Andreina Cordani Discusses 'Murder at the Christmas Emporium' Mystery

The Christmas Emporium Mystery

• 💡 "Murder at the Christmas Emporium" is a locked-room mystery set in a luxurious London department store during an exclusive Christmas Eve event.
• 📌 The story combines festive cheer with dark secrets, where seven VIP guests become trapped and discover a body in Santa's grotto.
• 🛠️ The author enjoyed creating the emporium as a character itself, incorporating creepy Victorian clockwork toys and dark corners to build suspense.

Exploring Flawed Characters & Secrets

• 🧠 Andreina Cordani's characters are flawed, and she uses flashbacks to delve into their pasts and reveal layers of betrayal.
• 🔑 A central theme is the seductive power of secrets and manipulation, with a focus on how someone knows the characters' inner dark secrets.
• 🎭 The owner, Montague Verity, is described as a "Willy Wonka type" who adds menace, evolving from charming to sinister.

Holiday Realities and Traditions

• 💬 The novel explores the emotional weight of the holidays, contrasting idealized Christmas with the realities of loneliness and family strain.
• 💡 Cordani highlights the historical tradition of Christmas ghost stories, noting how darkness intertwines with the comfort of mid-winter festivals.
• 🎄 The main character, Mary, is cynical and experiences a non-traditional Christmas, reflecting that not everyone has an idealized holiday.

Influence of Journalism & Writing Advice

• ✍️ Cordani's background in women's magazines significantly influenced her writing, fostering an obsession with character and realism.
• 🎯 She learned to ask "why" people act certain ways, which fed into her interest in diverse characters and motivations.
• ✅ Her best writing advice is to "just write the thing" because "if it doesn't exist, you can't fix it," and to recognize that the brain will try to create excuses to avoid writing.