Murder, Musicals and Camp Chaos: Ava Eldred on Exit Stage Death
Author Ava Eldred talks YA mystery, theatre camp drama, and writing Exit Stage Death.
This post is sponsored by UCLan Publishing.
After her gloriously chaotic debut, The Boyband Murder Mystery, we couldn’t wait to see what Ava Eldred would write next, and Exit Stage Death does NOT disappoint. Set at a musical theatre summer camp where the drama doesn’t end when the curtain falls, it’s a murder mystery packed with ambition, messy exes, glitter, and secrets in the wings.
Hey Ava, thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us. We were massive fans of the Boyband Murder Mystery, so when we heard about Exit Stage Death, we were super excited! Without giving too much away, can you tell readers a bit about Exit Stage Death?
Thank you so much for having me, and for all your support with Boyband. It’s lovely to be back!
Exit Stage Death tells the story of Livi Campbell, in her final summer at Camp Chance, the musical theatre camp she’s been coming to throughout her teens. She’s laser focused on getting the lead in the showcase, and proving to her parents that performing is a legitimate career choice before they make her apply to uni for a ‘sensible’ subject at the end of the summer, but when a fellow camper turns up dead, and Livi and her friends know for a fact it wasn’t an accident, her priorities shift a bit, to say the least!
A musical theatre summer camp, a suspicious death, and a cast of just the right amount of chaos. Where did the idea for Exit Stage Death come from?
I’ve worked in theatre for the whole of my professional life, so I guess it was inevitable that at some point that would creep in to my writing. I really wanted this book to be fun – it definitely has some more serious messages once you dig a little, but the goal for me was to write something that would be read for pleasure, and that could be a bit of escapism. I think the musical theatre setting lends itself quite well to that, since on the surface at least there’s a lot of glamour and theatre is inherently entertainment, so that made sense to me as a way in. The rest really came from the characters!
You’ve produced large-scale theatrical concerts, as well as writing and developing stage musicals and your YA writing. What are the main differences you notice going between all three of these types of creatives?
I think the biggest difference is in the ways you have to collaborate. At least at the beginning of the process, writing novels is a pretty solitary way of creating – you’re on your own until the draft is ready to show to your agent or editor, or your trusted readers. With musicals, you have to be a team player from day one – I don’t write music, just script and occasionally lyrics, so I’m always working with a composer, and making sure your ideas are aligned right from the off is so key to the success of a piece. If you’re on completely different pages creatively, it’s going to be difficult. You need to know as soon as you start making the show which elements you’re willing to compromise on and which are non-negotiables. I actually think it’s really rare to find a collaborator you agree 100% with, so when someone comes along that you’re able to have a really open dialogue with about your visions for whatever it is you’re making, that’s a very special relationship and one that should be nurtured. I think sometimes people assume that if a creative team aren’t agreeing with each other, they’re not a good team. In my experience, it’s the opposite – you want the best of everyone’s ideas in play, and being able to see past the egos and put the work first is such a skill.
Producing is similar in the sense that it’s a huge collaboration between every department. I love it for the oversight, because you really do have to be on top of what everyone else is doing, but I also miss the chance to get specific – as a producer, you’re doing a bit of everything. They all light up different parts of my brain, but right now, of the three, writing novels is definitely my favourite!
Livi’s to-do list starts out pretty wholesome and spirals into full detective mode. Did you always know this story would veer into full-blown whodunnit territory?
Definitely – wanting this to be a ‘proper’ murder mystery was one of the starting points for Exit Stage Death. I love murder mysteries myself, and really wanted to lean in to the tropes and conventions of the genre in a more conventional way than I have before. The Boyband Murder Mystery, despite the title… isn’t really a murder mystery! It’s more of a whydunnit (or a who didn’t do it!) for the most part, so I knew that this time around the solving of the crime would be the thing to take centre stage. Again though, I didn’t know quite how full-blown it would become until I had the characters. I had no idea I was going to include the final twist until it was on the page, for example. Both the killer and the detective told me how they wanted it to end!
What would be on Exit Stage Death’s unofficial soundtrack?
It’s quite musical theatre heavy! There’s lots of RENT, some highlights from Hamilton, and I think there’s a place for at least one song from most other shows too! Outside of the musical theatre realm though, I listened to a lot of Maisie Peters while I was writing. I think her music lends itself so well to contemporary YA. Place We Were Made could have been written about Camp Chance, and there’s a line in the scene where Livi works out what’s really going on that was directly inspired by Feels Like This. If we ever turn Exit Stage Death into a musical, Maisie can write the music! (That’s about to become my next obsession, isn’t it? How can we make that happen?)
The murder mystery twist gives Exit Stage Death a fun, dark edge. Did you binge on any thriller books, TV shows or podcasts while writing?
I love thrillers always, so it’s pretty rare for me not to have one on the go in some form! I watched a lot of ‘You’ on Netflix while I was writing and editing – it’s so voicey, and that was something I really wanted for Exit Stage Death too.
If you were at Camp Chance, what role would you be cast in?
I’d love to say I’d be fighting Livi for the lead in the showcase, but honestly, I don’t think I’d get very far! I’d probably be part of a producing team, putting the shows together from behind the scenes.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to become an author?
First of all, I’d say take all of this with a pinch of salt because it’s so different for everyone. Some very successful authors would say the exact opposite of what I’m about to, I’m sure. For me, though – treat it like your job. Take it seriously! Telling myself that my writing is at least as important as my day job, and therefore I have to give it the same amount of my focus and attention, is the only thing that’s worked for me. If I’m actively working on a book, that’s the same as if I was actively working on a theatre project – I structure my working hours very similarly for both, and rarely veer from that. Writing only when I feel like it doesn’t work for me, sadly. Sometimes I have to push through not wanting to, just like I do in all my other work! That said, I can be quite flexible with my writing days because I also believe that writing isn’t always sitting at your desk typing – walking is writing, reading is writing, going to the theatre is writing. What that looks like will differ for everyone, but I keep coming back to ‘how is this furthering the book?’ If I can answer that, I’m in a good place.
Favourite book of all time?
Today (and most days), it’s The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern.
Current song you’ve got on repeat?
I had to decide here whether I wanted to say something cool or be honest! I’m going honest – it’s Under The Aurora by Counting Crows, because it reminds me of the main character in the thing I’m drafting right now that I’m definitely not supposed to be talking about yet!
Dream musical to be a part of – on stage or behind the scenes
The million-dollar question! RENT, but the answer to this one changes all the time. I also worked on In The Heights in London and that was a dream every day, so I guess that too! And always behind the scenes rather than on stage. My performing days were confined to school choir!
Person/artist you’d love to see live but haven’t?
Alanis Morrisette, which reminds me – she’s playing in London next month and I should buy a ticket!
What’s your go-to takeaway order?
Why is this the hardest question? You can’t go wrong with a nice Prawn Pad Thai. And now I’m hungry!
One film you could quote start to finish?
Center Stage! What a film!
If you were a character in a YA book, what would your main trope be?
If it was a YA murder mystery, definitely the detective. In general, I think enemies to lovers might be quite fun?
One fictional character you would absolutely fall for – red flags and all?
If we’re going quick-fire, I have to give my gut instinct answer, and that’s always Derek Shepherd.
Thank you so much Ava! Exit Stage Death is available to buy now here.