Rhys Bowen's Blog, page 16

Dishing on Downton, Final Week

WARNING: If you haven't seen last night's episode, do not read this.



The last episode of the season was a doozy, wasn't it? All leading up to the moment when Matthew decks the horrid Sir Richard, who stalks off saying he'll never come back, and Maggie Smith says sweetly, "Promise?"

And we've left enough cliff hangers to keep us wondering: Bates still in jail for life and no hint yet as to who the real murderer was. (I'm still thinking it was Sir Richard. If it had been O'Brien we might have seen more emotion from her in the witness box)
The despicable Thomas hiding the master's dog and being rewarded for it. He will have to get his comeuppance by the end of season 3 or I'm not renewing my support of public television!
Lady Edith making overtures to her old suitor and being rejected.

So what do you think will happen next season? Obviously Bates freed at the last moment (which was something I predicted before he was arrested). Thomas and O'Brien getting what's coming to them. Daisy becoming the cook (or going to live at the farm with her father-in-law. I like the way she is growing up as a character, don't you? In fact I like the staff interactions more as the series goes along.

Will Mary and Matthew finally marry?  I bet Sibyl's husband becomes a big noise in Irish politics OR is killed in one of the final struggles before independence.
Will the imposter Patrick appear again at the last moment with proof of who he is? He went away far too quickly and easily.
Will Sir Richard really publish Mary's sordid story? It will only make him look foolish, I should think, for choosing a bride who was tarnished. And when one thinks of how the men in those days behaved, leaping into bed with the housemaid. Yet Mary is punished for one foolish encounter, in which, as I remember, she resisted his advances for a long time... in fact it was a semi-rape.

An interesting fact to me is that I'm handling this very subject in the Molly Murphy book I'm currently writing: a young woman cast out by her family because of an illegitimate child and the inequality between the sexes. Young men were supposed to sew their wild oats. Young girls were ruined. We've come a long way, baby!

So your predictions for next year, please: And thank you for all your comments. I've enjoyed dishing with you.

Rhys

Catching my breath

Sorry for the silence this week. It's been a week of adjustment, packing up and driving from California to our condo in Arizona and then getting the condo up and running. And my week as host of Jungle Red Writers starts today so I had to write six blogs for that as well as my usual writing schedule (5 pages a day to complete the first draft by April).

So I've been a busy bee. And to cap this, Penguin have asked me to write an e-story to come out at Halloween to work up interest for my upcoming Christmas book, and they want it NOW. Ah, the tranquil life of a writer.

On a lighter note, I always have to smile when I write Penguin wants. I have a vision of the penguin waddling toward me going "oink". I checked into a hotel last year when I was on book tour and on the envelope was written "Room reserved for Penguin." I was intrigued.

And on a happy note: I heard this week that Naughty in Nice had been nominated for an Agatha Award. So all in all a good week. Hope you had one too.

Our weekly Downton Dish.

Warning... if you haven't seen this week's episode of Downton Abbey, DO NOT READ THIS POST!
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.....



Are we brilliant or what? I think either I or those who commented predicted every nuance of this week's episode. The Spanish flu killing Lavinia, Jane the maid and Lord Grantham, Bates being arrested, O"Brien trying to make up for past sins. The only thing that hasn't happened yet is Richard dying of something horrible. But he has to stay around to torment Mary for a few more episodes. What do you think--they will be going in to their wedding when Matthew declares he has never stopped loving her and she rushes into his arms? Or will we have to wait for another season?
Maybe it is as some of you suggest--Richard killed Mrs. Bates and that will come to light just before Bates is to hang and Mary is to marry Richard.

I'm beginning to think my books are rather undramatic. I need more cliff hangers, nail biters, long pregnant pauses, evil villains.

Although I am absolutely hooked--I came into our condo in Arizona after driving for 12 hours from San Francisco and the first thing I did was to turn on the TV to catch Downton,  I have to say one thing that bugs me--well, several things bug me, but the one I'm complaining about tonight is the long meaningful stares. Those long periods of silence when people look at each other, in close up, or give thoughtful stares into the distance. It's almost become a cliche.

What I liked about this week was the theme that one doesn't have to be noble to act with nobility. The Irish chauffeur who is marrying Sibyl, the maid Jane and the young woman who refuses to give up her baby behaved better than Lord Grantham.

So let's hear what you thought--and speculations for next week. Thomas after the butler's job?

Royal Scandals--why the press is never fair.

The headline read "Sarah Ferguson to be extradited to Turkey to face charges?"
And of course one immediately thought about drugs/money laundering. Our dear Sarah has done more than her share of foolish things during her life as a post-royal. But this time it turned out that her deeds and motives were of the best. Read on: 
By Alyssa NewcombJan 15, 2012 6:40pmFearing Arrest, Sarah Ferguson Cancels Travel Plans   Email 3 Smaller Font Text Larger Text | Print
If Turkish prosecutors have their way, former royal Sarah Ferguson could spend the next 22 years of her life in jail, and that has the jet setting Duchess of York reportedly putting her travel plans on hold for fear she could be extradited.
Turkish prosecutors this week announced that Ferguson, 52,  is wanted on charges she allegedly violated the privacy of orphans and illegally obtained footage when she made an undercover documentary called "Duchess and Daughters: Their Secret Mission"  in the country in 2008. It is unclear why it has taken three years to bring charges.
Ferguson's friend, reporter Chris Rogers, is also wanted in Turkey.
"We just really felt that the world really needed to know what was going on inside Turkish institutions, and the only way we could do that would be to trespass and secretly film," Rogers told the BBC.
The documentary showed deplorable conditions inside of Turkey's Saray orphanage, which houses hundreds of disabled orphans. Ferguson's cameras  captured children dressed in rags, tied to bed posts, and living in unsanitary conditions.
The United Kingdom has declined to extradite Ferguson, however it's possible another country could if she chooses to travel, Bruce Zagaris, an international law expert, told ABC News.
"It will be risky for her to travel outside of the UK," Zagaris said. "Especially in those countries that have an extradition treaty, and that's most of the world."
A statement released by Ferguson's spokesperson said she is fully cooperating with UK and Turkish authorities.
The duchess said she is "happy with courage to stand by the film", the BBC reported.
This time I'm on Sarah's side. She did what any investigative reporter does and the press should applaud her. This is a great example of how the press can cause royal scandals, taint reputations unjustly and generally make life difficult for those in the public eye. I think I'll stay humble and loveable.

Downton, episode 3. Who killed Mrs. Bates?

I'm feeling powerful. I ended my last post by saying someone should kill Mrs. Bates and they listenSed to me. So whodunit? My guess is Bates didn't do it but he'll be arrested for murder and they'll come up with the real murderer at the last minute. What do you think?

And what about Patrick's reappearance? Is it really him or his friend Peter Gordon who gleaned all the info on the family from him? Several things that were no realistic on this--if he'd been fished from the ocean after Titanic, he'd have been speaking with an upper class British accent. People would know immediately that he was not a Canadian and be able to trace him fairly easily. As to the Canadian accent now--you do not change your accent so completely once you're an adult. I've lived in California for years and still sound completely British.

And another thing: I come from an old family and I wear the family crest on my signet ring. So do all the other family members. Patrick would have worn a similar ring, I'm sure. So unless it slipped from his finger in the cold water, they'd have identified him by his crest instantly.

So sorry, Patrick, you're an imposter. (and if he's not, then it's bad writing)

Loved Maggie Smith being able to trick Matthew's mum into leaving Downton alone. The middle class just don't get the whole stately home thing, I'm afraid.
I've decided I have to have a delicious dowager in my next Georgie book!

So what do you think about Patrick and Mrs. Bates?

Dishing on Downton Abbey again

Are you as hooked as I am on Downton Abbey. I'm not sure how good it is or whether I really like it, but I can't stop watching. There is something wonderfully intimate about following the life of one family. I used to love Upstairs Downstairs and this has the same feel--except that Upstairs Downstairs felt absolutely real to me. The characters were rounded and we cared about them. In Downton we have moved from a kinder, gentler era to one in which sensationalism is king. And it shows in the story lines for season two.

It's very close to soap opera in period costume. Mr. Matthew losing his manhood. Lady Mary will obviously stick by him, no matter what, and what is the betting he miraculously learns to walk again... maybe not until season three.

The evil characters are really evil. Someone should have bumped off Mrs. Bates years ago. If Bates had strangled her everyone would have cheered. And O'Brien the evil maid. How awful is she? Remember she caused Lady Grantham's miscarriage in the first season. The writer Julian Fellowes is an upper crust chap himself and frankly I think he's not quite as good at writing 'them below stairs.'

The characters that ring completely true to me are Lady Mary and her grandmother--the glorious Maggie Smith. What wouldn't I give to play a part like that? I'll just have to create one in one of my books some day, then I can walk around adopting that attitude all day.

World War One is of course a story of grand drama however the characters are involved in it. I remember vividly the WWI scenes from Upstairs Downstairs. Remember when Georgina nurses James in the field hospital in France and his wife Hazel goes to bring him home and the two women fight over him (in a most genteel way of course). That was heartbreaking drama. This series intrigues me but doesn't touch my heart in the same way. Maybe because it is played for sensationalism rather than reality.

So what do you think about it and about what will happen next?
Oh, and I had the perfect solution to the family's problem of inheritance. Matthew inherits the property and the money, but being a nice chap he says "I don't need all this. Why don't I give you most of your money back and you can live in the house for as long as you want. It does have 100 bedrooms, after all. No need for series three!

Making Lemonade

"When life throws you lemons, make lemonade."

This year, inspired by my friend Deborah Crombie, I decided to start a gratitude journal. I've never been good at keeping a regular journal, in fact I find them regularly at the bottom of drawers. Journal 1986. Jan 1. Cold and bright. That's it.
Not the greatest journal keeper. But I have found it's a good feeling to take out the journal at the end of the day and come up with three things I'm grateful for. Not always easy some days, like the ones I've jsut spent with my husband at the Stanford medical center while he undergoes test after test and still no real conclusions about what's wrong with him.

But I have found that keeping the journal has made me more open to small blessings around me. Usually at this time of year we're in Arizona, enjoying the desert, and the other set of grandchildren. So I was disappointed that I was stuck here in California, until I worked on seeing the small blessings from being here. One of them is that the acacia bush has come into bloom. I usually miss it and it reminds me of Australia, where they are called Wattle and Australia in springtime is dotted bright yellow with wattle bushes.

And when I went out to take a picture of it, look who was standing beside it. I usually see the deer as a horrible nuisance but you have to admit he's cute. And aother blessing is that the weather has been spring-like so far, and I'm not going to miss my granddaughter's 10th birthday and my hiking friends are all here, and we went to a great exhibition at the museum and are going to a murder mystery play next week. So I've nothing to be miffed about.


Yours in gratitude, Rhys

Celebrating Robbie Burns, Scotland and the Celts

I have to confess that I don't have a drop of Scottish blood in me, but I'm married to someone whose great great grandfather was the 14th Kingairloch of Gairloch and whose great grandmother was Beatrice Lachan Mcclachan of McClachan. So I almost qualify to write this piece, don't I?

Tonight is Robbie Burns night when all good Scots around the world gather to eat Haggis, drink whiskey and recite Burns' poetry. Actually I think you have to be born Scots to enjoy the first bit. I'm told Haggis is really tasty but I can't get over the words 'sheep's entrails in a sheeps stomach". I know it's silly. If I can eat one part of an animal, I can eat any part. But it doesn't sound exactly appetizing, does it.

But the other bits--the whisky and the poetry and toasts to a homeland some of them left two hundred years ago--I can agree with those. As a fellow Celt and Welshperson I'm always amazed how much influence our small Celtic countries have had on the rest of the world. Carnegie and John Knox and Wesley and Tom Jones and Sir Walter Scott and Bryn Terfel! And the bridges that Scottish engineers have built (it was a Scot who designed the Golden Gate, wasn't it?) and the mines that Welsh miners have dug in far corners of the globe.

Wales, with its population of less than a million people, a country one hundred miles by fifty, has left its mark everywhere. If you are called Jones or Roberts or Davis or Powell or Williams or Evans your ancestors came from Wales. Unless you are African American, that is. Then I'm afraid you were named for the ship's captain that transported your ancestor in one of the slave ships and signed for his cargo in the New World--and those ships sailed out of Bristol and the captains were Welshmen.

That's a less than honorable fact to be remembered for. But we Scots and Welsh have so many things to celebrate and so here's to Robbie Burns and Scots Way hay, whatever that means!

If you'd like to know more about Burns Night from a great Scottish writer then jump on over to Jungle Red Writers (www.jungleredwriters.com) and read Val McDermid's post there today.

Lost in a Good Book

I'm freezing cold and I think I'm beginning to run a fever. My armpits ache. Am I about to come down with some dread disease? Actually no. I'm re-reading one of my favorite books, Connie Willis's The Doomsday Book.  For those who haven't read it, it takes place at Christmas in the present and in the middle ages--at the start of the Black Death, to be more accurate. I decided to re-read it because it gives a good feel for a medieval Christmas and I wanted to get into the holiday spirit. I'd forgotten about the Black Death part!

The problem with me is that I immerse myself in a book a like. When I don't really care for a book I skim to get the story. When I like it, I'm in it, not conscious of words on the page, experiencing what the characters feel. And currently it's freezing cold and the Black Death has just arrived. I suppose one of my assets/problems is that I have too much imagination. When I go to a good movie I am not watching it happen--I am there. Same with a good book--I've been frozen in Russia with Dr. Zhivago, I've flown over Africa with Beryl Markham and I knew the Southwest perfectly before I ever visited it because of Tony Hillerman.

It's not only the sense of place in books, it's relationships too. Sometimes I find myself snapping my head off at husband John only to realize that the man I'm angry with is actually in the book I'm writing or reading. I suppose this is a great boon to have--I don't actually have to pay for airfare or really have to visit Antarctica. But it can be emotionally draining.  For this reason I tend to stay away from books about children dying or natural disasters wiping out whole communities because I identify too much.

This may be one of the reasons my books work well and readers tell me they identify with my heroines. It's because I identify with my heroines. I don't use them like puppets and put them into scenes in the book. I follow them, being sngry when they are angry, scared when they are scared, stumbling into mistakes with them, and falling in love with them.  It's a scary way to work because I don't exactly know where we are going, but it works for me.

So how about you? Do you get lost in a god book?

The Ethics of Murder

When I posted a blog about the murder on the grounds of Sandringham House, country estate of Queen Elizabeth, I commented that I wished the murder could have taken place during the reign of Edward VII so that I could have tied it in to the notorious Duke of Clarence.

Well, I got a comment that felt like a slap on the wrist. The commenter pointed out that there were grieving family members for this person and that I was being flippant about it. She was absolutely right, of course. One of the problems about being a mystery writer is that we become desensitized to murder. The corpse is a problem for us, a puzzle, a whodunit. We write a story around the body, and not about the body, and too often we forget that murder is a heinous act that tears apart so many lives.

When I think of my own more recent books I find that many of my murder victims were unpleasant people for whom we would not weep--who deserved to die, if you want to put it that way. Maybe this is my way of easing my conscience about the act of killing. When the victim has been an ordinary, likeable person I find that I do try to show how the death affects my sleuth. In the book A Royal Pain a lower class young man who works in a Communist bookshop is killed and Georgie visits his parents for more information about him, only to realize for the first time in her life what his death has done to his family.  And In Evan's Gate, which got me an Edgar nomination, the whole book is a study on what a missing child does to tear apart a family.

It was easier in the Evan books to study the ethics of killing and see things from the point of view of the victim and the villain. He was a down-to-earth local policeman and his cases often involved people he knew. M more recent Royal Spyness books are designed to be comedies. Not that I ever make light of the actual murder, but the social commentary around it is expected to elicit a chuckle or two. And so I kill off some truly obnoxious people. One does not weep when a disgusting womanizing army general from Bulgaria is killed.  In the Molly Murphy books the victim is often someone she doesn't personally know, or know well, as the murders stem from her detective business cases and from New York City life.

The problem is that we write from the point of view of the sleuth--at least I do, in the first person. And a detective can't get too emotionally involved in his or her murder cases. But I'll try to remember in future that it's not all about the puzzle, or the fast-paced plot, or the suspense of whodunit. It's about one person's death, and that it always leaves a hole in someone else's life and heart.