Joanna Bourne talks about ROGUE SPY!

by Mary Jo

MJP: Word Wench Joanna Bourne's long-awaited new book, Rogue Spy, will be released tomorrow! Her last book, Black Hawk, won RWA's RITA for best historical romance of the year, and Rogue Spy was named to Library Journal's list of the 10 Best Romances of the year even before it was released.

So--Joanna, could you tell us about the story and the characters?  I loved not only the protagonists, but all the delightful, kindly criminal elders, such as the Fluffy Aunts.  <G>

 JB: I'm writing a love story, of course, so the emotional mainspring of Rogue Spy is the relationship between Pax and Cami. They reach out to each other. They heal each other's wounds. They fall in love.

They also unravel a a spy plot, chase the bad guy, (very bad, bad guy,) across London. and in the end avert death, disaster, and international chaos.

The usual, y'know.

 But the book is also about family. The family we're born with. The one we choose.

 That 'family' theme lets me bring in some of the wise elder characters I so enjoy writing. The Fluffy Aunts, who are only as dithery and harmless as they choose to appear. Galba, trying to manage his British Service agents. This is like herding cats, except it's cats who kill people. Bernardo Baldoni, spy lord, power broker, con man, and political plotter. His Medici ancestors would have been proud.

MJP:  Both Pax and Cami were " Cachés."  Could you explain what that means?  And are they based on any historical school for spies?

JB: This spy school is one of those 'I made it up out of whole cloth' things. Pure fabrication. So far as I know, the French -- or the English for that matter -- didn't actually raise kids to be foreign agents.

 The story idea is that, in the early days of the French Revolution, a radical clique within the French Secret Service created a training school for spies. Men combed the streets and the orphanages of France looking for the smartest kids. There being lots of orphans hanging about at the time what with war and revolution and crop failure and all kindsa stuff like that there, they had a wide choice. These children were brought back to Paris to be trained to pass as English and become sleeper agents in England.

Not a nice place, that school, with those fanatical ideologues running it. The kids formed a mutual protection pact, took an oath, and became 'family'. (See that theme there.) They called themselves 'Cachés' -- the hidden ones. Eventually everybody started using the term.

MJP:  Your books often leap around the timeline, and Rogue Spy seems to be inserted into other ongoing stories.  Though there is significant backstory, the basic structure reminded me of the classic Western, High Noon¸ with a ticking clock leading to a lethal showdown.  Do you have any comments on that? 

JB: Ooooh, cool. You're right. And how perceptive. Take away the distracting side-action and what we got is a mano-a-mano showdown between the hero Pax and the villain on that long street. From the establishing shot where Pax returns to London, the story leads to that inescapable moment when they face each other.

 I was thinking specifically of High Noon when I plotted that ending. I played with the various ways it could come out. (Maybe there's a little echo of Gary Cooper in Paxton.)

 Do I get to say I rewrote that last scene three or four ways? That I was still unsure of how it should end when I sent it off to the editor?

 MJP:   You do get to say that you rewrote it different ways.  <G> Certainly the ending could have twisted in other directions.  Also, I think the High Noon theme could also apply to Cami and the villain.  Your heroines are never wimps!  As always, the big question is what, or who, is next?!

 JB: I'm working on Séverine's story right now. She's Justine's younger sister, (Justine being the immensely complicated love interest Adrian's been saddled with.) Séverine has been hanging around the edges of other books for a while and will doubtless be glad to stomp out on stage.

 I can't say a great deal about the Séverine story because I'm still in the middle of figuring it out myself.

MJP: I look forward to whatever twists and turns you throw at the poor girl.  <G>  Here's a brief excerpt from Rogue Spy: 

 She whispered, "Let me go.  I said I'd tell you what you want to know."     

If he didn't let go of her now, he might not be able to.    

He opened his hands and stepped away and away, keeping an eye on her, till he felt the storeroom door behind him.  He reached behind him to open it and let more light in.    

Vérité.  Cami Leyland.  A woman with one too many secrets.  He was going to pry them out of her, and he didn't have much time.  

She didn't try to hide herself.  She kept her arms at her side.  Her fists clenched.  Her chin lifted defiantly.  Her skin was pale as milk in this weak light, a sketch in pastel, laid down in thin shades of color.  She looked scared and sneaky, and determined.  She was a warrior maiden, utterly indomitable in a shift that didn't cover half of her.    

She was beautiful.  Add that to the list of complications.     

She was also cold.  He'd dragged her out of her warm nest and left her freezing in the damp air.    

He gathered up her cloak from the floor and tossed it to her across the space between them.  

"Thank you."  Gravely, she organized it in her hands, turned it right-side-out.  "Why are we still alone?  I keep expecting your friends to drop in--the ones who followed me.  I don't hear them."  

"They're outside."  

"So you came to take me alone.  That was either a mistake or very subtle.  I don't think you make many mistakes."  She circled the cloak around her and was enveloped in darkness.  Only her face showed and her feet, white and vulnerable against the wood floor.  "This is better.  Ask your questions."  

MJP: Joanna will be giving away a signed copy of Rogue Spy, complete with one of her delightful little origami bookmarks.  The winner will be chosen from among those who leave comments between now and midnight Tuesday. 

A question for you: do you enjoy colorful older characters in your stories?  Who are some of your favorites?  The Wenches have certainly written our share!

Mary Jo

 

 

Comments

[Shannon]

Gwendolyn Meadows in the Passion of the Purple Plumeria. She wields a mean umbrella.

Soillier, a 2000 year old mage, in several of Lynn Kurland's Nine Kingdoms novel.

[Beverly Abney]

My copy of Rogue Spy arrived Saturday and I look forward to reading it. I love the way all of Joanna's stories fit together. Interesting older characters are necessary to make a complete, believable world. If all the central characters are young there will be no depth.
Beverly

[Mary Jo Putney]

Shannon--

Now I want to meet both of them. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Bev--

You're so right--a good story requires a full age range. I think older characters are so much fun because they've learned a lot over the years, and often they're more uninhibited about expressing themselves. At least, from a writer's point of view, they make great characters!

[Joanna Bourne]

I will have to go look at both those grand dames. They're both books I've been meaning to read by authors I follow. The books are on my mental To Be Read list.

[Joanna Bourne]

You're very kind. I hope you enjoy Rogue Spy.

Your comment about older folks being necessary to make the story feel 'real' is spot on. It's what I think when I'm lining up the characters in a book. It sort of expands the world I'm building.

[Michele]

I'm very excited about the new release! Please keep them coming!

[Lisa]

I can't wait to read this book!

And some of my very favorite older characters in books, even after all these years and books, are still Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Whatsit from the Wrinkle in Time series.

[Minna]

I do enjoy colorful characters in the stories, no matter what the age.

[Debbe]

But when will the NEXT one be out!?

[MaryMeg]

I think the fluffy ones (or apparently fluffy ones?) also balance the tone. If the book is 100% intense action and emotional trauma, it's a bit stressful. We need those moments of lighter relief, must as my facebook feed needs cat videos interspersed among the Deep Political Concern. (I am now deeply troubled by the image of Pax having an Aunt Pittipat tucked away in Paris."

[Anne Hoile]

Recently re-read all of the Spy books to get ready for Rogue Spy. All of the heros and heroines deserve their HEA. Pax is no different. I'm not sure about Cam. :)

[NitaLynne Hurley Frigerio]

I just read The Traitor by Grace Burrows. Wouldn't have been the same without his aunt. Can't wait to read Rogue Spy

[LynneW]

Older characters, especially if they're not the character's parents but at least one step removed, like aunts/uncles, grandparents, and teachers, can add so much to any story. They can provide a different perspective and influence a child in ways that may not be fully appreciated until much later, when the character realizes how much of the others' values s/he has internalized.

I just finished BURN FOR ME by Ilona Andrews, and Grandma is a hoot!

[Mary Jo Putney]

MaryMeg--

LOL about Aunt Pittipat. There a lot of tension in this book, but also a lot of wit and subtle humor. Fun.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Anne--

I think you'll like Cami. *G*

[Alison]

Being of an age of these older characters, I love having them in the stories. I love their perspective, one I can understand as I sometimes view my family in the same way. My only regret is that I lack the humorous wit they display, which I very much appreciate.

[Aly P]

I remember reading some great elderly people, but I don't know which. I do know that I really liked them.

[Janga]

I preordered Rogue Spy as soon as it was available, and it should download in the wee hours so I can read it tomorrow. I can't wait.

I too am a fan of older characters, both the somewhat older ones like Lauren Willig's Miss Gwen, who is wonderful, and the characters who are generations older than the H/H. Anne Gracie has created some of my favorites--from Lady Cahill in Gallant Waif to Lady Beatrice in the current Chance Sisters series. I can't forget Great-uncle Oswald in the Perfect books. I wonder why gentlemen are rarer in such roles.

[Andrea Penrose]

Wonderful interview, Joanna and Mary Jo. A new Bourne (NOT Jason!)book is always cause for celebration!

Love your reference to High Noon as an influence. can't wait to read it and see the ending. Hmmm, maybe you will share the variations if we ask VERY nicely. Or maybe you will make us just guess!

[Karin]

I think I need to reread the whole series before starting "Rogue Spy" to refresh my mind on where Pax fits in. Lady Beatrice in the Chance Sisters series is a great character. But the one that really sticks in my mind is the gallant and stubborn Dowager Lady Bushnell, from Carla Kelly's "The Lady's Companion". In case you don't recall the story, the heroine works as her companion and the hero, David, is her bailiff. But it's Lady Bushnell who makes their HEA possible.

[Julie Smetzer]

Karen Hawkins' Old Woman Nora, grandmother to Caitlyn and Catriona Hurst. She's wise and smart and sharp. Can't help but get a kick out of her shoot-from-the-hip honesty!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Lynne--

Yes, it's that different perspective that makes them so useful in real life and fiction both.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Alison--

Our fictional charact.rs have the advantage of a writer on their side. That's why they're cleverer that most of us are in real life. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Aly--if well written, they're woven seamlessly into the fabric of the story. Essential. My last year's book, SOMETIMES A ROGUE, had a cranky dowager who turned out to be nicer than she seemed at first. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Janga--

Anne is the Word Wench specialist in little old ladies, but Joanna gives Anne a run for her money in Rogue Spy. *G*

An interesting thought that such characters are generally female. Maybe because older males are usually associated with power and control, and since females have less power, they're about wisdom and insight?

[Mary Jo Putney]

Andrea--

When you get to the end, you'll probably be able to guess some of the ways it could have played out. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Karin--

Lady Beatrice is great! I've read a lot of Carla Kelly's books, but I think I missed The Lady's Companion. I should rectify that. *G*

[Andrea Penrose]

Ha—yes, probably! But it wouldn't be nearly as fun as reading Joanna's wonderful language.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Julie--

I think the terrifyingly blunt old ladies are particularly fun when set agains formal manners of a Regency setting. The contrast can be hair curling. *G*

[Glenda]

I do love the older, wiser, more mischievous characters especially when they are key to the plot (or at least side plots). I'm not as fond of them when they are just tossed in as comic relief.

[Sue P]

Yes, I do love older characters, usually Aunts or Grandmothers. They can get away with anything and it is so fun to watch them give their relatives a run for their money!

[Ekene]

One character I can mention must be Lady Danbury, created by Julia Quinn. She's young enough to do what the heck she wants, including maim people with a cane, but old enough to get away with it. :)
Very excited for Rogue Spy! I must read all of the books in your series 2 or 3 times just to catch all the meaning. Love it.

[Jennie]

I am looking forward to reading Rogue Spy. I love the eccentric relatives that dot these stories. They lend depth to the main characters.

[Joanna Bourne]

*g*

I am working diligently on the next book, which is Severine's story. Don't quite know how this is going to play out exactly ...

[Joanna Bourne]

I remember them. Maybe ... Maybe ... way at the back of my mind figures like these helped create the Fluffy Aunts.

(You'll find the Fluffy Aunts in Rogue Spy.)

[Joanna Bourne]

This is where a writer has to walk a very fine line, writing secondary and minor characters.

Is the character believable? Has he or she descended into caricature? Does our minor and fascinating person steal the scene?

[Joanna Bourne]

I'm in the early stages of working on the Severine story. Can I say, "In a year or so"?

[Joanna Bourne]

That's the trick.

Romance is supposed to be feelgood and optimistic. So I don't want to write only the adventure parts where everybody is under a lot of tension.

It's hard to add the lighter moments, but I think my kind of work really needs them.

[Joanna Bourne]

I will hope Cami earns your regard. She is not especially kind to Pax at their first meeting, but maybe you will forgive her later ... (Pax did.)

[Joanna Bourne]

That's the ideal. Every character in the story has to contribute his or her bit ... or else get chucked out.

I am very fond of elderly relatives who have some ooomph to them.

[Joanna Bourne]

Blast. I read Burn for Me and now I'm trying to sort the characters out in my mind. It was just too long ago.

Time for a re-read.

[Joanna Bourne]

It has occurred to me from time to time that not everyone reading Historical Romance is in their twenties.

One reason to add characters from a whole spectrum of ages is readers are all ages too.

[Joanna Bourne]

Me too. I remember the roles they played in their books, but often the major characters stick in my mind.

I'm thinking though of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. Wonderful character. Loved her in the TV serieses as well.

[Joanna Bourne]

Good question about older gentlemen in stories. I can think of a few, but it's overwhelmingly older women.

[Joanna Bourne]

You get to a certain age and you have seen it all. You are just not impressed by all the fiddledede and rumpsnurfle.
Any you're apt to say so.

[Joanna Bourne]

That's true right across the board. Minor Characters have to 'do something' in the plot, not just stand about being light relief.

[Joanna Bourne]

They make a complete family, don't they?

I'm sometimes worried about all these orphaned heroines I write. I actually like big, bustling extended families.

[Joanna Bourne]

Now Lady Danbury is a specific character I can call to mind. One of Julia Quinn's great creations. (I rather like her cane. It's almost a character in its own right.)

[Joanna Bourne]

One of my writing maxims (of which I have any number) is that a 'stuck' scene can be freed up by having somebody say a piece of truth. That gets everything moving.

Older folks serve this purpose very nicely.

[Vicki W.]

Life experiences do change your point of view and interpretation of events - which is where older characters come in to play. So yes I do like to have older characters sprinkled. After all, life isn't just for the young!

[Evelyn Alexie]

I must confess to being impressed by rumpsnurfle. It's such a delightful portmanteau of a word.

[Joanna Bourne]

I might have a thoughtful, wise old person say, "Old age does not necessarily bring wisdom, but it does give perspective ..."

[Olivia]

Older characters (sometimes colorful, sometimes not) are either representing past challenges and the things we want to flee, or they give the right advice at the right time to help the protagonist move forward. Right now, I'm thinking of Laura Kinsale's Flowers from the Storm, where Christian's mother is, shall we say, misguided, and Maddy's father provided wise counsel and strength for both Maddie and Christian. But there are numerous older aunts or grandmothers saying shocking things doing pretty much what they wish and giving me plenty of chuckles in the process. What fun they are!

[Joanna Bourne]

Very insightful view of the uses of older characters. They're kinda the collective wisdom of the past and their experiences impinges upon the present. I like that idea.