Saturday, September 4, 2021

Caroline Todd, A Celebration

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I was heartsick last Saturday to learn of the sudden death of my dear friend Caroline Todd. I had just been talking with her a few weeks before, when she was a guest (always the best guest!) here on Jungle Red, and she was her usual bright and fizzy self. Caroline was not only a friend, she was a huge inspiration to me as a writer. She was a font of plots and ideas--she always had a dozen stories she thought I should tell about Duncan and Gemma and their crew. She would nag me, too, about finishing books ( which I very much deserved) and I hate knowing that she didn't get a chance to read the book in progress. I can only hope she would have liked it.

I was a fan of the Todds' books from the very first Rutledge novel, A TEST OF WILLS, but it was when we began to share the same publisher, William Morrow, that we started to do events and book tours together and really got to be friends. 


We had so much fun together, sometime the three of us, sometimes just Caroline and me. Caroline had so much enthusiasm for everything. I took this photo of her in Charleston a good few years ago-- Caroline shooting Caroline-- and it has ever since been one of my favorite shots of her, because she always wanted to record everything!


All the tours blur together, but little disparate bits stand out for me. One was a visit to Lake Country, Florida, for a book festival; we were put up in a little Holiday Inn that seemed in the middle of nowhere. We had no transportation until the car service was to pick us up for the following day's event, and the only place to eat was a little shack of a place across the asphalt parking lot. We walked over for dinner in great trepidation, crossed a walkway over an alligator-infested inlet, and found ourselves on big deck overlooking a lake. The food, it turned out, was fabulous, and I can still hear Caroline raving about the smoked whitefish dip. We would always talk about that when we got together.

I can track the passage of time from the books in the photos, but Caroline never seemed to change.


RHYS BOWEN: I was utterly shocked and stunned to learn of Caroline Todd’s death last Saturday. On the day when she would have been feted as guest of honor at Bouchercon. What horrible irony.

Caroline was a dear friend. We didn’t see each other often, in the way that it is with the mystery community, but I usually managed to have lunch with her and Barbara Peters when she came to Scottsdale, or share a meal when we both attended the Tuscon Festival of Books. Of course I was on frequent panels with her as we both wrote similar historical series.

A word to sum her up. Lovely. She was a lovely, classy, warm lady. Full of enthusiasm. Always looking forward to the next trip to England and what they would discover there.  Having just started to write a series with my own daughter I looked to the Todds as the role model for the perfect writing team. They brought out the best in each other.  Their myriad fans will be heartbroken. I know I am.

DEBS: Would that all approached life with as much delight, grace, and wit as Caroline. My heart goes out to Charles and all of her family. Hers was truly a life well lived, and the world is a poorer place without her in it.


32 comments:

  1. This is such sad news . . . our thoughts and prayers are with Charles and her family. She will be missed . . . .

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  2. I've yet to read any of her books, but I have heard such wonderful stories about her over the years, and enjoy the Charles Todd guest posts over the years.

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  3. I feel fortunate to have met Caroline. Although it was only once, it was quality time, the three of us sitting around Deb's kitchen island, nibbling on whatever snacks our always-prepared hostess offered, sipping wine, and listening to Caroline tell about going up in a vintage bi-wing airplane. She must have been doing research for her latest Bess Crawford book. She just twinkled with enthusiasm and fun. I felt so lucky to be there and hear her tell about her adventures. Her death is such a loss, not only as a writer, but as a wonderful person.

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    1. That was after Wren was born. I still have the little stained glass wren she bought for our kitchen window. She loved the dogs, too, and would always ask about them after that visit.

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  4. These stories bring her to life. I was just about to (finally) start on the Bess series when I heard this news. I met Caroline once at a conference and found her as delightful as you and Rhys describe.

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    1. I think you will love the Bess books, Edith. They're first person and quite different from the Rutledge novels. Although I think Caroline loved them both equally.

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  5. When I saw the news of Caroline's death last weekend, I was stunned. Rhys, thank you for sharing Charles's post. "She was just here," I thought. Debs, I am deeply saddened for Charles and her family, for you and her friends and for her fans. It is a huge loss for this community. May her memory be a blessing.

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  6. Exactly what Judy said, a huge loss for our mystery community. I'm glad you (Rhys and Debs) have special moments to remember.

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  7. I've not met Caroline, but like most of the mystery community, I knew of her and of her amazing wit, generosity, and zest for life. My deepest condolences to Charles, her family and to all those whose life she touched. Deborah and Rhys, thank you for sharing moments with us all.

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  8. Very sad news but Deborah you have brought her to life for me. How wonderful are those memories!

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  9. A fine tribute to Caroline, Debs and Rhys. The only conversation I ever had with her was here on the blog, but I was lucky enough to sit in on a couple panel discussions at conferences where she and Charles were on the dais. May her memory always be a blessing.

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  10. A lovely tribute. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to have enjoyable conversations with Caroline. She will be missed.

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  11. I enjoyed Caroline and Charles's participation on a panel at Magna Cum Murder in Indianapolis a few years ago. She was gracious and full of zest, anticipating trips to research her future books.

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  12. I remember early on when I knew nothing about our genre, I was on a panel with Caroline. She was so generous and smart and so NOT needing to prove anything. The writing stands for itself. Debs, love reading your memories about being 'on tour' together.

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    1. One thing you soon learned on tour was that Caroline loved her sweets. And cats--she could never resist a cat!

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  13. I have never met anyone so consistently lovely. So generous, and so enthusiastic, and so genuinely curious and authentic.. I interviewed her once for the ALA convention, and it was one of the most life-changing discussions I have ever had. She was a wonderful conversationalist, really forthright and honest. I asked her how she and Charles worked together, and she told me that they each wrote, for instance, chapter 1. And then they would compare their chapters, and decide what to keep. Then they would each write a chapter 2, and so on.

    I was absolutely baffled by this. In the midst of the interview, I looked at her and said: you mean, you write each book twice?

    And she burst out laughing, and said: “well yes, I suppose we do! I had never thought about it that way.”

    We laughed about that story for years and years. Who will forget that photo of her in the world war one airplane? And that funny aviator hat :-) she just loved it!

    I was the master of ceremonies at this year’s Anthony awards, and we learned that afternoon that she had left us. Charles asked me to talk about her a little bit in the ceremony, which I was honored to do. I will find the link and put it up.

    What a loss, and what a gift. And what a talent! And what an imagination. And what an inspiration.

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    1. Caroline was always game for anything! So funny, and such a strong personality. I see a lot of Caroline in Bess, so at least we will have the books to reread.

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  14. That was a lovely tribute to a lovely lady. Debs, you introduce me to the Todds in Phoenix, and I fell in love with Caroline while Julie and Charles went out to find the rest of the smokers! I met her again in Toronto, and then in Dallas, where we checked in together. I had a walker and she was gamely handling her own luggage. She seemed invincible. The news of her death was a complete surprise. Had she been ill? I suppose so.

    After she was here, I posted a picture of Caroline, Rhys, and Debs on their panel in Toronto. I was sitting in the front row beside Charles. He kept nodding off and then jerking awake. It kept me as amused as hearing what the panel had to say!

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    1. I didn't see that picture, Ann. I'll have to go back and look for it. Caroline really did seem invincible. I know she was looking forward to going back to England this year.

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  15. I couldn't take the news in at first--she was just 'here' on JRW so recently. Deepest sympathy to Charles and all who loved her. Those were some of my absolute favorite books--and blog posts on JRW as well. For those of you who were friends, who had met her in person--that's exactly how she came across on this blog--funny, gracious, giving, full of zest. As Hank said so well--'What a loss, and what a gift.'

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  16. Still in shock to learn that Caroline passed away. I thought that she would live to be 100 years old. Like Rhys, I was thinking about the irony. I was fortunate to meet Caroline and her son Charles at my first Malice Domestic conference in 2016 and again when my Mom and I travelled to Vancouver for the Left Coast Crime conference. My Mom and Caroline had a wonderful conversation. I remember Caroline's kindness. I think that I have a photo of us with Caroline and Charles.

    She was an inspiration to us all. This is a lovely tribute for a lovely lady. My deepest condolences to Charles, her family and all who loved her. We all have wonderful memories of meeting her.

    Diana

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  17. I only met Caroline a few times at book signings at the Pen but she was always a delight to listen to - so smart and witty - and always had a twinkle in her eye. She will be greatly missed.

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  18. I was shocked when I read Charles's post last weekend. That was so unexpected. I first met the Charles Todd duo at Murder by the Book years ago. They were doing talks and book signings for their latest Ian Rutledge mystery. I happily met them again at the Dallas Bouchercon at the publisher event (free books!!!) and got my pre-publication Ian book signed by them. She was such a sweetheart.

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  19. So sad. I loved her books and the WWI timeline. I lost two cousins in that war, one from England at the Somme, the other from PA in France two days after the Armistice was signed. The settings in the the books were so vivid I felt transported to another place each time I opened one of the book covers. I could never tell which parts were Charles' or Caroline's because their writing was seamlessly perfect. Yes, she will greatly be missed.

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  20. I only knew her through JRW's. How sad, and how lovely that tributes can be so perfectly expressed by those who both knew her and knew of her. May your grieving be healing.

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  21. I always enjoyed speaking with Caroline as we met at conferences and industry parties over the years. She was truly a model for how to live well at any age - engaged, hard working, interested in everything around her and always glad to meet people. What a sad loss.

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  22. So sad to hear of Caroline's death. The Charles Todd books are among my favorites, and it sounds like she was a lovely lady. I always loved the remembrances of family pets in the books' dedications. My heart goes out to Charles and all of Caroline's family.

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  23. Caroline was lovely. Genuinely nice. KIND and ready to help a fellow author. I know because I asked her and Charles for a big favor once and they came through with flying colors.

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  24. What a lovely tribute to your dear friend, Debs. It was such a shock to hear of Caroline's death, a shining example of what a human being and a writer should be. She was the epitome of gracious, to everyone. I can't begin to imagine what a hole she leaves in the lives of her son and daughter, who worked and traveled and shared their lives with her. And, Debs, I know it's a friendship you will greatly miss. I think you summed it up perfectly, Debs, "Hers was truly a life well lived, and the world is a poorer place without her in it."

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  25. I'm so sorry to hear of your good friend Caroline's passing. My heart goes out to you both and to her family. Thank you for sharing these wonderful memories.

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  26. I have Deborah to thank for my discovery of the Todds’ work. After attending an event at which the three writers were presenting together, and hearing about the Todds collaboration, I was moved to buy my first Bess Crawford novel. I never looked back, reading all the other Bess books AND all the Ian Rutledge books. Thanks, Deborah, for introducing me to these books while I could still imagine Caroline hard at work at the next one!

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