Thoughts on my novel "A Matter of Discretion"

I recently completed the first draft of my second book following my character "Giles Northbridge," so I thought it would be a good time to go back and discuss the first book, "A Matter of Discretion," since I never did so before. A discussion on the forthcoming second book, "Beware the Aegean Lion" will be out shortly.

The series follows Giles Northbridge and begins in Britain in 1910. Northbridge is a fixer for the wealthy and elite, cleaning up problems for those in power whether that means digging up dirt on a rival, swindling someone out of their riches, or ensuring that embarrassing incidents are quietly swept under the rug. When "A Matter of Discretion" begins, he is accompanied by his two most frequent collaborators: the frequently out-of-work actor Mors Glasford and the enigmatic thief and pickpocket Miss Lille. After a certain job leads to some unforeseen consequences, Northbridge finds himself questioning his morally grey role and his place in the world. However, he is sidetracked when a new job comes along in which he is asked to locate the rebellious Henrietta Fowler, the idealistic daughter of a powerful politician. Soon after, an attempt is made on Northbridge's life and he finds himself swept up in a mystery revolving around a violent revolutionary, a murky cabal of military officers, and his own malevolent half-brother.

I came up with the character of Northbridge as sort of a response to the posh, refined images of nobility at this time seen in stories like Downton Abbey. Northbridge is the silent agent of the rich and powerful, ensuring what they need to maintain their wealth and privilege gets done despite living in a time when their hands are tied by decorum and cultural procedure. He is a character that can blend in anywhere but belongs nowhere and thus offers a wide range of opportunities for stories as he slips between the halls of power and the darkest corners of post-Victorian London.

What also drew me to the series was the time and setting. The period between the death of Queen Victoria, thus marking the end of the Victorian Era, and the outbreak of World War I is one of change. The time sees the old world of carriages, oil lamps, and telegrams giving way to automobiles, electricity, and telephones. The aristocracy and nobility still hold sway but they are challenged by revolutionaries, radicals, and those seeking social change. Women are calling for the right to vote, the working classes are pushing for fair pay and better conditions, and there are the stirrings of movements for racial equality. It is a liminal period that lands between our society's past and its modern form. The storm of change hasn't arrived yet, but the clouds are billowing, there is thunder in the distance and, whether they admit it or not, the first rain drops have started falling.

I did a fair amount of research into the time period for the series, with two books by Barbara Tuchman being of particular inspiration: "The Proud Tower" and "The Guns of August." They are classics of historical study and Tuchman describes the strange contradictions of the time in great detail and depth. She also lays out how the social change of the time, and the Great War that closes this era, was ultimately inevitable. 

"A Matter of Discretion" also delves into Northbridge's character, who he is behind the masks he wears, and why he does what he does. Melancholic, solitary, and reflective, but insightful, witty and resourceful, he carries a bitter outlook on life that is undercut by a deep craving for idealism. I (unintentionally at first) wrote him as an INFJ on the MBTI range, which is what I am. He is a great character to write and between the three stories I've completed so far, his is the one I could most see becoming an ongoing series with its variety of story opportunities and topics to explore. 

More information on "A Matter of Discretion" can be found here.

Thoughts on my novel "Cheshire"

Taking a break from my series on writing advice, I wanted to highlight one of my works-in-progress: “Cheshire.”

The story follows Evelyn Liddell Percy, a former member of British Intelligence who is living in retirement after being forced out of SIS. She thought her time as an intelligence agent was over until she is told of the death of her estranged husband and fellow agent, Charles. Believing Charles faked his death, she starts investigating where he’s gone and why he would want the world to think him dead. It leads her down a rabbit hole of old secrets, uncertain loyalties, and mysteries she thought had been solved long ago.

The story is set in 1961 but alternates its chapters between previous periods of Evelyn’s life which showcase her joining SIS and working her way up through its ranks. Beginning with her joining the agency as a mere typist at the outset of World War I, she shows a knack for intelligence work and makes a mark on this emerging organization. Taking place amid the height of Cold War paranoia, I wanted to look at the realities of being a spy and what that lifestyle was like.

“The Secret History of MI-6” by Keith Jeffrey was a fantastic reference while I was doing my research. His book lays out the first forty years of MI-6, also known as SIS. It laid out the hard facts of how these first modern spies operated and how their trade evolved through the end of the Second World War. As a writer, I am fascinated by the ins and outs of history; how things actually were, how they happened, and how they work. The espionage and spy genre is one that has often grown so far from reality, that the general public is surprised when reality doesn’t even bear a cursory resemblance to the fictions they have come to accept. It was these fictions I wanted to sidestep while still crafting a gripping and thrilling narrative.

I love James Bond flicks as much as anyone, but they are—and always have been to at least some extent—a fantasy. James Bond leads the life that every guy wishes they could experience: wearing the best suits, using the coolest gadgets, driving the hottest cars, sleeping with the most beautiful women, all while going on globetrotting adventures in which he is the hero. It’s fun, it’s exciting, it’s thrilling—but it’s not reality. The original novels by Ian Fleming were a bit more down to Earth, being inspired by his own experiences interacting with members of British Intelligence during World War II, but even then, his stories were colorful and more focused on style and the lifestyle of the dashing secret agent than the gritty reality of it.

There have been spies who have posed as dashing playboys, but that is certainly not the average experience. There have been ingenious and quirky gadgets used in tradecraft like poisoned umbrellas and tracking devices hidden inside the sole of someone’s shoe, but they are remembered because of their novelty and the actual equipment used by spies if far more down to Earth. There have been agents who have played vital roles in saving the world and stopping nefarious plots, but those actions are far more likely to take place in an office or a windowless basement filled with maps and documents than in a shootout with a gang of faceless henchmen. However, when the average person thinks about spies and espionage, it is James Bond that it usually the first thing that comes to someone’s mind. The fantasy has eclipsed reality.

The work of authors like John Le Carre are far closer to real life. Like Fleming, he also had real experience in British Intelligence, but he strayed far closer to the truth. His works such as “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” and “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold” highlight that espionage is about intelligence gathering and often boils down to a game of who can think three steps ahead of their enemy instead of only two. It was his work that was the biggest influence on “Cheshire,” and how it is the ability to notice the small things or discern clues from the scantest of information that defines intelligence work. There is no shortage of Le Carre’s George Smiley in Evelyn’s literary DNA.

My other biggest takeaway from Le Carre is how important the human element of espionage is. The biggest role of espionage, especially during the Cold War, was human intelligence—the art of embedding or flipping agents among the enemy’s ranks. It is here where the most valuable information is gleaned and how plans can be laid in place that may not pay off for years. The human element also is evident in the characters. James Bond is usually depicted as an unflappable pillar of courage and confidence. Le Carre’s characters depict how living in a world without trust where death comes most often in the form of someone who they know and are familiar with can weigh on a person—or how that lifestyle can attract those with less-than-balanced personalities.

I wrote “Cheshire” with this attitude in mind. I wanted to explore who Evelyn is, and how living as an intelligence agent affects her and those around her. What kind of person joins an organization like this, how does it shape them, what are the consequences of living a life among lies, duplicity, and secrets? An aspect of the book that I focused on was the theme of stepping up and accepting responsibility. For most of her life, Evelyn reported or deferred to someone of a higher rank or who had seniority. Now, in her 60s, having been shunted to the side and forced to work on her own, she must discern if she is capable of being that person who is in the lead, making decisions, and taking action.

Evelyn is a character who grew up as a romantic and idealist, who found a home among other idealists willing to fight for what they believe in. However, that dark world of espionage slowly chips away at that idealism, and she sees, bit by bit, the grim reality of it all. A lot of my characters wrestle with the problem of how to remain a good and moral person in a world that is often neither good nor moral. The world of spies and secret agents is the perfect setting for such a question. Can Evelyn remain a good person despite often being surrounded by bad people? How is that done? What is the fallout on one’s life from living that way? As someone who considers themselves as somewhat of an idealist, I believe idealism does not mean sticking one’s head in the sand and ignoring the dark or complicated aspects or reality, but rather it means accepting the dark and complicated aspects or reality but never failing to look for ways to make it better. I think this is an idea that is very much something Evelyn would espouse.

Evelyn is smart, wry, and—despite her methodical nature—somewhat impulsive. She was a joy to write and a rich character to flesh out and explore. I hope she, and her world, are as enjoyable to readers.

Back at it

So, how does someone start a blog back up after not writing for a year?

Like this, I suppose.

Yes, I am writing here again. No, I am not dead. Honestly, it’s just because I’m just not a very blog-y kind of person. Still, if you want to be an author, you need to have a platform and like any metaphorical or physical platform, they are always more stable when you have a foundation. So even if there aren’t many people reading this right now, I want to put this site out there and give people some content if and when I start gaining some attention.

So what inspired me to start blogging again? Well, that brings me to my next topic: what I’ve been up to. When last we met, I had just finished my manuscript for “Northbridge.” I have since changed the name to “A Matter of Discretion” and hope to turn the exploits of the Giles Northbridge character into a series. Since finishing the manuscript I have gone through the slow and painful enjoyable and fulfilling editing process.

I went through two rounds of beta readers, who give me input to see what people who aren’t me think of the story. As part of this, I also hired a sensitivity reader to ensure I am being respectful and accurate in terms of minority representation in the story. In many ways, it’s like a different kind of beta reader, except that they are looking at a specific aspect of the story (and let’s be honest, we all have a few blind spots when it comes to how people might interpret our work).

Then I hired an editor. She was a very talented professional named Faith Black Ross. Her website can be found here. We went back and forth over the summer changing and tweaking “A Matter of Discretion.” The editing process is slow and hearing criticism for your work is never fun, but I’ve learned what I’ve always been told: it’s one of the most - if not the most - important parts of writing a novel.

Now I am looking for an agent. A literary agent is the person who represents you and your work and essentially shops it around to publishers. The good news about agents is they don’t get paid until you do, typically taking about 15% of your commission. The bad news is that you need to find an agent to represent you first (and, of course, there is no promise an agent will be able to find you a publisher, only that they will try their hardest to do so - if they’re good, of course).

Finding how to query an agent properly required a good bit of research in and of itself. Not to mention, you need to learn how to recognize the differences between a real agent and fraudulent or phony ones too. I think I will post a little more about the process in a few days. For now, I am going to sign off.

I will leave by saying that I am writing the sequels to both “Nuru” and “A Matter of Discretion” right now. More news will follow on those fronts as well.

Until then, I am glad to be back.