CHRISTOPHER STERLING
A WRITER OF PARADOX
Articles reprinted here by kind permission of THE HEARTBEAT
CHRISTOPHER STERLING on writing, emotion, and the architecture of THE BEAUMONT SAGA: his new series of Victorian historical fiction novels. A feature interview for THE HEARTBEAT.
In the summer of 2026, media host ANTHONY HORLINGTON sat down with novelist CHRISTOPHER STERLING to discuss his writing methodology, his unusual creative background, and the emotional architecture behind The Lady of Beaumont—the first book in his series. What followed was a conversation that revealed not only the craft behind Sterling’s debut novel, but the philosophy that drives the entire Beaumont Saga.
A WRITER OF PARADOX
Sterling laughs when asked how a solicitor—a profession often associated with cold precision—produces fiction so rich in emotional resonance.
‘I’ve always believed that one plus one equals three,’ he says, ‘and I’ll explain that, before you think me half-mad! If you use both sides of your brain—the reasoning, logical side, and the emotional, creative side—you get something far greater than the sum of both sides in isolation. My “day job” may be logical or scientific; but my world is creativity. So I always strive to keep both alive, and make it a “three”.’
With degrees in Physics and Law, and a career spanning science, education, business and the legal profession, Sterling describes his path to published fiction as ‘a long and winding road’. But it’s precisely that mixture of disciplines, he argues, that gives his writing its distinctive emotional charge.
‘It’s really about learning different ways to think; different ways to write; to understand and empathise—all those things in the melting pot together. I think that’s where the richness in human emotion comes from.’
VICTORIAN VOICE, MODERN PROPULSION
One of the most striking qualities of The Lady of Beaumont is its ability to feel authentically Victorian whilst moving with modern pacing.
‘My first objective was to write something that could be mistaken for a lost Victorian classic,’ Sterling explains. ‘I’m not saying it is that, but that was my objective, and researching and honouring that style was an enormous task. But in doing so, I found that, despite the astonishing literary beauty of Victorian novels, they often take a long time for things to happen. I needed propulsion.’
That propulsion comes from an unexpected source: Sterling’s background in theatre. At university, he wrote, produced, directed, and acted in several of his own stage shows, films and music videos—experiences he credits with teaching him how to build emotional truth, visual dynamism, and dramatic tension.
‘Victorian writers couldn’t think cinematically—cinema didn’t exist. But I can. So I always give scenes a visual language that modern readers can instantly understand, even though it’s beneath the surface. It’s being true to the Victorian style and genre, but powering the story by a propulsive cinematic engine underneath.’
DIRECTING AS WRITING
Like the scenes he creates, Sterling’s writing process is startlingly visual.
‘I visualise the scene first—completely. I play it like a movie in my mind. I write it, direct it, act and edit it—all in my head, before it ever touches the page.’
These performances are visualised fully formed, complete with dialogue and vocal personalities. This explains why his characters feel unusually alive.
‘They are alive—in a manner of speaking,’ he jokes. ‘Once they’re emotionally complete, they practically write the scene for me. Sometimes I can watch it unfold, and I then just have to memorise and novelise it!’
But this self-deprecation belies the enormous work that goes into his novels.
‘It’s an iterative process. I’ll read it; revise it; re-read it; re-revise it—until I make no amendments. Even the slightest change—so much as a comma—means the flow is wrong, and if the flow is wrong, the emotional beat is wrong. So I revise, re-read, and so on until it’s right. It can take weeks, months—or years.’
ACTING AS WRITING
Without doubt, the signature feature of Sterling’s writing is the astonishing way his characters are so profoundly real.
‘Acting teaches you everything you need to know about how to write characters. As an actor, you know how to build emotion; how to break it; how to transform it; and how you reveal all of that through your performance. It might be a turn of the head, or an intake of breath, or just simply being still. It’s about communicating the emotional truth.’
This philosophy translates directly to the page:
‘I would never simply write how people feel. Actors can’t do that—they show you. So when I write, I would never say, “Frances felt sad.” Instead, it would be something like: “Frances slowly lowered the letter. She sat upon the bed, clutching it tightly in her hand, her glazed eyes cast down upon the floor.” A visual performance—that’s the actor’s craft informing the writing technique.’
THE EMOTIONAL ARCHITECTURE
Sterling writes non‑linearly. He begins not with plot, but with emotional inevitability.
‘Most people write beginning-to-end. Mystery writers write end-to-beginning. I write... inside‑out! Firstly, I define the key emotional beats—particularly, the beginning and the ending, but also the critical moments of courage, loss, revelation, and so on. I write those first, and only once they’re perfected—only when they make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end—only then do I build the details of the plot that fuels those beats. A book has to be felt, so the emotional truth—and, crucially, the characters who experience it—have to be at the core. Emotion leads the plot; never the other way around.’
He summarises his philosophy in Three Rules of Writing, which he reveals in reverse order:
THREE
‘Each sentence must have a rhythmic pulse:
This is what gives the prose its life. For that to happen, every word must earn its place on the page. Years ago, I wrote a trilogy of unpublished novels, but I hadn’t figured out this rule—not until I’d finished. Now, I always write with a rhythm in my head. It’s the only way to make a sentence feel inevitable; to make it carry life.’
TWO
‘A moment only belongs on the page if it stirs your heart:
For this, every scene has to move with emotional purpose. Each emotive beat has to be powerful enough for readers to feel it. A novel isn’t just a story—it’s an experience.’
ONE
‘The principal characters must matter to the reader:
This is the most important of all. A story will only come alive when the reader cares about the principals—sharing their joy; bearing their pain. I've said this may times, but if readers don’t care about them, nothing in the book will matter. They might as well be reading a telephone directory. But if they do care about them, then, suddenly, everything will matter. That’s the key to storytelling in every kind of medium.’
THE SAGA CONTINUES
Sterling reveals that The Lady of Beaumont is only the beginning.
‘There’s a whole Saga—seven books planned so far.’
The Treasure of Beaumont, the sequel he is a currently writing, deepens the emotional stakes even further, and brings long‑awaited moments of justice for certain characters.
‘Things are not always what they appear in the world of Beaumont,’ he says with a wry smile. ‘The wrongs visited upon some of the characters will be righted. And if you thought I put you through the emotional wringer in Lady, wait until you read Treasure!’
WHERE TO FIND OUT MORE
Readers can explore the world of Beaumont at www.LadyOfBeaumont.com or by searching The Lady of Beaumont on Amazon.
Sterling concludes the interview with characteristic warmth:
‘Please do visit the world of Beaumont. I’d love to meet everyone there.’
CHRISTOPHER STERLING answers our 'YOURSELF IN TEN QUESTIONS' quiz HERE.