It Never Gets Old!

Posted on July 15, 2021 by diannefreeman

I belong to a group of authors with whom I share an agent. Some of them have been published for years and some are just starting out. One of them asked the question, Is the release of book two less exciting than book one? Does it become routine as you publish more books?
 
The answer, of course, is yes and no. For a writer, it’s hard to believe anything else in your career will match the thrill of launching your debut novel. Every step you take is a first—getting a book contract, going through edits, seeing your book cover for the first time, signing a book for someone for the first time.
 
By book two and three, you know what to expect. It’s not so much that the thrill is gone, as that it’s not surprising, so, in part, it does become more routine. However, holding your book in your hands for the first time never gets old. And there’s always something new—an award nomination, a review from someone who really gets what you were trying to do, a good review from someone you admire, and seeing your book for the first time. It’s still a thrill!
 

This year, my big thrill was being nominated for an Agatha Award for Best Historical Mystery. Authors are also readers and fans. I’m a fan of all these authors and it’s surreal to be up for an award with them—and to be on a panel with them! The only way it could have been better was if it had been in person! Maybe that will be the big thrill for next year, but for now I’ll just enjoy this one!

If you’d like to check out the Agatha Nominee Panels you will find them here: AGATHA PANELS (malicedomestic.org)

I have several fun events going on for the release of A Fiancée’s Guide to First Wives and Murder.

On Release Day (July 27th) I have a virtual event with Schuler books—Coffee and Crime! It’s at 3:00 pm EDT. You can join us using this link: Coffee + Crime with Dianne Freeman | Schuler Books  If you’re thinking of purchasing the book, Schuler Books will have signed copies.

For those of you on FaceBook, I’ll be doing a lunchtime author takeover at Cozy Mystery Launch Party from 1:00 – 2:00 pm EDT on July 28th. There will be giveaways! You can join us here: (8) Cozy Mystery Launch Party | Facebook

August 4th I’ll be (virtually) at Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore with Erica Ruth Neubauer. This one will be at 9:00 pm EDT and you can join us here: Virtual Event – Dianne Freeman in conversation with Erica Ruth Neubauer | Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore (mystgalaxy.com)

August 7th I’ll be part of The (virtual) Kensington Historicon at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore at 7:00 pm EDT. You can join us at: https://calendar.time.ly/9plshfqx/event/67174881/20210807160000

If you have a chance, I hope you’ll join me for any or all of them!

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A Dedication

Posted on June 15, 2021 by diannefreeman

My grandmother, Frances, came to the US with her husband around 1918. They settled in the Chicago area and had a family. Genevieve, Ted, Eddie, and Vicki. Fast forward a dozen years and Frances’ husband was killed in an accident. Grieving, and with four kids to support, Frances decided to go home to Poland where she at least had family. Not long after she arrived, she remembered why they left. There was little opportunity for her to support her children.

She and her family came up with a plan. Each of her sisters would house and care for one of her children while Frances returned to the US and tried to establish herself. This time she ended up in Detroit, where she worked cleaning houses and met and married the man who would be my mom’s dad.

They sent money back to her family for passage for the four children, but only three arrived. The oldest, Genevieve was missing. Frances was frantic. The other kids had been housed elsewhere and didn’t know where their sister was. After some exhaustive letter writing they learned the sister who had Genevieve had emigrated to Russia and took her with them.

Frances contacted the Red Cross, the American Embassy, and any organization she thought might help, with no success. They were never able to track down the sister and her family or Genevieve. She was lost to her family.

I tell you all this because this story is why I learned Russian and studied Russian history. At that time, I was still writing for my own entertainment and one day I planned to write this story. Years passed and I never did. A family saga isn’t the type of story I enjoy reading and I don’t see myself writing one. (Photo is of my grandmother and my mom.)

I guess I’ll never write about Genevieve.

Except, I kind of did. At least as close as I could do it. Irena Teskey, the victim in the upcoming book has been raised by people who aren’t her family even though her father is alive and well and taking care of his other child. Irena wasn’t kidnapped and taken from her family. She was pushed away. But I can’t help seeing the similarity to Genevieve, who also had to go through life denied her family.

When I sent the book in to my editor, I didn’t have a dedication. It’s way too late to get one in the book now, so this is my unofficial dedication for A Fiancée’s Guide to First Wives and Murder.

For Frances and Genevieve.

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In the Eye of the Beholder

Posted on May 15, 2021 by diannefreeman

I never provide detailed descriptions of my characters in my novels. When I read, I rarely pay attention to character descriptions and decide for myself what they look like based on their personalities. Ridiculous, I know. People hardly ever resemble their personalities in real life, but this is fiction, and I think readers have enough imagination to fill in the blanks I leave. If you’re like me, you prefer it that way.

With that in mind, I was delighted when I saw the cover for Etiquette and Murder and the characters were essentially cartoons. The artist took a lot of liberty with the descriptions. Frances was perfect, but who was that guy? It couldn’t be George Hazelton, Frances’ partner in crime-solving and potential love interest. Aside from the fact that he was poisoning Frances’ drink, one of the few details I mentioned about him was that he had no facial hair. The man on the cover had a Snidely Whiplash mustache and a goatee. I decided he was just a generic villain and let it go.

George appears again on the cover of my third book, Mischief and Murder—this time with a handlebar mustache! Why?! I give the artist much more specific details about what the characters look like than I give readers, so why does she insist on facial hair? I had already made several changes to that cover and felt a little insecure about asking for one more. I mentioned it to my editor and decided to let him decide if the mustache stays or goes. He let it stay.

To be clear, I have nothing against facial hair. My husband alternates between clean-shaven and a goatee and I like both looks. But in my mind, George doesn’t have any. So, when I saw the cover of book four, First Wives and Murder, I was thrilled to see a clean-shaven George! Halleluiah! I wouldn’t have to go to battle this time.

Then, in one of my historical groups, I saw this photo and thought, well look at that, it’s George with a beard! And I liked it! The cover artist had it right all along. Maybe I should have trusted her imagination.  I might have him grow a beard in book five but I’m afraid she’ll end up throwing that book at me!

Readers, what do you prefer? Do you want to know exactly what the writer thinks the characters look like or would you rather use your imagination?

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A Fiancée’s Guide to First Wives and Murder

Posted on April 15, 2021 by diannefreeman

I spend a lot of time browsing newspapers from 1899, the year my books are set. I do it for a few reasons; to immerse myself in the era, to check for any events of great import that my characters should take note of, and for inspiration. While looking for ideas for book four, A Fiancee’s Guide to First Wives and Murder, I dug into the November, 1899 papers and found both an important event and inspiration. It was a short article about the upcoming visit of Russian grand duke, Michael Mikhailovich and his wife Sophie, the Countess de Torby.

I knew those names! Long ago I studied Russian, and our professor often brought up tid-bits of Imperial Russian history. In 1894, when Alexander was Czar, his nephew, Michael Mikhailovich had the temerity to marry without asking his uncle’s permission. Big mistake! While he wasn’t disowned, he was stripped of his military rank and banned from Russia forever. But Michael wasn’t cut off from the income from his factories, he was still an Imperial Highness, and it looked as if he’d made a love match.

He and Sophie lived in Germany and spent summers in Cannes, which had to be better than dealing with Russian court politics, not to mention the assassinations that came later. Of all the Romanovs, I found this couple to be the most relatable. So, when I read that they were in London to visit the British royal family, I couldn’t wait to write a story around them.

But what story? I ran through my mental rolodex of story ideas, scene fragments, and characters I’ve wanted to write but, for one reason or another, they never quite fit the story I was working on. One was Alicia Stoke-Whitney, a character from the first book. I’ve wanted to bring her back and this might be just the story. Another was a neighbor I once had who constantly made outlandish claims about her past—famous people who were friends or relatives, businesses she ran, and things she’d done. Her claims were extreme and sometimes contradictory, so I thought she was making them up—until I learned that she wasn’t. Regardless of how ridiculous her stories sounded, everything she’d said was true.

I’ve been waiting for the right story for such a character, and this was it. She could claim to be a Romanov, perhaps a distant relative of Michael Mikhailovich. She’d need some other shady claims too, like she’s an actress, she’s very wealthy, and she’s married to my protagonist’s fiancé, George Hazelton. Of course, George and Frances are very much in love and soon to be married, so the woman must be lying. Or is she? To quote Alicia Stoke-Whitney to Frances; “Heavens! And I thought I had problems.”

You can pre-order A Fiancee’s Guide to First Wives and Murder here: Books | Dianne Freeman (difreeman.com)

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Women’s History Month

Posted on March 14, 2021 by diannefreeman

March is Women’s History Month and I’ve been reading about the accomplishments of some amazing women from the past. The characters in the Countess of Harleigh series are more likely to make headlines in the society pages than the front page of the papers. They tend to be wealthy, part of the highest layers of the upper crust, and of course, they’re from the Victorian era, a time where a woman’s activities and interests were highly restricted. But it would be a mistake to underestimate them or write them off as rich, spoiled, social butterflies.

Many of these women volunteered their time and talent in various areas. They ran charities, raised huge amounts for hospitals, and organized groups to demand change from their politicians. One in particular made her mark in politics by serving as the first female member in the House of Commons.

Nancy Langhorne Shaw was an heiress from Virginia and a divorcee when she, her son, and her sister, Phyllis moved to London in 1905. Nancy was beautiful, witty, and glamorous and was soon accepted in the elevated social circles of the aristocracy where she met Waldorf Astor, son of Viscount Astor and also an American ex-patriate. They married six months later. Both were interested in social reform and with his wife’s encouragement, Waldorf ran for a seat in the House of Commons. He lost his first election but won a second in 1910.

While Waldorf enjoyed a promising political career, Nancy maintained her political interests too. In 1919 Waldorf’s father died, making him Viscount Astor and granting him a seat in the House of Lords.

That left a vacancy in the House of Commons and Nancy, now Viscountess Astor, decided to run for it. Her charm and wit made her a wonderful campaigner. Nancy won the election and took up her seat in December of 1919. Surrounded by mostly hostile, male MPs, Nancy had to keep her wits about her to survive. She served for 26 years, the first two of which she was the only female MP. She supported welfare reforms, equal voting rights, and other female MPs, regardless of party. She advocated for the development of nursery schools, children’s education, and worked to recruit women into the civil service and police force. Nancy Astor may have been a pampered American heiress, but she also understood the concept of public service.

“Nancy was quoted frequently. Here are a few of her notable quips.”

“I married beneath me. All women do.”

“The only thing I like about rich people is their money.”

“In passing, also, I would like to say that the first time Adam had a chance, he laid the blame on a woman.”

“We are not asking for superiority for we have always had that; all we ask is equality.”

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Mystery Love

Posted on February 14, 2021 by diannefreeman

When I think about murder mysteries, love is not the first thing that comes to my mind. But on this most romantic of days, I’m wondering why not. Love can be a compelling motive for murder—at least in fiction. Protecting a loved one or being spurned by a lover has been reason enough for many a villain to kill. But over my mystery-reading life, at least 30 years, the protagonist’s love life has been getting more and more attention.

I think that attention is warranted. Love is an essential part of life and therefore, part of the character’s story. My main character, Frances is an amateur sleuth. Solving crime is not the job of an amateur sleuth. They have regular lives that are disrupted by a crime. Like all the rest of us, in those regular lives they are either looking for love, running away from love, falling in love, comfortably in a relationship with their loved ones, or breaking up from a bad one.  

As a writer, I can really dig into my characters through their relationships, be they romantic or otherwise, but in those romantic relationships I learn so much about their vulnerabilities. What are they drawn to? What are they afraid of? What’s that one false step a character can take that would simply destroy a relationship? And would anything ever compel them to take that step?

I’ve loved writing the romance between my sleuth, Frances and her neighbor, the ever-gallant George Hazelton. I had expected their romance to be a much slower burn, but I don’t always have control of these characters. I find that when I’m struggling with a scene, it’s usually because a character is resisting something I’m trying to make them do (or stop doing). I thought George should be more aloof. He disagreed. I finally let him have his way and it turns out he was right.

So, readers, what’s your opinion? Do you like your sleuths to have a love interest or some romance in their lives?

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Where Can a Girl Get a Good Cup of Coffee?

Posted on January 18, 2021 by diannefreeman

Part of an author’s job is promotion and every now and then a unique opportunity for promotion comes along. My publisher arranged for my next book, A Fiancée’s Guide to First Wives and Murder, to be featured in a magazine about tea. It’s a beautiful magazine and I have no doubt the photograph of the book will be wonderful, so this is very exciting! The rub is I have to provide a short article or essay about tea—a beverage I don’t drink and know nothing about.

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t be worried. I’m capable of learning and there’s plenty of information about tea out in the world. But this is for a magazine about TEA. This is for tea experts written by tea experts. Yikes! Whatever I learn, I’d better learn it well. Also, it should be on a topic they haven’t covered already. After reviewing back issues, I realized that will be challenging.

If not a new topic, maybe just a different slant. The characters in my books drink a lot of tea, but Frances, my main character, is American and prefers coffee, which would not be available just any old place in 1899 in London. When she pays calls, she can’t expect her friends to serve coffee. The local drink of choice is tea. Why? London used to be a city packed with coffee houses. What happened?

So, I gathered the following facts about England and the switch from coffee to tea.

As late as the mid-1600s, there were as many as 2,000 coffee houses in the city of London.

In 1660 King Charles II married Catherine of Braganza, who was Portuguese.

Portugal had a good trading relationship with China, at that time the only place to find tea, so it wasn’t surprising that crates of tea were part of Catherine’s dowry.

England did not have a great trading relationship with China at that time and tea was very expensive to import. A pound of tea could cost as much as an average worker earned in a year. Meanwhile, coffee still came pretty cheaply from Ceylon.

Over time, upper-class Britons began mimicking the Queen’s daily tea drinking, but they were the only ones who could afford to do so.

Around 1780, fate intervened. Ceylon’s coffee crops were destroyed by fungus. Grains that were used for beer, suffered two bad harvests, putting the price of beer out of reach for the average person. To counter this problem, the government reduced import fees from over 100% to a mere 12% so grain could be imported cheaply. This also dropped the price of tea.

Since coffee couldn’t be had and tea was down to a reasonable price, the switch was made. By the time coffee was back on the market, tea was an established crop in India and even cheaper than before. Once people had developed a taste for tea, they didn’t want to return to coffee. (Kind of a Coke vs Pepsi thing)

And this is why, by 1899, my American girl can’t find a decent cup of coffee in London. But there’s plenty of tea!

Posted in Countess of Harleigh Mysteries | 2 Comments

Why Historical Mystery?

Posted on December 23, 2020 by diannefreeman

I had an opportunity not long ago to do a virtual event with two historical mystery writers, Rosemary Simpson and Tessa Arlen. One of the questions that came up was, why do we write historical mystery? What drew us to this genre? Somewhere in each of our answers was the phrase, it’s our favorite genre to read.

What does draw us to historical mystery? For me, there’s a sense of escape. I read to leave the place I currently inhabit and immerse myself in another. It’s a safe escape. If I want to return to the present, all I have to do is put the book down. That can be difficult to do if the story is particularly engrossing, but I have the comfort of knowing I can always go back. I’m completely in control.

While this sense of escape is true with any work of fiction, the special draw of the past is that it provides something familiar yet foreign. Historicals take you to a place that exists. You may know the place well or you may only know about it. But that familiar place is now inhabited by people from a different era. Fascinating people who have different beliefs and social structures, use different technology or none at all, and in the case of my chosen era, so close, (100 years is nothing) yet so different.

Rosemary Simpson, Tessa Arlen, and me!

I don’t believe the past was a gentler time and since we write crime fiction, our books aren’t either. War, murder, and other horrible events happen on our pages. But our protagonists are always seeking justice, and in our books, they find it. Wrongs are righted. Disasters are averted. The day is saved. Whether mild or gritty, I find historical mystery a comfort read.

2020 has been a rough year and I’ve spent a lot of time writing about Victorian London just to escape. Nothing could make me happier than to think my books have provided some of you with a needed escape from the craziness of this year too.

Happy holidays and best wishes for a better year in 2021!

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Time for a Cover Reveal!

Posted on November 30, 2020 by diannefreeman

A Fiancée’s Guide to First Wives and Murder won’t go on sale until July 27, 2021, but I’m ready to share the cover art now!

Ready?

Here’s a little bit about the book:

For Frances Wynn, widow to the late Earl of Harleigh, life has a cosmopolitan flavor of late. No sooner has she sent her mother and daughter off on a shopping trip to Paris than she and her fiancé, George Hazleton, are socializing with visiting members of the Russian royal family. Yet amid this whirlwind, scandal also comes calling when Inspector Delaney turns up outside Frances’s house with a young French woman with a shocking claim: she is Mrs. George Hazelton.

 As the future Mrs. George Hazelton, Frances assumes the woman is either lying or demented. “Mrs. Hazelton,” aka Irena, makes other outrageous statements. Among them, she insists that she is the illegitimate daughter of Russian royalty, that she has been abducted and held for ransom many times, and that someone is sending her threatening letters. When George arrives, he clarifies that he is certainly not married to Irena—though he can confirm her royal parentage. But even as he agrees to investigate whether Irena’s life is in danger, her claim proves tragically true. Irena is found strangled in Frances’ garden.

 To uncover a killer—and clear their own names—Frances and George must determine which of Irena’s outlandish stories were based in fact, and who stood to benefit from her death. And as the search reaches a shocking conclusion, they may find that villainy lurks all too close to home . . .

I love contributing my ideas for a new cover to my publisher. It usually involves browsing fashion magazines of the era and providing description of what I think the characters should be doing. This time I did it a little differently. The character’s expressions play a big part and I thought it would be great if I could send my editor a photo of real people with those expressions. We had friends coming over for dinner, so I thought, why not ask them?

Here’s how the evening started:

Here’s how it ended:

Just so you know, this was all pre-Covid. We actually had several possible photos for the cover, but this one never fails to crack me up! (That’s supposed to be a marriage certificate in my hand.) Considering what I submitted, I was really worried about this cover, but I’m pleased the artist chose the photo with “George and Frances” gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes. I think she did a beautiful job!

I’ll add buy links to the website soon, but if you’d like to pre-order, you can do so here.

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Gratitude in 2020

Posted on November 16, 2020 by diannefreeman

This has been a rough year with the Covid 19 pandemic ravaging the world. But as we approach Thanksgiving here in the US, I’ve been thinking about gratitude. I’m still giving thanks for things like the continued good health of my loved ones, but I’ve found the pandemic makes me grateful for some things I’d never thought of before.

I’m grateful my husband is an awesome quarantine partner.

I’m grateful for friends who are willing to have Zoom cocktail parties with me.

I’m grateful I have a job I can do from home.

And with that in mind, I’m so grateful the internet is ready and waiting when I can’t travel.

It’s been a while since I last visited England, and since that’s where the Countess of Harleigh mysteries are set, writing these settings while in the US can prove difficult. There were a few locations I wanted to get an in-person feel for, so in 2019 we scheduled a trip to London and Paris for the fall. Due to an illness in the family, we had to cancel. I wasn’t concerned. We’d go in the spring of 2020. Maybe April.

I’m sure you all know how that worked out.

By Summer, there were travel bans throughout Europe that kept me home. Since I couldn’t travel, I did the next best thing—YouTube. The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden has a You Tube channel where in addition to performances, they stream rehearsals and some behind-the-scenes videos. Through internet searches I was able to find historical images and even a floor plan. I’m hoping the scenes I’ve set there feel as real to you and they did to me.

Marlborough House required a little more digging. I found so many images of the exterior—not so much of the interior. However, visiting in person might not have been much help in this case. The building now houses The Commonwealth of Nations and the interiors no longer look as they did when the Prince and Princess of Wales lived there. I had to rely on first-hand descriptions from long-ago visitors. I’ve found that to work reasonably well for much of my “building” research. I can view images, or use Google maps to study the exterior and find descriptions of the interior at the time since most of the interiors have changed greatly over the years. I’m currently reading a month of wedding announcements from the winter of 1900 because they often describe the interior of the church I plan to use.

One of the best things I’ve found on the internet lately are virtual tours like this one: https://iheartbritain.com/23-of-the-best-3d-virtual-tours-of-british-museums-castles-churches-stately-homes/

Definitely check it out. I can’t tell you how much time I spent getting lost at Hever Castle (Anne Boleyn’s childhood home). I’m so grateful for sites like these that take me away at a time when I can’t travel. Finally, I’m grateful to you readers, who read my books for the same reason. Happy Thanksgiving!

Hever Castle

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