The Lazarus Vault Interview

The Lazarus Vault Interview

Deep in the heart of London, the Monsalvat Bank is small, secretive and fabulously wealthy. When Ellie Stanton, an impoverished graduate student, is unexpectedly invited to join the firm, the privileged world they offer looks too good to turn down.

But the bank is more than it seems. Soon Ellie realises that her life belongs to her employers - and they're watching her every move. For buried in their medieval vaults lies a closely-guarded treasure of immeasurable power - one inextricably bound up with Ellie's own history.

Now Ellie is in a race against time, hunted by the bank and pursued by her past. Her only hope of escape is to unearth the secret hidden in the vault. But getting in is only the beginning...

Tom Harper(real name Edwin Thomas) won the CWA debut award in 2001 for The Blighted Cliffs. He also wrote The Mosaic of Shadows and Knights of the Cross, published by Random House.

The Lazarus Vault
Random House Australia
Author: Tom Harper
ISBN: 9781846057380
Price: $32.95

Interview with Tom Harper

Question: What inspired you to write The Lazarus Vault?

Tom Harper: It actually comes from wondering around the city of London in the financial district and seeing so many layers of history all jumbled together. I did a walking tour of the district and you see Medieval Guild Halls next to amazing 50 storey glass skyscrapers - they all work together and are part of the same thing which took me to a powerful illustration of this idea that history is all around us. History is not something that you finish and move on to the next thing, somethings persist for ages and some come and go, in a flash. The present is a much more complex mix of what's in the past and what's happing in the present.


Question: How did you go about creating a character like Ellie?

Tom Harper: I wanted someone who was going to be vulnerable, in a vulnerable position with the bank. I wanted a strong sense of threat and although it is cliché a woman feels more threatened in that type of situation, than a man. Also, I was keen to try something different, for myself, and writing from a woman's perspective was something I haven't done before.

Some things just feel right and it seemed that with this story a female character was the right thing to do and that is where the character of Ellie started.

Question: What research went into writing from a females perspective?

Tom Harper: I actually didn't do very much research particularly on female perspectives. For all the characters that I do as a writer, I just draw on experiences that I've had and relationships you've had as well as people you've known. I think about the way people have reacted in particular situations and then I think a little bit about how a woman would react different in a certain situation, than a man and draw on that. To a certain extent the reaction will be the same, people have a lot in common whether they are man or woman.

I just try and put myself in their shoes, as an author you try and have sympathy to the character and part of that is their agenda. If you have the imagination you can draw on the different experiences you've had with different people and that informs that.


Question: How much of your inspiration comes from real life and real people?

Tom Harper: In terms of characters it's not a lot. The historical information is all drawn from real history. In terms of the modern information, you take in a huge amount of information from real life, whether it is from a newspaper or from people you know. Although, it's not like I know someone so I write them into the book. I maybe would take one character trait, that I've noticed in someone and often this is subconsciously. I wrote a character in one book that I thought was completely originally and completely made-up and then when I read the book back I thought 'Oh my! That's my English teacher!' I didn't even realise at the time when the ideas where coming up, you never quite realise where the ideas come from.


Question: Finish this sentence The best thing about books is . . .

Tom Harper: The best thing about book is that they make life more exciting.