Just who is Clem Fatale...?

This Q&A took place in 2025 after the release of the first Clem Fatale story was published. This month a second is coming to a good bookshop near you and the timing seems perfect for sharing this blog. In addition for a review of the second book head over to Armadillo Children's Books home page. But first read more about Clem and the inspiration for the books from Eve herself...

When the idea for Clem first came to you how did it appear in your mind? I was on an escalator at Piccadilly Circus, going down. I was thinking about how “femme fatale” (the notorious female character in 40s film noir) sounded a lot like “Clem Fatale” and how funny it would be for a film noir spoof. Then I thought “but if Clem Fatale was in a children’s book, what would her story be?” and by the time I reached the bottom of the escalator I had the whole idea for chapter one firmly planted in my mind!

If feels as though it is inspired by a combination of old movies and classic crime fiction. Is this the case and if so, why, how and do you have any favourites? Absolutely! I LOVE old movies. I grew up on noir thrillers and screwball comedies of the 40s and 50s. Favourite old films: “Some Like it Hot”, “Strangers on a Train” and “39 Steps”. I also enjoy a classic Agatha Christie mystery – the Tommy and Tuppency series is more adventure thriller than her well-known stuff and, even though it’s set in 1930s, their adventures are definitely an inspiration for CLEM too.

As the first book in a promised series is it daunting to commit to a series of mysteries, mysteries that you have to create and make challenge for your characters and readers? It’s certainly a challenge and sometimes you can get into knots trying to work out a mystery! However, in CLEM, the characters and the setting is so fun to write about that I just can’t wait to revisit them again and again!

Why did you choose to set this story in 1951 (and I assume the series in the 1950s). Did you research London of the time and decide time and place worked for the story to be told? I wanted to set a book in post-war London; a time of change and struggle but also of excitement and new possibilities. My own Polish grandparents came to the UK in 1947 and made a home here, so I wanted to show some of these new stories of people finding a home in the UK. There is a great Ealing Comedy called ‘Hue and Cry’ which was filmed in London in 1950s and this was a big inspiration for the setting. I am a Londoner by birth and love this city, so it was a real joy to write about it and discover more of its stories.

How did you decide on the names for your characters? Do you think it is importantly that they fit with the time and place of the story? Yes, I think it’s important that the names reflect the setting – I did occasionally look up popular names in 1950s – Clem’s mum is called ‘Lynn’ which is a classic old fashion name from the time. Some characters’ names reference inspirations; Gilbert is actually named after a character in ‘The Lady Vanishes’ (a classic Alfred Hitchcock mystery thriller). And sometimes I pick a character name because it’s funny like Mascarpone or Lady Muffington III!

Clem’s first adventures take her to some dodgy and quite adult locations. How did you ensure that these retained the character you needed for the story and child-friendly at the same time? Yes, keeping it child-friendly was something I thought about a lot as I was editing the book. Of course, it is a spoof of a very adult world of noir gangsters and jewel thieves, so my editor and I had several conversations about this. Clem never uses an adult weapon – her main weapon is a water pistol – she finds inventive ways to get out of scrapes. The fact that she is a child gangster in a world of adult gangsters does add to the tension and threat of the plot so it was still important to keep this element alive in the story.

Are there any particular techniques you use to keep the pace and the anticipation of wha is coming next? It must be hard not to drop too many clues! I love an end-of-the-chapter cliffhanger! I like to keep the characters physically moving, so they don’t sit down for too long – there is a moment in the book when Gilbert is just tucking into a fried breakfast and Clem grabs him and pulls him out of the café and into a taxi! Knowing when to drop a clue or a red herring comes at the editing stage, once you can see the book as a whole, and you get an ear for the beats of the story.

What do you think is the appeal of the parent getting themselves into trouble and the child having to be the one to take charge and come to the rescue? I think it’s always fun when children have the challenge of behaving like an adult – it’s a chance for them to prove their skills and prove their love to the parent they are saving. I think children like imagining what it might be like to have more responsibility and more freedom. Also it gives the child a chance to be a hero – when parents, in their role of protector, are often the child’s hero.

Gilbert is a brilliant prosper/sidekick. What is about about these types of pairings in detective stories that works so well and why? This goes back to the screwball comedies of the 1940s (the original enemies to lovers, rom com trope) where the two characters would be bickering in an amusing way! I think audiences find it funny when characters have this bouncy banter, especially if they know the characters will end up as friends in the end. It’s always fun to have a serious character with a silly character – it gives the writer endless opportunities for comedy.  

Some of the words and phrases used in the story are, to modern readers, old fashioned. The fuzz and jelly well for example. They fit with the setting and time period but do you think young readers realise these are unfamiliar terms or simply take them in their reading stride? I hope readers take the old fashioned language in their reading stride. Some of the old fashioned words are quite funny – even if they are unfamiliar. I have made-up some of the expressions for the book, like Gilbert’s exclamation of “good grub!” I think kids will enjoy the new words and phrases and see them as unique to the characters.

If you could have been a detective, or their sidekick of the past, from the classic stories, who would you have been and why? Excellent question! I think I’d be Ariadne Oliver – a feisty fictional crime writer who pops up in Agatha Christie’s murder mysteries and helps Poirot solve a couple of sticky crimes. She was supposed to be based on Agatha Christie herself, which I find very fun. Ariadne Oliver also loves eating apples, and we have that in common!

What comes next for you, is it all book promotion or will you be researching and writing for the next story? I have absolutely lovely going into schools and sharing Clem Fatale’s stories – we do some really fun storytelling games and act out the first chapter of the book! I had actually just finished writing book 2 and can’t wait to share it with readers!