Reader's Guide - Julien & Mélanie

[Tracy]

Betty started posting the Reader's Guide questions, and I thought it would be interesting to continue. We touched on some of these in polls, but not everyone had finished the book at that point.

Who do you think has changed more between the Prologue and Chapter 1, Julien or Mélanie?

[Betty]

Was just thinking about doing this. We are on the same track!

So, I think I will answer. They have both changed so much, but we have seen more of Melanie, so I will have to say that she has changed the most. We have been viewers to her thoughts, words, and actions as she has navigated her position as Malcolm's wife, Raoul's spy, and an investigative team with Malcolm.

I think that Julien has shown a lot of change from one moment to the next as he has appeared in the book, but they have been only snapshots compared to Mel. The Julien we see now is the reason I have grown so fond of him, but he has always intrigued me.

[Tracy]

Betty wrote: "Was just thinking about doing this. We are on the same track!

So, I think I will answer. They have both changed so much, but we have seen more of Melanie, so I will have to say that she has change..."


So glad we were thinking alike! I totally agree we've seen a lot more of Mélanie's changing in the series. When I started writing TAVISTOCK I was thinking how much Julien has changed, just in the last couple of books and the latest novella. I went back to this scene, which was originally a flashback in MASK OF NIGHT and one of the first scenes I ever wrote with Julien, wondering If I could adapt it. I was amazed at how well it fit in TAVISTOCK without editing and how even eight years before one can see Julien's starting to want a family and "home" whereas Mélanie is quite sure she'll never have either.