Special chat with Charles Todd, Alan Bradley, and Tasha Alexander discussion

Good morning, everyone!

Thanks to Goodreads for inviting us to participate. I'm looking forward to answering your questions about the Flavia books. Let's get started!

Alan

I was surprised to learn that "Sweetness " came relatively late for you. Has it been as surprising for you? Hope it has been a wonderful ride.

I just re-picked the book up after struggling with it last spring. I think I needed a different mindset.

I've been listening to the Flavia books as audio downloads and am really looking forward to the fourth installment. The narrator is perfect. Flavia is the girl I wanted to be at 11. What was your inspiration for the character?

Jan C wrote: "I was surprised to learn that "Sweetness " came relatively late for you. Has it been as surprising for you? Hope it has been a wonderful ride.

I just re-picked the book up after struggling with ..."

Hi, Jan,

It's been very surprising, but I couldn't be more grateful. I think I was what my mother would have called "a slow starter". I was about 69 when "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" was published.

I think you're right about requiring the right mindset for these books. Because they're set in 1950, the pace is necessarily slower than readers may be accustomed to. But giving them the breakneck speed of contemporary mysteries would have resulted in in their sinking without a trace. Flavia and her world needed to be different. There are those readers who can tolerate "different", and those who can't. I'm happy to hear you're giving it a second chance.
I've been told that if you relax and let yourself sink into the story, you'll find after a time that you're floating.
It seems reasonable to me that since that's the way the books were written, it might be the best approach to reading them.

"A wonderful ride"? You bet! With Flavia now published in 34 countries and 31 languages, I've been to places in the world I'd never dared dream of visiting, always to astonishingly warm welcomes, and the making of friends who will be friends forever. No one could ask for more.

Alan

I was hooked on your books as soon as I opened up "Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie." Sometimes they make me laugh out loud.

I can't think of another author who portrays sibling dynamics so well. Something tells me you were not an only child.

Hi, Lori,

I have to confess that sometimes, Flavia makes me laugh out loud, too. I never have the faintest idea what she's going to say or do in any given circumstances.

And you're right! I had two sisters who were - co-incidentally, of course - about the same number of years older as Flavia's sisters.

Alan

Hi Alan,

I adore Flavia! Why did you choose to make your protagonist a girl and did you find it a challenge to 'get inside' a girl's head?

Martine

Martine wrote: "Hi Alan,

I adore Flavia! Why did you choose to make your protagonist a girl and did you find it a challenge to 'get inside' a girl's head?

Martine"


Hi, Martine,

Flavia was a girl when she arrived. I didn't have any say in the matter. The only challenge was in learning to silence my own ideas and to listen to Flavia.

Alan - I'm loving Flavia more and more - I am certain that on some level she is real! Is this the first time a character has walked onto your page fully formed and with a mind of her own? What was your initial reaction to her? And how do you feel about her now? ... Does she boss you about? ;-)

Martine wrote: "Alan - I'm loving Flavia more and more - I am certain that on some level she is real! Is this the first time a character has walked onto your page fully formed and with a mind of her own? What was ..."

Hi, Martine,

Yes, this was the first time I had ever experienced a character who arrived on the page lock, stock and barrel. Initially, I tried to direct her - to make her play out the plot I had in mind, but she absolutely refused. I realized, after a while, that Flavia was quite scornful of my ideas.

The greatest difficulty at first was finding out her name. You can't write about a character whose name is a mystery to you. I went for long walks, and picked imaginary names out of the air. I would say, "Is your name Margaret Ferrers?" and there would be this great inward rolling of eyes. After a long time - months - I was walking by the lake early one morning and I said "Is it Flavia de Luce?", and there was a very long silence. I knew I had it. As I've said elsewhere, it was like guessing Rumpelstiltskin's name!

The next step was to learn to put aside my not-very-good ideas and listen to Flavia. I couldn't force her. I had to stop writing and start listening - which completely changed my writing process.

It was a bit like learning yoga - not easy at the beginning.

At first, I think I might have resented Flavia's taking over like that, but not for long. As we went on, there was a tremendous trust that developed, which made me - and still makes me - feel very responsible for the character. There have been lots of things in the books that I wanted to do, but Flavia didn't.

Yes, I suppose she's quite bossy, but in a way that means keeping me true to her character. I feel quite responsible for her, but don't really worry, since she knows so much better than I what we're doing.

Odd, but there it is.

As for now? I love working on the books.

With the fourth book, "I Am Half-Sick of Shadows" coming out on November 1st, I'm now at work on book five.

With best wishes,

Alan

Hi, Alan.

When I read Sweetness, I was 30 years old, saving up to move to Europe, and I would sneak off to the local botanical garden to day dream and try to turn the pages as slowly as possible.

As soon as I made the move, I bought myself an old West German city bike, shined it up, and headed out to explore my new surroundings with narrow dirt trails under my wheels.

I've read all the Flavia books greedily, and I always get that childlike excitement after each one. Thank you.

Do you have a bike like Gladys?

Ben

Hi, Ben,


It's nice to meet you. Yes, I did in fact have a bike when I was a kid. One of my sisters bought it for me with the first money she ever earned.
Co-incidentally, it was a black BSA, like Flavia's, although mine was a boy's bike. It was of rather elderly vintage when I got it, and we travelled many miles together, in town and country.
I hope you'll go on enjoying the Flavia books as much as you've obviously enjoyed the first ones. "I Am Half-Sick of Shadows" will be out in less than two months. This one is a Christmas story and, in a way, my Christmas gift to Flavia's fans worldwide.
If you're in Germany, all of the books are available there in absolutely gorgeous editions from Blanvalet, which is part of Ranmom House Germany. Flavia's been a huge bestseller in Germany, and it was a great treat to visit there last year and meet many of her terrifically passionate fans.

Alan wrote: "Martine wrote: "Alan - I'm loving Flavia more and more - I am certain that on some level she is real! Is this the first time a character has walked onto your page fully formed and with a mind of he..."

Thanks so much for this insight, Alan - it's fascinating. I only chanced upon the first two Flavia books in the library quite recently and I'm thrilled to learn there's a third I can get from Amazon immediately and a fourth out soon. Yay!

Hi Alan

I adored both The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag, these were both passed on to my mother who also loved them and are now currently with her neighbour to try!

I wondered whether Flavia will be getting older in future books or will she remain at around the same age? In some respects I can see Flavia as an even more stubborn/awkward teenager but also think she may lose some of her naivety and charm then?

Martine wrote: "Alan wrote: "Martine wrote: "Alan - I'm loving Flavia more and more - I am certain that on some level she is real! Is this the first time a character has walked onto your page fully formed and with..."

Thanks, Martine. Hope you enjoy them. You can always keep up to date by joining the Flavia Fan club (www.flaviafanclub.ning.com) or keeping an eye on my own web page, www.flaviadeluce.com, which I try to keep up to date, but not always with the greatest success!

Suzanne wrote: "Hi Alan

I adored both The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag, these were both passed on to my mother who also loved them and are now currently with her..."


Hi, Suzanne,

I really don't see Flavia working in the same way if she were older. For now, it's 1950 and she's eleven - or almost eleven (she's sometimes quite unforthcoming about her precise age).

My best regards to your mother and her neighbour. I'm delighted to hear that Flavia gets around so much!

Alan

Hey Alan,
I've really enjoyed your books, and am so excited for the fourth sequel to come out! I did a book report about The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie in front of my English class last year, and even though I was terrified of anything to do with public speaking, the other students were really intrigued by the book--even going as far as to shout out who they thought had committed the murder, :)

I've enjoyed the excitement and wonderment that each book brings, they are one of the few books I read slowly just because I hate to see them end! Flavia is a delight, sometimes she shocks me with what she says--and makes me laugh out loud (which draws quite a few curious looks). Do you have another series in mind after Flavia? What has been the hardest part about writing a series?
Thanks for sharing your books! :)

~ Moriyah

Hi Alan!

First off, I love your books! Flavia has become one of my favorite literary characters. Her thoughts often make me laugh. I've gotten a few of my friends into the series as well and they've all enjoyed them.
Questions, hmmm...Why did you pick 1950s England as the backdrop? Had you ever been there before writing these? If not, did you go afterwards and did you find any places like the setting?
Oh! If they were to make a movie or series based on these, would you rather they were animated or live-action?

Moriyah wrote: "Hey Alan,
I've really enjoyed your books, and am so excited for the fourth sequel to come out! I did a book report about The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie in front of my English class last yea..."


Hi, Moriah,

Yes, I've found myself that Flavia is always a lot of fun to talk about. People always seem to come out with absolutely terrific questions, and we wind up going for hours more than was planned.

She shocks me, too - and also makes me laugh out loud. My wife says she can always tell when Flavia has said or done something outrageous.

The hardest part of writing a series, to me at least, must be the prospect of coming to an end. The rest of it is almost sheer joy.

I do have another series in mind - one that excites me a lot. I'm already doing research so that I can let the background simmer away in my subconscious long before I begin to write.

For now, it's hard not to talk about it!

Cheers!

Alan

Alan, I am quite taken with your dear Flavia & can't wait to see what she gets up to next! Thank you for releasing her to the world!

Alan, I have read all 3 of your Flavia books (Sweetness, Weed, Red Herring) and truly love chemist & detective Flavia. It must be very hard for her to live with her sisters and father under their circumstances. However, having said that she seems to be making the best of it and truly loves her surroundings. I remember reading that you had never been to England when you started writing this book. That is amazing to me. How did you "put yourself there"? Cheers, Norma in Cornwall

Dom wrote: "Hi Alan!

First off, I love your books! Flavia has become one of my favorite literary characters. Her thoughts often make me laugh. I've gotten a few of my friends into the series as well and they..."

Thanks for your kind words, Dom. As I've outlined in some detail above, I think the reason that the series was set in 1950 is that I was about Flavia's age in that year, so that I have in my mind quite sharply focused images of the world at that time as seen through the eyes of an eleven year old.

I hadn't been to England at the time the first book was written, but I did finally get to go, and have been there a number of times since.
The places I visited were both like and unlike the way they had been in my imagination. I had for most of my life had dreams about flying to England, but I always woke up before the plane landed.
When those dreams became a reality, it was almost unbearably emotional. I realized when I was in London to accept the Debut Dagger Award, that it was precisely (almost to the day) a hundred years since my mother and her parents had left their beloved England. So in that way, it was a long-delayed coming home.

Movies? Well live action, I think, although I've so far strenuously resisted any offers to turn Flavia into a film or television series.

That said, there's a wonderfully-done animated film opening on YouTube that was created by Kady Lawson, one of Flavia's fans. It's so good, I wish I could see the rest of the movie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwcIZ4...


There's also an absolutely terrific book trailer for the Norwegian edition. You can catch it at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTJYMn...


Thanks for a great set of questions!

Alan

Norma wrote: "Alan, I have read all 3 of your Flavia books (Sweetness, Weed, Red Herring) and truly love chemist & detective Flavia. It must be very hard for her to live with her sisters and father under their c..."

Hi, Norma,

Thanks for your generous words. I finally got to visit England for the first time when "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie" won the Debut Dagger Award, and I was swept off to London for a black-tie event at the Park Lane Hotel. I spent somewhat over a week wandering the city I had been reading about all my life, and it was absolutely mind-bending. Within a couple of hours of landing in England, I was sitting at the keyboard of the organ upon which Handel had premiered the music for "The Messiah".

Unbelievable! I was in a trance for months.

I wouldn't worry too much about Flavia. She seems quite able to give as good as she gets. It's really those around her who ought to be worrying.

With best wishes,

Alan

Hi Alan!

I am a librarian at a small community library in Vermont and while I was getting my library degree I started reading the Flavia books and I would just devour them. Now when anyone asks me for a recommendation for a mystery book I almost always point them to The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. They are wonderful for someone who has read all the mainstream mysteries and is looking to try something different. Thank you so much for this humorous and touching series.

Also, thank you for the emphasis you place on the library itself in the books! It's always great to read about a young character who is in love with her local library!

Chantal

Susan wrote: "Alan, I am quite taken with your dear Flavia & can't wait to see what she gets up to next! Thank you for releasing her to the world!"

Thank you, Susan. Flavia is favoured, I believe, with the greatest fans in the world. As I travel about and meet her readers, I find that they're invariably the sort of people you'd like to stop for a week or two and visit with. Kindred hearts, I think it's called.


Best wishes,

Alan

Chantal wrote: "Hi Alan!

I am a librarian at a small community library in Vermont and while I was getting my library degree I started reading the Flavia books and I would just devour them. Now when anyone asks m..."

Thanks, Chantal. Much appreciated. I have been, since remote childhood, a lover of libraries, and I think it shows (in spite of Miss Mountjoy!) Some of my best friends have been - and continue to be - librarians.

(That sounds like a rather ambiguous book title, doesn't it" "Some of My Best Friends Are Librarians".)

I was taught to read at a very early age by my older sisters, who thought it would keep me out of their hair. I was reading before I went to kindergarten.
When I'd read my way through the complete children's section of our local library, I attempted to check out an absolutely horrific and sensational title from the adult books. The librarian refused.
When my grandmother heard what had happened, she put on her hat, grabbed my hand, and marched me back to the library, where she demanded that I be issued an adult ticket.
The librarian must have been intimidated, since she issued one on the spot. That was something like sixty-five years ago, and I'm still reading just as avidly.

Footnote: If you like the Flavia mysteries, you and your readers might also enjoy Louise Penny's Armand Gamache mysteries. Louise has won the Agatha Award an astonishing four times in succession, and has a new title just published, "A Trick of the Light". Highly recommended!

Hello, Mr. Bradley!
I must say I was absolutely delighted to see you on Goodreads. I first heard of your books when the first was reviewed in World magazine, and have read them with increasing enjoyment ever since.

My mother (also a Flavia fan) would like to know, how did you learn so much about chemistry? Did you major in it?

That said, there's a wonderfully-done animated film opening on YouTube that was created by Kady Lawson, one of Flavia's fans. It's so good, I wish I could see the rest of the movie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwcIZ4RJJ...


There's also an absolutely terrific book trailer for the Norwegian edition. You can catch it at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTJYMnMTU...

Wow, thanks for those links! Those are both really well made.
Can I ask one more question? Do you have a set number of books you're going to write about Flavia and her cast? You mentioned another series you're going to write (I'll be looking for that!), does this mean there will be an ending of sorts for this series? Or will you revisit it from time to time when you get an idea for a story (or when Flavia demands more to be said of her adventures)?

I've enjoyed recommending the Flavia books to parents of middle grade readers as something they might enjoy reading together. I think it was much easier for pre-teens to read books set in earlier times before computers and iPads than now. And, if parents read with kids it's a much better experience for all!

Thank you for providing a delightful mechanism for better literacy—and family time!

I was given the first Flavia book as a gift and what a great gift it was. You have created such a wonderful character who appeals to all ages. I work in a small independent book store and not a day goes by that I don't sell or recommend your series. I am anxiously awaiting the next Flavia adventure and hoping for many more to come!

Thanks for writing these great books. May you continue to do Flavia's bidding!

Hi Mr. Bradley, I really enjoy your way with words and your incredible insight into the mind of an 11 year old girl (should we--your readers--thank your sisters for such insights?). Flavia is the perfect name for your cunning curious chemist and I thank you for sharing how you arrived at it. Do you have a chemistry/botany background? I always appreciate it when an author gets the details right about such matters.

Having read all the Flavia tales thus far (and recommended them to many)I am looking forward to the next one. And I must say that the woman who reads your books does a wonderful job.

Good morning Mr. Bradley. I love reading about Flavia and what she'll think, do, or say next. I work in a chemistry dept. at a major university and am surrounded by chemistry students. I've recommend your books to my colleagues, students, and even my boss who is a chemistry professor.

I too am curious about your chemistry background.

I don't suppose there's a chance of your someday doing a spinoff series, or at least some short stories, told from Daffy's or Feely's point of view? All three girls are brilliant in their own way and I'd love someday to hear their version of the events Flavia has described.

I'd like to read about Daffy's and Feely's point of view , also. I've read the first 2 books in the series. I will read all of the books in the series. I am continually apalled at the emotional abuse Flavia's older sisters heap upon her. I imagine Flavia being told from infancy that she isn't loved. So sad. No matter how brillantly (and borderline criminally) Flavia masters chemical revenge upon her sisters, said revenge won't take away the pain. Though, quite frankly Flavia's yearning for her father's attention and to have a positive bond with her sisters ensures that Flavia has my sympathy. As cruel as Daffy and Feely can be, I do have sympathy for them also.

My fingers are crossed, hoping that the girls will become closer to one another and that their father will be more attentive to his girls.

Have you chosen the titles for each book before you began writing them, or after, and did you have any criteria to guide you in choosing them? I, too, am a great Flavia fan and thank you for sharing her with us.

Mr. Bradley, I so enjoy your books. I just finished Red Herring and enjoyed it just as much as the first two Flavia de Luce books. I find that Flavia is such a fun character and I love her insights. I often bookmark my favorites and share them later with family and friends. I'm looking forward to the new installment coming in November. Can you give us any hints on what new adventures you have in store for Flavia?

Mr. Bradley--
I am a high school English teacher and use Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (along with a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories) as my summer reading assignment in my British Literature survey course. Many of my students truly enjoyed reading Sweetness and have been motivated to read the following two books as a result. Thank you for providing an accessible book that has my students excited about reading. If you have any tips for "teachable" moments to stress from the book, I'm all ears!

Dear Mr. Bradley,
I happened upon Red Herring on the "Lucky Finds" shelf at my library shortly after seeing it on Goodreads. I snatched it up, even though the librarian warned me that it wasn't the first in the series, because I was afraid it would get lost at the bottom of my "to read" list. What a joy it was! I went back and read the first two books afterward and was just as charmed. Do you think Flavia is so appealing because of or in spite of her flaws (nosiness, getting in over her head, a healthy disregard for the rules)? Do you think there is something to be said for letting children have so much (non-electronics-based) freedom nowadays? Or is the world such a different place that it is impossible? Thanks for your books and your time.

Dear Mr Bradley,
I just want to thank you for the wonderful books. I've enjoyed them all and can't wait for the next books release.

Robin

This is a marvelous series. It is one of the few that I must read immediately when a new title is published. I very much like how you keep dropping hints about Harriet and where that will take Flavia and us.

Mr. Bradley,
Are the book jackets/titles a second thought once you've written the Flavia story, or do you have a basic concept of the title/cover prior to writing and develop it as you go along? Either way, the title/jacket initially made me explore the book, and gave me the opportunity to enjoy Flavia's adventures...Thank You!

Alan,

Can I just say that Flavias one-liners are brilliant. My particular favourite? "God blind me with a fish fork" :)

I love reading the Flavia books on my Kindle...and would love to share them with others. Any chance you'll consider making them "lendable" in the future?

Dear Mr. Bradley: I have to thank you for introducing all your readers to Flavia de Luce. After picking up The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, I was instantly hooked, and I eagerly await more installments (I'm a pre-order fan!). I also sing your praises to all my book club friends (and have brought a few good readers into the fold).

As a reader who grew up with Nancy Drew, I was happy to make the acquaintance of an even sassier British counterpart. I'm so intrigued to hear that Flavia manages to finagle her way around your authority as well as everyone else's. I've read interviews with William Faulkner where he spoke of some of his characters living lives outside and beyond his novels, and I'd like to think that Flavia too keeps herself busy and in some kind of trouble when she's not with us (i.e., your readers)!

Here are my questions: will Flavia ever reach a more comfortable compact with the Inspector? Will he ever invite her to dinner with himself and his wife? As she ages, will Flavia start to recognize the (though somewhat sardonic) esteem in which the Inspector holds her? Do you think she's more likely to become and inspector or a chemist herself when she grows up?

Thanks again for bringing Flavia to us. Please take care of yourself--I hope to follow Flavia to university some day!

Sincerely,
Kathy Jackson

Dear Mr. Bradley: I am a high school English teacher & came across Flavia in all her glory this summer. I've read all three books and am eagerly anticipating being swept away once again by Gladys in November! Thanks for creating such a wonderful world! A place that I can highly recommend to my students, without any qualms about exposure to language or violence. The writing is delightful and I love showing examples to my students of your creativity and style. The most inspirational aspect for a middle-aged teacher is your late start, thank-you for your most glorious contributions!!
Sincerely,
Jeanne A.

Hello, and thanks so much for doing this chat!

I've been a huge Flavia fan since I read the first review of "Sweetness" and went to my little local indie bookstore to buy the book. My bookseller saw it in my hand and--knowing me all too well--said, "You will LOVE that!" Right he was! (Sadly, the store has since gone out of business...but not before the owner introduced me to so many authors and books I may have otherwise missed.)

Thank you for Flavia; you do inspire those of us who know we have a novel in us but find that life has gotten in the way for too many years! I hope you continue to enjoy writing about Flavia as much as we all love reading about her.

Thank you again.

Sigh...a book in November and another on the way! I'm happy.
Flavia has been introduced to my quilt group, and I've tried to get my adult daughters to read her. I think the Norwegian link may do it. Thank you.
In describing her, I tell people that she's either a young Sherlock Holmes...or Moriarty...

Helen wrote: "Hello, Mr. Bradley!
I must say I was absolutely delighted to see you on Goodreads. I first heard of your books when the first was reviewed in World magazine, and have read them with increasing enjo..."


Hi, Helen,


To be perfectly honest, I know nothing whatsoever about chemistry. Fortunately, Flavia does. She sends me scurrying off to research (on my own time!) her many ideas. Fortunately, she's usually right!

With best wishes,

Alan

Dom wrote: "That said, there's a wonderfully-done animated film opening on YouTube that was created by Kady Lawson, one of Flavia's fans. It's so good, I wish I could see the rest of the movie!

http://www.you..."

Hi,Dom,

The Flavia series was originally planned to cover six books, each one of them being one slice, so to speak, of the larger pie.

There's no reason why other books may not be written.

As for another series, it's presently in that stewpot of the mind where ideas brew.

Thanks for your interest!

Alan