Charlotte Vassell: Read Widely and Critically

Charlotte Vassell is a British writer living near London. She studied history at the University of Liverpool and art history at SOAS, University of London, before training as an actor. She has also worked in advertising, executive search, and as a purveyor of silk top hats. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

In this post, Charlotte discusses all the surprises and learning moments with publishing her debut crime novel, The Other Half, and more!

Name: Charlotte Vassell
Literary agent: Jon Wood, Rogers Coleridge & White
Book title: The Other Half
Publisher: Anchor
Release date: November 21, 2023
Genre/category: Crime
Elevator pitch for the book: A beautiful socialite and influencer is found brutally murdered on Hampstead Heath on the night her aristocratic boyfriend is ironically hosting his orgiastic, black tie 30th birthday party in a nearby McDonald’s. DI Caius Beauchamp tries to solve case as he navigates an entitled world of Oxford Classics degrees and inherited privileges in this modern, satirical take on the British whodunnit tradition.

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What prompted you to write this book?

I had the initial idea in 2015 but it wasn’t until I was furloughed during the pandemic that I got a chance to finally sit down and write this cast of awful characters into existence.

How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?

8 years in total. I started the first draft of what became The Other Half in April 2020 and finished it by July. I had made two previous attempts at it, one in 2015 and again in 2017, but I hadn’t quite found the right dynamic between Rupert and his friends to propel the story forward and abandoned those early drafts whilst I focused on my acting career.

Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?

This is my first novel, so everything has been either a surprise or a learning moment. Truly though the greatest and most welcome surprise is finding myself published at all.

Were there any surprises in the writing process for this book?

I had very loosely planned the book and was quite taken by surprise when the killer turned out to be someone else entirely.

What do you hope readers will get out of your book?

A good time!

If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?

Read widely and critically.

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