Author Vanessa Edwards Launches 'The Matchmakers'

On Tuesday 1 April 2025, writer Vanessa Edwards launched her latest book, The Matchmakers, at Brasserie Kirchberg in Luxembourg-Kirchberg.

Vanessa Edwards, based in Hampton, UK, is a former solicitor who worked in private practice in London and Brussels, as well as at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg. She took early retirement to fulfil her lifelong dream of writing. She published her debut novel, The Grass Widow, in 2023.

Dame Eleanor Sharpston, who worked with Ms Edwards at the ECJ, welcomed the approximately 40 attendees to the event. During the discussion that followed with Dame Sharpston, Ms Edwards outlined the background to The Matchmakers to an interested and attentive audience. She also discussed her decision to self-publish, stating that, for her, it was important to write the book she wanted to write and not the book an agent wanted to sell.

Following her captivating reading of the prologue and first scene of chapter one of The Matchmakers, Ms Edwards engaged in a lively and interesting question and answer session with those present. A long queue formed immediately afterwards to buy a copy, with the author signing and dedicating each one individually.

Chronicle.lu had the opportunity to speak with Vanessa Edwards about her new novel and the process involved in its creation.

Chronicle.lu: You state that you have always wanted to write and you published a few short stories in your teenage years. What motivated you to make the decision to write full-time and what preparations (courses, etc), if any, did you undertake to do so?

Vanessa Edwards: I took early retirement in part to have more freedom to write and took two online courses on writing fiction - a very brief introduction with Penguin Random House and a longer one with Faber Academy.

Chronicle.lu: The Matchmakers is a murder mystery novel in which the estranged sister of the main character, Lucy, dies tragically while on honeymoon. Please tell us about the inspiration behind the storyline, the process/research and timeline involved, from initial idea to publication.

Vanessa Edwards: I was signed by an agent for my first novel, The Grass Widow, on the basis that we’d make major changes to it. Once we’d finished that and it was out on submission, we started talking about my writing a second. My agent was keen on the idea of a modern riff on a historic true crime; we tried one […] but I couldn’t get it to flow, so we moved on to [another historic true crime, but naming it would be a major spoiler].

Regarding the process, I start with a short outline of the plot (which of course then evolves) and gradually flesh it out, broadly chronologically. I use Scrivener software which makes it very easy to structure the narrative by e.g. colour-coding and/or tagging scenes by e.g. point of view, particular theme or setting or notes to self. The narrative then goes through many iterations as I try to improve the writing style, identify and correct errors and discrepancies and ensure that the plot hangs together.

With The Matchmakers there was a lot of legal research into wills and probate, publicly available information on land ownership, marriage law and of course how to get away with murder… There was also a lot of information needed on police procedure and forensics, for which I had help from a retired police officer who now advises writers (and writes himself).

From start to finish… I put together my first outline in March 2021 and published it in November 2024. But there was a long hiatus between August 2022, when my agent and I (amicably) parted company, and March 2024, when I picked up the draft and began to work it up with a view to self-publishing.

Chronicle.lu: You are self-publishing The Matchmakers. What are the benefits of self-publishing, rather than working with a traditional publisher?

Vanessa Edwards: The main one is perhaps that it’s very hard to be taken on by a traditional publisher! The Grass Widow wasn’t picked up and, after my agent and I had parted company, I took a total break from writing until January 2023 when I decided to self-publish The Grass Widow. I used a company called Troubador which helps authors who’ve decided to self-publish but don’t quite know what to do. There were pros and cons, but once I’d published The Matchmakers directly with Amazon KDP, I realised that that was a much quicker and simpler and less costly process. For that reason, I’m about to re-publish The Grass Widow on Amazon with a new cover.

All that is to say that I didn’t get to have any experience of working with a traditional publisher. One major benefit is undoubtedly that the big publishers have significant marketing know-how and budgets, whereas a self-published author starts from scratch and has to do everything herself (mainly nagging for reviews!). But against that, I very much enjoy being in control of my manuscript. The reason for my rupture with my agent was that she wanted me to write a darker, seedier page-turner with more graphic violence and less cerebral puzzle-solving than I was happy with. Now I can write what I’d like to read.

Chronicle.lu: Please describe your typical working day.

Vanessa Edwards: Since I’m lucky enough to be retired, I don’t really have one! Except that I almost always start the day with a long walk with my dog, which is a perfect opportunity for thinking about characters, plots and settings.

Chronicle.lu: Which authors do you most admire and what book are you currently reading?

Vanessa Edwards: In the contemporary crime field, I have a lot of admiration for Gillian McAllister and Louise Candlish - they write what I think of as more cerebral whodunnits with complex, well thought-out plots. I read mostly non-fiction but sometimes have a novel on the go at the same time. Currently that is A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles in parallel with Pax, the final book in Tom Holland’s trilogy about the Roman Empire.

Chronicle.lu: What advice would you give a first-time author?

Vanessa Edwards: Don’t give up! Write the best book you can - courses are helpful, as are other writers (I’m still in close touch with several I met through the Faber course in 2016/2017) both for the company of friends who know what you’re going through and as sounding boards and beta-readers. Take a lot of trouble with your query letter if you’re approaching agents - there’s plenty of advice online and many agents hold sessions giving writers the opportunity to pitch their ideas or have their query letter assessed. Enter competitions - they make you focus on the quality of your writing and in particular on a crisp synopsis and your first 5,000 words or so, which most agents also ask to see. And if you get listed, as I did with Some Like It Cold, the first version of The Grass Widow, it’s an enormous boost in what can be lonely world!

The Matchmakers and The Grass Widow are now available to purchase from Amazon.

HOM