Oliver Clements: You Can Always Use Fewer Words
Oliver Clements is a novelist and screenwriter based in Mortlake, London.
In this interview, Oliver discusses how a trip to the British museum helped inspire his new historical thriller, The Queen’s Lies, his hope for readers, and more!
Name: Oliver Clements
Literary agent: Lisa Gallagher
Book title: The Queen’s Lies
Publisher: Atria
Release date: August 13, 2024
Genre/category: Historical thriller
Previous titles: The Eyes of the Queen, The Queen’s Men; The Queen’s Spies
Elevator pitch: In the 16th century, England was a broken impoverished nation at war with itself, and yet with no funding but spectacularly brilliant humans, Queen Elizabeth managed to create an espionage ring that would not only defend her realm but destroy the greatest armada the world had yet seen. It’s as if Guatemala defeated the U.S. This is the story of John Dee, one of the men who helped her win.
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What prompted you to write this book?
I saw Queen Elizabeth’s mysterious private documents at the British library, and one letter in particular got me excited since she used a symbol that was two circles under the house of the queen, represented by two zeroes and one seven: 007. Then to learn that this not only referred to a real person, but that this real person was a brilliant spy, astrologer, conjurer, and an adventurer detective—well, it was too good not to go deeper.
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
Years and years! I am also a Mexican artist under the pseudonym of Leopoldo Gout, and I started by painting and drawing — investigating John Dee visually — and only then did I write about this wonderful character. He has grown with me over the decades, so that he is now older and wiser than when I first encountered them. They no longer fight in pubs nor perform random acts of arson as art.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
It has been hard work, and taken a lot of time, and I thank my agent Lisa Gallagher for everything she does behind the scenes that it is better I do not know about, but after I have finished my first draft, my publishers get to work on it, saving me from myself, and sometimes the corrections they make are humbling. For that I owe them many dinners!
Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?
So many things! Little details such as how to write an invisible message on the inside of a boiled egg! The fact that Dee used “angelic voices” to persuade the Holy Roman Emperor to enter into a fool’s errand, and drain his coffers looking for a secret weapon, which was exactly the tactic Ronald Reagan copied 400 years later to bankrupt the Soviets. Also, the possibility that Queen Elizabeth might have had multiple personalities and genders. (You will have to wait until book six to find out about this incredible true story).
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
To travel in time, and be thrilled, and to learn how John Dee sacrificed his legacy and reputation for the love of his Queen. In these times of madness and ego we need more heart and truth.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
You can always use fewer words. Also, be lucky enough to find something you love to write or paint or sculpt about, and then make it.
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