Kari: You've written at least 50 books. That's amazing. What's it like juggling more than one genre? How do you switch gears and which genre is your favorite to write in?
Carola: I've enjoyed them all. The Regencies were more difficult to reseach, because of the passage of time and also the web wasn't available when I was writing them, but otherwise they were easier to write because I didn't have to worry about clues and red herrings and such. I didn't have to keep a track of characters from book to book, either, as I do with a mystery series. I did write a few trilogies, but each had a different hero and heroine so only a few characters carried over. With the 1920s Daisy Dalrymple mysteries (I'm working on the 20th), I have the two main characters, Daisy and Alec, who are in every book, but I've been living with them so long that keeping them consistent is not a problem. The characters who are in some books but not others--well, let's say I'm not a very organized person and don't keep notes of each one's characteristics, so thank goodness for "Search."
Changing time periods is the most difficult part of switching gears. For a while I was writing both the Regency and the 1920s, and now I'm writing '20s (Daisy) and '60s (Cornish). Of all the differences, the colloquialisms appropriate to each period are the most troublesome part. I'd find myself using Regency expressions in a Daisy book, or 1920s phrases in the 1960s.
Kari: Your Daisy Dalrymple mystery series was a big success. Can you tell us about your latest book in that series?
Carola: The most recent to come out, Sheer Folly, is a romp with a lot of peculiar characters. Daisy and her friend Lucy are doing research for a book about follies (the architectural kind), originally mentioned in A Mourning Wedding. They go to a country mansion they've heard has a wonderful grotto, restored from dilapidation by the wealthy businessman who bought the place from its aristocratic owners. There they find a very mismatched house party, from the impoverished widow of a general to an important civil servant whose wife has a roving eye, not to mention a mysterious Canadian. When the grotto vanishes in a huge explosion, one of the guests goes up with it, and most of the other guests have good reason to wish him out of the way.
The next Daisy book, Anthem for Doomed Youth (March 2011), is very different, with a serious theme concerning the aftermath of World War I. With Daisy, though, there are always light-hearted moments whatever death and doom surrounds her.
Kari: Your new Cornish Mystery series sounds like another big success. Can you tell us about your latest book in that series?
Carola: In, A Colourful Death, Eleanor Trewynn's young friend and neighbour, artist Nick Gresham, comes home from a trip to find several of his paintings slashed. He sets out to confront the fellow-artist, Geoff, who he believes did it, with Eleanor tagging along in the hope of preventing mayhem. They find Geoff dead, with a dagger in his back. Geoff's girlfriend accuses Nick of murder, and he's arrested. In trying to find the real murderer, Eleanor stays at an artists' commune, surrounded by people who lived with Geoff, many of whom hated him. And one of them needs to stop Eleanor proving Nick innocent.
Kari: What's on the horizon for you? Any new series planned or genres you'd like to try?
Carola: I have contracts for two more Daisy books. My publisher left a big gap between the due dates, so I'm hopeful they'll want another Cornish mystery.
On the other hand, I do have other projects I'd like to have time to work on. One, when I first conceived it, was a contemporary sort of caper/adventure/late-coming-of-age story. Now, because of plot considerations, I think I'd have to set it in the 1980s or '90s. One is a serious straight historical novel based on a real 13th century woman. Then there's a mystery series set in the 11th century--I know the shape of the series but haven't been able to work on the mystery aspect.
Also, when I first started publishing Regencies, I wrote quite a few SF/fantasy short stories (none published) and started a novel or two set on different planets. One of my Regencies is a time travel, one is a ghost story, and three novellas are fairytales retold set in Regency times. I'd kind of like to have another go at that sort of thing.
Some day I'd like to retire and spend more time gardening, playing the recorder, and with the grandkids (not necessarily in that order!) but there so much to write...
Kari: I love discovering new authors or series. Do you have an favorites you'd like to share with us?
Carola: I read a lot of older mysteries, especially British ones. Everyone knows Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, but Patricia Wentworth, Josephine Tey, Michael Innes, Ngaio Marsh, Cyril Hare, Georgette Heyer (she wrote mysteries as well as Regencies), Nicholas Blakely, are all favourites of mine. More recently, Susannah Stacey, Dorothy Simpson, Patricia Moyes, Clare Curzon, Marian Babson....This is hopeless, I could go on forever!
Of contemporary American authors, I'd say my favourite is Donna Andrews. She always makes me laugh. Sheila Simonson, Alice Duncan, Irene Fleming... Again, I could go on for a long time.
Kari: Any final tips you'd like to share with your fellow writers?
Carola: Have fun, folks! If it ceases to be fun, why do it?
5 comments:
Carola! Welcome to M&M. My head is spinning. There is no way I could ever keep up with you! What a great posting. Multiple genres, more books that one could count and additional ones on the way. You've inspired me.
Thanks again, Cassy
Carola:
So great to hear from someone who writes in different time periods and genres. My first story was a contemporary suspense. My current WIP is set in 1918 Africa. Boy the research is a killer so its a good thing I'm a total geek about doing it! I can't imagine how long it took before internet. Oh, wait, I can. I spent some time in Mobile recently researching for my next one and got to know the archivists, curators, etc. pretty well, LOL!
Any good early 1900's research sites you'd care to share? I spent a couple of hours the other day researching medicine - thermometers, tablets, quinine forms, etc.
Thanks Carola for joining the M&M blog today and sharing. Great interview.
Okay now I need to go recover from hearing you've published 50 books? Good grief, I can't even imagine.
I tend to name a lot of my heroines Jessica or Jessie and then I have to change their names because they were in the last book. Sheesh!
Carola is having a hard time posting, so she asked me to post this answer to Debbie for her:
I don't think there's such a thing as a good "early 1900s" website. Every question involves a specific subject--as with your medical research--so it's almost always more to the point to find a site that deals with that subject in a historical context. One thing I'm constantly fighting is the American bias of most sites when I'm doing research on England. Purely as a matter of the size of population, there are far more US sites than UK.
On the whole, I find the most rewarding way to find answers is to find an expert on the subject. The web makes this a whole lot easier than it used to be, but still one-on-one is likely to be most satisfactory, whether it's by email or, if you can, in person. I have some amazing stories about experts I've got in touch with who have given me fabulous info.
And never underestimate the information provided by fiction written during the period. One great thing about the first 2 1/2 decades of the 20th century is that a lot of the fiction is now available free from Gutenberg.org.
Carola, I, too, am amazed at how you keep all those characters straight. I do have a question, though. When you're writing the second/third/fourth book in a series, how much backstory/character descriptions do you give up front without ticking off your faithful readers. The reason I ask is that I am on a mystery loop where they asked if there was something that made you want to put down the book. I expected to see lack of plot, head hopping, etc, but I was surprised when someone mentioned the author tried to catch everyone up to speed on the characters and threw too many names, relationships in too soon.
Since I am just starting book 2 of my series, I am getting a little nervous. Any advice would be appreciated.
And BTW, thanks for visiting us here on M & M.
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