ANNIE ASKS...

ANNIE ASKS...

Annie McDonnell introduces Tonya Mitchell, author of The Arsenic Eater’s Wife

Every month I choose to interview someone in our industry that I believe was born to shine. My interview is very specific. I have a love affair with The Proust Questionnaire. It began as a parlor game created by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature. The interesting part of it is not only do you get to know the author, but this is a tool that authors can use to breathe life into their characters. It is a lot of fun for various reasons! So, when you watch the podcast, you will learn much more about Tonya!

I had no hesitation when asking Tonya Mitchell to be a guest this month because her new book, The Arsenic Eater’s Wife, was just released in February by Bloodhound Books, and it is one you’ll devour. Her sophomore novel is about a woman who is accused of killing her husband, but is she actually guilty? Inspired by a true historical case, this novel will delight and engross readers.

Liverpool, England, 1889: In the shadowy streets, the air is thick with secrets and the line between guilt and innocence blurs. Twenty-six-year-old Constance Sullivan is brought to trial charged with poisoning her husband, William. But William was no ordinary victim…

As Constance's barrister fights to prove her innocence, a sinister web of deception unravels, exposing the dark underbelly of their seemingly idyllic marriage. One by one, witnesses emerge with incriminating testimony and facts about the dark side of Constance and William’s marriage are revealed. For many, the widow’s guilt seems clear. But is someone holding the key to the whole truth?

Inspired by a true case, The Arsenic Eater’s Wife will hold the reader spellbound until the final, heart-stopping revelation.

Her debut novel, A Feigned Madness that came out in 2021 was one of my top 20 books that year. It won the Reader Views Reviewers Choice Award and the Kops Fetherling International Book Award for Best New Voice in Historical Fiction. Tonya is not only committed to her research, she is also a truly mesmerizing storyteller. I don’t know which swept me away more. Her subjects are beyond absorbing and curious. I became deeply invested in who she wrote about beyond the last page. I love when I close the book and I feel like I need to know more.

Trust me when I tell you that you want to read Tonya Mitchell’s books and follow her!

Don’t forget to check out Annie Asks on WELL READ's YouTube channel BETWEEN THE PAGES for more to this interview - lots of fun and interesting conversation! Tonya is one of the most sincere people I’ve ever met.

A gorgeously Gothic and atmospheric whodunit filled with surprising twists and memorable characters that I tore through in a single sitting. Inspired by a true-life crime, The Arsenic Eater’s Wife offers proof that the darkest mystery remains the human heart.

—Kris Waldherr, author of Unnatural Creatures: A Novel of the Frankenstein Women and The Lost History of Dreams