Charmed and Fabulous: Rhys Bowen's New Book!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Trying to remember when I first met Rhys Bowen--it was at the St. Martins party at...Bouchercon? Or somewhere. And I've never told her this, but she was a vision. I mean--sorry for being sappy, but there was an aura around her. A real glow--of happiness and joy and genuine engagement. And we chatted, and clicked, and laughed and laughed, and there might have been wine involved,  and the next day, she was a Red. (Where was this photo taken, anyone remember? )

Since then, we have been real sisters--sharing success and disappointment and writer's craziness and family rites of passage--and always always, Rhys has a genuine enjoyment and appreciation and gratitude for everything that happens. Even the downs--she faces them with high sprits and optimism.

And her new book? Crowned and Dangerous comes out tomorrow! (Yay! Pre-order here, just saying)   Wow, Rhys--I have never read such glowing reviews! Except for your other books  :-) but anyway, one reviewer (in a  starred review!) called you a combination of Agatha Christie and PG Wodehouse. Well, that's quite a tribute. What do you think about that, dear Rhys? And --if this is even possible--was that a conscious decision?

RHYS: I have a confession to make, Hank. I was in awe when I met you. I mean so chic, not a hair out of place and those impossibly high heels. And then we clicked instantly and becoming one of the Reds was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. You guys are the sisters I never had.

HANK: Aw. xoxo. Meant to be.

RHYS: As far as Christie and Wodehouse. Wow, that is a little humbling and gobsmacking! I don't set out to write like anybody. Every book I have written has been a book I wanted to read and it wasn't on the shelf. I'm flattered that anyone should compare me to such giants but I think I still have a way to go!

HALLIE: Darcy and Lady Georgie are on their way to Scotland get married when Darcy's father is murdered, and so the book takes us to Ireland instead. And what an Ireland it is! Can you tell us about the wonderful settings for the book?

RHYS: Those who read the last book in the series (Malice in the Palace) will know we left Georgie and Darcy in a cliff-hanger, on their way to Scotland to get married. We know the course of true love never does run smooth in books so they run into a blizzard in Yorkshire and then Darcy sees a headline in the morning newspaper that sends him rushing to Ireland and leaving Georgie behind.

I adore Ireland. it's so fresh and green and the people are so warm. So I set the book in horse country, where there are lush meadows with thoroughbreds in them and sweeping hills and old castles. I've visited quite a few of those old castles, had a medieval banquet at Bunratty and even kissed the Blarney Stone (actually not really kissed it. Kissed air about an inch away. Think of all those lips who went before me!)

LUCY: Two questions for you Rhys. First is about lady Georgie's voice, which is one of the things I love most about the Royal spyness series. Did her voice just come to you, or did you have to work on imagining who she was first?

And second is a question about how to maintain such a grueling schedule and exceptional career over the long haul. It was so exciting to hear about your early children's book being fashioned for the London stage. Any advice for writers looking to stick this out through thick and thin?

RHYS: Lady Georgie's voice came to me when I first started to write. I didn't stop until I'd written 25 pages and she still won't shut up. I just listen to her and write it down.  I saw her and knew her instantly and she's been a joy to spend time with. It's such fun to sit at the computer and chuckle.

Second question: 2 books a year. Yes, I'm a crazy woman. The problem is I have two publishers and they both want a book a year. But then what would I do if I didn't write? I think the way for a writer to have a long career is never be satisfied, always wanting to do better than the last book, and being prepared to reinvent yourself. Oh, and to see the play of my book in London was such a thrill!

DEBS: Rhys, I am in awe of you. Two (at least!) very different books a year, and both so good. But I wonder if you look forward to Georgie when you're writing Molly, because Georgie is just so much fun? And another question, the Georgie books always seem so effortless. Do you ever find yourself struggling with the plot or lost in the middle? (And of course I'd ask if you'll ever let Georgie marry Darcy, but I don't think you'll tell us...)

HANK: Oh, that's such a good question! And yes, they do seem effortless. Rhys, do you work solidly on one, and then the next?  Or back and forth?

RHYS: Debs, when I'm writing Molly I always dream of writing Georgie, and the other way around. The grass is always greener, I guess. But I could never switch between them. When I'm writing Molly I am in New York, 1905. I sometimes snap at John because Molly is mad at Daniel! And when I write Georgie I am completely in her world. In fact it's hard to switch off. I do plenty of lying awake, staring at the ceiling and muttering to myself! I have to wait a few weeks before I am ready to switch to the other. I can tell I'm ready when I start getting little ideas for plot twists.

HANK: Let me sneak in a little about CROWNED AND DANGEROUS--and yes, let's see that wonderful cover again!

 Nothing is simple when you’re thirty-fifth in line for the British crown, least of all marriage. But with love on their side, and plans to elope, Lady Georgiana Rannoch and her beau Darcy O’Mara hope to bypass a few royal rules...

With Darcy driving me out of London in a borrowed motor car, I soon discover that he isn’t planning to introduce me to the pleasures of sinning in secret—as I had hoped—but to make me his wife!

Of course, there are some quibbles to be dealt with, such as my needing special permission from the King to marry a Roman Catholic and the question of where we might live after the honeymoon. Though he will inherit a title, Darcy is as broke as I am. Even his family’s Irish castle has been sold to a rich American who now employs Darcy’s father as a hired hand.

Throwing these cares to the wind, nothing could deter us from our mission—except perhaps the news that my future father-in-law has just been arrested. It seems the rich American was murdered and Darcy’s father had more than enough motive to do the deed. With the elopement postponed, we head for Ireland where he insists he’s innocent, and it’s up to us to prove it—for better or worse.

JULIA: No question - just pure admiration. I adore the Lady Georgie books and have put so many in the hands of readers. I simply say, "Imagine one of those sparkling 1930's comedies crossed with Agatha Christie" and bam! Who could resist?

I'm also, like Debs, in awe of how Rhys manages two wonderful books a year, traveling with John, book tours and conferences, close relationships with her grown kids, grandkids, and granddogs...and still stay eminently sane and healthy. One begins to suspect a portrait in the attic.

(Rhys: not so sure about the sane part, Julia!)

Congrats on Crowned and Dangerous, Rhys!

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Let me add my congratulations! Rhys, I've never met you in person, but have nothing but respect for your writing, not least the speed at which you write not one, but two series! Hearty congrats on CROWNED AND DANGEROUS!

HANK: Cannot wait or the entire Red contingent to be together, Susan! Whoa. Pick a date--our house! 

So, dear Reds and readers--what questions do you have for Rhys? About when she met the Queen? When she sang with --who was it, Rhys?  And what--can you tell us?-do you love the most about writing CROWNED?

RHYS:  Thank you all so much for this, darling Reds. I feel so blessed to have you all.  One thing I loved about writing Crowned was some new and very eccentric relations. I loved how Georgie and Darcy's relationship is almost shattered and hangs on anyway. And a really complex plot!

And I'll give a signed copy to one lucky commenter!

Bow WOW!

Peter Abrahams/Spencer Quinn and friend

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  I once read a book review in the NYTimes, which said something like “I’m afraid I won’t be able to convey how good this is.” That is how I feel about the books by Peter Abrahams. (Who also, as you’ll see, goes by Spencer Quinn.)  Maybe this’ll work:  Stephen King referred to him as "my favorite American suspense novelist". Yeah. Me and you, Stephen.

You might have read his intense original stand-alone thrillers, like The Fan, or Nerve Damage, or the Edgar-nominated Lights Out.

You might know him from his brilliant Echo Falls YA mysteries. (Yes, I am gushing, but sometimes one simply must gush.)

After those riveting and compelling thrillers, and then his smart and perceptive (and adorable) YAs, Peter Abrahams secretly turned onto someone else. With great mystery and skullduggery, he wrote, as Spencer Quinn, the first Chet and Bernie mystery, titled DOG ON IT. 

And remember when no one knew the real identity of the author? It was such a hoot when Peter was revealed as Spencer—and also as the acclaimed voice of Chet. Chet, a dog who (somehow) narrates the best-selling novels.

And now—there’s more. I am in awe. And in delight. And so happy to introduce you to Peter Abrahams/Spencer Quinn’s new voice. It’s Bowser, a goofy, engaging, determined (and bacon-loving) crime-fighting canine—who’s in league with his new girl Birdie. 

His first adventure is WOOF.  (And I say: bow WOW.)

HANK:  Sometimes, if you look at a crime fiction author's body of work, it gets darker and darker, as the writer delves into their most insidious and terrifying depths. Or something like that. Anyway, it seems like you've gone exactly the opposite direction.

PETER:That is odd, now that you mention it. What the hell is right with me? No question about the darkness, which really got going with Lights Out, my seventh book, where Eddie Nye ends up breaking back into prison. Then there’s Oblivion, where it’s pretty clear that Nick will not survive, and End of Story with that last line – “Ivy got stuck on page 109”. An entendre of the darkly double type. But humor kept bubbling up – especially noticeable in Their Wildest Dreams, I think, where I discovered how much I liked writing about the southwest.

And that led to Chet and Bernie, where this whole other side of me all of a sudden had free reign. I’d had enough of darkness!

Having said that, now that some time has passed, a somewhat darkish idea has occurred to me, and will form the basis of a new project, when I can get to it. (As for Chet and Bernie, Scents and Sensibility comes out in July.)

HANK: So WOOF is the first of we hope many books about Bowser and Birdie, dog and girl, crimefighters of the Louisiana swamp. What was the first nugget of the book? When did you think--hey! And why?

PETER: I thought – hey! – when I got a call asking if I had any interest in writing a dog-narrated mystery for middle-schoolers. Why? Because it’s so nice to be asked, in this business. But the idea of a kid and dog pair exploring together the strange and dangerous world of adult humans seemed right. Then came the bayou setting, followed by Birdie and her grandmother. Some characters do write themselves, and Grammy is one of them. She’d have taken over the whole book if I’d let her.

HANK:  And really, just cut and paste a tiny synopsis of WOOF in the next slot. You don't have to make up a brand new one, since someone probably worked pretty hard on the one you have.

PETER: There is trouble brewing in the Louisiana swamp -- Bowser can smell it. Bowser is a very handsome and only slightly slobbery dog, and he can smell lots of things. Like bacon. And rawhide chews! And the sweat on humans when they're lying.

Birdie Gaux, the girl Bowser lives with, also knows something is wrong. It's not just that her grammy's stuffed prize marlin has been stolen. It's the weird rumor that the marlin is linked to a missing treasure. It's the truck that seems to be following Birdie and the bad feeling on the back of her neck.

When Birdie and Bowser start digging into the mystery, not even Bowser's powerful sniffer can smell just how menacing the threat is. And when the danger comes straight for Birdie, Bowser knows it up to him to sic 'em.

HANK: Love it! People must ask you this all the time, and I know the answer is "imagination." But still. How do you put yourself in the mind of a dog? Bowser thinks and  narrates just like a dog. (Funny that he can type. How does he do that?)

PETER: And I can’t type. Or just barely. Two fingers, three on a good day. I’ve always been interested in the limited narrator, or limited POV (if we’re dealing with 3^rd person close). In Pressure Drop, one of my very early novels (and soon to be re-released by Open Road), there are scenes from the POV of someone with locked-in syndrome.

 In fairness to Bowser, his limitations are matched by some special gifts, especially when it comes to the senses of smell and hearing; and he has some emotional gifts as well. The emotional bond – call it love – between Bowser and Birdie is the heart of the story. I prefer stories with a heart, or spirit, or something of the kind. Often absent in fiction, and not just of the crime variety.

HANK: This is a YA book--but I laughed all the way through it. Who are you writing these for? And why?

PETER: Birdie and Bowser are for kids. But also, well, why not everybody? There’s no dumbing down. True, no sex and very little seen violence, but that’s not dumb.

HANK: Your webpage that's labeled "About the book" is a letter to kids who are looking for you to write a book report. Peter/Spencer, it is hilarious. (And respectful, and helpful.) I have to think you've gotten requests to write book reports.

PETER: Oh, yes. How many times have I been asked to quickly supply the theme of Down the Rabbit Hole? I don’t have a clue! Grade F. But sometimes you get heartbreaking stuff. I believe somewhere in the Echo Falls series Ingrid’s older brother hits her. One girl emailed me about how she knew that scene very well.

HANK: Oh, gosh. That is—heart-stopping. It makes you see a whole world, you know? (And yeah, I always wondered if her brother had a steroid problem.  Hmm.) 

But at the end of that wonderful letter you say: a dog’s mindset is looking forward. But looking back a tiny bit, since part of you, at least, is human, what do you think about your writer’s journey?  Where you came from--and where you are? And sure, what's ahead?

PETER: I’m really not ready to think about this, Hank. All I know is that I’m on some sort of journey and I don’t want it to end.

HANK:  Aw. We don’t, either. Congratulations. WOOF is irresistible, and we are so happy you’re here today. So happy that we’re giving away a copy of WOOF to one lucky commenter! (US only please). Tell us your dog’s name! Or the dog you had as a kid.  Or your favorite dog. Or any doggie thing!

And Bowser will pick a winner at random. (Bacon is very effective.)