Double header: Rhys Bowen's and Hallie Ephron's BOOK LAUNCHES!

TODAY is the book launch for both Hallie and Rhys! 

Lady Georgie goes to Kenya in Rhys’s Love and Death Among the Cheetahs.

Emily Harlow goes to the storage unit in Hallie's Careful What You Wish For. 

So as we both prepared to hit the road and sign a zillion books we took a moment to have a telephone chats and compare notes:

HALLIE EPHRON: Love and Death Among the Cheetahs—great title, and quite a departure for Lady Georgie, isn’t it?

RHYS BOWEN: This is book thirteen and in the Royal Spyness series I wanted Lady Georgie to have an exciting honeymoon somewhere. So I put it to my fans, where should she go? Suggestions ranged from Minneapolis to India. 

I decided that Kenya would be a great setting. I’ve always been fascinated by the “Happy Valley” set, and I thought, wouldn’t it be nice if Georgie, who is the most naïve of people, finds herself among these aristocrats who live the most dissolute lifestyle. That set all had farm properties in Kenya and lots of Kikuyu tribesmen working for them. The way the British spoke about the natives was so offensive, even toning it down I had to put in a forward apologizing and explaining.

HALLIE: So Georgie goes there on her honeymoon?”

RHYS: Georgie can’t believe her luck, that Darcy is taking her to Kenya on honeymoon. But as soon as she gets there she realizes he may have had an ulterior motive. He might be on some kind of undercover assignment. 

Georgie’s lived a very sheltered life, and at the start of the series she doesn’t have much self confidence. In this book she’s starting to feel her value as an equal. At the end of the book she doesn’t wait to consult anybody, she makes a decision that shows that she has guts.

HALLIE: This novel really emphasizes the whole British class differences that you like to feature, doesn’t it?

RHYS: It does. This is aristocrats behaving badly! One of the reasons I write the series is to satirize the British class system. 

(We’re talking on the phone and Rhys’s husband chimes in from the other room, “Nothing wrong with the British class system!”). Sorry. He’s a left-over from the glory days of British aristocrats!

But let’s talk about Careful What You Wish For.  (I love your titles, by the way, because they say suspense and creepy from the outset!).  Your novel is scary in part because the setting is so unexotic. 

HALLIE: Unexotic in the extreme! I try to write books with situations that seem utterly believable. Yes, this could happen to me, I want the reader to think. And shudder. 

My new book’s setting is more Minneapolis than Kenya--a Boston suburb that feels an awful lot like where I actually live. And “Minneapolis” can be pretty scary.

Though we don’t have ‘class’ differences the way the Brits do, we certainly have economic differences that are just as telling. The action takes places in two ordinary houses, one over-the-top mansion, and a storage unit. What professional organizer Emily Harlow is hired to sort out in that storage unit drives the story. Stuff my husband would die for: old books, prints, doorknobs.

Like me, professional organizer, Emily Harlow, is married to a packrat. She’s come to terms with it and knows he’s unlikely to change.

RHYS: The person I’m married to saves everything because we might need it some day. You’re married to the person who’s still looking for that wonderful bargain or that special thing at garage sales and always brings home stuff you don’t need.

Did you find writing a professional organizer made you more conscious of your own organization. Did you find yourself folding your socks?

HALLIE: I did. My socks. My T-shirts. My underwear. And it is very pleasing to open that drawer and find all my things neatly rolled and standing at attention. Not so much fun, putting the laundry away. 

RHYS: It hasn’t spread to this house yet. Probably never will. Do you find when you’re writing you take on the characteristics you’re writing about?

HALLIE: I don’t think so. But I test the believability of whatever I’m having the character do. I don’t become them, but I do try them on. Don’t you do that?

RHYS: Sometimes I even get involved in their lives. For example if I’m writing a scene in the middle of winter, I feel really cold. Even if it’s summer. There are times when I’ve snapped at John and then realized I’m not angry at him, it’s Molly Murphy who’s angry with Daniel.

HALLIE: When we started talking I was thinking how different our books are. You write wonderful, tongue-in-cheek, British flavored historical mysteries. I write domestic suspense set in any-suburb USA. 

But this time out I realize we’re both writing about marriage, and the kinds of compromises and tradeoffs that ensue. 

RHYS: You’re right. It’s interesting that settings can be so different but human problems and dilemmas have always been so much the same. So wishing you every success with the new book, that has already garnered such great reviews. I’ll raise a glass to you at my own launch party tonight at Book Passage in Corte Madera and look forward to seeing some friendly faces as I set out around the country this week.

HALLIE: Toasting you back! And hoping to see some friendly faces from Jungle Red at my book launch events: 

Wednesday August 7 @7PM at Brookline Booksmith in conversation with professional organizer Kathy Vines

and
Thursday August 8 at RJ Julia @7PM in conversation with Lucy Burdette.

Where to find us... 

Rhys’s schedule 

Hallie’s schedule 

Read excerpts from CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

Read Chapter 1

Read Chapter 2
Read Chapter 3

Read an excerpt from LOVE AND DEATH AMONG THE CHEETAHS

Read Chapter 1 

Talking about fictional couples whose differences were a driving force in the story, what books, TV shows, movies come to mind? Rhett and Scarlet. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Jim and Pam. And...

Rhys on What We're Writing: Georgie and the dangers of Africa

RHYS BOWEN: My next Royal Spyness book comes out in August and it's called LOVE AND DEATH AMONG THE CHEETAHS.  As you read it you will appreciate the play on words in this title. The book takes place in the part of Kenya known as the Happy Valley where British aristocrats lived a life of sex, drugs and rock-and-roll. Georgie and Darcy go there on their honeymoon and you can imagine how shocked Georgie would be at this sort of behavior.  Her great grandmother Queen Victoria certainly would not have been amused!

Georgie is entranced at such a wonderful honeymoon until she realizes that Darcy must have an ulterior motive for taking her there. Something is going on, beyond the debauchery. However it seems that all around there are dangers big and small, both human and animal. This scene is part of Georgie's introduction to the area:

I glanced around and realized I had come further than I intended. I could only just catch a glimpse of the house through the trees.

            “I should go back,” I told myself.

            I nearly jumped out of my skin when a deep voice right behind me said, “Don’t move. Don’t take another step.”

            I wanted to turn and see who was speaking, but I did as I was told and remained frozen.

            “Now slowly step backward,” said the voice, “And slightly to your left.”

            I took one step backward, then another until a pair of hands landed on my shoulders, making me jump again. This time I turned around and saw a large middle aged man with a weathered face and a strong jaw line looking down at me. In his youth he would have been extremely handsome. He was quite good looking still, a powerful man with deeply tanned skin and bright blue eyes. His sun-streaked  hair he wore rather long so that it curled over his collar. In spite of the cold he was wearing an open necked shirt.

            “You should look where you are walking and not take the forest lightly,” he said. “All sort of things live here that would love to kill you.”

“Was I in danger?” I asked. I scanned the trees, trying to spot a lurking lion or elephant but could see nothing.

“You really were,” he said. “One of the most deadly encounters you could have is right at your feet.”

He pointed to the forest floor. A foot or so ahead of me was a wide black ribbon and it was alive and moving.

“Siafu,” he said.

I peered at them. “Ants?”

“Driver ants. They can kill anything that is weak or can’t move. If you tripped and fell down they’d swarm all over you in seconds and even if you managed to run away their bite is extremely painful. In fact the soldier ants at the outside of the column bite and won’t let go. The Masai use them for sutures when they are gashed in the bush.”

I was still staring in fascination at the black moving ribbon of ants. Then I remembered my manners and turned to my rescuer. “Thank you so much. You obviously saved me from a nasty fate.”

“Glad to be of service,” he said. “Even though I should shoot you as a trespasser on my land.”

“Your land? Golly , I thought I was in Diddy’s back garden,” I said.

“Up here at the edge of the forest our estates merge,” he said. “We don’t put up fences. No point. The elephants would just knock them down.  You’re also lucky you didn’t meet an elephant, by the way.” He held out a large hand. “I’m Lord Cheriton. They call me Bwana around here. And you are?”

“Lady Georgiana Rannoch—I mean O’Mara,” I said. “I’m sorry, this has quite unnerved me. I’ve just got married. I keep forgetting.”

He laughed then. “Lady Georgiana. Of course. How delightful to meet you. My daughter mentioned you were on the same flight as they were. Come and have some breakfast.”

“I should get back,” I said. “. My husband will be worrying where I’ve got to.”

“Then let me escort you back,” he said. “You never know what other dangers might be

lurking Here, take my arm.”

I could hardly refuse although to be honest I wasn’t quite happy with the way he was looking at me. Rather like the big bad wolf when Little Red Riding hood stepped into the cottage. I half expected him to lick his lips.  Before I could take his arm he had slipped a hand around my waist. “What a delectable little creature you are,” he said. “I shall enjoy getting to know you better."

Will Georgie escape the amorous Lord Cheriton? Will there be worse encounters ahead? And as she puts to Darcy one night, "Exactly why are we here?"
Love and Death Among the Cheetahs is published August 6 and my crazy tour schedule is on my website. Maybe I'll be coming to a town near you. I hope so!. 
AND By the Way: Berkley are going to be having a big celebration for the tenth anniversary of the paperback release of HER ROYAL SPYNESS. Watch out for giveaways!

Familiar faces in unfamiliar places from the Brits

HALLIE EPHRON: I'm terrible at recognizing people, out of context.

I was once at a reception sponsored by People Magazine at BookExpo, chatting with a man who looked so familiar. “Haven’t I met you somewhere before,” I asked him.

“You might have seen me on television,” he said.

Blank.

“On The Office?" he says.

Doink. It was B.J. Novak, a very distinctive looking actor who played Ryan Howard, one of the misfits at Dunder Mifflin. And I am mortified. But really, who expects to end up chatting with a TV star at a book event, even if it is sponsored by People.

I have that same experience watching British TV shows. I see an actor and I think, You look familiar. Don’t I know you? And in a way, I do.

It's disconcerting when James Norton, who plays the human/saintly detective/vicar Sidney Cambers in Grantchester turns up as psychopathic, ex-con, drug dealer Tommy Lee Royce in Happy Valley. 

I got very attached to Honeysuckle Weeks as Foyle’s driver and assistant on Foyle’s War. Now she turns up on Midsomer Murders, Inspector Lewis, and Death in Paradise playing characters who bear no resemblance to plucky Sam.

Amanda Abbington, who plays Watson’s wife, Mary Morstan, in Sherlock (I'm still getting over her death) turns up in Case Histories as Jackson Brody’s former boss, DCI Louise Munroe. Now she's one of the leads in a new series on Netflix, Safe. (Did you know she's married... now getting divorced from Martin Freeman (who by the way played Bilbo Baggins in the movie of The Hobbit) who played Watson?)

Sometimes it seems as if the BBC has about fourteen actors that get recycled in their programs. It’s like subscribing to an ensemble company. And by the way, whenever you see one of those actors whom you recognize turn up on a whodunit like Midsummer Murders or Father Brown or Death in Paradise, you can be pretty sure shedunnit.

Last Tango in Halifax is a good example of a cast who pop up in multiple other programs. I'm a particular fan of Nicola Walker who's now one of the leads on Unforgotten.

Do you find yourself watching British TV shows, pointing to one of the actors and asking, "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

Reds' best female TV detectives

HALLIE EPHRON: Last week, when special agent Dana Scully M.D. of X-FILES came up, it got me thinking about what it was that I loved about her. Smart and beautiful are givens. Gillian Anderson (red hair, blue eyes...) played her, facing apparently inexplicable phenomenon with disbelief and a steel-trap mind. Performing gruesome autopsies with sangfroid. And she was subtle, an eyebrow twitch sometimes all she needed to convey her sardonic cynicism.

To my list of greats I'd add Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick). I missed THE CLOSER the first time around so I'm enjoying the reruns now. Love that candy-coated smile that lets her get away with bullying the officers who work for her and the suspects she interrogates, and that moment in each show when her shell melts and we see her true empathy, even for the person she's about to put away.

And third, BBC's SCOTT AND BAILEY (Surranne Jones as DC Rachel Bailey and Lesley Sharp as DC Janet Scott). Fantastically flawed complex characters, this pair make Cagney & Lacey look like Veronica & Betty. What rivets me is their interrogation techniques. And of course the broader (subtle) social issues the show doesn't shy away from. Why is this show so hard to find? It's easily my #1 favorite of the past 5 years.

LUCY BURDETTE: How about Sarah Lancashire as the detective in HAPPY VALLEY? She's so down to earth, but no nonsense too. (And the first episode did win the Edgar award last year.)

Truth is, I don't watch enough TV to be much help. Though I have gotten hooked on THE GOOD WIFE, only 6 seasons late! Alicia (Julia Margulies) is a terrific lawyer character, and better late than never...

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Hands down, the best female detective ever written for TV is DCI Jane Tennison. I mean, even if she hadn't been played by Helen Mirren, one of the finest actresses working today, Tennison stands out as both a hero and an object lesson of what being a law enforcement officer can do to a human being and what being the first woman in a men's-only club actually takes.

I had to go back and check to see that the first season of PRIME SUSPECT aired on ITV in 1991. I couldn't believe it, because the issues are so contemporary. I also think the success of PRIME SUSPECT in the US - it was nominated for/ won 14 Emmys - set the stage for some of the harder edged, more complicated female detectives we've seen since then.

I still think there are way too many shows (coughNCIScough) that have only Quirky Girl. Sexy Girl and Hard Nosed Bitch.

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Speaking of Dana Scully, I'd include Gillian Anderson's spectacular turn as Detective Chief Superintendant Stella Gibson in BBC's THE FALL. I've watched both seasons (they're short) twice and will probably watch them again. (Just for the record, Karin Slaughter loves it too, and we had a great conversation about how it subverts all kinds of women/serial killer tropes.) The Atlantic calls it "the most feminist show on television."

Basically, if you haven't watched it, you must stop everything in your life and do so now. I'll wait.
RHYS BOWEN: Like Lucy I don't watch that much TV except for BBC and PBS. My shining example of a female detective is Jane Tennison, played by Helen Mirren. She is so real and flawed and her detecting process has that ring of authenticity to it. I also enjoy Miss Fisher, but I think it's mainly for the clothes!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Oh, my brain is failing, I know there are more, but Susan I agree, certainly, with the Gillian Anderson character on THE FALL. We were riveted! (Could you BELIEVE who played the bad guy?)

And Lucy, agree with HAPPY VALLEY, too, and so delighted you could remember the name of the series. By random chance, we watched an episode of ELEMENTARY the other night, and Lucy Liu as Dr. Watson is pretty great. And I am very into MADAME SECRETARY, because although technically not a sleuth, the Tea Leoni character—secretary of state!—is terrific. And I cannot wait for her to play Jane Ryland. (Just hoping.)

DEBORAH CROMBIE:  I agree with all of the above, but especially loved Dana Scully and Gillian Anderson is absolutely brilliant in THE FALL. (I haven't seen the second series. Must watch now!)

Also 100% with Hallie on SCOTT AND BAILEY. I LOVE this show. I think it's the best show with female detectives ever done on television--probably best including movies. Scott and Baily are so real and so multi-layered and so fallible and SO good at their jobs. If you haven't see this, find it.

One more, going back to the 90s, and not a cop, so I'm fudging a little. But I loved Jill Hennessey as the investigating medical examiner in CROSSING JORDAN. Great character, great ensemble cast, great writing.

Oh, and yes to Julia on the "One Quirky Girl." So annoying. Although NCIS New Orleans now has two female detectives and a terrific female medical examiner.

And LOVE Lucy Liu in ELEMENTARY!

And can I just add, if you want to see great interview technique, watch Janet Scott in Scott and Baily. I would tell her anything!

HALLIE: So who would you add to this pantheon of great female TV detectives, and if you have any pet peeves on the topic, air away!