Hi folks! I'm back again with the second author in the Regency Silk and Scandal series: author Christine Merrill. So please give her a warm welcom.
Regency Silk and Scandal is a unique 8 book author generated Regency continuity, featuring an ongoing mystery murder plot that runs through the whole series. It's about three friends, two scandalous affairs, and one secret code that leads to murder, disgrace and revenge. The stories will captivate the reader as they travel from the Cornish Coast to the heights of Hertfordshire, and from the ballrooms of London to the battlefields of Belgium.
Kari: What was it like for you in brainstorming an 8 book mystery plot?
Christine: I can’t seem to use the word “fun” often enough. I was more than a little overwhelmed at first. I didn’t know any of the other authors. And we were starting from ground zero and doing it all ourselves. I don’t think it even became a mystery until we were a few weeks into it. I remember a stretch of e-mails with a lot of people saying ‘ and then, we could do this…’ But once we’d divided up the characters and plotted each of our books, we had to be conscious of what clues we were leaving in each story for the big plot arc, and if any of the clues were red herrings. And we had to keep tabs on whose characters appeared at a few key points, and what they might have heard. Since I had the last story, I had a kind of imaginary bench mark for the place I wanted to be in at the start of the story, so that I could close it up. And one of my characters got beaten up pretty regularly, over the course of the series. By the end, I had to ask for a show of hands: Who shot/stabbed/etc. Stephano? And where are the scars?
And, then there was the time I started to take my characters to what I thought was an undisclosed location, only to realize that, not only did everyone know the address, but it had been set on fire. It’s a good thing I love surprises. Some days, I would open up the morning e-mails and sit back and laugh, because my story had taken a sudden left turn. But they always seemed to take me to the place I wanted to go. There was one moment of blind panic on my part, about a week before I finished. Bur everyone calmed me down by e-mail, Other than that, it was smooth sailing.
Kari: Wow and I thought plotting my own mystery series was hard! Can you tell us about your book in the series?
Christine: I have two books in the series, “Paying the Virgin’s Price” is the second book, out this month. The hero is the heir to the Wardale family, Nathan. His family was ruined when Nathan’s father was hung for murder and it’s been all down hill from there. He’s made a new life as a professional gambler, and taken an alias. But in one of his first big scores, he ruined a man who was so desperate that he was willing to bet his daughter’s virginity on the last hand.
Diana Price who appeared in Louise Allen’s book, “The Lord and the Wayward Lady” lost everything, and has been working as a paid companion for the Carlow family. But she’s been keeping a low profile because at any time, she’s afraid that Nathan Wardale will show up and call in the marker and take her to bed. Of course they meet. And things do not go as either planned.
The final book in the series is “Taken by the Wicked Rake”. I don’t want to give too much away. But it will wrap up the series mystery, and show what happens when Stephano Beshaley kidnaps the sweet and innocent Lady Verity Carlow.
Kari: Wow, they sound fabulous. The whole concept of collaborating like this is so fascinating to me. Is this something you would ever do again, and any tips for authors thinking about co-writing a book or contributing to a connected series such as this one?
Christine: Oh, I would love to! Of course, it depends on who is involved, since I think it’s important to have a tight knit group, and good communication. But our group was the best, and the whole thing was a joy from start to finish. Since we were starting from scratch and writing our own bible. Since we were writing simultaneously, we could change little things as we went along to make it easier on the others. But we used Yahoo groups for e-mails, and as a place to store research, time lines, and plot notes. And we spent a lot of time checking and cross checking, posting character sketches and asking questions.
At this point, I’ve read 6 out of the 8 books, and am amazed at how well the characters transfer from hand to hand. It is very smooth, very seamless. I was thinking, the other day, that this was almost more like writing fan fiction, than plotting original stories. We had a really solid idea of the cast of characters as we went along, and what was canon. And personally, I am having that same level of obsession, as I am reading the stories. I love all the characters. I want to know what happens to them. And since other people have written those six books, I can read them and be surprised by little plot points, and deftly handled scenes, even though I know what happens in the major arc.
Kari: Thanks so much for joining us, and I look forward to following this unique and interesting series.
Regency Silk and Scandal is a unique 8 book author generated Regency continuity, featuring an ongoing mystery murder plot that runs through the whole series. It's about three friends, two scandalous affairs, and one secret code that leads to murder, disgrace and revenge. The stories will captivate the reader as they travel from the Cornish Coast to the heights of Hertfordshire, and from the ballrooms of London to the battlefields of Belgium.
Kari: What was it like for you in brainstorming an 8 book mystery plot?
Christine: I can’t seem to use the word “fun” often enough. I was more than a little overwhelmed at first. I didn’t know any of the other authors. And we were starting from ground zero and doing it all ourselves. I don’t think it even became a mystery until we were a few weeks into it. I remember a stretch of e-mails with a lot of people saying ‘ and then, we could do this…’ But once we’d divided up the characters and plotted each of our books, we had to be conscious of what clues we were leaving in each story for the big plot arc, and if any of the clues were red herrings. And we had to keep tabs on whose characters appeared at a few key points, and what they might have heard. Since I had the last story, I had a kind of imaginary bench mark for the place I wanted to be in at the start of the story, so that I could close it up. And one of my characters got beaten up pretty regularly, over the course of the series. By the end, I had to ask for a show of hands: Who shot/stabbed/etc. Stephano? And where are the scars?
And, then there was the time I started to take my characters to what I thought was an undisclosed location, only to realize that, not only did everyone know the address, but it had been set on fire. It’s a good thing I love surprises. Some days, I would open up the morning e-mails and sit back and laugh, because my story had taken a sudden left turn. But they always seemed to take me to the place I wanted to go. There was one moment of blind panic on my part, about a week before I finished. Bur everyone calmed me down by e-mail, Other than that, it was smooth sailing.
Kari: Wow and I thought plotting my own mystery series was hard! Can you tell us about your book in the series?
Christine: I have two books in the series, “Paying the Virgin’s Price” is the second book, out this month. The hero is the heir to the Wardale family, Nathan. His family was ruined when Nathan’s father was hung for murder and it’s been all down hill from there. He’s made a new life as a professional gambler, and taken an alias. But in one of his first big scores, he ruined a man who was so desperate that he was willing to bet his daughter’s virginity on the last hand.
Diana Price who appeared in Louise Allen’s book, “The Lord and the Wayward Lady” lost everything, and has been working as a paid companion for the Carlow family. But she’s been keeping a low profile because at any time, she’s afraid that Nathan Wardale will show up and call in the marker and take her to bed. Of course they meet. And things do not go as either planned.
The final book in the series is “Taken by the Wicked Rake”. I don’t want to give too much away. But it will wrap up the series mystery, and show what happens when Stephano Beshaley kidnaps the sweet and innocent Lady Verity Carlow.
Kari: Wow, they sound fabulous. The whole concept of collaborating like this is so fascinating to me. Is this something you would ever do again, and any tips for authors thinking about co-writing a book or contributing to a connected series such as this one?
Christine: Oh, I would love to! Of course, it depends on who is involved, since I think it’s important to have a tight knit group, and good communication. But our group was the best, and the whole thing was a joy from start to finish. Since we were starting from scratch and writing our own bible. Since we were writing simultaneously, we could change little things as we went along to make it easier on the others. But we used Yahoo groups for e-mails, and as a place to store research, time lines, and plot notes. And we spent a lot of time checking and cross checking, posting character sketches and asking questions.
At this point, I’ve read 6 out of the 8 books, and am amazed at how well the characters transfer from hand to hand. It is very smooth, very seamless. I was thinking, the other day, that this was almost more like writing fan fiction, than plotting original stories. We had a really solid idea of the cast of characters as we went along, and what was canon. And personally, I am having that same level of obsession, as I am reading the stories. I love all the characters. I want to know what happens to them. And since other people have written those six books, I can read them and be surprised by little plot points, and deftly handled scenes, even though I know what happens in the major arc.
Kari: Thanks so much for joining us, and I look forward to following this unique and interesting series.
NOTE: Christine will be giving away a free copy of Paying the Virgin's Price to one lucky commenter. So after you leave a comment, email me at: karitown@twcny.rr.com You can comment right up until midnight on Sunday night July 25, and I will randomly draw one name out of a hat Monday morning and notify the commenter who won.
15 comments:
Por Christine - I have to admit to being the one who set fire the house, but in my defence, I did provide someone to put it out again. And the hero of my first book managed to put a bullet in Stephano, although I didn't specify which shoulder in order to give her a choice
Wow Christine! That's great how you plotted out your story. Plus how you successfully co wrote. I tried to co write with someone but we have such different writing styles and plans that it didn't work out. We are still great friends and CPs but maybe co writing is in our future.
LOL that's the craziest part....having someone be able to throw a twist in your plans and force your character to act. Sounds interesting!
I LOVE that book cover.
(And I love the idea of this series. I'll be looking for it.)
-- Terri (w/a Taryn Kincaid)
Thanks, Louise, for the fire fighter. I do have to admit, you didn't burn down the whole house. Just a room.
I've read 6 out of 8 of the books so far (and out of order, which is torture) and seeing that poor guy stuck with putting out the fire, was a high point for me.
Because there were definitely times when my poor Stephano needed shootin'.
Kari: As far as the twisting and turning of the plot goes, I tried to think of it as a writing excercise, and not something that might actually be seen by 10's of thousands of people. when I could, I pretended it was a game.
It kept me from throwing up.
My only rules for my characters were: no rape, no murder. And I didn't let myself get too attached to the settings. Since it's fiction, you can burn down a house, and rebuild in an hour. But the characters are the things which will hook the reader on the whole series. If you someone's brother, and rape their sister, neither the wirter nor the reader is going to forgive that character.
Tonya: It was amazing how well it went for our group. Three of us are Americans, and the other three are from the UK. So everything was a challenge, including the knowledge base and language of the writers. UK and US English are just different enough to be confusing.
And I will admit, I tend to treat England as a ficitonal country. No, offense intended. I treat the US that way, too. And sometimes my own house and family. When I can manage it, I live totally inside my own head. It's nice there.
In the early stages, when we were plotting and the idea of hanging a peer and taking his title came up, one of the UK continuistas (probably Louise) said, "I'll just ask the House of Lords." And then, she got an answer.
Not only was that real, it was involving a foreign governement. For a while after that, I was afraid to touch the keyboard.
Terri: I am a total geek to admit it, but I love the series too. I cried during Louise's first book, read the three of the last four in a three day marathon, and am just getting the time to sit down with Julia's "The Smuggler and the Society Bride." They are like eating popcorn. I am gobbling.
Christine, welcome to M & M. The series sounds very exciting.
The fact that you co-wrote it seems amazing to me. I have often thought it would be nice to have some help when I am in some form of block, but then I think what if I hated the direction the other author wanted to take the book.
It's wonderful that you were able to work all that out. I look forward to buying and reading this series.
Thanks again to both you and Kari for a great interview.
Thank you Christine for joining the M&M's today. What a fun interview. I can't even imagine plotting with 8 other authors. I'm such a panster I think it would be a complete disaster!
Thanks for a great interview. I'm looking forward to putting the series in my TBR pile. But, I can't image reading them out of order.
I've read several authors series out of order and it's torture.
Guess I'll have to make sure I get them in order or if not get them all then read them.
Christine: WELCOME! This is great. I can't imagine how you did this. I'm so impressed. Could you talk some more about how you divided up the books and shared the character arcs? I would love to hear more.
Liz and Mary,
I am also a panster. I manage to get by with the most minimal synopsis possible, when dealing with my current editor.
So there was more up front work, in that sense. I actually had to have a couple of pages of solid plot, to have something to show both the other authors, and the editors.
And I remember kicking back and watching a lot of the initial brainstorming for the big arc. At any given point in the development of the series, there were a couple of people who were strong leaders, and a couple of us who were willing to ride along. We had a lot of trust in each other, and it all worked out.
Lindsay,
Normally, I like to read in order as well. But in this case, I knew enough about the series to fill in the gaps.
#1 and 2, were easy for me to get hold of. They are already out, and 3 will be in the stores this week.
So I read #1 in a rush. #2 is mine. So it took me forever. Not a big fan of my own work, if that makes sense.
And I was able to order 4-8 straight from Mills & Boon, before they sold out. Since they were in my hands... And then, back to #3.
It really doesn't give too much away to go out of order, as long as you save #8 for last, where everything wraps up.
#3 is in Cornwall. #4 is in a Gypsy camp. Those are the two I'm missing, and the stories are a bit more self contained. And #7 is at the battle of Waterloo. So that stands alone pretty well.
It was funny, as I went through them, how many bits of plot that I'd forgotten. Stuff would sneak up on me, and then I'd remember how it fit with the rest. The transitions are all very smooth, IHMO. And I am a picky reader.
Cassy:
We started out with the initial murder, which takes place 20 years before the books.
I remeber meeting with Julia Justiss at RWA in San Francisco, and doing a rough pitch of it to Linda Fildew from Mills & Boon. I still have a scrap of paper with a bunch of notes scribbled on it.
I made a quick flow chart, and some more notes, and posted them back to our Yahoo Group.
And everyone said HUH?????
So I am not sure how close what we pitched was to what was talked about. But by taht time, we were sure that there was a Gypsy curse. And a revenge plot.
Then we went through another round of discussion. And started adding to the family trees of the men involved in the murder. They had to have heirs, so that was easy. But as someone said, I have an idea and it needs (a sister, a half sister, a bastard son...) they just got plugged into the trees.
I think that was why there was no fighting over characters. The stuff that was locked down was the parentage of the characters we wanted to use.
Then someone would say, "Did Lady so and so remarry?" I think this was where Annie Burrows got a second husband, (deceased) three step brothers, and the delightful Midge, who is my hero's half sister. And an entire plot.
I am quite fond of Midge. She's book 4.
I begged for the Gypsy. But I don't think anyone actually wanted him. And it made sense, if we were going to use him, that he be book 8. Since no one wants a happily married avatar of vengence.
We all had different organizational styles. And everything got stored on a Yahoo group in files and photos. Someone did timelines, someone compiled notes from e-mails, we threw all our synopses in there, and had a separate section where we kept track of how each book advanced the big plot.
I am visual, and a little thick when confronted with a spread sheet. I wanted to know how things connected to each other, so once we had heros and heroines and families, I did a white board for myself.
Here is a link to a picture of it. Not very detailed. But as you can see from the strings going back and forth between families, it balances.
http://historicalromanceuk.blogspot.com/2010/07/continuity-continues-with-help-from.html
Yep, the plots for our love stories emerged from the original murder/mystery, as we considered how the events would impact on their children. I remember at one stage we talked a lot about the sins of the fathers being visited on the children. That set me off imagining what it would be feel like for a girl growing up, knowing that her father was murdered by her mother's lover (allegedly). The shadow of something like that never goes away.
And that, in turn, meant that she needed a really exceptional hero, who could deal with all the hang-ups she inherited.
Annie
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