Susanna Calkins, Author
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The Release of a  Masque of a Murderer!   What's behind it all anyway?

4/13/2015

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I'm so happy and honored to say that my third historical novel, The Masque of a Murderer, officially launches today, April 14!

And while I may not be quite as giddy when my first novel, A Murder at Rosamund's Gate (2013) launched two years ago--because nothing can ever compare to the release of a first novel--I'm still as loopy as I was last year, when From the Charred Remains (2014) entered the world.


Recently, in preparation for the launch, I've been answering a lot of fun and interesting questions about The Masque of a Murderer (the historical background, the story and characters, and my writing process etc).  So, I thought I'd do a quick round-up here!

I welcome you to:

  • Learn more about what inspired my historical mysteries in general, and  The Masque of a Murderer more specifically
  • Discover the difference between a 17th century Masque and a Mask (and why I titled my book as I did)
  • Read an interview with Lucy Campion, printer's apprentice
  • Explore the world of the penny press and murder ballads and last dying speeches
  • Discover why women might wear the dreaded scold's bridle and how that device features in my book
  • Learn more about 17th century Quakers--and the tensions that surrounded them
  • Follow Lucy Campion through A Day in the Life (giving testimony at a trial, no less) (post coming soon!)
  • Discover the most difficult scenes for me to write (hint: it has something to do with Lucy's two love interests)
  • Find out if The Masque of a Murderer passed The Page 69 Test
  • Learn something about my writing process
  • Tell me if what I know about publishing makes any sense, and what was different this time around
  • Share in my excitement over this MADE IT MOMENT! 

Thanks so much for sharing this journey with me!!! And I appreciate all the bloggers and reviewers who hosted me, including those through Amy Bruno's Historical Fiction Virtual Blog Tours!


And I'm always so grateful to the wonderful people at Minotaur, especially Kelley Ragland and Elizabeth Lacks, and my agent David Hale Smith, and of course my wonderful alpha reader, Matt Kelley!!

(and now, I turn my attention back to A DEATH ALONG THE RIVER FLEET, due out April 2016!!!!)

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My blog tour begins! Giveaways, interviews, guest posts, all kinds of fun stuff!

3/16/2015

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In preparation for the April 14 launch of The Masque of a Murderer (the third in my Lucy Campion historical mysteries)  my blog tour has kicked off! 

Hosted by the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, there will be a few giveaways, interviews and some guest posts about 17th century stuff.

And if you haven't  read From the Charred Remains yet, the paperback edition has now been released (March 15)! This book was a finalist for the Bruce Alexander Historical Mystery Award from Left Coast Crime.

(But don't worry...It is NOT necessary to read the books in order!)



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A funny thing about book titles...the Dark Side

1/30/2015

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PictureStar Wars "The Charred Remains" version :-(
Every morning, when I check my email, I'm reminded of a funny (funny-weird, not funny-humorous) thing about book titles. Because I have a daily Google alert on my titles, I get a little summary about how they have used been used on the internet. For my first novel A Murder at Rosamund's Gate and for my third novel, The Masque of a Murderer, I get alerts that actually pertain to my book. 

But for my second book, From the Charred Remains, I am treated to all sorts of terrible and strange news stories--usually house fires--of things or people being found after a fire (this gem to the right is one of the better things that's come this way). 

Literally, this illustrates the dark side of book titles. There are terrible things that happen in the world--beyond what happened on the mythical Tatooine--and every day those come to my inbox because of how I titled my book.

I shouldn't be surprised--after all, the premise of my book is that a body has been found in a barrel outside the Cheshire Cheese after the Great Fire has devastated much of London.

So as I sort though new titles for my fourth book--the soon to be renamed Stranger on the Bridge--I find myself avoiding titles that reporters might use to describe particularly grisly stuff.

It's ironic really. The title of my first book didn't make it through marketing, but it was originally called Monster at the Gate. I thought the concept of monster fit well with my time period, but that title was deemed too harsh and supernatural. I can only imagine the kinds of Google hits I would have gotten, had I kept that title. 

The original title of my third book, Whispers of a Dying Man, didn't make it past my own internal scrutiny.  Bleagh. Glad I changed that one. The Masque of a Murderer is a much better title.

But From the Charred Remains sailed through easily. I still like the title, but I'm still a bit wary when I see what Google has sent me.

Now, I'm still pondering the title of my fourth book. Stranger on the Bridge just isn't resonating for me. So at New Year's, after describing the premise, I asked a bunch of my friends to all put single words (nouns and adjectives) into a hat. Then we all picked three or four slips of paper and formed titles. The best of this admittedly drunken endeavor was Across the Misty Divide. Probably won't go over either (sorry Steve!). Maybe the parlor game method of naming books is not the best method.

So hopefully something connects soon!!! I'll keep you posted!


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Exciting news!

1/27/2015

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Just a quick note to say that I'm very honored that my second novel, From the Charred Remains, was recently nominated for the Bruce Alexander Memorial Historical Mystery Award.  This is a fan award bestowed at the annual Left Coast Crime Convention.

The other finalists in this category are Rhys Bowen, Queen of Hearts (Berkley Prime Crime), Catriona McPherson, A Deadly Measure of Brimstone (Minotaur Books), Kelli Stanley, City of Ghosts (Minotaur Books) and Jeri Westerson, Cup of Blood (Old London Press). 

Some other author friends who've stopped by my blog were nominated nominated for the Rosebud, the best first mystery novel set anywhere in the world: Lisa Alber, Kilmoon (Muskrat Press), Lori Rader-Day, The Black Hour, and Holly West, Mistress of Fortune (Carina Press e-book). (I'm really hoping I can vote Chicago-style on this one...early and often!)
 

We'll find out in March! Fingers crossed!

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"I don't read books about women..." Say what now?

9/26/2014

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A little belatedly I am taking part in the September Sisters in Crime Sinc-Up for writers. (There are a few days left of September, right?)

So one of the prompts was this question, "If someone said 'Nothing against women writers, but all of my favorite crime fiction authors happen to be men,' how would you respond?"

Well, someone did say something along these lines to me once...

I was at a mystery conference, and a fellow author introduced me to an older gentleman--I'll call him George--who apparently is a huge history buff. My friend told George that I write historical mysteries set in seventeenth-century London.

George's eyes lit up and he told me that he had just been in London recently. I asked him what he had liked about his trip. 

George told me that he had liked seeing the Cheshire Cheese, a tavern that had been rebuilt in 1667 after the original was burnt down during the Great Fire of London.

We-l-l-l-l....the Cheshire Cheese was actually the setting of my second novel--From the Charred Remains. In fact, I have a murder happen there just before the place burns down.  So I told George this, and again, his eyes lit up. Then he asked me about my protagonist.

I started to tell him about Lucy, my chambermaid-turned-apprentice, and he held up his hand and said, "I don't read books about women."

Conversation over.

Wha-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-t?

I couldn't even begin to tell him about all the wonderful crime fiction that feature female detectives, sleuths, lawyers, reporters and a zillion other investi
gators that he was missing out on with such a dismissive stance. Patricia Cornwell's forensics specialist Kay Scarpetta. Rhys Bowen's amateur sleuth Molly Murphy. Kerry Greenwood's private investigator Phryne Fisher. Sara Parestsky's kick-ass V.I.Warshawski. Hank Phillippi Ryan's intrepid TV reporter Charlotte McNally. Not to mention the unflappable Miss Marple!

And for anyone who likes strong female protagonists in historical mysteries, I've got a few that you MUST check out:  Meg Mims writes the "Double Series" featuring feisty Western heroine Lily Granville; Anna Loan-Wilsey writes a terrific series set in New England featuring Hattie Davish, "a travelling secretary and dillettante detective," and Alyssa Maxwell
writes the charming Gilded Newport Series with Emmaline Cross--"a Vanderbilt by heritage, a Newporter by birth, and a force to be reckoned with!" Well-written historical mysteries all!


Hopefully we can turn the Georges of the world around, one fabulous female protagonist at a time!


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What about you? Who are your favorite female sleuths, detectives and investigators? Why do you enjoy them?
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17th century signet rings--they swivel! They hide secrets!

6/20/2014

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Recently, I have had a few questions  from readers about one of the strange objects that Lucy had discovered on a corpse at the outset of From the Charred Remains.

The item was a signet ring, one of several items found in a pouch on the body of a murdered man (check out what Lucy is holding on the cover). This ring, along with a hodgpodge of other eclectic items, will help identify the victim, as well as his killer.

The signet ring I describe in the book was unusual because it swiveled to allow the wearer to display one of two different images.

PictureImage: British Museum
I was immediately intrigued by the concept.

I had come across this interesting ring style when I was prowling about on the British Museum's website.  The ring featured here is from the early 17th century, and was made in either France or Germany.


When you really think about it, what would be the reason to have a ring with two faces?
Boredom? Perhaps. Cost? Unlikely, since a swivel ring might be very expensive to create. Or perhaps, there is something about who you are that you wish at times to keep private, and other times, make public.  It is not surprising that certain organizations, like the Freemasons, have used such rings since the early modern era.

This particular ring was probably more ornamental than practical, but I liked the idea that there could be a secret hidden beneath its surface.


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In this image, you can see how the ring swivels, from an onyx intaglio of the Greek god Apollo to a sardonyx intaglio of a male and female figure (the website suggests it is likely Bacchus and Ariadne). 

This ring is a little more elaborate than I was envisioning though. Not, perhaps,  as simple as these more simple masonic rings (a style also found in the 17th century), but somewhere in between.


Pretty cool, hey?  Makes you wonder why the wearer might commission a ring like this...doesn't it? 
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the continued whirl...

5/19/2014

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Still reserving most of my imagination and writing time for finishing book 3...so just a few more images from the last two weeks....
Looking forward to this Wednesday...when I am at Mystery One Bookstore in Milwaukee at 7 pm!!! If you'll be around, please stop by!

(That's it for now.  I am really really really trying to get this third book done! Egads!...so my posts will continue to be sparse for a while. But I'll be back soon!!!)
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Taking a breather at 4 am...

5/2/2014

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Well the last ten days have been fun, fun, fun, and crazy, and I don't know what else. Hence, the reason I am writing a post at four in the morning. (This effect could also be called: "Why Susie should not drink a medium latte at 9 PM").

A week ago, I had the fun of seeing my second novel, From the Charred Remains, out in the world. (From that day 'til now,  I also had a class full of essays to grade, several big reports to write for work, a full-day faculty retreat to run, classes to teach, and a plenary on critical thinking to facilitate for 150 law professors, so to say my week was a bit nuts is a mild understatement.)

(
*But work is work, and writing is writing, and ne'er the twain shall meet!)

In between, I frantically got one post out for Criminal Element, where I discuss "Crime-Solvers: Forensics of the Past."  And, well, I am trying to finish book 3--The Masque of a Murderer--**which I promise, my dear editor Kelley, is nearly done. ***Gritting my teeth while smiling is about where I'm at these days.

But a quick recap of the last ten days in photos:

In a few hours, I will be taking the train down to Bethesda, for the Malice Domestic Conference. It's always so much fun to connect with other mystery lovers. I have a panel on Sunday, May 4, 2014 11:45-12:35, called "One Is Not Amused by Murder: Historical English Mysteries." I'm delighted to be on this panel with fellow historical mystery authors: Kate Parker, Sam Thomas, and Christine Trent. The moderator will be Donna Andrews.
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And on Thursday, May 8 at 7 pm, I'll do a talk at ArrivaDolce, the coffee shop where I do a lot of my writing. Someone will win this coffee and book themed basket!

Hope to see you there!

*Disclaimer to work colleagues who might read my blog.
**Disclaimer to my editor and agent, who might read my blog.
***Disclaimer to my dentist, who might read my blog. Okay, now I'm getting the 4 a.m. loopies.
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Fun with puzzles! Why FROM THE CHARRED REMAINS was so fun for me to write!  

4/21/2014

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Anyone who knows me, knows I really love doing puzzles. Even when I was a kid, I was always doing puzzles--from word searches to crossword puzzles to substitution ciphers (probably because I felt like I was really decoding mysteries).

But when I was in graduate school, I first encountered the fun of acrostics. In the high Middle Ages, scholars like Alcuin of York (Charlemagne's tutor) used to write short poems that contained clever messages--sometimes hidden--when read a certain way. In their simplest form, the first letter of each line would be carefully selected so that, when read down, the reader could discern a message. However, they could be more complex as well, which always fascinated me.

I just knew that I had to work acrostics and other puzzles into my story, when I came across this acrostic published just after the Great Fire of London in 1666
:

London's Fatal Fal, an acrostic.

            Lo! Now confused Heaps only stand

            On what did bear the Glory of the Land.

            No stately places, no Edefices,

            Do now appear: No, here’s now none of these,

            Oh Cruel Fates! Can ye be so unkind?

            Not to leave, scarce a Mansion behind…


Working out my own acrostic--and actually several hidden anagrams within the acrostic (shhh!!!)--was probably the most challenging and fun part of writing From the Charred Remains. But puzzles abound throughout the entire novel. There is even a secret hidden on the cover of the book, which you will understand after you read it!
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Gearing up for book two: Some differences in launching the second novel

2/9/2014

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It's 72 days 'til the launch of my second novel, From the Charred Remains, and I couldn't be more excited.

Yet the process the second time around, while similar, feels a bit different.  I know many authors compare launching a book to having a child, and I think the metaphor is apt. (Indeed, there was a wonderful blog, Book Pregnant, devoted to this concept, so I won't dwell on it here).  

I have a better idea about what is ahead of me, and yet I don't know with certainty what to expect. I know that some of the people who read my blog are first time authors or aspiring writers, so I thought I'd just share some of my observations.


Some differences I've already noted:
  • There is less fanfare with book two. Last year, my debut novel, A Murder at Rosamund's Gate, was a realization of a dream ten years in the making. So, personally I celebrated it more with friends and family.  And as an unknown author, my publisher and I had to work really hard to publicize it. We'll still work hard with From the Charred Remains, but perhaps at a slightly less break-neck pace. I'll still make sure I crack open a bottle of wine of course, since my motto is always to celebrate early and often.
  • The magic bubble around me has disappeared into the ether. I wrote my first novel in the happy--even if confusing--haze of being an unpublished, unknown writer. (Well, I had written academic stuff of course, but I don't think I had too many cross-over readers!)  I finished the final edits of From the Charred Remains from a place of awareness. Awareness that not everyone had loved my first book. Awareness that sometimes reviewers are not always kind. Awareness of mistakes--the mortifying kind that kept me awake at night. The bubble that had once protected me from criticism is no longer there. Yet, at the same time I was able to take some of that reader feedback while I wrote the next two books in the series in a way I couldn't do with my first book.

  • Not knowing what to expect is a virtue. In the past year, I've been invited (or brazenly invited myself) to speak about my book in a wide variety of settings. Sometimes I've spoken to audiences that numbered in the hundreds, while other times I could count the participants on one hand. I've been to signings where the audience came to see me specifically, and I've also been to many more where I'm the sad sap sitting next to the more famous author with a line out the door. I was at a book club where mine was the first book they had ever discussed, so we spent most of the night talking about children, and another where mine was the group's 140th book, and they asked very tough questions indeed. (I left wishing I had studied my book before I came!) What I've found, however, is that the best thing to do is go in to every signing and event with a positive attitude and a sense of humor. Not knowing what to expect makes it a lot more fun!
Of course, there are many similarities as well. Mostly in the form of anxious questions that I try not to dwell on too much:
  • What will people think of my book?
  • What kinds of mistakes did I make?
  • Will I forget what I'm supposed to be talking about? (Last year, I had a lot of dreams that I would start talking about something work-related, instead of book-related, during my book talks).
  • Will I forget what happened in From the Charred Remains? (I'll have just turned in book 3 to my editor, so I'm sure I'll be all confused. My psychologist husband calls my memory problem "proactive interference.")
  • And of course, how will I sign my book? (This is actually a fun one to think about. Unlike last year, I won't figure it out when I'm staring in fear at the first book in front of me.)

    But the biggest and most important thing that I'm still very conscious....This thrill won't last forever, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can!
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    Susanna Calkins

    Historian. Mystery writer. Researcher. Teacher.  Occasional blogger.

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  • Home
  • Lucy Campion Mysteries
    • A Murder at Rosamund's Gate
    • From the Charred Remains
    • The Masque of a Murderer
    • A Death Along the River Fleet
    • The Sign of the Gallows
    • The Cry of the Hangman
    • Death Among the Ruins
  • The Speakeasy Murders
    • Murder Knocks Twice
    • The Fate of a Flapper
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