Developing the plot for LADY ALEXANDRA'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE
When I start working on a new book, I always have a loose idea of where I want the plot to go, but generally, the characters make the final decision based on their actions and dialogue. It was no different with Lady Alexandra. A large portion of the beginning was re-written before I even submitted it, because I suddenly felt that Alexandra revealed herself as a woman to soon. Similarly, there’s a section with a carriage chase that was written in much later on. It not only alters the way in which one of the characters is disposed of, but also adds a bit more action to the plot.
Back to basics though =) In the beginning, I was sure of one thing – I wanted my heroine to be a skilled sword-fighter, similar in many ways to one of Alexander Dumas’ musketeers. My initial intention was for her to join the army disguised as a man, but eventually decided that she and the hero would have better interaction with one another if they were afforded more alone time than they would be likely to have, surrounded by a whole regiment. So I turned to espionage instead and Michael Ashford began to take shape as an agent for the Foreign Office. But I needed intrigue and conflict – some heated arguments that would lead to…more =) They both had to be honorable and likeable people of course, and Alexandra needed a compelling reason to join Michael on one of his assignments. Inspiration struck – what if one of her brothers was in trouble and needed rescuing? What if word reached England that he was a traitor selling valuable information to the French? And what if Michael was given the responsibility of going to France, finding William and either bringing him back to face charges or worse, stopping him by whatever means necessary? Alexandra suddenly had a reason to travel to France herself in the hopes of uncovering the truth and saving her brother. She was also given a reason to dislike Michael, adding just the right amount of tension between them.
But, would Michael be all right with a woman tagging along on such a perilous journey? Probably not, so I returned to the idea of disguising Alexandra as a man and decided to have a couple of fun Commedy of Errors moments where Michael, who’s otherwise quite the rake, feels very baffeled and disconcerted by the effect that Alexandra’s deep blue eyes start having on him (her face is otherwise concealed by a scarf over her mouth and nose).
Once these elements had been settled though, I started researching Napoleon and what he might have been up to around that time – well, if Alexandra’s brother William was going to be accused of treason, then Napoleon seemed like a compelling reason. As it happens, he had just escaped from Elba and returned to Paris shortly before the story begins, and was in the process of planning his attack against the Seventh Coalition – soon to be known as the Battle of Waterloo. Now, while I was busy researching, I discovered something interesting. As Napoleon’s troops began to advance, the Duke of Wellington was led to believe that they’d be attacking from Mons, cutting off his access to the ports. It wasn’t until the very last minute – the evening before the battle in fact – that Wellington was warned that Napoleon intended to attack from a different direction altogether. It’s not clear who delivered the message to the Duke, but I thought it would be fun if, for the sake of the plot, it would be Alexandra and Michael.
Lady Alexandra’s Excellent Adventure is the first book in the Summersby series. Books two and three are about Alexandra’s brothers, Ryan and Willian, and will be published on November 13th and 20th.
Back to basics though =) In the beginning, I was sure of one thing – I wanted my heroine to be a skilled sword-fighter, similar in many ways to one of Alexander Dumas’ musketeers. My initial intention was for her to join the army disguised as a man, but eventually decided that she and the hero would have better interaction with one another if they were afforded more alone time than they would be likely to have, surrounded by a whole regiment. So I turned to espionage instead and Michael Ashford began to take shape as an agent for the Foreign Office. But I needed intrigue and conflict – some heated arguments that would lead to…more =) They both had to be honorable and likeable people of course, and Alexandra needed a compelling reason to join Michael on one of his assignments. Inspiration struck – what if one of her brothers was in trouble and needed rescuing? What if word reached England that he was a traitor selling valuable information to the French? And what if Michael was given the responsibility of going to France, finding William and either bringing him back to face charges or worse, stopping him by whatever means necessary? Alexandra suddenly had a reason to travel to France herself in the hopes of uncovering the truth and saving her brother. She was also given a reason to dislike Michael, adding just the right amount of tension between them.
But, would Michael be all right with a woman tagging along on such a perilous journey? Probably not, so I returned to the idea of disguising Alexandra as a man and decided to have a couple of fun Commedy of Errors moments where Michael, who’s otherwise quite the rake, feels very baffeled and disconcerted by the effect that Alexandra’s deep blue eyes start having on him (her face is otherwise concealed by a scarf over her mouth and nose).
Once these elements had been settled though, I started researching Napoleon and what he might have been up to around that time – well, if Alexandra’s brother William was going to be accused of treason, then Napoleon seemed like a compelling reason. As it happens, he had just escaped from Elba and returned to Paris shortly before the story begins, and was in the process of planning his attack against the Seventh Coalition – soon to be known as the Battle of Waterloo. Now, while I was busy researching, I discovered something interesting. As Napoleon’s troops began to advance, the Duke of Wellington was led to believe that they’d be attacking from Mons, cutting off his access to the ports. It wasn’t until the very last minute – the evening before the battle in fact – that Wellington was warned that Napoleon intended to attack from a different direction altogether. It’s not clear who delivered the message to the Duke, but I thought it would be fun if, for the sake of the plot, it would be Alexandra and Michael.
Lady Alexandra’s Excellent Adventure is the first book in the Summersby series. Books two and three are about Alexandra’s brothers, Ryan and Willian, and will be published on November 13th and 20th.
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