Wednesday, January 22, 2020

What We're Writing: Rhys tackles two times

RHYS BOWEN: Hi, Rhys here, deep in the throes of my new novel that will be called THE VENICE LEGACY, SKETCHBOOKS, SECRET, KEYS or whatever marketing thinks will sell books. It's set in various time periods: 1928, 1938, 1939-45 and 2001.  So a lot of jumping around which for the author is a challenge as I don't want to confuse my readers. I don't want anyone to say, "Wait--where are we now?"  So it all has to be done smoothly, with two stories unfolding at the same time, one giving clues to the other. And... it's not easy.

I am on one of the chapters that is my present day story. Well, not exactly present day but 2001.  Why that year, you ask? Because it had to be realistic that a character from WWII could still be alive AND the added drama of the World Trade Center has to play into the character's life and motivation.  And so in my present day story Caroline Grant's husband has gone to New York to enter a fashion competition, stayed there, made a name for himself and now wants equal custody of their son. The son has been with him for the summer but when it comes time to return him there have been excuses-an ear infection and the doctor says he shouldn't fly. And then the Twin Towers....

. The Venice Inheritance/Key/Sketchbooks, Legacy, Secret etc
That year in Venice, Long Ago in Venice. The  (Three) keys to Venice



The first Caroline knew of it was a strange hysterical sobbing that came from the conference room. Intrigued she followed the sound and found people already crowded inside the door, staring at the television screen that sat on a shelf at the far end of the room. One young secretary had her hands to her mouth and was producing great heaving sobs while an older editor had an arm around her shoulder. The others were strangely silent. Caroline stared at the screen, unable to realize immediately what she was seeing. She looked to a colleague.
            “What is it?”
            “The World Trade Centre in New York. Apparently an aeroplane flew into one of the skyscrapers. A big passenger jet. The upper floors are on fire.”
            “How terrible. How sad.”
            Suddenly the girl at the front screamed and pointed. “There’s another one. Look!”
            And they watched in horror as a second passenger jet flew in direct line at the second tower, striking it in a fireball.
            “It can’t be an accident,” someone said.
            “It must be a terrorist attack.”
            “I bet it’s that idiot Osama Bin Laden.”
            “Oh God. How many more of them might there be?”
            Caroline couldn’t speak. She was finding it hard to breathe. My son is in New York, she thought. She hadn’t ever checked where exactly Desiree’s penthouse was in the city. Surely not in the financial district where the towers were. Surely somewhere suitably safe and far away…
            She pushed her way past more people who now blocked the doorway, rushed to her desk and fumbled in her purse for her telephone book. Her hand was trembling so much that she found it hard to dial the number.
            “I’m sorry. All circuits are currently busy” said a mechanical voice. “Please try again later.”
            She tried every fifteen minutes, all night, until about three in the morning the phone at the other end rang. “Hello?” said a sleepy woman’s voice. “What is it?”
            “It’s Caroline Grant,” She gasped out the words. “Is Josh there? And Teddy? You’re all safe?”
            “Oh yes. We’re fine. We’re up in the nineties. Miles away. Josh tried to call you yesterday, after it happened, but nobody could make phone-calls. It was unbelievable, wasn’t it? Surreal, watching those towers fall.”
            “Awful,” Caroline agreed. “Can I speak to Josh, please?”
            “He’s still asleep. Hold on a minute. I’ll wake him for you.”
            Caroline heard her saying “Your ex-wife on the phone, from London. You’d better wake up.”
            Then a long pause and Josh’s voice. “Hey, Cara. We’re fine. I tried to call you. Everything’s okay here. The kids were quite upset when they saw it, but they’ll get over it. Talk to you later, okay?”
            She put down the phone and gave a big sigh of relief. They were fine. Her son was fine. She swallowed back tears. News programs on TV broadcast almost incessant updates. The Pentagon hit. Another plane crashing in a field in Pennsylvania. All flights canceled. All transportation stalled. Saudi nationals responsible… and yes, it was that idiot Osama Bin Laden behind it.
            Again she waited patiently to see when flights would resume. They’d all be overbooked, of course. All those people trapped in New York, waiting to get out. Finally she made contact with Josh. “When do you think you can fly again?Teddy’s missing school.”
            “I was going to call you, “Josh said. “Teddy’s been having nightmares. We took him to Desiree’s shrink. He says the child has a real terror of planes right now and shouldn’t fly for a while. So we’ll find a school for him here.”

You might want to ask what this might have to do with Venice: well, you'll just have to wait for the book to come out next year to find out!


34 comments:

  1. Okay, I do want to know what this has to do with Venice, but this excerpt made me feel sorry for Caroline . . . that family situation resembles a powder keg about to blow.

    Rhys, this piece really captured the grief and shock of September 11th . . . and now I’m really anxious to read the rest of the story . . . .

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  2. I love multi-time period stories. Love them! I can’t wait to see how you are going to link four of them.

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  3. If anyone can make the various time periods work, it's you. Best of luck getting it all to fall neatly into place for us.

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    1. I was just about to say this same thing, Mark! Rhys does multiple time periods so well!

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  4. First congratulations to Hank and Rhys! What lovely news to start off the day.

    Rhys, this snippet brought me right back to 9/11 it gave me chills, all the more because in your story, there is a child involved. The horror of the memories is never far from us in the world today. Well done.

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  5. Congratulations, Rhys and Hank!

    I'm already hooked by this tease of the book to come. That was a horrible day for everyone.

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  6. Many Agatha congrats! Also - that's a scene that drew me right in, Rhys.

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  7. Yes, definitely congratulations on the Agatha nominations! And it sounds like you're off to a roaring start on the next one, Rhys! A Jungle Red author who shall remain nameless has allowed me to borrow the ARC for Above the Bay of Angels, and I am really enjoying it. Best of luck with all your projects!

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  8. I have to confess, I got so caught up in that excerpt that I kind of, for the moment, don't care about Venice. I just care about this family! I have read some fiction that focused on 9/11 and its aftermath, but I'm surprised there hasn't been even more.

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  9. Congratulations on the Agatha nomination and this excerpt! I am ready to knock Josh upside the head! And that title is a dilemma--will be interesting to see what your editors choose!

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    1. Thanks Flora. Yes, Josh deserves a kick in the you know what

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  10. Why, why must we wait to see what happens next?

    Okay, maybe I'm being dramatic. But this tease makes we want to read more!

    I agree with Joan about capturing the angst and emotional trauma of that horrible day and its long-ranging effects. And may I say, I love the name Teddy for the boy.

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  11. I love reading these excerpts, but I hate having to wait so long to read more!

    Congratulations to all Reds and commenters nominated for awards today.

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  12. I'm way down at the bottom of the comments, when does this book come out again? Absolutely intrigued how World War II Venice and New York Sept 11 connect. Can't wait.

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    1. Deana, I can't tell you the month, but I do know the Venice book won't be out until 2021. Rhys works hard to keep those novels coming!

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  13. Congrats Hank and Rhys on your nominations!

    Yes, I definitely want to know what this has to do with Venice. And I feel Caroline's pain. Fortunately I was able to go right to The Girl (then not quite 14 months old) after they shut my office for the day.

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    1. Liz, I remember calling Ross, and then the kids's school. They were keeping a communications blackout - easier to do back before everyone had a cell phone - but were letting parents take their children out early. Ross and I decided to keep them in school to the end of the normal day, and then pick them up after the last bell. Our respective offices just emptied out, of course. No one got any work done that day.

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    2. Julia, at the time I worked for a software company that made an application for the financial services industry. Many of our customers were in NYC. Once they closed the stock exchange, that was the end of the day for us. I might have left her at daycare otherwise, but I didn't want to be home alone. The Hubby was still in the Army - needless to say he had a very long day.

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  14. Late to the party again!

    Congratulations, Rhys and Hank!

    Thank you, Rhys for the excerpt. I wondered if the Venice book and the Above the Bay novel were the same novel.
    Now I know they are two different novels. I remember when you were asking us for a good title for the Venice novel.

    Look forward to reading the Venice novel. Right now I am excited about reading your Above the Bay novel in February!

    Diana

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  15. Rhys, I can't WAIT to read this book!! I know how challenging it is to juggle timelines, but I'm sure you will pull it off beautifully. And what a great job you've done here of invoking the shock and horror of 9/11. I want this mother to be reunited with her son!

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  16. CANNOT WAIT! You are incredible, as always. xx

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  17. Oh Rhys, you have hooked me completely. I can't wait to see how 9/11 relates to Venice. And, I'm already wanting to box Josh's and Desiree's ears. What a horrible position Caroline has found herself and her son in. This is going to be so good!

    And, let me congratulate a couple of the amazing Reds who have just gotten some outstanding award nominations. Rhys, congratulations on Love and Death Among the Cheetahs being nominated for the Agatha for Best Historical Mystery. Hank, congratulations for your nomination the Agatha for Best Contemporary Novel and the Edgar for the Mary Higgins Clark Award. Good luck to both of you. The novels were so outstanding. And, congratulations to Edith here for her Charity's Burden being nominated for the Agatha Best Historical Mystery. I sure wish there could be more than one winner.

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  18. Rhys, everyone remembers where she was that day, the shock, the fright, the anger. This story has captured me already and I can hardly wait to read it. Fortunately, I have lots of "Reds" to read in the meantime, including many books of yours.
    Congratulations to you, to Hank and to Edith on your nominations for Agatha and Edgar awards. Love this blog!!

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    1. My son was at drama school in New York when it happened. Luckily he called me instantly.

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  19. Congratulations to the nominees. I just finished Billy Crystal's Still Fooling 'Em in which he mentions hearing about 9/11 and how worried they were about his uncle in an apartment near the Towers. They were in California but his daughter in New York kept wanting to go find the uncle. Luckily the building was evacuated, and he was safe. Rhys, you had the same tone that he did.

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  20. I don’t know how you jump time periods so seamlessly but you do! Can’t wait to read this one - it sounds fabulous!

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