Victorian Fetishes and How to Avoid Them
Victoria Thompson’s latest book, City of Secrets, is the second in her new Counterfeit Lady Series, which released on November 13, 2018. She’s thrilled to tell you all about the new series.
Blackmail.
What does that make you think of? Probably shady doings and scandalous photographs and demands for money that never end. When I was trying to come up with an idea for the second Counterfeit Lady novel, City of Secrets, my wonderful editor suggest blackmail as a topic. I couldn’t remember the last time I read a book about blackmail, so I was intrigued.
How could I use that crime to motivate my Counterfeit Lady, Elizabeth Miles, to arrange another con when she’s promised her beloved Gideon that she’ll reform? The answer, of course, is blackmail. When Elizabeth’s new friend is suddenly widowed, she discovers that her late husband has left her penniless because he’d used all his money paying a blackmailer. Elizabeth, naturally, wants to help, and of course she does.
But what, you may ask, had this respectable gentleman done that he wanted so desperately to hide? That, of course, was important information for the story, so I had to come up with something good—or rather something very bad. It had to be something he would give anything to conceal. It also had to be historically accurate. But most importantly, it had to be something that wouldn’t make readers go, “Ewwww!” and stop reading the book (which would be a very bad thing in itself!).
This was a quandary! I naively decided it should be some kind of sexually deviant behavior, but what kind? Something shocking but not disgusting or offensive to readers. What could that be? So I did some research and things only got worse.
If you search for “Victorian fetishes” (and I definitely don’t recommend it!), you will discover that most Victorian fetishes actually sound funny to modern folks. Being tickled with feathers. Watching a woman walk around in boots. Seriously. Everything I found would either make readers laugh or go, “Ewwww!” and close the book. Definitely, a quandary.
So how did I solve it? I think I did so very cleverly, although I’ll rely on my readers to give me their opinions. Please let me know how I did!
Blackmail.
What does that make you think of? Probably shady doings and scandalous photographs and demands for money that never end. When I was trying to come up with an idea for the second Counterfeit Lady novel, City of Secrets, my wonderful editor suggest blackmail as a topic. I couldn’t remember the last time I read a book about blackmail, so I was intrigued.
How could I use that crime to motivate my Counterfeit Lady, Elizabeth Miles, to arrange another con when she’s promised her beloved Gideon that she’ll reform? The answer, of course, is blackmail. When Elizabeth’s new friend is suddenly widowed, she discovers that her late husband has left her penniless because he’d used all his money paying a blackmailer. Elizabeth, naturally, wants to help, and of course she does.
But what, you may ask, had this respectable gentleman done that he wanted so desperately to hide? That, of course, was important information for the story, so I had to come up with something good—or rather something very bad. It had to be something he would give anything to conceal. It also had to be historically accurate. But most importantly, it had to be something that wouldn’t make readers go, “Ewwww!” and stop reading the book (which would be a very bad thing in itself!).
This was a quandary! I naively decided it should be some kind of sexually deviant behavior, but what kind? Something shocking but not disgusting or offensive to readers. What could that be? So I did some research and things only got worse.
If you search for “Victorian fetishes” (and I definitely don’t recommend it!), you will discover that most Victorian fetishes actually sound funny to modern folks. Being tickled with feathers. Watching a woman walk around in boots. Seriously. Everything I found would either make readers laugh or go, “Ewwww!” and close the book. Definitely, a quandary.
So how did I solve it? I think I did so very cleverly, although I’ll rely on my readers to give me their opinions. Please let me know how I did!
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message 1:
by
Rebecca
(new)
Mar 02, 2019 05:34AM
I have learned through years of Victorian obsessing that one ought never to underestimate them. Rumor has it that there's a Victorian-era law still on the Maine books that it's illegal to tickle your wife with a feather duster - oh, the depravity! :)
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Poor Stephen King--Tabitha King can't tickle him with her feather duster
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