Solve Your Own Mystery with Gareth Jones

Today on the Mixed-Up Files, we have the pleasure of interviewing Gareth P. Jones, author of the recently published Solve Your Own Mystery series, which is cleverly illustrated by Louise Forshaw. Gareth is a multitalented writer, musician, TV producer, and performer, and I was thrilled to be able to go behind the scenes with these twisty mysteries that have more than one solution! These books definitely offer lots of twists and turns, and I couldn’t wait for the chance to hear more about how they came together.
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Thanks so much for joining us here at the Mixed-Up Files, Gareth! These books are so creative and such fun, giving readers so many reasons to go back to the story and see how things might turn out differently. What a great idea for a mystery! The obvious question I must ask first is do these mysteries take any inspiration from the classic Choose-Your-Own-Adventure books? If so, did you have a favorite?

Yes and yes. As a young reader, I loved books like Fighting Fantasy books and Choose Your Own Adventure, but my favorite was a series called Lone Wolf. I loved the fantasy world and the stories (written by Joe Dever), but it is the illustrations by Gary Chalk that will remain firmly lodged in my mind forevermore.

Unlike the Choose-Your-Own-Adventure series, one of the best features of the Solve Your Own Mystery books is that there are no wrong answers, just more adventures and investigations to be had. Can you share with us a little of how you worked on the structure of these books, making sure the storylines overlapped and diverged at the right spots? It seems like a feat to arrange all these parts in such satisfying ways. And are you more of a plotter or a pantser when it comes to working with characters and twisty mysteries like these?

I plot as I write, which is another way of saying that I make up stories as I go along. With a series like this, it would have made more sense to work out a structure and go in with a plan, but I didn’t do any of that. I just started writing. Then, when I got to the end of each chapter, I worked out what two paths lay ahead then wrote them. I did map out what was happening as I went along so I could work out which chapters 

you had to hit. I have no idea if the story is satisfying for all readers, but I tried to make sure that even if there are things you miss, you have the chance to go back and find out more. I went completely mad writing these books and I was very grateful to my editors for helping me to untangle the almighty mess I had created for myself. I loved it though. More than ever before, it felt like I had to climb inside the story, because the story had so many possibilities—rather than one linear course.

Haventry is a fascinating place to explore, and its residents are equally fun to meet. Do you have characters that are particularly fun for you to write? (Watson always made me smile, and I especially enjoyed Bernard the time-bending lobster!)

Oh, I love Watson too. He wasn’t in the first draft of the book. I created him as a solution to a problem. In that earlier version, I realized you’d park your car one place and then might suddenly find it somewhere else. I needed a car that was more independently minded than most. That’s when I hit the idea of a car that used to be a dog. Those are always my favourite moments, when I can solve a problem with solution that makes the whole thing better. There’s another instance of this in Book 4 with Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jibe, but you’ll have to wait to meet him/them. I loved the witches too, so they popped up in all of the books.

The second person perspective is used perfectly in these two mysteries—it’s amazing how much “you” can do without actually saying a word.

Yes, I decided that I didn’t want to put words into the reader’s mouth and then I had to stick with this. I have been working on a fresh take on this idea recently (called The Oddjob Murder Club), in which I have allowed you the reader to speak, but with Solve Your Own Mystery, I decided to have fun with the idea that you didn’t speak. So there are several moments when you’re about to speak and someone interrupts you. Also, if you read the whole series you will discover that YOU undergo changes as you make your way through this world. Just like any good main character, your journey changes you.

Louise Forshaw’s illustrations add such fabulous dimension to these tales. Did you get to collaborate on what Haventry and the characters would look like?

I love them too. And yes, we did, although in truth I’m not really a visual writer. I don’t see pictures when I write. I hear voices. Mostly, I just told Louise how much I loved her pictures. She has quite a gothic sensibility so she instantly got it.

Writing is just one of your many talents! How do you see all your various gifts and interests playing into your writing?

I don’t know. It’s all creativity, isn’t it. I spend most of my time making stuff up, but annoyingly, I do also have to ensure my creative efforts occasionally make money. This year, I’m putting more of an emphasis on performance. I’m taking my Ministry of Mini Musicals on a tour of libraries and a short run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, putting on one-man musicals based on my picture books, but it’s a two-way street and sometimes the shows inspire the books. One of the inspirations behind the Solve Your Own series was a show called Mystery Makers, in which the audience improvises a brand-new mystery. I love doing that show and I wondered if there was a way of writing books that felt as anarchic and interactive—and that’s what I did.

Can we expect more mysteries on the Shady Side with Klaus?

Yes, there are two more books coming your way: The Missing Magic and The Transylvanian Express. After that, who knows? I have no plans for more, but I’d drop everything and start writing another if a publisher asked me.

If you could give writers any advice, what would it be?

Don’t listen to writing advice. Don’t worry about what other people are doing. The real magic of writing is the moment of creation. After that, it’s all marketing, so enjoy creating something from nothing and try not to worry about anything else.

Thank you for your time and for these great books, Gareth.

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The Time Thief and The Monster Maker are both out now, so grab a copy and start solving!

Jackie Peveto

Jackie Peveto is a passionate writer, artist, and enthusiast for anything involving imagination and paper. She loves complications (mostly the literary and mysterious kind) and puts that to use in her full-time job as a book editor, running a small business with her twin sister. She studied at the University of Oxford and lived in Japan for a time, all the while making lists of which museums would be the best to live in, but for now, she resides and writes in Colorado.