Friday, March 15, 2019

Deanna and Victoriana


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HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: You certainly know Deanna Raybourn—right? The brilliantly talented (and truly gorgeous, not that it matters, but just saying) author of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries, and creator of Veronica Speedwell, the perfectly-named butterfly-seeking Victorian adventuress.  And now:  an EDGAR nominee!Oh, we are thrilled to have her here today, beyond thrilled, but we are fretting that we are not well enough prepared. We are..aflutter.
Are there sufficient raspberry jam sandwiches? Tea and scones and clotted cream? Our pet falcons have disappeared to where ever falcons go, and the silly footman has run off with, I fear, the ladies maid for the visiting Forrestieres, a mysterious family (so they say) the group has not quite yet decided to embrace. And my velvet cloak is in dire need of a brushing, and wherever are those pink satin slippers?
I faint, lugubrious and vexed, on my tufted chaise longue.  Perhaps I can bear it if I read. And I know precisely who and what book will certainly save the day. As always.

DEANNA RAYBOURN: Victorian sleuth Veronica Speedwell is back! A DANGEROUS COLLABORATION is the fourth adventure for our intrepid butterfly hunter and amateur detective, and I am so delighted to have the chance to write a series character as complex and unexpected as Veronica.
But keeping a series fresh and interesting can be a challenge. The world is already built; the characters are established. So where do you begin when it’s time to embark on a new journey?
For me, the easiest and most enjoyable way to start is to think about what books I have most enjoyed reading. Mysteries are the first books I remember loving. I picked up my magnifying glass with Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew. 
By the time I was ten, I had moved on to Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot, and I even wanted my romantic stories to have a puzzle. 
I cut my teeth on Gothic romances, and Victoria Holt was my absolute favorite. Her later books featured more far-flung settings, but her earliest novels were set in England--several in the wilds of coastal Cornwall. From THE BRIDE OF PENDORRIC to MENFREYA IN THE MORNING, Holt made exquisite use of one of England’s most intriguing counties.
With its rich history and gorgeous landscape, Cornwall is the perfect choice for a setting. Legends abound—from King Arthur to pixies and mermaids—and stories of wreckers and smugglers are handed down through the generations. I had a snippet of an idea about a story featuring a bride gone missing on her wedding day and a house thick with memories and shadows, a true du Maurier atmosphere to pay homage to REBECCA, one of my most beloved novels.
A stately home in Cornwall suggests Manderley, but it also evokes St. Michael’s Mount, the elegant centerpiece of an island cut off from the mainland when the tide is high. But I decided to go one better and make my stately home a castle, one rising from the sea mists on its island perch.
To thicken the mystery, I gave it a poison garden like the one at Alnwick Castle, inspired by the Medici in their deadly Florentine groves. Some years ago, I bought a trio of books written by the Duchess of Northumberland, the chatelaine of Alnwick and the founder of its legendary poison garden. They were full of recipes of natural remedies and warnings about dangerous plants—the very plants I wanted in this novel. Because Veronica is a lepidopterist, I filled my garden with elusive glasswing butterflies, so named because their wings are transparent, a gorgeous lure for a butterfly hunter in search of rare specimens to breed.
To immerse myself in the mood of my fictional castle, I followed Alnwick Castle and St. Michael’s Mount on Instagram. I read Daphne du Maurier’s ENCHANTED CORNWALL and WE BOUGHT AN ISLAND, a curious memoir written by two sisters who purchased a Cornish island on a whim. (Who wouldn’t?)
Together, all these little pieces of books I have loved—travel memoirs, poison guides, Gothic novels, natural history texts on butterflies and gardens—have been assembled into a new setting, something unique to A DANGEROUS COLLABORATION, full of secrets and deeply atmospheric, the perfect spot for Veronica’s latest foray into investigation.
By their very nature—remote, secluded—islands are the most romantic and mysterious of settings. If you could have an island home of your own, anywhere in the world, where would it be?
HANK: Oh, darling Deanna, it would not matter where, as long as you and Veronica were there with me!
Reds and readers, would you love an island of your own? Where--and when? Now, or in Veronica’s time?



A bride mysteriously disappears on her wedding day in the newest Veronica Speedwell adventure by the New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey series.

Lured by the promise of a rare and elusive butterfly, the intrepid Veronica Speedwell is persuaded by Lord Templeton-Vane, the brother of her colleague Stoker, to pose as his fiancée at a house party on a Cornish isle owned by his oldest friend, Malcolm Romilly.

But Veronica soon learns that one question hangs over the party: What happened to Rosamund? Three years ago, Malcolm Romilly’s bride vanished on their wedding day, and no trace of her has ever been found. Now those who were closest to her have gathered, each a possible suspect in her disappearance.

From the poison garden kept by Malcolm’s sister to the high towers of the family castle, the island’s atmosphere is full of shadows, and danger lurks around every corner.

Determined to discover Rosamund’s fate, Veronica and Stoker match wits with a murderer who has already struck once and will not hesitate to kill again.…

    New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Deanna Raybourn is a 6th-generation native Texan. She graduated with a double major in English and history from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of one, Raybourn makes her home in Virginia. Her novels have been nominated for numerous awards including five RITAs, two RT Reviewers’ Choice awards, the Agatha, two Dilys Winns, a Last Laugh, and three du Mauriers. Her Lady Julia Grey novels are currently in development as a television series in the UK and she launched a new Victorian mystery series with the 2015 release of A CURIOUS BEGINNING, featuring intrepid butterfly-hunter and amateur sleuth, Veronica Speedwell. Veronica’s most recent adventure is A PERILOUS UNDERTAKING (January 2017), and book three, A TREACHEROUS CURSE, was published in January 2018. Further books in the Veronica Speedwell series are contracted through 2020.

You can find her her social media links, blog, contests, and upcoming appearances at deannaraybourn.com
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86 comments:

  1. Your new book sounds fascinating, Deanna. I’m looking forward to reading Veronica’s new adventure . . . .

    An island home anywhere? Well, I’m not particularly fond of the idea of being surrounded by water, so it would have to be a really big island, like Hawaii . . . .

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    1. Good answer! An island that doesn’t feel like an island. Perfect!

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  2. This series sounds charming! As for the island, I would love to have one of my own. I'd prefer someplace where it doesn't get too cold, and I'd have to go with modern times, simply because I feel it would be easier and quicker to receive supplies and food. Now I just need to sell enough books to make it happen!

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    1. And with a nice guest cottage for obliging authors to come and stay...

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  3. I loved your first Veronica Speedwell mystery, Deanna, but somehow I missed the next two. Clearly I'll have to remedy that, because this new one sounds delicious! As for an island, dang! I have enough trouble just taking care of my rather-too-large house. An island? I could happily live on one, but unless it was quite small, I think I'd rather leave the owning to someone else. I might enjoy being part of a small, year-round island community, though. Best of luck with the new book!

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    1. Yes, Lucy can tell us about that, love to hear it! It seems like it would be very cozy… But perhaps, too cozy?

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    2. Thanks, Gigi--you have lots to catch up on!

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  4. Congratulations on your new release!

    An island I could call home? Perhaps the Channel Islands, Jersey or Guernsey. With utilities and internet. I visited the Aran Islands last fall, and could imagine hunkering down to write a book spring, summer, or fall. I was amazed at the packages ready to deliver from the ferry--everything from food to machine parts.

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    1. It's fascinating how they manage to make that work. And makes you so grateful and mindful of every single thing.

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  5. I am a huge Deanna Raybourn fan. In fact, I was just saying to someone this week that SILENT IN THE GRAVE is one of my go-to re-reads and favorite historicals. And Veronica Speedwell in the newer series is a true one-of-a-kind heroine. Speaking of, Congratulations on the Edgar Award nomination for Best Novel (for the previous book in this series). So well deserved.

    I am not surprised to learn that Deanna is a fan of the Gothic Romances as well. They were so much a part of my early life - Victoria Holt, Mary Stewart, and most especially Phyllis A. Whitney. I wish I had the time to go back to re-read some of those. Maybe for some upcoming project? We'll see.

    Anyway folks, if you haven't read Deanna Raybourn, it's beyond time that you give her a try. You won't be sorry.

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    1. Oh, yes, of course! (And I just updated the blog to add that, Kristopher--how could I forget? I told you I was aflutter.)

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    2. Aw, thanks so much Kristopher! I am over the moon about the Edgar nomination. And I so appreciate all the support--you've shown Veronica a lot of book love and it is so kind of you.

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  6. Deanna is heretofore unknown to me, but I will remedy that as soon as I can! These books sound delightful.

    For myself, the island thing has never held great appeal. Give me a view of some mountains and I would be ecstatic. Island living just feels too isolating for my taste. But I enjoy visiting them in books!

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    1. Oh, such fun for you to read for the first time. That's why we're here! xoxoxo

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  7. since I hate boats, my fantasies do not involve owning an island... I'd never get off it. But I get the allure. An island of calm in a big city (NYC? Paris? London) is more up my alley.

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    1. How about Ile St. Louis/Ile de la Cite? Right there smack in the middle of Paris.

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    2. You should try St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall--you can walk across the causeway at low tide!

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  8. Oh yes, I have always wanted to live on my very own island in Maine! Only lately have I been wondering how I would get fresh water, what about the septic, or electricity. Since I'd never be able to afford such a thing anyway I've pretty much given up that dream.

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  9. Like Gigi, I seem to have missed the books after Veronica's debut adventure--this one sounds so Victoria Holtish--will be grabbing a copy at first opportunity! Loved Victoria Holt--still have her The Secret Woman on my re-read shelf. Give me a Greek island, please. One with its own mountain, springs, so no worries about water, a little arable land, and an archaeological site or two for potential fabulous finds. And since I'm only dreaming here--a good harbor, an internet connection, and I'm all set!

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    1. I went to Greece for the first time last May and I totally agree!

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  10. I have had "A Curious Beginning" loaded on my Kindle for a while. It is now officially going to be this weekend's read.
    Island living? Yes, if there's an established community as yet undiscovered by tourists. No, if I'm fending for myself. I need all the help I can get when it comes to "maintenance".

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    1. Speaking of community--are you seeing my photo with these posts? I'm wondering if Blogger is angry with me...or is wondering what I look like... :-)

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    2. Now that you mention it, Blogger is not posting your pic. How rude!

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  11. Rare butterflies? A poison garden? A creepy castle? Sounds wonderful.

    My island would have to be somewhere where the temperature is moderate all year long (no sub-zero freezing, no tropics) and there's a nice breeze. I hear Aruba is nice.

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    1. Yes, let's lead to expedition to find out!

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    2. I sent Veronica to Madeira for just those reasons...temperate and breezy and full of butterflies!

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  12. I've never before heard of St. Michael's Mount, but it looks so much like Mont Ste. Michel in France, doesn't it?

    I'm with Hallie, no fantasies of living on an actual island. That type of existence seems so fragile to me. Give me good old solid terra firma.

    Deanna, I was so intrigued by Veronica Speedwell (the name!) on your last visit with the Reds, but have apparently neglected to read that first book. And now there are four? This is clearly the time to rectify that omission in my reading life!

    True confession: when I was in high school one of my best friends obsessively read Victoria Holt books. Daisy's family were fundamental Christians, so she was not allowed to watch movies, or dance, or do anything much fun (except that both she and her sister "had to" get married). For some reason I always thought Holt wrote sanitized prose and so I avoided reading them, thinking they would be too boring. Ha. Missed opportunity there, I guess.

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    1. True confession from me..I never read them either! Should I start?

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    2. I loved them, but haven't reread in a long time. I wonder if they feel dated. I did reread my favorite Mary Stewart recently and was amazed at how contemporary it felt.

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    3. Mary Stewart never seems dated to me, either.

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    4. I reread a few Victoria Holts last year and they hold up almost as well as the Mary Stewarts!

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  13. An island? Oh, yes, but not my own small plot. An island big enough to hold a good-sized supportive community of assorted people: long-time residents from generations back, refugees from the city and the wider world, artists, writers, farmers, wine-makers, bakers, booksellers. With reliable ferry service, but not so reliable that all the millionaires want to buy up the modest old cottages, raze them and turn the place into their private, upscale playground.

    Say, one of those Gulf islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland, or in semi-northern Ontario.

    Okay, so I'm dreaming. Especially about the ban on millionaires.

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    1. Susan! That sounds perfect. Especially the winemakers. Oh, I mean--couldn't you write that book?? It's such lovely idea.

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  14. This series sounds like so much fun. I am going to seek it out right now. As to islands? I actually grew up near a huge and beautiful chain on the NY/Canada border. And even as we speak, am toying with writing about it in the next book, after many decades and 5 books set in Brooklyn. (Is this coincidence a message that I should get to work?)

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  15. In Maine, it's possible to have an island of your own - Celia Wakefield, who frequently comments here, owns a lake island (to go with her lake house;) a little rise of land just big enough for picnicking or children's summer adventures.

    What I want, instead of an island, is to be blessed by the cover gods as Deanna has been. Her Lady Julia Grey books are ravishing and the Veronica Speedwell cover should be sold as art prints. When you see them in a bookstore, you cannot resist picking them up.

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    1. Oh, so agree. The covers are amazing...Deanna, do you agree?

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    2. I ADORE the covers! I was lucky enough to meet the art department at Berkley when I visited the offices last month and I fangirled all over them.

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  16. Yes, a tropical island, please! Congrats on the new book, Deanna, and for those who don't follow Deanna on Twitter, you should! She's masterful!

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    1. Agreed! And hi, dear Ingrid! Eager to hear your latest...xoxoo

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    2. Oh, thanks so much, Ingrid!

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  17. Deanna, Julia is spot on--your covers are gorgeous! I, too, grew up on Holt and Stewart and Barbara Michaels, and I have a real soft spot for those intrepid Victorian female naturalists. Can't wait to read the new Veronica!

    An island, hmmm. It would have to be English, or maybe Scottish. The Shetlands always look so stunning in Ann Cleeve's Shetland TV adaptation, but then I think they have all been filmed in summer. I have to remind myself that in the dead of winter you'd only have a couple of hours of daylight, and you'd need a lot of books and maybe some good single malt whisky to get you through the dark days.

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    1. And that's why the mysteries are so wonderful, right? All those winters....

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    2. I have LOADED my Kindle with Barbara Michaels books--some of my favorite travel reading!

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  18. Deanna, welcome to Jungle Reds! I have read all of your Veronica novels since the first book in the series. I wondered if you think that Prince Bertie's wife Princess Alexandra of Denmark was a villain?

    Diana

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    1. OOH. Yes, let's hear. (And Rhys? What do you think?)

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    2. I admire Queen Alexandra, former Princess of Denmark, for various reasons. When I visited the Royal Mews a long time ago, I saw many early photos that she took of the family when she was a young mother. She also had hearing loss and she knew Sign Language.

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    3. Not at all! I think she was a little too indulgent to her children, but she had a lot of sterling qualities. Sidebar: I saw a few of her gowns on display at the Met a few years ago and they were STUNNING. So incredibly elegant!

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    4. Deanna, thanks :-) . She always looked elegant.

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  19. Deanna and her books are new to me. Very interested!

    Isle of Wight for me. Easily accessible to mainland but also full of lovely places. Huge number of walking trails to explore.

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    1. I've always wanted to visit the Isle of Wight. It's so hard to fit everything in!

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  20. Deanna and her books are new to me. Very interested!

    Isle of Wight for me. Easily accessible to mainland but also full of lovely places. Huge number of walking trails to explore.Recruitmentbeam.com.ng

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  21. I love Deanna's books! I'm still hung up on Brisbane. I don't want my own personal island, but I could live on one that's "reasonable" distance from shore. No tropics, please. Hate that humidity. Maybe one of the Carolina barrier islands?

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    1. A lot of readers have a soft spot for Brisbane--you are not alone!

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  22. Hi, Deanna! Congratulations on the newest book - A Dangerous Collaboration! Can I just say that I love, love, love your covers? To me, they are everything a book cover should be - it just can't get any better. And thank you for mentioning Victoria Holt. Mistress of Mellyn was my very first book checked out from the adult side of the library - a very big deal to me! As for an island, I'd want to own one of the Thimble Islands in Stony Creek, CT. It's an archipelago of over 100 islands (admittedly, some are big rocks) tucked away just east of New Haven and it was once a playground for the rich during the time of the Vanderbilts before the pretty houses got wiped out by the hurricane of '38. And, yes, I base the library lover's series on the area because, of course, I do.

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    1. Did I know that? Are there any people living in those places now?

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    2. Thanks so much, Jenn--I love the covers too!

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  23. I would love to own an island off the coast of Scotland. So beautiful. And it would need to be during modern times. I prefer to experience other time periods thru books.

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  24. Such great responses! I'm dashing through an airport trying to make my connection, but I can't wait to check in later and keep reading all the fab comments. I think it's pretty clear we'd all like an island of our own!

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    1. Oh, safe travels! You can hear our applause from here!

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    2. Thanks, Hank! FINALLY home after several delays in Atlanta. Wish I could have been here to party with the Reds all day, but I'm catching up now!

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  25. I've read earlier books by Deanna (loved SILENT IN THE GRAVE), but haven't quite gotten to this new series yet. However, my daughter has read it and loved it. Congrats on the new book, Deanna! And you mentioned my very favorite Victoria Holt book, BRIDE OF PENDORRIC! It was the first one I read - in junior high (I date myself right there - not middle school). I loved the Cornwall setting and I think it was first time I really understood that a 'mad' person could look and act like anyone else, until they don't. Scared me to death - loved it. I'm also a big fan of Mary Stewart and Phyllis A. Whitney - love my Gothics. As to an island, well, boats and I don't get along, but I love mountains. Can I substitute that?

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    1. Here's something you'll appreciate, Kay--Veronica's catchphrase of "Excelsior!" comes from BRIDE OF PENDORRIC!

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  26. Yes, I would and in Veronica's time (the plumbing and electrical systems be damned). I have Book #4 right here and will manage some quiet and secluded time this weekend to immerse myself. I've been looking forward to this for quite some time.

    Thanks, Deanna - I know I won't be disappointed.

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