Tracy Grant's Blog, page 3
November 8, 2017
Midwinter Intrigue is out in the world!
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Midwinter Intrigue is out in the world! I’m so excited to hear what readers think of Malcolm and Mélanie’s holiday adventures. As you’ll have seen from the description, Midwinter Intrigue finds the Rannochs leaving their exile in Italy and traveling to Dunmykel, the Rannoch estate in the Scottish Highlands, at the news that Malcolm’s grandfather, the Duke of Strathdon, is dangerously ill.
I based Dunmykel largely on Dunrobin Castle, the family seat of the Dukes of Sutherland, though Dunrobin is somewhat further south, not too far from Arbroath, on the coast of what was Forfarshire in 1818 and is now called Angus. There I am above, many years ago, by one of Dunrobin’s staircases, on the research trip on which I first dreamed up Dunmykel.
Below is the castle in June, very different, Malcolm thinks on his arrival, from the barren December landscape.
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And here are some images of the gardens that inspired Arabella Rannoch’s gardens. Malcolm thinks how he can name every plant, even though he is seeing them in winter.
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Malcolm, Mélanie, and their friends and family go through these gates from the sea on a December night.
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And climb these steps to the house.
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Though Dunmykel was largely inspired by Dunrobin, Drum Castle in Aberdeenshire was another major inspiration.
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I’ll be sharing more pictures in the coming days. Meanwhile, do let me know what you think of Midwinter Intrigue! We’ll be starting a discussion of the novella tomorrow on the Google+ Group.
Cheers,
Tracy
June 6, 2017
Gilded Deceit Launch Party Photo Diary
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Mélanie and I had a great time at the Gilded Deceit Launch Party at Book Passage on Saturday! Thanks to everyone who came – for those who couldn’t make it, here’s a photo diary that captures some special moments from the day.
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Mélanie and I started the day getting our hair done
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Excited to find Mummy’s name!
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Helping set up the reception
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Note the beautiful flowers!
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Mélanie helping me answer questions – she asked the first one!
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With my high school English teacher and Bonnie (aka “Auntie Bonnie” to Mel) my friend since high school
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With our wonderful friends Alex and Miriam
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With our wonderful event host Johanna – she is fabulous and Book Passage is so great at welcoming authors!
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Celebrating at dinner
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Enjoying dinner with Mélanie
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A late toast to close out a lovely day!
June 1, 2017
Gilded Deceit Launch Party at Book Passage this Saturday
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The Gilded Deceit Launch Party is almost here! This Saturday, June 3, at 4:00 pm, at Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera, CA. I’ll be reading from and talking about Gilded Deceit, taking questions, and signing books. We’ll have wine, sparkling water, and light hors d’oeuvres. It should be a really fun afternoon. Do stop by if you’re in the area – you can read more details here. If you can’t make it but would like a signed copy, you can contact Book Passage and arrange it, and I’ll personalize the book on Saturday. Mélanie and I were thrilled to see Gilded Deceit on display when we stopped by the store last week. Book Passage is a great place, so supportive of writers!
Meanwhile, if you’ve read Gilded Deceit, do share your thoughts here or on the Google+ Group (and on other social media if you feel like it).
Now I need to figure out what to wear Saturday…
Cheers,
Tracy
May 18, 2017
Gilded Deceit is out!
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Gilded Deceit is out, both as an ebook on all platforms and a trade paperback. So excited to have the Rannochs’ Lake Como adventures out in the world. Do share your impressions, either here or on the Google+ Group where we have a lively discussion going (and are very friendly to lurkers and new members!).
Gilded Deceit’s release coincided with my birthday, which I celebrated with Mélanie and friends in Oregon. I’ve been gleaning inspiration for the Rannochs’ next adventures at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival – particularly fun to see a wonderful Henry IV Part I, which is the play in which Malcolm and David met Simon and Oliver in an Oxford production when they were undergraduates.
Cheers,
Tracy
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May 13, 2017
Gilded Deceit is out tomorrow!
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It’s finally here! Gilded Deceit will be out tomorrow, May 15! So excited for it to be in readers hands and to be able to discuss it.
Here’s another glimpse of a piece of furniture that could be in the Rannochs’ villa, a beautiful Venetian secretary desk c. 1730-35 from the Metropolitan Museum. It might be in Malcolm’s study – a good place to lock away pieces on evidence or some of the much-sought after papers that feature in the story…
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May 4, 2017
10 Days to Gilded Deceit – a table from the Rannochs’ terrace
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Just ten days until the release of Gilded Deceit! This table we saw at the Metropolitan Museum on our recent visit could be on the terrace at Malcolm’s villa in Italy. The villa, which Malcolm inherited from Arabella, was built in the late 16th century and would contain furniture from a variety of eras. This table is from Farnese Palace by Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola c. 1565-1573.
April 26, 2017
Three Weeks to Gilded Deceit – New York Photo Diary
With the fabulous NYLA team – Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost, me, Mélanie, Amy Rosenbaum, and Natanya Wheeler.
Three weeks until the release of Gilded Deceit! Mélanie and I just got back from a very fun trip to New York. I went to meet with the team at NYLA. We had a great visit (pictured above) and did some very productive strategizing about Gilded Deceit and future books and novellas in the series. Emails and phone calls are great, but it’s always wonderful to sit down with everyone in the same room and share ideas. Mélanie also told them about the stories she’s making up!
Here, in photos, are some highlights from the rest of our trip – lots of research inspiration and good times with friends!
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New York Shopping at Columbus Circle
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Mélanie really wanted to have dinner at Center Bar – she was fascinated by the piano and loved listening. She asked me how the pianist knew which notes to play.
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We both love Belvedere Castle in Central Park.
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The Metropolitan Museum is fabulous for research. This 1823 façade is in the American Wing, but I imagined we were walking into Malcolm and Suzanne’s house in Berkeley Square.
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Lovely dinner with friends at Cesca, a favorite restaurant of ours.
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“Home sweet hotel,” as Mélanie says, at the Milburn.
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Brunch in Wonderland at Alice’s Teacup.
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Dinner with some new friends we acquired on the trip.
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I asked Mélanie what she wanted to do our last day in NY and she said “go back to the castle.”
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Lunch at Isabella’s, one of our favorite NY restaurants, before we flew home.
April 20, 2017
Four Weeks to Gilded Deceit – guess the quote answers
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Hullo from New York where Mélanie and I are spending a few days meeting with the team at NYLA, doing research at the Met Museum, and seeing friends. Less than four weeks until the release of Gilded Deceit. Here are the answers to last week’s “guess the quote” – no definite spoilers. But do feel free to speculate on the circumstances!
1.
“I don’t think I’ve ever claimed not to believe in love.” – Raoul
“You’ve also never admitted to feeling it, so far as I can remember.” – Frances
“But I’ve always believed in change, haven’t I?” – Raoul
2.
“Dear God in heaven, I could murder him.” – Frances
“Please don’t. I’ve grown quite attached to him.” – Malcolm
3.
“I’m not particularly worried about Britain. Britain can take care of itself.” – Frances
4.
“Some of my past was cover for my work.” – Archie
“But not all of it.” – Harry
“No, not all.” – Archie
5.
“Call it professional courtesy. I hate to see Carfax manipulate anyone. Least of all, those I’m fond of.” – Julien St. Juste
6.
. “If you’re going to say you thought they were too old to indulge in such activities, you will seriously insult at least one person at table.” – Raoul to Malcolm
7.
“I thought you’d be on my side.” – Malcolm
“If you imagine I’m fool enough to choose sides—” – Raoul
April 12, 2017
Five weeks to Gilded Deceit – guess the quote
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With less than five weeks until the May 15 release of Gilded Deceit, it seems a good time for a game of “guess the quote.” Below are some quotes from the book. Guess who is talking, whom they are speaking to, and if you like speculate on the circumstances.
1.
“I don’t think I’ve ever claimed not to believe in love.”
“You’ve also never admitted to feeling it, so far as I can remember.”
“But I’ve always believed in change, haven’t I?”
2.
“Dear God in heaven, I could murder him.”
“Please don’t. I’ve grown quite attached to him.”
3.
“I’m not particularly worried about Britain. Britain can take care of itself.”
4.
“Some of my past was cover for my work.”
“But not all of it.”
“No, not all.”
5.
“Call it professional courtesy. I hate to see Carfax manipulate anyone. Least of all, those I’m fond of.”
6.
. “If you’re going to say you thought they were too old to indulge in such activities, you will seriously insult at least one person at table.”
7.
“I thought you’d be on my side.”
“If you imagine I’m fool enough to choose sides—”
March 29, 2017
Adventures Into the Woods
Meeting Cinderella
Mélanie and I had an enchanting night last week attending the brilliant touring production of Into the Woods. It’s a favorite of mine and of Mélanie’s as well, thanks to the movie and a local theatre production last year. We play the CD all the time and she can sing most of the songs, which we sometimes act out at home. It was a treat to see this beautiful, inventive production (do go if you get a chance!) done on a fairly bare stage with a great cast who found new nuances in the songs and story.
The night was made extra magical by Cinderella (the golden-voiced and very talented Laurie Veldheer who made the princess both engaging and multi-layered) coming over to talk to Mélanie before the show when some of the cast greeted the audience. Mélanie was in transports and waved to Cinderella during the curtain call. Later we ran in to Laurie Veldheer by the stage door and she couldn’t have been nicer. Mélanie kept saying “I can’t believe we met Cinderella!” Some kids meet Cinderella at Disneyland for the first time. Mélanie met her at a Stephen Sondheim musical. Definitely my daughter :-).
With this and Beauty and the Beast it’s a been a week for fairy tales. My characters often refer to “not living in a fairy tale” and yet there are echoes. The line in Into the Woods from the Baker’s song “No More”, “No more curses you can’t undo, left by fathers you never knew” always makes me think of Malcolm. Not that Raoul left him a curse precisely or that Malcolm didn’t know him. But Malcolm certainly is dealing with the often mysterious legacy of the older generation. And it occurs to me that though Suzanne would say she’s the opposite of Cinderella, she does meet her husband while masquerading, she worries about when he will realize she’s not who she claims to be, and she goes from living on the streets to the equivalent of living in a palace. Like the Into the Woods Cinderella, she finds living in a palace has its challenges (though Malcolm is certainly very different from her prince in the musical).
Do you see any fairy tale parallels in the Rannoch series?
On another note, we’re finishing up a very fun reread of the Rannoch books on the Google + Group. On April 1st we’ll have an Ask the Author thread, and I’ll be giving away an advanced electronic copy of Gilded Deceit to a commenter. Do stop by!
