Last week I had the fun of going back to my favorite book store, Book Passage, this time for a summer reading event put on my the Larkspur Corte Madera Mothers Club, which I just joined. A great group which Mélanie and I are having a lot of fun with. I got to talk a bit about The Mayfair Affair and to listen to some wonderful summer reading suggestions for the moms and their children.
With the wonderful Elaine Petrocelli, founder and president of Book Passage
With Laura von Waldburg and Erica Applestein who organized the event
And to keep the Mayfair discussion going, I’d love to hear readers thoughts on one of my favorites of the discussion questions.
- What do you think Raoul is really saying with his last question to Laura and why is he relieved she understands?
At the gate, he turned back, his hand on the latch. “Laura—”
She saw him hesitate, searching for the words. All at once she understood. She smiled. “I’ll look after them for you.”
Relief at her understanding broke across his face. “Thank you.”
Happy weekend!
Tracy
Tracy Grant - Novelist 
June 12, 2015 at 3:42 am
I think that’s easy – not only was he worried about Laura and Emily but he was also worries about Malcolm, Suzanne and the children, particularly Malcolm and Colin because they are his offspring. As he gets older his family will mean more to him, am I right?
June 12, 2015 at 5:27 am
I think that pretty much sums it up, Lynne (though not sure he worries about Malcolm and Colin more than Suzanne and Jessica). I think the more complicated question is the subtext and what it says about his relationship to Laura that he’s asking her, and why he’s relieved that she understands.
June 13, 2015 at 3:39 am
That link between them was something I sensed toward the end. That’s why I would like to see them together – they have chemistry, both physical and mental. You did a good job giving us that unspoken feeling between them.
June 13, 2015 at 7:40 am
That’s really good to hear, Lynne! Writing their relationship was one of the joys of Mayfair. In my original plan for the series, Laura was going to be paired with Jeremy Roth, but it occurred to me a couple of books ago that she and Raoul were well matched.
I rarely write the end of a book first, but I wrote that last exchange between them in Mayfair if not first, then very early on in the process of writing the book. And I had it my head before I even started on the book or quite knew the shape it would take.
June 13, 2015 at 6:27 pm
My answer would be he wants her to look after all of the family. I know Laura has some insecurities about whether she should remain with the Rannochs. This gives an even closer connection and reason for her to stay. Like Lynne, I really enjoyed how you brought Raoul and Laura together and can definitely feel the chemistry. I have always liked Raoul throughout the series and see him as a strong man of conviction. Interesting that you mentioned pairing him with Roth, because that’s what I was guessing at the beginning. Then as the novel progressed without much interaction from him, I realized it wasn’t going to happen. Much better choice!
On another note, I just finished Berkely Square, and loved it. From reading Mayfair Affair first, I was wondering how you would write Malcolm’s realization of Suzanne’s background and also his connection to Raoul. Welldone! I thought it was realistic to see Malcolm coming to terms with his feelings for Suzanne and her betrayal. If they had not developed into a loving family unit and investigative team, then perhaps it would have been different. But he worked through his anger, resentment, distrust, and devastation at the betrayal in a way that was logical for Malcolm. I’m really loving the friendship development with Harry and Cordelia also, and Harry’s own recognition that he was cared for by his uncle.
Not to make this too long, but I wanted to say how much I liked the intrigue around the Irish uprising. As someone of Irish, Scottish, and English heritage I like learning about those historical conflicts and what I would call the innate desire for freedom among all peoples. Two years ago, I came to read about the Irish Easter Rising of 1916, said to be the largest rising since 1798. I became drawn to it by the story of Grace Gifford and Joseph Plunkett, who married 4 hours before his execution for his part in the Rising. I wrote a post about this for the Bubble Bath Reader last November in conjunction with the reread of Lauren Willig’s books. Emerald Ring, the book set in Ireland, was featured in November, and Ashley posted my article on Thanksgiving Day.
I really love it when the books I read link together. And now, after Mayfair, we will really be anxious for more of Laura and Raoul’s story.
June 13, 2015 at 6:57 pm
Thanks for the great comments (and never apologize for long comments, they are great!). That’s a good insight that Raoul is giving Laura a reason to stay with the Rannochs and in a sense be part of the family when she is at a point where she feels quite rootless.
So glad you enjoyed Berkeley Square and it’s nice to know that the emotional progression worked reading Mayfair first and then Berkeley Square. I liked exploring Harry’s relationship with his uncle, and it really fit with the father/son theme in the book. I’ve been dipping back into earlier books in the series this week as I work on the new book, and, if I do say so myself, I like how Harry and Cordelia’s relationship has progressed and also their friendship with the Rannochs.
I loved writing about the United Irish Uprising. I’ve known it was part of Raoul’s back story for a long time (and that Arabella Rannoch got Alistair to help him escape). It’s such a fascinating historical episode – it was great to be able to work it into the book. I’ll have to look for your article – it souhds great!
Lots more of Laura and Raoul in the next book, and also in the novella that will be out this fall! Lots of interesting ways for their relationship to develop…
June 14, 2015 at 5:00 pm
Of course, up above I meant pairing HER, Laura, with Roth – those typos get me every time.
Berkeley Square – I also think your inclusion of Harry’s relationship with Archie and his acceptance of Cordelia, helped Malcolm work through his relationship with Suzanne. It helped him see two sides of a story. I guess suspecting Raoul’s connection helped him be more accepting of that relationship. It also helped him forgive himself for his feelings about Alistair. I liked that at the end, Malcolm indicated he and Suzanne needed to work on having a real relationship, and not just putting up a facade.
*Spoiler Alert* – Back to Mayfair Affair, it is obvious Malcolm is working through his distrust from Berkeley Affair and enjoying a more comfortable relationship with Suzanne. Since the Elsinore League played a major part in this book, I suspect it will come to the forefront again. On another point, did I miss the reason Malcolm slashed his wrists (that has been alluded to in a couple of books)? Is more going to be revealed about this, or was it because of his mother’s death and not feeling loved by Alistair and questioning his paternity?
Your writing process intrigues me – writing the ending scene between Raoul and Laura so early on. Do you write things you are sure about, and then weave them into the story as it goes along? That really plays havoc with what I think is my logical mind, although I guess I can see it. I am learning so much about the writing process.
June 14, 2015 at 5:52 pm
I knew exactly what you meant, Betty! (though pairing Roth with Raoul would take the series in interesting directions :-). I didn’t really know where I was going with Harry’s uncle when I first mentioned him in Imperial Scandal – I just knew I wanted Harry to have a back story that made him a loner. I really like how Archie has turned out and having him have been a spy does help Malcolm work through his feelings about Suzanne I think.
Great to know you thought Malcolm and Suzanne’s relationship in Mayfair made sense as an extension of Malcolm at the end of Berkeley saying they needed to work on having a real relationship. I think in Mayfair they are working to have that relationship, but it’s always good to know the emotional continuity works for readers from one book to the next (it can be tricky when one is skipping time).
The Elsinore League will definitely be back and play an important ongoing role in the series.
Malcolm’s suicide attempt will be discussed more, but mostly in terms of the emotional ramifications for him as those around him. It was mainly a reaction to his mother’s suicide and his brother pulling away from him in the wake of it. He felt alone and cut adrift and hopeless.
As to my writing process – I don’t normally write the last scene first. In fact I often write the very last scene late, after I’ve done a couple of drafts, because it’s tricky to know how to end a book. But I do write scenes out of order. I didn’t used to, but I now write in a wonderful program called Scrivener which makes it easy to lay out your scenes on an electronic corkboard and then switch the view to see them as a draft. With this, I find it’s easy to dip in and write a scene I know I will need as I’m still working out plot details (my plots take me a long time). It lets me start writing earlier instead of spending two or three months just plotting. I then do two or three drafts where I go through the book in linear fashion and smooth out the rough edges. I also find this way I tend to waste less time on transitions between scenes because I write a lot of the scenes first and then figure out what I need to connect one to another. I love talking about writing!
June 14, 2015 at 9:16 pm
Thanks for all the details and for sharing your writing process. I retired last year after teaching 5th grade for 23 years. Every year involved teaching writing with the final goal of preparing my students to respond to a prompt to pass our state writing test. 5th grade is the first year they do this. Whereas I was always super at grammar and spelling, my best writing was in writing to a topic or writing a reserach paper. I was not a creative writer at all. After taking a number of writing workshops and really making figurative language a part of my life, I found I could be creative – at least enough to do a fair job with my students. However, I could never write a novel, so I really admire those who do. Very short pieces and poetry are more in my comfort level. And I am more of a step by step person, but the way you explained creating scenes and then crafting them together makes sense.
Really looking forward to your novella and more about Malcolm’s and all of the characters’ emotions because you do it so well. I love the deep detail and description that make me feel I am part of the scene.
Oh, and regarding Archie, I love the scene in Berkeley when Harry confronts Archie, telling him he wasn’t Arabella’s lover. He said something to the effect of ‘Oh, I wasn’t? But that’s what I told her son”. I know that’s not a direct quote (don’t have my book handy), but I laughed out loud at the exchange. Thanks, again!
June 15, 2015 at 1:33 am
I bet you were a wonderful teacher, Betty! I really admire people who can write short pieces, Betty – I’m not good at that. I tend to create complicated plots and lots of characters no matter what. I can do novellas that are part of a larger series or individual letters between the characters. I enjoy that. But I’m still working as part of a larger canvas.
So glad you enjoy exploring the characters emotions. It’s fun for me to write, but it’s always a bit of a balancing act, particularly in a thriller, to keep the plot going and still do justice to the emotional development of the characters.
Glad you liked that scene between Archie and Harry. I like it as well, but I don’t think I appreciated just how funny the “That’s what I told her son” comment was until you pointed it out :-). Archie had a nice sense of humor. In fact I think he passed that dry wit on to Harry.
June 16, 2015 at 4:00 am
I read a comment somewhere recently that said that making a novelist write a short story is like expecting a marathon runner to win the 100 metres sprint. I think they had in mind the typical 2,500 things magazines seem to want these days rather than a novella. But I thought that made a lot sense.
June 16, 2015 at 6:08 am
That makes sense, Suzanne. I think it’s quite a different art to write in a short form. My mind doesn’t work that way, though as I said I do enjoy novellas and even shorter pieces like the Rannoch/Fraser letters that are part of the larger series.
June 13, 2015 at 8:26 pm
Hi Tracey, My opinion is that Raoul wants Laura to look after his family while he is away. He is also including her and Emily in that family by keeping them attached to Malcolm and Suzanne. I really enjoy the back stories of all the other characters as well. While I love Harry and Cordelia, I would like to have more of David’s and Simon’s story. Hopefully in a future book you will find a interesting and beautiful woman for Inspector Roth. He is the only main character without someone to love and be loved in return. I had originally thought it would be Laura, but I like her with Raoul.
June 13, 2015 at 10:08 pm
Thanks so much for commenting, Kim! That’s a good insight that Raoul is putting Laura and Emily together with the Rannochs he is making them all part of his family. I do want to introduce someone for Roth at some point. I felt a bit guilty taking Laura away from him, but she worked so well with Raoul that I was sure it was the right decision.
David’s and Simon’s story gets quite a bit of focus in the book I’m writing now. In fact, as I write the book, I’m finding they (and Malcolm’s and Suzanne’s relationships with them) are even more the focus of the story than I had intended originally.
June 14, 2015 at 5:02 pm
Will be so glad to hear more of David and Simon’s story!
June 15, 2015 at 1:32 am
I loved reading about your writing process. it helps me to appreciate that length of time between books. Usually when I get to the end, I am screaming for the next adventure. I can hardly wait for the novella before the next full length story.
June 15, 2015 at 1:43 am
I know, I’m not a fast writer, Kim. Even more than actual writing time I need time to mull things over and build the story. I find I often work things out while doing something else, which is why it works well for me to also have my part time job for the Merola Opera Program. I love the novellas because it lets me put something out between books and also fill in episodes in the characters’ lives that don’t make it into full length novels.