Deborah’s Comments (group member since Jan 27, 2014)

Deborah’s comments from the Ask Rhys Bowen, Deborah Crombie, and Charles Todd! group.

Ellen wrote: "that was so much fun! I feel like I'm reading my friends now.. thank you all so much! ♡"

DEBS: Ellen, so glad you enjoyed it! We did, too.

DEBS: Gary, I spent a year (more actually--it was a long book...) trying to talk my husband into taking a narrow boat holiday. No luck. Yet...

DEBS: My publisher, William Morrow, used my photos for the cover art on five books. But that's very unusual, and with No Mark Upon Her, the book before The Sound of Broken Glass, they decided to go for a different look and design. So while I do have some input on the cover designs, I don't get to pick the artist.

Kathy B. wrote: "Oh, and Debs, in reference to the Jungle Reds blog today, please let poor Duncan get a newer vehicle. He deserves something better than the old station wagon. LOL!"

DEBS: Kathy, I'm thinking about it, really I am. But he is so not-yuppie, and I can't figure out what they can fit the family in that isn't either yuppie or totally boring. Maybe he needs a new sports car, all for himself:-)

Shana wrote: "Hi Deborah - I think my question got lost in the others.. Just wondering what you enjoy reading in your spare time?
Thanks!!"

DEBS: Hi Shana! Sorry to have missed your question. It's been a bit confusing going back and forth and trying to keep up with everything. As for reading, the worst thing I've found about writing is that I have less time for reading. But I also have a chance to discover new and interesting authors that I'd never have run across without all my writing and reader connections. I do read crime fiction, but I love historical fiction and some sci-fi-fantasy-paranormal. Very quirky taste, but it keeps things fun. I just finished reading Connie Willis's Blackout and All Clear, which I absolutely adored. Meticulous and incredibly intense historical fiction, and wonderful sci-fi combined. With a heart-wrenching love story. Who could ask for more!

Janice L. wrote: "I found with Rutledge I had the vague impression he was dark haired and tallish, but mostly my vision of him is more from inside his head than what his outsides look like. I only recently discovere..."

DEBS: Hi Janice! So glad you enjoy the series! I find it very hard to do dream-casting of my characters, because I see them so clearly in my head and they only look like themselves. But if it happens, it will be interesting!

Kathy B. wrote: "Deb, do you spend time in England every year? If so, how much? Does it differ from book to book? Also, how do you decide what area you are going to write about around London or the surrounding a..."

DEBS: Kathy, it was a pleasure to meet you as well! I do try to get to Bouchercon most years. It is the premier event for mystery writers and fans. The other conferences are hit and miss, according to what I can work into the schedule. This year I'm going to Left Coast Crime for the first time in way too many years, and really looking forward to it! I couldn't resist Monterey, and so many of my writer friends, including Rhys Bowen and Charles and Caroline Todd:-)

Kathy B. wrote: "Deb, do you spend time in England every year? If so, how much? Does it differ from book to book? Also, how do you decide what area you are going to write about around London or the surrounding a..."

DEBS: Kathy, I try to make a couple of trips a year but I don't always manage it. I'm going in May for three weeks--so excited--and I haven't been since March last year. Too long between visits! As for the setting, the decision that goes into it vary so much from book to book. Sometimes I try to find a setting to fit the story (THE SOUND OF BROKEN GLASS was a good example) and sometimes vice versa... Often it's the continuing story arc that influences the setting.

As for Scotland, I would love to get Duncan and Gemma back there, and I have for the last couple of years been feeling very homesick for Edinburgh. But that's such Ian Rankin territory, and my English detectives have no jurisdiction in Scotland where both policing and the judicial system are very different. It will take some doing but hopefully I will get them back there one of these days.

Kathy B. wrote: "Here's a question for everyone? I sometimes get hung up on a main character's description, wanting to remember their physical characteristics so that I can picture them more clearly in my mind. D..."

DEBS: Kathy, what a good question! I do make a deliberate effort to sneak in descriptions of the main characters for new readers of the series. Or sometimes to remind long-time readers! It's very interesting to see how readers reflect your characters back to you--sometimes it's not at all how you think you've portrayed them!

Charles wrote: "Marilyn wrote: "For all: what made you decide to write books set in the United Kingdom when you live in a different setting? How often do you need to travel to the UK to write so knowledgeably ab..."

DEBS: Yes, Caroline, the sacrifices we make for our art:-) Marilyn, I try to make a couple of trips a year to research each book. I consider it one of the best perks of the job!

DEBS: My publisher, William Morrow, used my photos for the cover art on five books. But that's very unusual, and with No Mark Upon Her, the book before The Sound of Broken Glass, they decided to go for a different look and design. So while I do have some input on the cover designs, I don't get to pick the artist.

Diana wrote: "Rhys, wondering if the Welsh village in Evan Evans mysteries look similar or different from the Doc Martin BBC TV series?

Rhys wrote: "Carol wrote: "Rhys I love all your series but Evan Evans is m..."

DEBS: Rhys, I want to know that, too!

Rhys wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Diana wrote: "Question for Rhys Bowen, Deborah Crombie and Charles Todd:

I enjoyed your novels. I was introduced to mystery novels by my 6th grade teacher. I wondered when you st..."

DEBS: Rhys, I didn't read Enid Blyton growing up, but when my daughter was growing up I brought her all the Famous Five and Secret Seven books from England. I still have her copies as she is not much of a "keeper." And yes, she loves mysteries, too!

Gary wrote: "The murder of Duncan's wife, Vic, is solved at the end of Dreaming of the Bones.

But as for the air force bases, that's an idea that's been bouncing around in my head for a couple of years now. I ..."

DEBS: Gary, yes, we do find out what happened to Vic at the end of Dreaming of the Bones. I wouldn't mind rereading it myself! And yes, thanks for the nudge on the air force bases. Will do!

Charles wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Rhys wrote: "Jennifer wrote: "How do you write-in a quiet place, music on, a public place?"

RHYS: I have to have silence. No music for me. And I usually write at my desk, so that I..."

DEBS: Caroline, there was a very interesting section in this last Sunday's NYTs magazine (the Style one, I think) profiling half a dozen writers and showing where they write. Like you, I tend to move around the house, and it's varied from season to season and book to book. For this one, I've moved into the downstairs guest room, as our older dog likes to be with me and it's getting harder for her to make multiple climbs a day to my upstairs study. I'm getting very attached to this spot, however, as I usually have both dogs and both cats, and I can see out the front window. Writers seem to spend a lot of time looking out the window, LOL!

Pat wrote: "I've always wondered if Scotland Yard detectives actually work only one case at a time. They seem to in all the stories!"

DEBS: Pat, the modern-day Metropolitan Police is a very complex organization with many divisions. Most murders are investigated by London borough Area Major Incident Teams, but there is some overlap when a crime is high-profile or crosses borough boundaries or organizational divisions. A good deal of simplification is necessary in the novels so that readers can follow the plot!

Kathleen wrote: "I will start by saying I love this group of authors they are among my favourite. For Charles Todd and Rhys Bowen how do you manage researching, travelling, writing, promoting 2 books/year and are ..."

DEBS: Kathleen, it is a juggling act, and I am constantly amazed that my friends Rhys and the Todds manage to write TWO books a year when I struggle with one!

As for Duncan and Gemma, I decided at the very beginning of the series that I did not want my characters to be static--I wanted them to grow and change and have relationships. I did NOT foresee in the first book that the relationship would be with each other! When they did get together, it presented challenges for the series that I've been enjoying ever since. Will they/won't they gets tedious after a while, and I wanted them to move forward, as people do in real life. I think the complications of two people in tough jobs staying together and making a family work are endlessly fascinating. (And I hope readers think so, too!)

Anna wrote: "This is for all the authors. I admire your work, ladies. Thank you for giving us your time today. I currently write historical mysteries set in the United States. However, I've thought of sending..."

DEBS: Hi, Anna. I always spend time where the book is set, at least two research trips if I can. But I've found over the progression of the series that the internet has become more and more helpful in discovering details about the setting--or refreshing my memory on things I've already seen!

Angela wrote: "For Deborah Crombie: I love your Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mysteries. Will they ever be made into a TV series?"

DEBS: There is something in the works. I hope to make an announcement soon. Fingers crossed.

Charles wrote: "Caroline: Someone was asking about new books. Bess will be out in the summer with AN UNWILLING ACCOMPLICE. Next January, look for Rutledge in A FINE SUMMER'S DAY. Have you ever read any of the Todd..."

DEBS: I just read COLD COMFORT (a Rutledge story) last night! Loved it!!!