Q&A with Laurie R. King discussion

Always wanted to know something about one of Laurie's books, past, present, or future? Post your questions here.

I love your series, but I have to admit that my absolute favorite book of yours is A Darker Place. Have you any thoughts of writing a sequel? Or more? A whole series. MORE! (Sorry-got a bit excited there.)

And the same question re: Touchstone.

I am honored to be invited to join this group and to meet online with Laurie King. I am a retired CSI and am delighted to see the relationship between Mary and Holmes, because my mentor/partner was twenty-odd years older than I and we had a similar working relationship, although we were both married to other people. I would love to know how Laurie was able to work out how an older man and young woman working together in a dangerous field would interact. My favorite book in this series is A Monstrous Regiment of Women, which includes in the penultimate chapter the sexiest kiss in fiction.

Laurie wrote: "Always wanted to know something about one of Laurie's books, past, present, or future? Post your questions here."

You went back to Kate once after a long interval. Will we ever visit her again? Your enthusiasm for Mary Russell seems rather more enthusiastic.

I also loved "A Darker Place"

I love the Russell/Holmes books, and I agree with Anne about A Monstrous Regiment of Women containing one of the sexiest kisses in fiction. Although I think the book that interested me most was A Letter of Mary, which followed.

What fascinates me especially is the way that Russell mirrors Holmes without replicating him. It makes her credible as a match for him. But I do notice that as time goes on, they spend more time apart, whereas the interaction between them is what draws me to the series. I wonder why that is, and whether you intend to write another book where they cooperate not only in principle and from time to time but in practice, side by side, throughout the novel.

C.P., although I agree with you that having Russell and Holmes work together is emotionally satisfying, they think so much alike that it is redundant to them. So it makes more sense for them to spend at least half their time in different places, working different parts of the puzzle. Then, when they put their pieces together, there is a feeling of completion which wouldn't be there if they were together all the time. Does that make sense to you? Laurie, is this the line you were thinking along, or did you have other ideas? Also, I would question Holmes's respect for Russell if she didn't go off on her own.

How difficult was it to write that kiss?! You were 'playing' with one of the biggest literary characters! It had to be sexy without taking them both completely out of character - which I believe you achieved - but was it difficult to write? Or to include in the book? Did you feel a kiss was needed between them in order to move the story on? Sorry a lot of questions I know but I'm always curious how authors take to writing 'sex' into such a popular figure!

I think you mean to ask Laurie that question! It was perfectly done, and I could no more have written that scene than I could fly to the moon unaided. As a writer, I always admire a writer who can accomplish something I can't, and like you, Amy, I always wonder how it was done. I have sometimes read a single book 200 times trying to determine how a writer achieved an effect. I think Laurie has been extremely restrained about the sex life of Russell and Holmes, but I do think that one kiss was necessary to make the point. I too want to know how difficult it was to write, and how long it took to write that brief scene.

When are you bringing Dr. Watson back?

My absolute favorite book in the Russell series is "Locked Rooms", perhaps because it is set in San Francisco, my home town and references the great quake. I have always wondered where Russell's lodge was and have been trying (even with maps) to judge the length of the journey with automobile speeds of the 1920s. Please? Thanks!

Anne wrote: "My favorite book in this series is A Monstrous Regiment of Women, which includes in the penultimate chapter the sexiest kiss in fiction. ."

I completely agree about the kiss; Beekeeper's Apprentice will probably always be my absolute favorite.

Actually they're all my favorite. A Letter of Mary contains so much information I didn't know that makes perfect sense that I read it through about five times before I felt that I had read it. I think that's the biggest difference between these books and Conan Doyle's books: his were mysteries, with very little personality in them, and hers are packed with personality. The characters develop and change; things happen that we don't expect; and information comes out that is connected to the plot but also to what people are otherwise interested in.

Carolyn wrote: "You went back to Kate once after a long interval. Will we ever vis..."

Yes, I would also love to know if we'll see another Kate Martinelli novel. She was my introduction to Laurie's books when I was about 12 or 13, so they'll always hold a special place in my heart, and I would eagerly welcome more from her!

I'd like to know whether you'll ever bring Lord Peter Wimsey back into the action. I'm glad I wasn't reading or drinking when I reached that page; it would have been messy.

Have you ever thought of bringing in other Golden Age detectives?

I also enjoyed your cameo appearance of Lord Peter Wimsey. I would love to see more real people turn up, as they did in San Francisco. It makes the stories even more believable.

I loved Kate Martinelli, can't tell you how happy I was to find a lesbian character in a mainstream novel. I would definitely love to see more of her. How did you develop her character?
My favorites are "A Darker Place" and "Folly". Read both of them when I was working nights, and could barely keep my mind on my job!

I love the series and can't wait to read the next one! My question relates to the intro provided in the first couple of books - the "author" of the books was writing as if it was a non-fiction account based on manuscripts and items she received from an anonymous source...Are you ever going to re-visit this aspect to let us know why the "author" received these manuscripts / items? I noticed that this perspective appeared to not be included in the latter books in the series. Thanks for the good reads!!

Jane wrote: "Jane (janesteen) | 1 comments I'd like to know whether you'll ever bring Lord Peter Wimsey back into the action. I'm glad I wasn't reading or drinking when I reached that page; it would have been messy."

Amen. I would be tickled to see another Lord Peter cameo - and Tolkien, of course.

Laurie, there have been quite a few discussions about Lord Peter where we've wished you'd gotten to tackle him. Am I right in assuming that the Sayers estate has the copyright locked down?

I know there have been two recent Lord Peter pastiches which worked well enough but not perfectly. The author did, Ithink, have to get permission to write them. What I'd like to know is, how did you decide which of Lord Peter's attributes to use so that we would all recognize him without your saying his name? That was another bit of brilliant writing.

Laurie, you've been teasing us for years about that trip to Japan. When will we get that story?

Anne wrote: "I know there have been two recent Lord Peter pastiches which worked well enough but not perfectly. The author did, It hink, have to get permission to write them."

Do you mean those few done by Jill Paton Walsh (Starting with Thrones and Dominations)? I want to say those were done at the request of Dorothy Sayers estate. They commissioned those books, I believe.

You'll notice that while we all recognize Lord Peter by his description in A Letter of Mary, I don't think he's nver actually named.

Holmes, on the other hand, seems to be fair game, presumably because the books were written too early to be covered by copyright. Laurie, did you hesitate to write a novel based on an existing character? (I imagine you're glad you did, as are we all.)

Hi All! Rick here from James Mason Land! I very much enjoy Ms. King's novels- the sense of atmosphere is so perfectly evoked- How much research into Victorian England must go into each novel?

Did you develop a (side) character in any one of your books that you would like to develop further into a stand-alone/ spin-off?
(Besides the already existing spin-off from Folly to Keeping Watch)
Any character that recently really triggered your interest for writing about?

Do you have full "CVs" of your main characters for coherence? Especially with Kate there is a lot of moving back and forward and gaps

Lauren wrote: "I love the series and can't wait to read the next one! My question relates to the intro provided in the first couple of books - the "author" of the books was writing as if it was a non-fiction acc..."

Thumbs up, by the way, for keeping a Mary Russell blog, in addition to an author blog, on your website! See more at this url:

http://maryrussellholmes.com/

I ditto the above comments about the change in the relationship between Holmes and Russell. I'd like to see them interact more, especially in a romantic way, if Holmes is up for it. I mean, their romance started out so well, then kind of fell off to nothing.

I just wanted to second the comment above about the "dock scene" in MREG containing "the sexiest kiss in fiction." Without question!
When you began to write BEEK, did you envision the romantic tension that begins to evolve, or did it rather creep up on you?

Good to know all of you. Thanks for the invite! :)

Lauren wrote: "I love the series and can't wait to read the next one! My question relates to the intro provided in the first couple of books - the "author" of the books was writing as if it was a non-fiction acc..."

I'm so glad you brought this up! I loved the intent and bought it as true, hook, line and sinker (for quite awhile) :) So unique and original!

Susan wrote: "Good to know all of you. Thanks for the invite! :)"

Welcome, Susan. We seem to be a congenial group. I don't know what criteria Laurie had for selecting us, but she did a good job of it.

Hello everyone. hello Laurie, and thank you for the discussion.

I love them all, really. Beekeeper, A Letter Of Mary, and Locked Rooms are my favorites. And I adored Folly! It's my favorite standalone. I haven't read any of the Martinelli books... Something to look forward to.

I'm currently in the middle of The Game which is not only an interesting mystery but also full of native customs, information and terminology. I do find it a bit disconcerting that Laurie has taken some chronological license with the mention of aeroplanes in a couple of instances. The development of passenger planes was only after WWI and hence after the time frame of this novel. But I'll forgive her for that.

The question, however, is where did Ms. King learn so much of Indian lore, customs, decor, clothing and such? Very well done.

Very glad to be part of this conversation. As Merrie has asked, I'm also eager to know about the Japan episode. Of course that would be a story told out of sequence, which was also done with "O Jerusalem"; and in that novel I felt there were elements of the story that had a greater richness for the reader who knew the things that had happened to Holmes and Russell since. Is that a strategy you're also taking with the Japanese episode, to purposely hold it so the reader has some later information to layer into it?

And of course it goes without saying that I'm a big fan and can't wait to read more, in all sets of stories: Holmes/Russell, Kate Martinelli, and the characters from "Folly," "Keeping Watch," and "Touchstone."

Mike wrote: " I do find it a bit disconcerting that Laurie has taken some chronological license with the mention of aeroplanes in a couple of instances. The development of passenger planes was only after WWI and hence after the time frame of this novel...."

Actually, The Game takes place in early 1924, well after the end of WWI. Passenger airlines already existed in Britain in 1919.

Lenore wrote: "Actually, The Game takes place in early 1924, well after the end of WWI. Passenger airlines already existed in Britain in 1919"

Your are correct. I had recalled a date around 1910 and I also knew that 1928 was the beginning of the so-called "golden age of aviation" but there were a few crude passenger aircraft made. In fact the Junkers F-13 was first made in 1919 and held 4 passengers with a 13,000 ft. ceiling.

Thanks, Lenore, and my apologies to the author.

I would like to know if you have any plans to do further short stories from Holmes' POV? It was such a delight to get into his head and revisit the meeting of Mary Russell and Holmes in "Beekeeping For Beginners."

So many moments in BEEK invite further expansion from Holmes' POV, as do many in all of the 12 memoirs.

Fans are eager to read about these, which is probably the reason for Russell/Holmes fanfiction, but to read it from the source is always preferable.

Alice
"...the girl with the strawberry curls"

Laurie's blog has told us that she did make that research trip to Japan this year for that story, so I think it's coming up next in the MR kanon!

And, Mike -- Laurie's husband, the late Noel King, was Anglo-Indian and they lived and traveled there for his work (among many other places).

Thank you for posting that, Regan. i thought I remembered reading that he was Ango-Indian and went to Wikipedia to check and didn't find a mention of it, so I thought maybe I remembered wrong.

Thanks, Regan. I'm a new fan of Laurie King and haven't taken time to delve into the author's background. It is obvious from the use of Indian words and thorough description of the trek in The Game that she either spent an inordinate amount of time researching India or she had some intimate connection. It is still quite a chore to drop back a generation for the narrative.

Erin wrote: "Anne wrote: "I know there have been two recent Lord Peter pastiches which worked well enough but not perfectly. The author did, It hink, have to get permission to write them."

Do you mean those fe..."

Yes, those are the ones I mean. I couldn't think of the author's name. I remembered that it was Jill but I couldn't think of the rest of it. I just read two, and didn't know there were any more. She did okay on the plot and characterization, but fell dead on the voice, I thought.

No, Lord Peter is never named, but we all recognized him. That's why I wonder why Laurie chose the particular characteristics she did to make it so clear who he was.

Erin wrote: "Anne wrote: "I know there have been two recent Lord Peter pastiches which worked well enough but not perfectly. The author did, It hink, have to get permission to write them."

I must have missed them. What King book does LP appear in, even if unnamed? I thought I'd read them all.

Oops, nevermind, I just reread the original comment and reply, and got my answer. The old "little gray cells" are falling down on the job (to further mix detective characters)!

Janetra, if you had to be reminded you need to go reread A LETTER OF MARY very soon. It shows Russell in an untypical situation. BTW, I was so tired the other night that I went to bed instead of watching the Sherlock Holmes movie. The next day my husband told me I hadn't missed much: the immaculate Holmes was portrayed as running around looking as if he hadn't shaved in three days, and the dialog was full of 1st century American usages. I told him that besides all that, I could no longer believe in a Holmes without Russell.

Anne wrote: " I couldn't think of the author's name. I remembered that it was Jill but I couldn't think of the rest of it...."

The author is Jill Paton Walsh, and with the permission of the Sayers estate she has written three Lord Peter books: Thrones and Dominations, A Presumption of Death: A New Lord Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane Mystery, and The Attenbury Emeralds. I read (actually, listened to) all three and, personally, wasn't crazy about any of them. I realize it's harder to maintain a character who isn't yours for a whole book than for a chapter, but in my view LRK did a better job of bringing to life the "real" Lord Peter.

Thank you for the invitation.

Lenore wrote: "Anne wrote: " I couldn't think of the author's name. I remembered that it was Jill but I couldn't think of the rest of it...."

The author is Jill Paton Walsh, and with the permission of the Sayers..."

I agree with you. Laurie made Lord Peter instantly recognizable, and frankly I can't recognize Walsh's Lord Peter even with the name present.

haha Anne, you are naming the exact reason why I'm not watching the Holmes movies: It would feel weird seeing him work without Russell!!!

Mike, I'd have been surprised if such a mistake as the one re the passenger planes would have crept in. in one of the interviews on her website Laurie mentions how much time goes into historical research. I assumed that this is her "scholar"-side - getting things historically right.

Ooo that made me think of a question. Laurie, do you have a research assistant?