Q&A With A.R. Goldsmith, Author of A Nasty Business 

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Set in the Cold War era of British Intelligence, A Nasty Business follows Nicollette Beverley’s coming-of-age journey from a quiet English village into the high-stakes world of espionage. A.R. Goldsmith’s novel blends suspense, moral complexity, and gendered power dynamics to explore what it means to grow into oneself in the midst of secrecy, danger, and a male-dominated system.

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Book Description: A realistic novel of female spies and coming of age in the Cold War era of British Intelligence.

A Nicollette Beverley Spy Novel

It’s 1976 and on the prompting of her coach and former teacher, Nicollette, a star field hockey defensive back with a typical factory job in rural England, applies for a governmental job. What she doesn’t realize is that the man in the well-cut suit at the back of the spectators at her matches, in consultation with her application, is evaluating her, and not just for her prowess on the field, but for her attention to detail, her conduct at school, and her academic record.

When an invitation for a 4 week training at a nearby Royal Air Force Base arrives, Nicollette must decide whether she wants to continue her safe village life or whether to pursue a shadowy world of espionage and secrets in a first for the British government — an all-female unit of code breakers and communication specialists.

Nicollette’s journey will change her and her new compatriots as they enter a male-dominated world of Cold War deception, sexism, and danger. They will be tested to the limits of their resources as they are given directives leading them into difficult moral choices. Some of them will not make it through training, and those who do will face the constant pressure of secrecy and bodily harm while constantly pushing against glass ceilings.

Author Bio: A.R Goldsmith is a native Washingtonian, growing up in Montgomery County, MD, and graduating from the University of Maryland. He lives in Ellicott City, MD, with his wife, Pauline, of 40 years. He has 2 children and 5 grandchildren.

1. Could you share a bit about what inspired you to set A Nasty Business in England, and why you chose the real village of Broadway in Cotswolds as the inspiration for Nicollette’s hometown of the fictional village Brockwirth?

I have more than a passing familiarity with Broadway (Brockwirth). My wife is from Broadway, and we have been there many times.  It is a small, peaceful Cotswold village where not much changes and everyone seems to know everyone.  It is sedate and safe. There is only one traffic light, used for a pedestrian crossing in the center of the village. (Blinking lights, just like the one in the book). Broadway Tower (Brockwirth Tower in the story) is located within walking distance of the village.  It is up a large hill and offers a beautiful view of Broadway (Brockwirth) and the Vale of Evesham. There are no residences there, and the grounds are well-kept. Perfect ‘escape’ venue for our Nicollette.

Geographically, Brockwirth (Broadway) is near Cheltenham, home of a large government intelligence operation, and near RAF Brize-Norton, where Nicollette receives her training.  There are Americans, Canadians, Australians, and others working with the Brits in Cheltenham, and Broadway (Brockwirth) is a popular local excursion. Nicollette could easily come into contact with overseas visitors in the village.  The safety and security of a quiet, small village would offer a distinct contrast to the environs and situations Nicollette would experience in her career. Broadway is about 2 ½ hours northwest of London.   I changed the name of the village to Brockwirth at the request of the family member on whom the book is loosely based.

2. Nicollette’s life at the beginning of the story is quiet and humble, which contrasts with the adventures she embarks on after being recruited by British Intelligence. Was this contrast intentional, and what do you think it adds to the story that Nicollette comes from such an unassuming background?

I intentionally chose to portray Nicollette’s life at the beginning of the story as being quiet, safe, and secure. Her exposure to ‘outside’ life is primarily through tourists and guests in the village and the media.  Later, she vacations with her family in Spain. She does have a curiosity about the ‘outside world’ and has a desire to travel.  I felt that by showing her life before the training, the reader would have a better understanding of Nicollette’s emotional angst about the thoughts of leaving her safe and secure life in the village as she goes through her training and beyond. Traveling for enjoyment means always coming home, but in her new career, she realizes that that may not always be the case.  Her village life acts as an emotional anchor to her, keeping her always attached in a positive way.  But as she grows into her position, she emotionally reaches for that anchor and gets heavier and harder to hold on to.  The reader will understand and share her angst as the story continues.

3. What was your research process like in creating a believable training program that covers all the essential aspects of espionage?

When I was writing about the training program, I wanted to create a believable, real-life experience for Nicollette that the reader could easily understand and become engaged with.  The reader would be able to co-experience Nicollette’s training and all of the emotional and physical highs and lows she faces.  Admittedly, I didn’t do a lot of research on the training aspect; instead, I thought about a process that would take a naive, young woman and, upon completion, create a special agent.  I drew upon my personal experiences from my past career,  which included sales training.  I wanted to have Nicollette become ‘self-driven’ and motivated, as well as physically strong and capable.  To be able to build upon her successes and gain confidence in her abilities.   For her training, I focused on physical strength, including self-defense, cryptanalysis, coding and deciphering, and weapons training.  Nicollette would also be trained in specialized driving and world affairs. I researched Krav Maga for her self-defense, still a relatively new idea, but I felt it would be more useful in real-life situations.  The strength training was modeled after a military-type program and included typical gym exercises.  The world affairs was to bring awareness to what she might experience and also help in mission planning. Finally, cryptanalysis.  Originally, her training was focused on communication skills, but as the training progressed, more advanced skills were introduced.  I felt these areas of training would give Nicollette a good base to work off of.

4. Did you draw inspiration for Nicollette’s espionage journey from any particular novels or films?

Yes.  Ian Fleming’s James Bond (the earlier movies) series.  Also, an English TV series called ‘Sandbaggers’, ‘The Avengers’, ‘The Saint’, Mission Impossible’, and even ‘The Man From Uncle’, to name a few. 

5. Nicollette is recruited because the agency lacks both youth and women in its ranks. However, at only twenty years old, she likely faces challenges stemming from her inexperience in both work and life. What informed your decision to make Nicollette so young, and do you think that choice shapes the way readers connect with her?

When I chose to make Nicollette’s age 20, I was thinking that she would be considered a very raw recruit, and there would be a lot of scrutiny in her selection. Being young and from a very small village, she would be untainted by outside influences and opinions. At 20, she would still be finding herself and, therefore, could be more easily molded into an agent.  She was strong and capable, with a solid life foundation and developed leadership qualities and the maturity of an older person. And as her journey and my stories progressed, the reader would have an involvement in her full journey. 

6. The novel emphasizes women in male-dominated fields. Why was it important for you to highlight this theme? 

First off, the family member that Nicollette is loosely based on is a woman.  I thought that, as a side, having our protagonist be a woman would also add additional relatable issues for the reader to experience as her story unfolded. Nicollette not only has to deal with her own internal angst, but also the external pressures placed on her because she’s a woman. Nicollette is in a male-dominated field where women are mostly in administrative and clerical positions. Nicollette has to prove to herself and doubly to others, especially her male associates, that she is strong enough and capable of doing the job.  Nicollette not only wants to break the ‘glass ceiling’, but she also wants to destroy it. Failure would be too expensive.

7. The decision to start Nicollette’s story before her training seems intentional, as it lets the reader experience the full training dynamics alongside her. Can you share why you chose to begin her journey at this early stage, rather than starting her story once she is already a trained and operating spy?

When I started to formulate my book, in the early chapters, I wanted to over-emphasize Nicollette’s safe and secure, small village life. The closeness of her family, friends, and teammates. The role model her brother played. The reader would get a better understanding of Nicollette’s internal workings, her feelings, and dilemmas as her unicorns and rainbow life takes a dramatic turn.  

8. Was there any particular portion of the novel that you preferred writing, or had more fun when creating?

Yes, there are several.  First off, I loved writing the book as a whole!  I enjoyed writing the section when her father hands her the official government letter.  I could envision the surprise and delight on her face as she read the letter of invitation.  I also greatly enjoyed the mission in Bulgaria section, in particular, the waiting for news about the mission’s outcome. I thought about the terrific angst and pressure she was feeling with each check of her watch; tick tock, tick, tock.

However, my absolute favorite was her mission in the UAE.  My heart raced, and I hope the reader’s does as well, as she woke from her brief nap and realized there was danger. The lights are searching, and the bullets are flying as she crawls to get away. I was perspiring as I wrote about Nazrine and Nicollette in the hole as the bullets were firing.  I think one of the best lines, if not the most memorable one, is: “Fire the damn gun, Miss Beverley!  Fire the damn gun!” At that moment, she completes her transformation from innocence to awareness.  She becomes Nicollette Beverley, Agent of British Intelligence.  That scene and line will stay with her throughout her journey.

9. The second half of the novel becomes very detailed in its depiction of operations. Can you share what the writing process was like in crafting those intricate dialogues and scenes?

When I was writing about the facilities and operations that Nicollette was experiencing,  I tried to imagine what her reactions would be by envisioning everything through her eyes. I would formulate ideas about all the contributors necessary to plan, create, manufacture, and implement the operation.  I generated questions about each step of the process and how it was related to the end goal of the assignment. For example,  when creating Nicollette’s idea of using the poison crown-type air freshener, I bought one and took it apart.  By understanding how it worked, I could give a better, easier-to-follow description of what needed to be done to make it operational.  I also measured the temperature of the rear shelf of my car, then conferred with a chemist to come up with a design that would work.   I wanted to use as much detail as possible without being overly scientific, so the reader could understand and imagine a believable final product, just like Nicollette would.  I would use this technique throughout the book. 

10. Nicollette maintains her empathy and sensitivity throughout her training and the start of her espionage career. Can you talk about your choice to have Nicollette’s character contrast with the stereotypical image of a spy?

Yes, I chose to show Nicollette’s sensitivity and internal angst because I wanted her to come across like a real person.  I wanted her to be relatable to the reader and not some kind of ‘superhero’.  My thoughts about a spy are one of dark coats, a wealth of sophisticated gadgets, and almost science fiction-type villains. I wanted Nicollette to be a person trying to live two lives, one of ‘your neighbor next door and the other living in a world of secrets. My book(s) are based on the 70s and 80s, the Cold War era.  There is still bias in society and the workplace regarding women in stereotypical male positions.  The Cold War is real, with tangible geopolitical issues.  Nicollette represents a fresh approach.  Her background makes her not too familiar with gender bias or with the ‘real’ outside world.  She is more affected by the ‘class society’ of her County (the kids from council housing) than by the secretarial position she has with her employer.  Nicollette is conflicted, she envisions her safe and secure life in Brockwirth as related to her patriotism, but when she has to demonstrate her commitment in real time and real life (fire the damn gun, Miss Beverley!), she initially hesitates.  This is part of her journey.  She gains maturity and growth while having to navigate through a biased society, guns, and death, and still be the sensitive, innocent Nicollette Beverley of Brockwirth.  She has to become the neighbor and friend as well as the agent in the neighborhood.

11. When writing the conclusion of A Nasty Business, how did you prepare for the continuation of Nicollette’s story in the sequel, A Dangerous Business? Were there specific aspects you intentionally left open to explore later?

By the last part of ‘A Nasty Business’, I knew there would be a sequel and perhaps a series.  So I wanted to leave a few open questions.  This would keep the readers interested and give me some guidance in writing ‘A Dangerous Business’.  There are several ‘hooks’ at the end of ‘A Nasty Business’, among them: 1.  What happens to Peg? Is she alive, injured, or worse?  Peg has become an integral member of the team and a friend to Nicollette since training. 2. How does Nicollette act when returning home?  She now has a medal in her hand and an experience she can never talk about.  3. How does she deal internally with the gunfight on Little Tunb Island?  4. How does her position affect her relationship with her parents?  How would they feel if they really knew what she does and did?  5.  What would be her next assignment?

12. What do you hope readers take away from A Nasty Business? 

My goal for this and any future books is that the reader enjoys them and is entertained by what they read. Hopefully, the reader can relate to our Nicollette and her journey with British Intelligence. I tried to make this story realistic and believable, using language and situations that are understandable and relatable.  I would also like readers to take away that Nicollette Beverley is one of us. She has tears, fears, and cheers.  She is human, and she could be you or your friend.  Nicollette would love to have you with her on her journey.  

Finally, I hope readers enjoy the book(s) as much as I did writing them!  Cheers!