Ask the Author: Christina Baehr
Answered Questions (20)
Christina Baehr
This is always a difficult question to answer. I suppose the seed of the idea was thinking about family names. I was thinking about the name Worms and how terrible it is, and then I remembered that traditionally, worm = dragon. And then I began to wonder what someone's profession/trade would have been to produce the family name "dragons."
Our family went through a difficult year, and I ended up smashing all my favourite things into a story about a young woman who finds out exactly why her ancestors had this name, which I typed with my thumbs into the Notes app on my phone, mostly in the dead of night.
There you have it.
Our family went through a difficult year, and I ended up smashing all my favourite things into a story about a young woman who finds out exactly why her ancestors had this name, which I typed with my thumbs into the Notes app on my phone, mostly in the dead of night.
There you have it.
Christina Baehr
Yes, I'm a second generation homeschooler. However, in the novel, I wasn't critiquing all schools so much as a specific institution, the 19th century British Public School (eg upper class boarding schools), which had some...issues.
William Pitt the Elder famously refused to send his son to his own school, Eton, because of the cruelty he had experienced there, and had him educated at home. (Despite the missed opportunities for networking, I suppose it worked out pretty well for him--he became the youngest British Prime Minister.)
The antagonist in my novel is speaking from a social Darwinist perspective, common in the late 19th century, that these experiences in childhood contributed (favourably) to 'survival of the fittest.'
William Pitt the Elder famously refused to send his son to his own school, Eton, because of the cruelty he had experienced there, and had him educated at home. (Despite the missed opportunities for networking, I suppose it worked out pretty well for him--he became the youngest British Prime Minister.)
The antagonist in my novel is speaking from a social Darwinist perspective, common in the late 19th century, that these experiences in childhood contributed (favourably) to 'survival of the fittest.'
Christina Baehr
What a fun question. I actually experimented with writing a few pages from an Inspector Green novel last year when I was writing bonus material for my deluxe edition of Wormwood Abbey! I soon realised that I didn't have a great interest in continuing it. I missed Edith!
Truly, I'd love to read a fanfic, if anyone wants to give it a go. To get a feel for the sort of style and genre Edith is writing, try:
The murder mysteries of Anna Katherine Green (that's who I named Edith's inspector after)
Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories
The Dorcas Dene stories by George R Sims
Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief by Maurice Leblanc
Truly, I'd love to read a fanfic, if anyone wants to give it a go. To get a feel for the sort of style and genre Edith is writing, try:
The murder mysteries of Anna Katherine Green (that's who I named Edith's inspector after)
Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories
The Dorcas Dene stories by George R Sims
Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Thief by Maurice Leblanc
Christina Baehr
Yes! Elizabeth Knowelden, the wonderful narrator for The Secrets of Ormdale audiobooks, is recording Menagerie right now for Tantor Audio. I can't wait to hear all of the voices and accents in this one!
Christina Baehr
Hi Clair, I accidentally clicked "skip" on your other question, so I'll answer it here too. You asked how I wrote my series so quickly, especially with all the research I did. One answer is that I've been researching (without knowing it) since I was a teenager. I've read history and mythology and Victorian lit voraciously for years, so I was able to incorporate many things I already knew. The other thing to keep in mind was that I wrote the series in advance and then published quickly, so I was mostly editing and polishing while publishing, not drafting. Except for the final book, which I did draft while publishing, and that was...challenging.
As far as a boxset goes, unfortunately that's not possible with print on demand (the way I currently publish). If I ever sell my books to a traditional publisher, they may decide to make a boxset, because they can order a big enough print run to make it financially feasible.
At the moment, I'm making deluxe clothbound editions through Kickstarter of the whole series, and I'm considering making a slipcase at the end of all 5 campaigns that will hold the whole series! So follow me on Kickstarter to collect those editions, they have illustrations and bonus chapters.
And, of course, join my newsletter to get the latest news on new editions.
As far as a boxset goes, unfortunately that's not possible with print on demand (the way I currently publish). If I ever sell my books to a traditional publisher, they may decide to make a boxset, because they can order a big enough print run to make it financially feasible.
At the moment, I'm making deluxe clothbound editions through Kickstarter of the whole series, and I'm considering making a slipcase at the end of all 5 campaigns that will hold the whole series! So follow me on Kickstarter to collect those editions, they have illustrations and bonus chapters.
And, of course, join my newsletter to get the latest news on new editions.
Christina Baehr
I wrote Wormwood Abbey for a lark, really, and then I had so much fun I couldn't stop. By the time I finished writing it I knew the main plot beats of the whole series, but I had no concept of how many words it would take, so I thought it would be 3-4 books. The number of books increased, but the main series outline remained the same.
I'm now 1 book into my second series and if anything it has felt more intimidating the second time. I think it's because this time, I'm much more aware of the work involved and the pitfalls!
If you are writing your first series, I would strongly advise drafting as much of it as you can before publishing the first book. I did that with Wormwood Abbey. I didn't publish it until I was mostly through writing the 4th book and felt confident I could finish the whole arc. It was one of the best choices I made! My critique partners got to the 'reveal' at the end of the first draft of Book 4 and said WHAT?? (and not in a good way). I was able to go back and add a trail of clues to books 2 & 3 to lead up to that reveal, which ended up being really satisfying in the published version of the series. It takes trial and error to understand how readers will respond to hints and clues!
I'm now 1 book into my second series and if anything it has felt more intimidating the second time. I think it's because this time, I'm much more aware of the work involved and the pitfalls!
If you are writing your first series, I would strongly advise drafting as much of it as you can before publishing the first book. I did that with Wormwood Abbey. I didn't publish it until I was mostly through writing the 4th book and felt confident I could finish the whole arc. It was one of the best choices I made! My critique partners got to the 'reveal' at the end of the first draft of Book 4 and said WHAT?? (and not in a good way). I was able to go back and add a trail of clues to books 2 & 3 to lead up to that reveal, which ended up being really satisfying in the published version of the series. It takes trial and error to understand how readers will respond to hints and clues!
Christina Baehr
Funny you should ask, my next book is now available for preorder! It's called A Menagerie of Dragons and it's the next instalment in the story of Ormdale.
Christina Baehr
It is actually translated earlier in the novel when they talk about Elizabeth I, since it was her personal motto. It means “always the same” and carries an implication of constancy, faithfulness, and longevity.
Christina Baehr
I was basically raised on Victorian novels and poetry, so the research I had to do was on things I didn't have any knowledge about when I started the series! I made use of Jack London's memoir "The People of the Abyss" to write about the East End in "City of Serpents", and I dipped into quite a few books on Anglo-Jewish society to imagine the Belmonte family, including "Women of Rothschild" and Miriam Rothschild's book on Walter and his museum (the story of the cassowary is from her), as well as some of Simon Sebag Montefiore's work on Moses Montefiore in his book "Jerusalem". I looked at the online catalogue of the museum which had received a bequest from Lord Battersea in order to imagine what Lady Battersea's home looked like, as well as their orangery which is now student housing. Probably overkill, but at least one reader wrote and told me how much they loved that description, so I am justified.
I also read quite a lot on the suffragettes, including excerpts from the writings of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. My children and I enjoyed the beautifully illustrated "Suffragette: The Battle for Equality" by David Roberts, which was very honest about the fissures within the movement.
This isn't directly answering your question about the 1899 era, but I also had to research dragons (I can't just make things up!), and I mainly drew on Edward Topsell's "Book of Serpents" which I highly recommend.
I also read quite a lot on the suffragettes, including excerpts from the writings of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. My children and I enjoyed the beautifully illustrated "Suffragette: The Battle for Equality" by David Roberts, which was very honest about the fissures within the movement.
This isn't directly answering your question about the 1899 era, but I also had to research dragons (I can't just make things up!), and I mainly drew on Edward Topsell's "Book of Serpents" which I highly recommend.
Christina Baehr
I’m aiming for a cover reveal in September and publication in the last quarter of 2025. This year has been a little difficult with some health issues, so I’m hesitant to commit to a date quite yet. Some good news is this month I’m releasing my first Ormdale short story via my new online shop: www.christinabaehr.com/shop
Subscribe to my newsletter to get advance notice of release dates as well as a peek at my process!
Subscribe to my newsletter to get advance notice of release dates as well as a peek at my process!
Christina Baehr
There are certainly a lot of possibilities, aren’t there? Though the majority of my creative energy is going into a book focusing on the three Worms sisters right now, I have been dreaming up a short story from Meredith Falconer’s perspective, which would follow her after Valley of Dragons. Who knows when I will have time for that, I do anticipate a certain fellow from Cumbria will pop up in my next series, and certainly you may get a chapter or more from his POV. It’s a distinct possibility!
Christina Baehr
I self published. If I had gone the traditional route, I'm sure I'd still be querying agents and publishers today, whereas instead I now have a complete published series and thousands of readers. My cover designer is an old friend of mine, Shiloh Longbottom. She's a wonderful artist and a true partner in creating these books. I don't think they would have captured readers' imaginations in quite the same way without her luminous artwork.
Christina Baehr
Not yet! But I do have the cover reveal planned for July 2025.
Christina Baehr
Hi Sara, thanks for your kind words, I also enjoy that mix of genres! I've not heard of SILVER, but I'm adding to my TBR now.
Christina Baehr
This is a great question, May! The literary DNA of any book is a complex thing. There are some influences which are fairly obvious--I would think that my love for Jane Austen comes through quite clearly, especially NORTHANGER ABBEY!
Less obvious perhaps is my love for JANE EYRE, since my protagonist Edith is a bit dismissive of the Brontes. But it was definitely an influence, as the gothic atmosphere along with Jane's spirited first-person POV sank into me deeply when I was a teen.
More recently, I discovered THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE by Joan Aiken. Her mixture of gothic mystery tempered by humour and comfort really hit the spot for me when I read it aloud to my children. Another author I discovered as an adult is Diana Wynne Jones. The grumpy, bookish heroine of her lesser-known HOUSE OF MANY WAYS definitely contributed a little to my Edith, though as I grew more confident with knowing my character she became more distinct.
Lastly, a huge influence on how my writing style is the late Victorian writer Edith Nesbit. In fact, when I started writing WORMWOOD ABBEY, I consciously told myself I wanted to write a gothic novel from the perspective of the sort of character you might expect from Nesbit, with all the practicality and humour that I imagined one of them would bring to a genre not notable for either. While I was writing the books I listened to Nesbit audiobooks and read her book of short stories for adults. Her wit and way with words never fail to bring me delight.
Less obvious perhaps is my love for JANE EYRE, since my protagonist Edith is a bit dismissive of the Brontes. But it was definitely an influence, as the gothic atmosphere along with Jane's spirited first-person POV sank into me deeply when I was a teen.
More recently, I discovered THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE by Joan Aiken. Her mixture of gothic mystery tempered by humour and comfort really hit the spot for me when I read it aloud to my children. Another author I discovered as an adult is Diana Wynne Jones. The grumpy, bookish heroine of her lesser-known HOUSE OF MANY WAYS definitely contributed a little to my Edith, though as I grew more confident with knowing my character she became more distinct.
Lastly, a huge influence on how my writing style is the late Victorian writer Edith Nesbit. In fact, when I started writing WORMWOOD ABBEY, I consciously told myself I wanted to write a gothic novel from the perspective of the sort of character you might expect from Nesbit, with all the practicality and humour that I imagined one of them would bring to a genre not notable for either. While I was writing the books I listened to Nesbit audiobooks and read her book of short stories for adults. Her wit and way with words never fail to bring me delight.
Christina Baehr
Thank you so much! VALLEY OF DRAGONS will conclude my debut series The Secrets of Ormdale, so you can expect lots of revelations and happy endings. HOWEVER! I am currently planning a follow-up series which continues the story of England’s dragon keepers a few years later, focusing this time on the adventures of Violet and Una in Ormdale and beyond. Stay tuned! There is still so much to explore in this world.
Christina Baehr
Yes! I have signed a contract with WF Howes and Tantor to produce the whole series. The first two have been released, and CASTLE OF THE WINDS has been recorded by the amazing Elizabeth Knowelden. (The more successful the first three audiobooks are, the sooner the last two will be released...so please get listening!)
Christina Baehr
Yes! November 15. And VALLEY OF DRAGONS will cover the time period of September to Christmas 1899 (just in case you were wondering!).
Christina Baehr
I am Australian. Specifically, I live in Tasmania, which is an island state of Australia, and very green and beautiful (and about the same size as Ireland). My parents are from the United States and so is my husband, so if you watch any of my Instagram videos you will hear a very mixed-up accent.
Christina Baehr
In the same sense that Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Dorothy Sayers, CS Lewis, and JRR Tolkien were Christian authors, yes! (I mean, with only a tiny fraction of their craft!) But I do not write books that fit seamlessly within the commonly-accepted genre expectations of Christian Fiction, so you won’t find me categorising my books that way.
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