Guest Blog With Carol K Carr

Please join me in welcoming Carol K Carr, author of the fabulous, soon-to-be-released India Black: A Madam of Espionage Mystery. This debut novel of the India Black series features a beautiful young madam who finds herself mixed up in the Victorian equivalent of a James Bond film. Excitement, intrigue, and adventures abound.

Carol has generously offered to answer a few questions about herself and let us get to know the mastermind behind this Victorian Age thriller just a little bit better. I strongly urge you to jump over to my review of India Black (click title above) and prepare yourself to order up a copy of Carol's fabulous book. Now, without further ado, I will turn the virtual floor over to Carol:

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF:

I’m making my debut as a writer at an advanced age. Wait, that sounds terrible. Really, I’m middle-aged. Okay, that’s not quite accurate. I mean who lives to be 104? Let’s just say I’ve reached the age most women dread (cue Tammy Wynette’s “Sometimes it’s Hard to be a Woman”). I spend a great deal of time trying to remember words I’ve known for 40 years and controlling my irrational urge to throttle anyone who says “no problem” when I say “thank you.”

I’m from Missouri originally, but have lived large chunks of my life in Washington, D.C., Texas and California. I’ve settled back in the Ozarks now, with my husband and our two German Shepherds.

WHAT KIND OF RESEARCH DID YOU DO TO WRITE THE BOOK?

I have a general knowledge of the Victorian era and most of the major figures of the time. Once I’ve decided on the core idea of the plot, I’ll read more specifically about anything that will provide the rich details that lend credence to the story. For the first book, I read a great deal about Disraeli and Gladstone and their feud, and the standoff between Britain and Russia over the Ottoman Empire. I also researched revolvers from that era, along with Russian military intelligence, sable coats, aristocratic names in Tsarist Russia, and Cossack swords. I know a lot more about these things than is included in the book, but I think that’s true of anyone who writes historical fiction. You always gather more information that you use. Right now, I’m researching how anarchists put together bombs. It’s quite interesting.

HOW DID YOU GET INTERESTED IN THE VICTORIAN ERA?

That’s a good question. When you’re really entranced by something, it’s often hard to explain why. I’m one of those people who get interested in an historical period and read everything I can find on it. Invariably, in all that reading I find something (an event, a person) that arouses my curiosity, and the process starts over. In this case I think it went something like this: general English history – history of the British Empire – military and foreign policy during the Empire – public figures responsible for such policy – the social and cultural background that created such characters. Whew! That was a tortuous path, but fun.

INDIA BLACK IS THE FIRST OF A SERIES. WHAT’S NEXT FOR HER?

I signed a two-book contract with Berkley, and I’ve delivered the second in the series to my editor. I don’t have a fixed date for publication yet, but I’d anticipate that it will be sometime in 2012. On her next outing, India must protect the life of a Very Important Person at the castle at Balmoral (subtle hint as to the identity of said VIP), with assistance from Vincent and French.

Of course it depends on how well the first book sells as to whether I’ll be offered another contract, but because I don’t like to feel stressed about deadlines, I’m working on a third India just in case. India and anarchists – that should be an incendiary combination.

WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER?

I was young, probably around 8 or 9, and already transfixed by the written word. Being a writer didn’t seem like a realistic goal for me, though, coming from a family that valued “real work.” So I went to law school instead, and practiced for a couple of decades. I’m not sorry it’s taken me so long to produce a publishable book. I just look at all those years as research. I certainly know a lot more about human nature, writing and history than I did at thirty.

WHAT FICTIONAL CHARACTER WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO BE?

Any of the aristocratic detectives from the Golden Age of British mysteries, with a chef, an Oxbridge education, a great library, a terrific wine cellar, and unlimited disposable income.

Thank you, Carol for stopping by my blog. I absolutely agree with you....an aristocratic detective from the Golden Age would be a wonderful thing to be.