between the two.

Q: Does Hollywood have the rights to The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder? I could see The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder becoming a television series on PBS Masterpiece.  Who would be your dream cast? I could see Joanna Lumley from Absolutely Fabulous being Aunt Carole. 

A: This is one of those things I’m afraid that I can’t talk about until it’s announced. I’ve never really thought of a dream cast as my characters are so vivid in my mind but at the end of the audio book there is a Q&A between actress Emilia Fox and me where she tells me her dream cast which was fascinating to hear. Have a listen to find out more!

Q: Is there a sequel to The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder? If there are, how many books do you intend to write in the series? 

A: There is – The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea will be out in 2025 if I get my edits done! Which follows Freya and Aunt Carole onto a specialist antiques cruise to hunt for a missing antiques expert and a stolen antique!

And I have a three-book deal so you can probably expect a trilogy with book three out in 2026.