Edith Layton: His Dark and Dangerous Ways, Part the First

  Interview of Edith by Mary Jo

I first met Edith Layton long, long ago, at my very first romance conference, when my first book was sold but a year away from publication.  She and Barbara Hazard graciously invited me, the newby Signet Regency author, to join them for a drink.  It was like dining with goddesses. <G>  Edith’s daughter, the Amazing Susie, was there, about ten years old and already Amazing. 

Edith was at that conference (an early Romantic Times) to accept the award for the best Regency of the year.  The speech was most charming, and the book, Lord of Dishonor, was wonderful.  Thus began an acquaintance ship of 22 years and counting. 

Some of my very best memories in this business were of the author dinners given by our mutual editor of many years, Hilary Ross.  Those dinners were wonderful in many ways, and many of those authors have been friends ever since.  (Pat Rice is another alum.) 

But the very, very funniest parts were when Edith would slip into deadpan comedy routines that were roll-on-the-floor-and-drum-your-heels hysterically funny.  It’s no surprise that two of her kids are professional comedians!  More about that later. 

With so much material, this is will be a two-part interview, today and Monday.  Edith won’t be available for commenting the whole time, but will come as available, and one lucky commenter will get a signed copy of her latest, the delicious His Dark and Dangerous Ways. 

So today Edith will talk about the book and historical writing in general.  Monday she’ll talk about her writing and life. 

Edith Layton: My newest book, His Dark and Dangerous Ways, came out this week! It was inspired by my daughter-in-law, Jeanne, who is an actress, dancer, writer (of course) and choreographer.  I visited her and Adam in LA last year.  At the time Jeanne was giving dancing lessons to a toddler in a huge house in Beverly Hills.  Soon other Beverly Hills mothers grew fascinated and sent their children, so that it became a class.  Jeanne took me along to watch.  I was struck by her technique - and the entire concept.

A Beverly Hills manse became a town house in Regency London.  My daughter in law became a struggling young woman who had to support herself by teaching dance to toddlers of the ton.  And voila!  The book took off by itself from there.  And Our Hero is a dark and dangerous fellow she meets when she literally tumbles at his feet.

MJP: The dance scenes were delightful!  The book is very romantic and Regencyish, and I’m guessing it didn’t take a lot of research other than watching Jeanne.

But you have written other books that are really heavy duty historical research.  Tell us about that.  I remember you saying after you visited the Tower of London for information when you were writing about the Princes in the Tower in The Crimson Crown, you met the warder who was the absolute expert on the Tower during that period, and when you asked him questions, his answers were all pretty much, “That could very well be, Madame.”  I think you’d already learned all there was to know. <G>

EL: When I went to England to research the Great Fire for The Fireflower, I roved with a copy of “Historic Britain” and a map, and was crushed, I tell you, crushed, when the only remnant remaining was a pub that had supposedly survived the fire.  But it had been so refurbished it might as well have been a McDonald’s. There was a bronze plaque on the sidewalk, though.  To show where it started.  Bah.

I researched for every book!  That was great.  I love going to England.  I still have to write a book set in Wales, because I loved the land and kept going back.  How come there are so many Historicals set in Scotland and so few in Wales?  I still dunno.

When I researched Crimson Crown, the two kidz we had with us, Adam and Susie, could not stop teasing me, saying that they'd just sighted a “Perkin Warbeck” store.  At first, I believed them.  I still think it would be good business to open one.

A Perkin Warbeck shoppe would carry Perkin Warbeck tee shirts, pennants, snow globes, beanies, and such.  I really hoped to find one.  What I found was that I might have been the only person in England who knew who Perkin was.  He was, of course, the most famous Pretender to the throne (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin_Warbeck ), except for Simnel Lambert (or Lambert Simnel?) also a pretender to the throne in the same era. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambert_Simnel )

How soon we forget!

MJP: Clearly it’s time to start a SouvenirsofPretenders.com website.  <g>

Here’s the charming start to His Dark and Dangerous Ways:

The door to the front parlor where they sat was ajar.  Even a lady such as this couldn't entertain a gentleman with it closed, at least not in the morning when another caller might drop in.  So the hysterical giggling and high-pitched screaming coming from down the hall was clearly audible, along with the sound of marching, jumping, and clumping feet.
"Your moving men certainly are jolly fellows, my lady," he commented. "I didn't know you were relocating.  May one ask where you are going?"
"Nowhere," she snapped.  She was ambitious, but no fool; her smile reappeared in seconds.  "I have a young daughter," she said, "Today she has a dancing lesson, and we invited some of her little friends to join in."
"Dancing lessons," he said with a great show of surprise.  "But, surely, she's an infant."
She smiled again.  "So she is.  She's but an infant with only two years in her cup.  But I love to hear her laughter."  She cast down her gaze modestly.
"You certainly have opportunity to," he said, as great thumping sounds of marching were heard, accompanied by the hammering of a tin drum and much giggling.
"The dear creatures, I should love to see them," she said piteously. "But they are exiled to the ballroom because there are so many things to break in here."
"Like eardrums," he said agreeably.
"Should you like me to ring and ask them to stop?" she asked eagerly, raising an arm to the tasseled cord hanging beside the settee, as another gust of laughter was heard.
"No, not at all," he said.  "They seem to be enjoying themselves enormously.  I don't want to be the cause of their being told to be still.  Children need exercise and dancing can't be taught too early."
He rose to his feet.  "I came without warning, as it is.  May I come another morning when they are out of doors, so we can speak?  Or better yet, when your ankle is healed so that we can go for a ride to the park?"
"Oh yes," she said with a sparkling smile.  "What a good idea.  In a day?  Two days, perhaps?  I should be vastly improved by then."
He had a fairly good idea that she could hop off the settee in an instant and leg it down the hall, but her pose on the couch was alluring and the excuse for it had condemned her to remaining with it today.
"In two days then," he said, bowed, and left the room.  But he didn't leave the house.  Instead, he stopped in the outer hall, cocked his head to the side again, listening.  "They're having such a good time," he told the butler.  "I'd love to see them at their play.  "May I?"
"Certainly, my lord," the butler said, and led him down the hall to the source of the merriment.
The ballroom was shrouded in white drop cloths, but they had been pushed back to clear the polished wood center.  An aged governess sat at a pianoforte and pumped out music, but the noise from the children was louder.  Simon stood in the doorway and watched as a ragged, giggling parade of them passed by him.  An extraordinary young woman led the rag tag procession. She had a lithe body, padded sweetly where it ought to be.  But it was her legs he noticed first.  He could hardly help it.
She'd hitched her skirts up and swagged them at her waist, so that they dropped to her knees, leaving the rest of those shapely limbs free and unencumbered.  Her straight honey colored hair had also been pulled up on the top of her head, but now strands of it came coiling down around her oval face, which was pink with exertion.  A passably lovely young woman, he thought.  But at the moment she looked more like a goose than a goose girl.  He smiled.
Her long neck bent forward, and her firm derriere pushed back and outward, making her supple form into an S shape.  She stepped with her feet turned all the way out as she chanted, "Honk, honk: make way for the geese." 
Behind her, like so many drunken little goslings, a hilarious assortment of young girls, weaved and honked, tripping over their own feet.  They wore a gypsy kaleidoscope of tulle and scarves, coronets and feathers, and every little foot wore tiny dancing slippers.
"There, that's our little lady Leticia," the butler murmured fondly, indicating the lass clomping along just behind the dancing instructor. The child was beating a tin drum.  She wore a flowing gauze skirt and had a tinsel tiara on her blond head.  As Simon had thought, if Lady Lydia's infant was two years of age, he was one hundred and two.  The
child clearly had at least three or four years to her exalted name.
Simon stood watching, enchanted, and not only by the daughter of the house.  The dancing instructor, if that was what she was, looked amusingly gooseish, and yet still, quite human, feminine and delicious.
"Now," she said, stopping slowly, and turning to face her followers. "Remember what we learned last week?  How to go from a goose to a ballet step?  Fifth position everyone, and hands making a lovely circle over your heads."
That caused riotous mirth.  The children struggled to keep their balance with hands up, legs straight and feet together, each foot faced opposite the other.
"More geese," pleaded one poppet as she tipped over and fell to the floor.  "More, Miss, please."
"All right," their instructress said.  "One more round of geese.  Then some real steps, and leaps."
There was an excited stir.  The children obviously loved leaps.
"Now, necks out, bottoms out, feet apart," the instructress said. "Let's go!"  She marched them goose-like, in a circle.  That was, she did until she saw the gentleman standing in the doorway, staring at her.  Then she stopped abruptly.  The girl behind her crashed into her, as did the one behind her, and in a moment the line of mirthful children were sitting or rolling on the ballroom floor, collapsed with laughter.
Simon grinned too.  The instructress did not.  She glared at the intruders standing in the doorway.  She raised her chin and straightened herself as she helped the girls to their feet again.
"Why are you here, Simmons?" she asked the butler tartly.  "Our hour surely isn't up yet."
"No, Miss," the butler answered.  "But Lord Granger wished to see the children because they sounded so merry at play."
"So they did," she snapped.  "But we are not putting on an exhibition today.  Are you father to one of my pupils?" she asked Simon. 
"No," he began to say.
"Then brother, uncle or guardian?" she went on angrily.  "If not, please leave."
"I just wanted to see Lady Lydia's charming daughter," he said.  He bowed.  "Sorry to intrude."
She ducked her head in an answering bow, then dropped to her knees and was immediately covered in the flutter of small girls who were howling with laughter at the effort of getting up again.  She may have muttered something, but Simon couldn't hear it. 

I can so easily see Edith’s daughter-in-law doing just the same thing in California!  More about Edith’s writing on Monday.  And remember—a signed copy of His Dark and Dangerous Ways goes to someone who comments on either of Edith’s interviews by midnight Wednesday.

Mary Jo, and more importantly, Edith!

Comments

[liz m]

The Fireflower should be required reading. Well, ok, the start of the required reading. (Am I the only person that shifts the shelf to do faceouts on authors I like when I'm shopping?)

My spouse & brother tease me about my Tudor/WW2 obsessions. They got me once by talking about a book called Hitler's Dog. I fell for it completely - "Really? What's the angle? Hm. What happened to his pets after the war? Were they.... oh, you're laughing." It's now family shorthand for my obsessing on some obscure historical point.

I prefer this to the view of one of Spouse's bosses. we were standing at Warwick Castle when the man turned to me and said "So why is this place a big deal? What the happened here? I don't get it." I suddenly realized I did NOT want to spend the day giving the engineers a tour and quickly convinced Spouse to hire them audio guides and break me loose from the pack.

[Maya]

Wowsers. Edith has two children who are professional comedians. Must be intimidating to try and make a joke in that house! Fiercely high bar.

I love that the daughter-in-law has been immortalized. Gives Edith limitless cred in the Bank of Mothers-in-Law! I must remember this one day when my schoolaged sons present me with brides of their own...

[Maya]

Me again. Forgot to say: taking myself out of draw due to winning a previous Edith title (thanks again!). Just came to say hi and love the toddler dance class concept.

[Maggie Robinson]

I'm on page 251 of HDADW and love every word. When I was 4 I took ballet, tap and tumbling. Mostly I tumbled. Bless anyone who can bring order out of the chaos that are preschoolers!

[Crystal B.]

Hi Edith. Great interview. Your daughter-in-law sounds like an amazing lady. His Dark and Dangerous Ways sounds great. I loved the excerpt.

[Minna]

Great interview!

[Clare]

I agree with Maya, the dance class concept sounds wonderful. An Irish author, Maeve Binchy, wrote Evening Class - set in contemporary style. I enjoy her books but felt she chickened out a bit with this one; it was like several short stories on the different students. She might have been better off to focus on the teacher as you are doing.
As to Perkin - I am amazed you found that in the UK, but then one might have to be a fan of Richard III to know of this and anyway, the Tudor usurper (:) that followed Richard erased much of the history of all who went before him.
Clare in Cork, Ireland - really wanting to know what did happen to the Princes in the Tower.

[Edith]

Oh, doesn't Mary Jo write beautifully?
She makes me sound so interesting I wish I knew me better.

And Liz - a Brit writer (name escapes me at the moment, once wrote that the best seller of all time would be: "Hitler's Cat's Golfing Guide."

Maya - Felber dinners used to be such fun that noone tasted what they were eating. (Lucky for me, eh?)

Crystall and Minna - Isn't that Mary Jo something else?

Magie - So glad you're enjoying it.

And Clare - read CRIMSON CROWN to find out what really happened to the Princes in the Tower -that's what the book is about. (There's a love story too, of course.)

[Edith]

(and never post anything before second cup of coffee.) Sorry for the misprints!

[Valerie L.]

I'd be happyt to shop in the Perkin Warbeck Shoppe! As an avowed Ricardian I wish there were more GOOD medievals being written now. Looking forward to reading your newest, Edith.

[maryjoputney]

From MJP:

Liz, LOL about Hitler's Dog. I think that would be pretty interesting. :) And no, you are NOT the only person who does face outs in bookstores for favorite authors.

Clare, by all means read Edith's THE CRIMSON CROWN if you can find a copy. It's a real stunner. Personally, I figure Henry VII offed them, but then, I read Tey's DAUGHTER OF TIME at an impressionable age and I thought she made a very good case. I like Edith's version better, though. :)

Mary Jo

[Janice]

Hello, Edith. I have my copy of His Dark and Dangerous Ways; in fact I fell asleep reading it last night. This annoyed me at the time because I was caught up in your tale, but sometime around 3 am my eyes refused to cooperate and stay open.

You can always tell a great guy if he knows when to order you a bucket of ice; it means he's paying attention to you instead of his own ego :) I will probably finish the story after breakfast, and then it'll go on the keeper shelf, next to all the other Laytons.

When's your next one out?

[Susan/DC]

I too have a hard time with Henry VII from having read Tey's "Daughter of Time" at an impressionable age. I also remember reading a book about Elizabeth Plantagenet, Edward IV's daughter who wound up married to Henry VII, telling her brothers to remember the menagerie when they were taken for safekeeping to the Tower. Then, years later after Henry has become king, one of the pretenders to the throne escapes by letting the lions in the menagerie loose -- the implication is that he just might have been one of the true princes.

As for "His Dark and Dangerous Ways", it sounds delightful. The imagery in the opening scene, complete with handsome hero, lovely heroine, and giggling children is vivid and just draws the reader right in. I look forward to reading it (although until they restore power to my house -- which we lost after a series of violent thunderstorms Wednesday -- I'm not going to get much reading done).

[Edith]

Janice, my next book is coming from AVON in December. "HIS CONVENIENT BRIDE."
Thanks for asking. I'll let you know more when I know more.

And thanks for the kind words, Susan/DC -hope your poeer comes back on soon.

But for now: BULLETIN!
I just found out that my Susie will be on cable this weekend, on a new "light hearted look at the news" show on CNN- Headline News:
"NOT JUST ANOTHER CABLE NEWS SHOW."
It will be broadcast on Saturday, Sunday and Monday at different times.
You can find out All on her blog:

http://felberfrolics.blogspot.com/

Ain't that grand?

[Maureen]

What a lovely excerpt. It reminds me of my daughter in her dancing class when she was little and they all had such fun.

[Virginia]

I love the book. It reminded me that when I took my second son with me to his much younger sister's first dance recital, he looked at her afterwards and said solemnly, "You were the worst bird of all."

[Edith]

Maureen, Loved your comment.
Virginia, shared yours with my daughter and we laughed a lot.
Now _ Bulletin # 2!!

Just heard from our Adam - if you are up early tomorrow, Suncay - he'll be on the CBS morning show - barring being bumped by a major news break. He'll be on Moe Rocca's segment which will be about WAIT, WAIT, DON'T TELL ME, the NPR news quiz - a "behind the scenes" look at the show - that Adam is often on.

Wow. I hope it's true that all things come in threes! I can't wait for next great news.

It's been while, we sure can use some!

[Anne with an e]

HDADW sounds like it is as delightful as all of you other offerings. I would accept a copy if my name were chosen! :)
So, are you more proud of your literary chidren or your physical children? (I think I know the answer!) ;)

[talpianna]

For the fate of the Princes in the Tower, I go with RICHARD III by Paul Murray Kendall (biography) and THE SUNNE IN SPLENDOR by Sharon Kay Penman (novel about the whole House of York). I also love Josephine Tey's THE DAUGHTER OF TIME, but its conclusions have been voided by a later examination of the bones found in the Tower that proves that her timeline won't work.

Edith, do you think that HITLER'S CAT'S GOLFING GUIDE would outsell LINCOLN'S DOCTOR'S DOG these days? Here, check out some Kitlers:

http://www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com/cgi-bin/seigmiaow.pl

Finished the book yesternight. LOVED it, as usual. Just realized I have a couple of your books I haven't read yet--because the cats have hidden them under the bed. Everybody's a critic...

Do drop by for tea; we can discuss Richard III. And I'll serve Simnel cake:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simnel_cake

[maryjoputney]

From MJP:

Talpianna, I love that Kitler site! Going there is always good for smiles.

Mary Jo