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.

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.