My new Swiss Misses

I'm working on a new series!

Sadly, it won't be set in Brugel. It will be set in Switzerland, in an old-fashioned finishing school that has to modernise or perish.

The books will be a series of linked stories, so they don't have to be read in order. The characters are already competing for my attention (as they do), and Marina is winning so far. She's American, (Mom's American, Dad is Russian. He defected in 1990, a year before the Soviet Union collapsed.)

What I'm loving so far is exploring the idea of 'connection'. Marina's story begins with her losing all contact with her legion of fans via the loss of her phone. She's surrounded by new people but she's so lonely!

Another character, Gabby, has come to Switzerland to deliberately hide away from the world.

'Miss Beatrice' who runs the Swiss school, is reaching out to the world and desperately trying to make new connections to keep the business from going under.

By the way, finishing schools aren't just for a Swiss Miss. You might be tempted to attend a real one - for a day class or a whole week! Or an intensive six-week course that will set you back about $20,000!

As tempting as this sounds, my kind of 'school' would be a writers' retreat. Any location is fine - in fact, it doesn't really matter where it is as long as I have a place to write. Being away from home, even for a couple of days, is a brilliant way to focus on the latest writing project. In fact, I wrote the first 5,000 words of Marina's story on a writing weekend. I don't think I've been that productive for years!

What's your ideal 'retreat' or 'school' that you'd love to attend?

Can't Get You Out Of My Head

Is this Grand Duchess Elmaree I
of Brugel?
Picture credit here.

The problem with authors is they can't let characters go.
That must be why they return, time after time, to write novels based on the same characters. Or characters within the same family. Or characters from the same club/friendship group/workplace/country.

And series books sell. Let's not forget that.
Speaking with some author friends recently, their publishers are telling them that 'stand alone' novels don't sell as well as 'series' books. 'Write a series' they tell them.

I love a good stand-alone, because I know the story will have a proper ending. I've been writing plenty of these lately, and sending them out all over the place to find a proper home.

On the other hand, I also love a good series. Provided each book within the series has a proper ending but leaves the door open for more. Instead of ending on an almighty cliffhanger and I have to wait a year for the next instalment.

I used to think a series came about because the author couldn't let characters go. I adored The Belgariad but felt The Mallorean was an excuse to hash things over again.

Now I too have become a hypocrite an author who can't let go of characters. More to the point, I can't let go of the world I created in Brugel. So many characters from Brugel's history are clamouring for attention in my noggin.

Elamree, Brugel's first ever ruling Grand Duchess, wants her story told. Needs her story told.
Who am I to turn her down? Her life is bangin' good yarn.

This was a common nursery rhyme about Elmaree, back in the day:

Elmaree,
Born under a tree.
Sits in a place
Where a boy should be

Best be off to get some index cards so I can plot this one out.