Missing My Friends!

 RHYS BOWEN: Recently I've realizing how much I miss my friends. When I first started writing mystery novels I had no idea that I'd be part of such a warm, welcoming community or that I'd make true, lasting and deep friendships--almost like the sisters I never had.

It's been two years since I hung out with my fellow Jungle Reds at Bouchercon in Dallas. And what a great time we had. Lots of good meals and laughter. I'm just praying that all is well by next year's Malice and Julia and I can have our moment in the sun as Guests of Honor.

But lately I have had a couple of treats. I had coffee with Jacqueline Winspear last month and last week I spent a delightful morning at the farmer's market with Cara Black and her husband, who then came back to lunch at our house.

We talked about how we missed our tours together. For many years Cara and I had a book released at the same time in March and set off on a book tour together. We had our share of adventures: the motel I booked because it was on the beach and looked delightful only to find they turned off the hot water during the day and we needed to shower before a bookstore appearance.

Or the time we spoke at a bookstore and were dining with the owner when the whole cafe shook and rattled. Earthquake (it turned out to be quite a major one with people killed). The next morning I was giving a speech at a writer's conference in the Marriott hotel when the chandeliers on the ceiling danced like crazy making a loud tinkling noise. My audience rushed for the doors, leaving me wondering whether I was supposed to go down with the ship or I too could flee.

Cara's experience on that tour was to speak to a ladies Hadassah luncheon. at which they all ate from brown bags but never offered her even a glass of water!

However our most unusual experience was speaking to a nudist resort. That's right. Nudist. We were invited with David Corbett, who was more nervous than we were as we drove up into the mountains. Luckily it was a freezing cold evening and most people were clothed. They made me speak first (Cara always does that!). I'm at the podium when a man walks across, right in front of me. He is wearing a beard and a VERY SMALL BACKPACK. That's it. Strolls slowly in front of me.  I keep talking. He strolls slowly back. I'm dying to say "I've seen bigger and better" but I'm a professional. I don't bat an eyelid.

I reminiscing today because Cara's publisher is highlighting her latest book, THREE HOURS IN PARIS. If you haven't read it, DO.  It is a tense, brilliant thriller set in the early days of WWII and it's at a special price this week.

Here are the details:

The US ebook of THREE HOURS IN PARIS is $1.99 for a limited time.

it’s a Nook Daily find on 8/23

Kindle Deal of the Day 8/25

Bookbub 8/26 

amazon link here

https://www.amazon.com/Three-Hours-Paris-Cara-Black-ebook/dp/B07V8CQTMY/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

And here's to hoping we can all meet up again very soon!

It All Started at a Jumble Sale

RHYS: Today I'm delighted to welcome my dear friend Jacqueline Winspear to celebrate the much anticipated release of her new historical novel, set during the First World War.

JACQUELINE: When Rhys asked if I would like to be a guest blogger on Jungle Red Writers, it took me no time at all to tap out an email in reply:  “I’d love to!” I said. So here I am, and it’s great to be here.

 

 

I’ve always been interested in where stories come from, how a germ of an idea ignites in a writer’s mind and then takes hold until it sparkles with possibility.  And sometimes it’s a pretty small event that starts the ball rolling, something you almost miss, but you don’t because you’re paying attention – a chance meeting in a shop, or something seen while on a train in another city.  Perhaps that’s why I love just walking around without a map when I’m in a place for the first time – I can feel myself tingling with anticipation, wondering what might cross my path to light a fire that becomes another story.

 

 

It was over twenty-five years ago that I came across a book that would go on to inspire my new novel, The Care and Management of Lies.  At the time I was working in academic publishing – which, in case you don’t know, has as much in common with general book publishing as flower arranging has with explosives. My job involved visiting professors in university science departments to introduce them to the company’s products, in addition to perhaps getting them to write textbooks, on subjects as riveting as, say, compiler design, or electronic control systems, or biochemistry, or magnetic imaging.  Yeah, can’t wait to read them, can you? 

 

 

 

It was a pretty intense job with little time outside work, however, when a friend asked me if I would join her in running a weekends-only stall on London’s Portobello Road, I said yes immediately – anything for a break from academia!  We sold art deco pottery and china, as well as costume jewelry from the same era – and we had a blast! However, the enterprise needed new stock constantly, so I would occasionally go to jumble sales (rummage sales) on a Saturday instead of the market – and I would look for gems amongst other people’s throwaways, items we could resell on the stall.  It was during one of these forays that I came across a copy of The Woman’s Book, published in 1911. 

 

 

 

The book was battered and torn, the cover was hanging on by threads and the pages were foxed.  But it was the inscription that took my breath away, for the book had been given to a young woman on the occasion of her marriage, just one month before the outbreak of WW1 – a war that became the first defining human tragedy of the fledgling twentieth century.  And as I read that inscription, I wondered what had happened to the young couple.  Had the husband marched away to war and been killed?  Had he returned wounded and shell-shocked?  And what of the young woman – had she been widowed before even knowing a year of marriage?  I could not stop thinking about the woman who had received this book.

 

Over time, my imaginings began to take shape, and soon I’d given the young couple names – Kezia and Tom.  Kezia was my great-grandmother’s name, and I loved it. I gave them a home in Kent – it’s where I was born and raised, a place always in my heart.  Other characters gatecrashed the story and I allowed them in – the oh-so passionate Thea, and honorable Edmund.  I loved creating Kezia’s father, who becomes an army chaplain, and even though she has only a small part, Kezia’s mother is a woman who sets her boundaries with ease.  Then Tom goes to war.

 

 

 

I never thought I would write my novel inspired by The Women’s Book, but there came a time when I knew I must, so the fact that The Care and Management of Lies will be published on July 1^st is a milestone for me.  When I first had that idea I was in my mid-twenties, a young woman with a dream of being a writer who didn’t quite know how to go about it, except to write, I suppose.  Frankly, it took me a long time to stick my neck out and try to get my work in print – I was in my mid-forties when Maisie Dobbs was published.  So, I suppose that when I see the first bound copy of my new novel, it will be quite an emotional time for me – you see, when I think back to the moment I picked up that copy of The Women’s Book, I never imagined I would one day be a published author writing about where stories come from on a blog alongside authors I so admire.

 

 

 

So, dear reader, if I had just one piece of advice for you – when you have that idea for a story, get to it and start work.  Now. 

 

 

 

And thank you Rhys, and everyone at Jungle Red Writers for inviting me along today!

 

RHYS: Thank you for this lovely piece, Jackie and we're all raising our glasses to your new book!
The Care and Management of Lies will be in stores and winging its way to your Kindle, Nook etc on July 1.

Characters Welcome! A guest blog by Lesa Holstine

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING:  Our guest today is Lesa Holstine, eponymous blogger of Lesa's Book Critiques, one of the smartest book review sites on the web. I'm going to quote her own blog profile to give you an idea of her range:

Lesa has been a library manager/administrator for over 30 years, in Ohio, Florida, Arizona, and, now, Indiana. Winner of the 2011 Arizona Library Association Outstanding Library Service Award. She is a contributing Book Reviewer for Library Journal, Mystery Readers Journal, ReadertoReader.com and VibrantNation.com. Winner of the 2009 and 2010 Spinetingler Awards for Best Reviewer. First Fan Guest of Honor for Desert Sleuths Chapter of Sisters in Crime, Write Now! Conference.

 In other words, Lesa loves books. A lot. Today, she shares with us  - aspiring authors, pay attention! - that one thing that makes a good story a great read.

“Characters welcome” is the slogan of the USA Network, but it could be the slogan for my mother’s side of the family as well. We’re all readers. I just happen to be the one in the family who writes a blog about books. I started Lesa’s Book Critiques eight and a half years ago as a place where I could talk about what I had read. And, I didn’t care if it was only my family who read the posts. My mother was one of seven children, and there are more than forty first cousins in my generation. So, I not only discuss books on my blog, but I write a book column in the family newsletter. And, it’s not uncommon for my Mom and my sisters to all read a book at the same time, something I featured on my blog.

Why am I mentioning my extended family of readers today? Because I was just home for a week, together with my Mom and both sisters. We do talk about books on the phone, but this was a chance to talk in person. And, we’re all passionate about mysteries. We take characters and mysteries very seriously. We want authors to bring characters to life. And, I know we’re not the only ones. Why else would Rhys Bowen have so many comments on Facebook when she asked how far Lady Georgie and her love interest, Darcy, should go? Readers care.

If you had overheard our conversations this week, you would have heard one of my sisters recommend Jacquelyn Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs books to the other. She referred to them as meaty books in which she learned a lot about British history. And, you would have heard me passionately discuss the development of Jane Cleland’s Josie Prescott series. My sister teased me, knowing my pet peeve. “What? Josie Prescott isn’t Too Stupid to Live?” I analyzed Josie’s growth from a lonely woman to a strong woman who has gathered around her a family made of co-workers, friends and a cat. And, she is smart enough to work with the police, not against them.

Can you tell we care about characters and how they change? My youngest sister’s email notes to me probably contain much better and more succinct reviews than any of mine. She’ll complain about a character who dumps a boyfriend, or she’ll tell me the sleuth’s behavior was inconsistent. I have a cousin who reads the mysteries, and drops me notes commenting on the development of the series.

I wrote the chapter on “Mystery Fiction” for the latest edition of Genreflecting. I discuss Julia’s books, Deborah’s, Rhys’, Jane’s, and Hank’s, among others. Why? Their characters fit my comment. “Most readers of mysteries will also say they read the books for the appeal of the characters.” And, I’ll honestly tell you that I drop a series if the sleuth is consistently “Too Stupid to Live”. I also disliked a recent bestseller that lasted forever on the lists. I hated the characters.

When authors ask what they should write about when they do a guest blog, I often suggest they do an interview with their sleuth, or allow a couple characters to do the guest blog. It’s fun to see the questions an author will ask of the character. And, I’ve seen some very revealing questions and comments come from those characters. Sometimes, the sleuth has interviewed the author, which can be funny.

I want to like your characters. And, my extended family reads my blog, and the newsletter. We talk about your books, but we really talk about your characters. We care, and we can be passionate about our likes and dislikes. We’re not telling you what to write, or how to develop your characters. As readers, we really just want you to know we appreciate what you do, and we sometimes discuss your books and characters as if they were acquaintances. Give us characters to love, and we’ll forgive a weak mystery now and then. I’m sure I’m not the only one who read every Spenser book by Robert B. Parker because I adored the character even when the mysteries grew weak. So, “Characters welcome”, please.

What do you look for in characters, dear readers? Who are the most memorable ones for you? Join in the discussion, and one lucky commenter will win an ARC of THROUGH THE EVIL DAYS!

Lesa Holstine blogs about books and reading at Lesa's Book Critiques. You can also like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter as @LesaHolstine and keep up with all her posts on Tumblr.

Coincidence?

RHYS BOWEN: Do you read online reviews? I know I shouldn't, but I do. And then I'm miffed if someone says something snippy about my books, especially when I feel it's unjustified.  This happened to me the other day when I read a review of Murphy's Law, which is now an eleven year old book, which said the plot relied on coincidence. Apart from the fact that this book won four awards, the only coincidence in the story is that the false name my character is using becomes a prime suspect in a murder on Ellis Island. 

We're often told that coincidences are a no-no in writing, and I agree that we can't use coincidence to solve major plot points. However I'm always amazed how often coincidences happen in real life. Amazing coincidences.  Here are a couple from my own experience:
My daughter goes to Europe. She happens to be in Germany, looking at the Brandenburg Gate when she hears a voice behind her that she recognizes. She turns around and there is my good friend's mother. Neither knew the other would be in Europe.
Or how about this. We go to Ashland to the Shakespeare festival. We're waiting in line to get to our seats when we are tapped on the shoulder and our next door neighbors are standing there. What's more they have seats next to ours.
Or this. I'm in e-mail correspondence with a person who runs a book review site. We are getting along well and become chatty. Where do you live? She asks. In California. So do I. Where abouts? Just outside San Francisco. So do I. Where. San Rafael. So do I. We're neighbors.


And at Left Coast Crime two weeks ago I had to interview Guest of Honor Jacqueline Winspear. I started by quoting all we had in common: grew up in Kent, worked in London, moved to California, married someone called John, write about feisty young women in 1930s England, live five miles apart. Talk about about coincidence!

So my real life seems to abound with coincidences, but I'm not allowed to put them into books. Is that fair?

How about you? Can you remember any amazing coincidences in your life? Do you feel you are allowed to bring coincidence into your stories? And readers, does it annoy you when we do?


HALLIE : Rhys, you do live a charmed life! And yes, I allow myself ONE coincidence in a book, and it's got to be in the first act.

I do remember once we were camping in Shenandoah National Park and one of my husband's college students came walking out of the woods. Very unexpected. We ran into Another one of his students on the beach in Tangiers. Those Curry College students -- they do get around.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: We go to the grocery store. There is ..oh, gosh, I can't remember, but someone Jonathan went to law school with. Random, random. They just happened to be there. Couple days later, we're there again, and the person is there AGAIN. I literally said to Jonathan: If I put this in a book, no one would buy it.

At a convention in Florida a few weeks ago, Sleuthfest, a person came up to me and said: are you from Indianapolis? I said--yes, that's where I grew up. Long back and forth ensues, which I will spare you but it was hilarious and adorable. The upshot: she is the cousin of my first husband's first wife. Now I ask you--in a book--would you believe that?

LUCY BURDETTE: No I would not! And Hallie certainly wouldn't...Writing about three different amateur sleuths over the years, I am always struggling with coincidences. Why in the world would one food critic find two bodies in succession? I would freak out if I found even one...but figuring out another way to introduce the main conflict and draw the character into the mystery is not that easy. Sigh...I'm going to be working on this today so if anyone comes up with a good idea, please send it on!

Of course not--you'd say-aw, that could never happen. And yet...

JAN BROGAN- My husband and I went to a wedding in San Franscisco a few years back, and who was playing the piano for the band? My high school flame. From New Jersey. I had been absolutely crazy about him, but he was lukewarm.  The band did this really cool thing where they came around at cocktail hour and you got to sing a cappella  with them.  I wound up having a great time singing with his bandmates.  They started heckling him, the way guys do, refusing to believe I'd ever "waste my time"  going out with him.  It was perfect.  Later he even apologized for the way he had treated me (leading me on, mostly) It was a female fantasy come true!

I kept thinking it was like an opening to a movie it was so bizarrely coincidental. Which I think goes to Hallie's point. You can have a co-ocidence in the first act - in fact, most first acts probably DO have some coincidence  to get the story rolling. You just can't resolve the story with a co-incidence.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: The most bizarre thing I can think of in real life?  A couple of years ago we were invited to a 4th of July party by friends, held in an airplane hanger in a Dallas suburb that has one of the biggest fireworks shows in the country.  We sat out on the runway to watch the show and it was a great party, but afterwards the traffic was so terrible that a group of us stood around in the parking lot, visiting, until we thought it might actually be possible to drive.  A guy asked me if I wanted to share a seat on his beer cooler.  I said, "Sure," and sat down. And in that instant we really looked at each other and simultaneously said, "Oh, my God."

It was my first really serious boyfriend.  I was madly in love with him when I was fifteen and sixteen, and he dumped me for my best friend.  I hadn't seen him in more than thirty years.

It turns out it was not that bizarre.  He was a mutual friend of the friends who invited us to the party, but I didn't know that. (Did I still hold a grudge, you may ask? Not really.  Still like him?  He aged well:-))

In fiction, I'm always trying to write around coincidences.  You can't make them as obvious as the ones that happen in real life, so I think the key is misdirection.  Or at least I hope so, as I have more than Hallie's one in the WIP...

So dear friends who are readers--does it annoy you when you come across a coincidence in our books?

The Way We Were

RHYS BOWEN: Happy Labor Day to All in America!
I'm full of anticipation because tomorrow is the launch of my new Royal Spyness book called Naughty in Nice.
As part of the celebration surrounding this, I was asked to do an Amazon chat with fellow English mystery writer Jacqueline Winspear. Jackie is actually a good friend. We live five miles apart and often compare notes. During this chat we talked about why we both chose 1930s England to write about--was it nostalgia for a time and place, an England we remember as a kinder, gentler, simpler lifestyle. Neither of us was sure that this was a driving force behind our books, but I certainly find myself attracted to the lifestyle of pre World War II. (If one was of the right social class, that is). All those servants and time to do what one wanted, and winters on the Riviera and parties and champagne.
Sounds perfect, right?
Well, maybe not so perfect because I know I'd have been bored. Women of my station were not allowed to work. Life was a constant fight against boredom, which is why drugs and alcohol found their way into so many rich lives.

Life was definitely simpler when I was growing up, and easier in some ways. No automatic appliances but my mother sent out her laundry every week, had a woman in to clean, to iron, a man to garden, the grocer delivered,milk arrived on the doorstep. My mother had her hair done each week--but think of the alternative, those awful home hair dryers --giant hoods under which one sat in curlers for hours.

And it was assumed that children would all get measles, mumps, chicken pox etc. I know I did. Some children didn't recover. But the thing I really miss was the safety and freedom. We lived in the country and I'd go off all day on my bike when I was ten or eleven,only returning when it got dark. My parents never worried and I had great adventures exploring woods and rivers and old castles. My own kids were never allowed out alone like that. You'd never let children play alone in the woods these days, would you? So that I lament.

In some ways I lament the slower pace. One wrote letters--telephones were for emergency use only when I was growing up. One sat and waited for the bus. One stopped while shopping for a cup of tea and a bun and chatted with friends when one walked down the village street to get the newspaper. But there was a downside to that too--like many families we had members who went to Australia. Before World War II it would have taken months to receive and send news-months to learn of a loved one's death or a birth or marriage.

So do I wish I was part of that slower, gentler time? Maybe, maybe not.I think I'd rather just spend time writing about it.

How about you, Jungle Reds? Do you long for the good old days or are you happier in the present?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I do lament the freedom of my childhood. I disappeared after breakfast in the summer and reappeared for lunch--unless I'd taken a picnic--and then came home for dinner. We lived in a quite rural area then, and I think those hours spent wandering creek and pastures on my own must have had a profound effect on my imagination. In primary school, I was expected to walk a couple of miles to and from school, on my own or with friends. By the time my daughter was the same age, she was driven the same distance. I read somewhere recently that children are statistically safer now than they were in the fifties and sixties, but that the media coverage of crimes against children encourages parents to live in a climate of fear. But still, once you're aware of the things that can happen, how can you let go of the vigilance? Very sad.

And time. It seems like there was more time. My mother did have help in the house, but she also worked and cooked and did other chores. But still, she sewed in the evenings, and it seems that my parents played endless games of 42 (a domino game similar to bridge) with friends and relatives.

Where did all that time go? Sucked into the maw of computer and television, I suspect, but would we give up our instant communication? Just being out of touch with our friends and relatives on the East Coast last week was reminder enough of how much we've come to depend on it.

No simple answer to this one, but I find reading books like Rhys's and Jackie's--even though I know that the characters in those times had complex emotional, cultural, and physical challenges--a lovely and welcome respite.

ROSEMARY HARRIS: For a while there I wanted to be Ayla, the heroine of the earth's Children (Clan of the Cave Bear, Valley of Horses, etc.) series. it's fun to imagine what life would be like in different time periods. I also wanted to be Jean Arthur in Mr. Smith goes to Washington - smart,tough talking working girl. Wait ...I am a smart, tough talking working girl. I guess I'll stay in my own time period.

LUCY BURDETTE: Having just spent a week without power, I've had a good taste of the simpler life. Ummm, no thanks. Each day we've gone out on the search for bags of ice to keep the coolers cool. No Internet or TV of course, except for our iphones (which did save our sanity, so far.) The low moment came when I took two loads of wash to the town laundromat--a jungle. I washed the clothes, but could not bear to scrap with other frantic refugees for a dryer. So I came home and started to hang them on my one clothesline which collapsed from the weight and yanked out of the wall. Some bad and grouchy words were said...

One lesson is how much time is eaten up with just basic activities of life. Well on the other hand, most of that time gets eaten up on the Internet in normal times, right? I do agree with Deb about the freedom of childhood when we were growing up though!

HANK PHILIPPI RYAN: Now, please. Very happy wiht now. I agree with Ro (as ALWAYS) about being a Rosalind Russell/Jean Arthur type..but now,
we get to do that with eyeliner that helps your lashes grow and lattes. Roberta, many hugs...and Rhys, many sales!

HALLIE EPHRON: Another vote for: NOW! And my fervent hope is when my children (and grandchildren!) are my age, their answer to that question is the same as mine.

Jacqueline Winspear, Part Deux

RHYS: Back again with Jackie to continue our interview. So, with our second cuppa tea, let's go on...




To what do you attribute the enormous success of a series that is neither sensational or violent, but just tells a good, well-written story?




Jackie: I think that the broad readership is so often underestimated - there is an assumption that every page must have some blood-thumping event to maintain interest.

That simply is not true - a story well-told does not mean you have to have blood, guts and sex on every page. Thus far the storyline in each of my books has been rooted in the Great War - in telling a story about the characters' feelings, their memories, their fears and the decisions they make based upon their experiences, can tell as much about a violent time asgraphic scenes of violence, and often with more impact.

Sensationalism plays into the belief that we are a society addicted to instant gratification - and there is a truth in that - but at the same time, we cannot tar all readers with the same brush. There will always be a place for the good, well-written story.

RHYS: Are you planning to continue with Maisie and do you have plans for any other books outside the series?

JACKIE: I am planning to continue the series, and I do have plans for books outside the series - it's just having the time to get to it all that hampers me!

RHYS: Okay, tell us about your horses, including your new baby who likes to be hugged. Since they are such a big part of your life, why no horsy books yet?

JACKIE: Oliver ("Ollie"), my Friesian, (in yesterday's photo) is now four and a half and is nicknamed "the baby Friesian" by everyone at the ranch where he lives. He is just the mostwonderful boy, and he so loves people. He is also extremely affectionate.

Ollie was imported to the USA about 18 months ago, and was born and raised on a farm in Germany, where he became a favorite of the breeder's 12-year-old daughter - she was his first rider, and you know what girls can be like with horses they love! He must have been showered with affection and cuddles, because this horse can really get into a hug - he sort of wraps his head around you as you put his arms around his neck (and you should see him with the farrier - the poor guy will be leaning over trimming Ollie's feet while Ollie is licking his collar and neck, or trying to pull a handkerchief out of his pocket!).

Today's picture shows Serendipity ("Sara"), my Dutch Warmblood/Thoroughbred mare turned 15 last week - and she is a very different horse. She is a diva through and through, has a very fine sense of herself. Sara loves to work, and wants nothing more than to just get the tack on and get out into the arena for a training session.

She is lovely to ride, but such a perfectionist - she'lllet me know if she thinks I could be doing better, or if I am in even slightly off in my position for a certain move. So different from Ollie,who is still honing his sense of direction!

And you will see a horse or two in my next series - but we're a couple of years away yet ....

RHYS: Okay, some of the famous Jungle Red questions:

Pizza or chocolate?
I'm now allergic to both chocolate and pizza crust, so I would probably sell
my soul for a mouthful of either! I love Green and Black dark chocolate -
so very crisp and bitterly scrumptious.

Daniel Craig or Pierce Brosnan?
Pierce Brosnan - he has a great sense of humor and a very down-to-earth
quality about him. Of course, he's easy on the eyes too!

Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot
I think I prefer Hercule, but to tell you the truth, I have never cared for
either of them - though on TV I really liked Joan Hickson as Miss Marple,
she brought a real sharpness and depth to the character.

Making dinner or making reservations?
I'm just coming to the end of a long book tour, so making dinner in my own kitchen is just fine with me.

RHYS: Jackie, thank you for visiting us at Jungle Red. I should add that Jackie's new book is in a store near you and that she blogs regularly at http://www.nakedauthors.com/.>

Jacqueline Winspear comes for Tea

Today I've invited my fellow Brit, Jackie Winspear for tea at the Jungle Red Cafe. We're serving scones and clotted cream and strawberry jam. Do join us:

RHYS: My good friend Jacqueline Winspear needs no introduction. She burst onto the literary scene a few years ago with her first novel Maisie Dobbs, which a combination of great writing and good luck thrust into the national spotlight, when First Lady Laura Bush endorsed it during a TV interview.

Since then her Maisie Dobbs novels have appeared regularly on the NYT list and she has developed a strong and loyal following that crosses genre lines. In fact it's hard to describe the books as mysteries, even though there is a mystery at the heart of each of them. They are, to quote a typical British response, just "rattling good stories" which have made the bestseller lists with no violence, gore or explicit sex. A unique achievement indeed.

Jackie and I have led paraellel lives in so many ways. We both escaped from England to America. We both live in California (where we are neighbors for part of the year). We both write about feisty female sleuths at the beginning of the Twentieth Century. We are both fascinated with the class system in Britain in the Thirties, and we seem to go for remarkably similar plots. Maybe we even channel each other. Jackie's new book is called Among the Mad, and my last Molly book ended in an insane assylum.

So Jackie, how did a typically English rose like you wind up in California? (of course, I> could ask myself the same question!)

JACKIE: I came here in 1990 on what you might call a "sabbatical" - I just wanted some time away to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of mylife. I'd been to the USA many times as a visitor, and thought it would be agood place to spend a few months - I had friends here and my brother hadmade his home here, so there was a starting place. Within a short time Iwas approached about a job with some people I'd worked with in the past -they were breaking away from the company we'd all worked for (I was in theUK office) and had started a new company. So I said "yes" - and the rest,as they say, is history.

RHYS: Where did Maisie Dobbs come from? to what extent is she you?

JACKIE: Maisie Dobbs came to me in a daydream while I was stuck in traffic - what I call my moment of "artistic grace." That moment was probably inspired by myinterest in the era of the Great War and its aftermath, and especially theimpact it had on the lives of the women of that generation - the firstgeneration of women to go to war in modern times. And I have to say, she isnot like me at all. Of course, I am sure there are various traits that comeout, but she is far more serious, in her way. I'd be inclined to tell herto go to a few more parties.

RHYS: Tell us about this latest book, Among the Mad, and the inspiration for it in> your own life.

JACKIE: In essence, Among The Mad is about the madnesses encountered in life -whether that madness is to be found in a psychologically damaged person (in this case a veteran of the Great War), or simply the everyday madness thatwe find on a busy street.

There are three main points of inspiration for this novel. The first is anexperience I had when I was in the final two years of school - from 16-18. I attended a school where, in those years, you were expected to undertake some sort of community service. Mine was in what was then called a mental hospital.

When it was built, in the mid-1800's, it was known as a lunatic asylum (and today it's probably a "Psychiatric Support Center" or something like that). I was at a very impressionable age, and the experience of volunteering in such a hospital made quite an impact on me. There was always that question - what happens to someone's mind so that a line is crossed and they end up in such a hospital?

The second experience happened in the early 1980's in London, when I was close enough to a terrorist bomb to hear it explode, and to hear the aftermath.

The third inspiration was a more personal understanding of the lives of men shell-shocked in the Great War. "Shell shock" was one of those terms picked up by the press of the day, but did not begin to illustrate the range of war neuroses experienced by soldiers psychologically damaged by the conflict.

There were issues of eligibility for pensions, and a great number of those"wounded" in such a way - wounds with no outward sign of physical injury -were sent home to "just get on with it." My grandfather was wounded both physically and psychologically by that war, and my childhood memories of him inspired my interest in how the veterans were treated - and they inspired my desire to touch on the tragedy of men who came home with psychological wounds.

RHYS: So the question we all want to know is who is that dark and handsome gentleman you are embracing?

Jackie will talk about him and about the diva in her life tomorrow, as well as answering the Jungle Red Questions on sex, chocolate and life....>