Candace Robb has turned a passion for medieval history into two best-selling crime series - one with a feisty female sleuth - but both of which stay true to the period while delivering addictive story telling.

Hi there, I'm your host Jenny Wheeler and today Candace talks about  her love affair with York and how she secured a top writer as her early mentor.

Six things you’ll learn from this Joys of Binge Reading episode

How a girl from Cincinnati fell in love with medieval York

Why she thinks York "chose her" to tell its story

How childhood as a "master plotter" helped her writing

Where she'd take fans on a York mystery tour

Why Ursula Le Guin is one of her icons

What she loves about writing mystery series

Where to find Candace Robb:

Website: http://www.emmacampion.com/

and the Blog at https://ecampion.wordpress.com/

(I know - it's complicated - Candace also writes as Emma Campion - and this is where you'll find her.)

Facebook and Twitter: 

 https://www.facebook.com/CandaceRobb/

@CandaceMRobb

What follows is a "near as" but not word for word transcript of our chat with links to important mentions.

And now here's Candace.  Hello there Candace and welcome to the show, its great to have you with us.

Candace: Thank you Jenny It's great to be here.

Mystery author Candace Robb

Jenny: Beginning at the beginning . . . .Was there a "Once Upon A Time" moment when you realised you had to write fiction or your life would somehow be incomplete? Was there a catalyst?

Candace: As far as my parents have told me, I was always a storyteller. I think what really began my career in telling stories and plotting devious twists was as a kid. I lived in a neighbourhood with loads of kids around my age. We would play-act all the time - the way we played was in our imaginations.

We'd be Davy Crockett, or Daniel Boone and we'd have all these characters because everyone needed to be involved.

I was sort of the plot master of all that! I was the one who came up with the stories, and made sure there were extra characters.  I used to love to walk around in a circle in the room where my mother sewed and just tell her these stories. I would just elaborate on a fairytale I'd heard or a history and she'd say "Candace, you are going to get in trouble for storytelling one of these days".

Jenny: You were born in North Carolina, grew up in Cincinnati and now live in Seattle - and yet you have developed a passion for medieval England and the city of York in particular . . that’s a long way from home. . . . how did that love affair begin?

Candace: The moment I stepped into York, I was in graduate school studying Medieval Literature and History. I walked into York, and I was smitten. I think it chose me, actually. I think the city of York chose me as the storyteller to tell its story.

Jenny: That's amazing. Do you know if you've got any family links going back there at all?

Candace: I doubt it, I very much doubt it. Actually, my background is Polish, almost entirely. I know the city so well, I've spent so much time there and it just feels like a second home.

York "chose her" to tell its story, says Candace Robb

Jenny: Well certainly there is a very warm feeling that comes through in the books for York. We will talk a little bit later on about where you tell people to go if they were going to be visiting York. You'd be a very good guide I'm sure!

Candace: I think I would!

Jenny: You’ve got three historical series to your credit – ten Owen Archer books, three Kate Cliffords and two Margaret Kerrs – the first two set in medieval York and the last in mediev...