 A RED, RED ROSEPosted by Guest May 23 2012, 11:55 pm by KJ Howe
Please welcome Susan Coryell to the lair today…she is talking about two of my favorite topics…romance and conflict! Susan, take it away! A Little Bit of Romance and a Lot of Conflict
As I set out to write my Southern Gothic/cozy mystery A RED, RED ROSE, romance was the last theme on my mind. I had history, mystery and a ghost to deal with. True, the South has its own romantic aura. Ashby Overton, my 20-year-old protagonist, writes in her diary about her upcoming visit to historic Overhome in Southern Virginia: “I admit I am a romantic, fascinated with the South, especially the old South. Mammoth, white-columned houses surrounded by ancient shade trees. Laid-back aristocratic sons and daughters of the Confederacy sipping mint juleps on the veranda.” A wanna-be writer, Ashby hopes to find her muse in Virginia. Romantic, yes. Romance…another story altogether. I quickly came to my senses. Ashby’s first encounter at Overhome involves Luke Murley, the “stable boy,” a cynical local with a thick drawl and bad hair. Luke appears unimpressed by Ashby’s city chic and Ashby’s only thought is that Luke is certainly nothing like her Jersey boys. It was a situation too good to ignore. Romance was in the air, even with, or perhaps because of that bad start. Every romance involves conflict. Luke sees Ashby as a rich, spoiled, condescending Northerner out for the adventure. “You know what we say about Yankees here in th’ South?” Luke asks. “We say there’s Yankees an’ then there’s damn Yankees…The damn Yankees are the ones that stay.” Even though Ashby and Luke clash again and again, she realizes early on that there’s room for romance. “Believe it or not, there’s a hottie down in the Boondocks…Luke talks and acts like a redneck but I detect some deep currents beneath that macho surface,” she writes in her diary. And yet, despite daily horseback riding lessons, Luke remains distant and objective as her teacher, to Ashby’s disappointment. As the ghostly episodes increase in intensity, Ashby need someone to confide in, to help her sort out the real from the imagined, and she longs to make Luke a confidante. It takes a horrifying incident involving a murdered dog to bring them to some understanding of each other, though, once again, Ashby is dismayed to find that Luke most definitely does not believe in ghosts. With the romance finally in full swing, I faced my own dilemma: How to write their “scene.” It would be in a hayloft, of course. It’s that kind of setting. And it would be rife with conflict. Ashby arrives late for the tryst, with no time to shower or apply makeup, her hair a fright. She’s annoyed with herself; she’d wanted this to be the perfect rendezvous–none of which is important to Luke, of course, who’s focused on his own plans for their meeting. A raging storm and a wild incident with a wasp’s nest add to the denouement. Though I would never compare myself to Shakespeare, I am comfortable saying that, like the Bard’s, my explicit sex scenes occur largely off-stage. In actuality, I had to go to my writers’ group for help. My story is a romance, I told them. But it’s also a mystery and a ghost tale. I must write subtly but sincerely. HELP!! And help, they did. I’m rather proud of the outcome. I see savvy high school readers enjoying A RED, RED ROSE with no problem. As for the adults, they can always think back to their Shakespeare. Suffice it to say, I will never write another mystery without a little bit of romance. The title, A RED, RED ROSE, springs from a Robert Burns poem of the same title. “My love is like a red, red rose,” Burns writes. It’s natural and beautiful and if it does not last forever it will, surely, come back somehow from any distance, any time frame. I’m not spoiling the end of my novel when I say that Ashby becomes a “damn Yankee,” indeed. One who stays.
Susan Coryell has long been interested in concerns about culture and society in the South, where hard-felt, long-held feelings battle with modern ideas. The ghosts slipped in, to her surprise. Susan Coryell is the author of the award-winning young adult novel, Eaglebait. She lives at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. www.susancoryellauthor.com TweetComments52 thoughts on “A RED, RED ROSE” |
   
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Hi, Susan. Welcome to the Lair. Thanks for sharing a look at your book. There’s something about the South that makes it ripe for storytelling. I once heard an author talking about how one of the editors she knew commented on how the South just seems to grow good writers/storytellers.
Thanks, Trish. I think you’re right on. Southern roots grow long and strong! There’s a story around every corner. Thanks for posting and I hope you’ll read and review A RRR.
Trish, I love that you have the Golden Rooster at your beck and call….just what will you make him do???
Wow, look at that. I captured the Golden Rooster. Can’t remember the last time I did that. And as it happens, I have a rather lengthy to-do list with which to keep him busy today. Bwahaha!
Hey, Trish, way to go on the rooster!
Good idea Trish keep him busy and you can relax or can you with him running amok LOL
Have Fun
Helen
Oh, goody, a bit of Southern work ethic will have him shaped up – at least for the day! Hahahah!
WTG, Trish!
Oh! It was so good to see his tailfeathers! He caused so much trouble with Little Miss Stevie… my budgie who is moulting her Summer feathers for the Aussie Winter. He caused her to flutter around the cage and throw her discarted feathers everywhere around the living room! Jeez, thanks… now I’ve been chasing up those feathers with the dust-buster all day.
Not a happy bird-owner.
Thankfully, he didn’t eat the fish… and didn’t find my stash of chocolate.
Mozette, I’m sorry the GR caused so much trouble! He behaves better–a _little_ better–when there are household pets large enough to threaten him. Or when he’s bribed with Tim Tams.
Hi Susan! Hi Kim! Susan, I love the sound of the new book and I love the humor that’s clearly involved in the romance between Luke and Ashby. Sounds like a lot of fun amidst the hauntings and the mayhem. I’ve recently started reading a LOT of cozy mysteries after a few years break away from them (had a craze on the Golden Age stuff years ago). Yours sounds like it’s right up my alley!
Hi, Anna. I, too, love the Golden Age lit–all that glitter, decadence and angst, but there’s nothing cozier than a mystery with rural, quirky character you somehow feel you know. Thanks for posting and I hope you’ll give A RRR a read, read, read!
Hi Anna, lovely to see you. We have a few Aussies coming to ThrillerFest. Any chance you can stow away in their suitcases?
Kim, I’d love to but I’m on a killer deadline. No overseas travel for me this year, sob.
Keep him busy, Trish !!
You just can’t beat a Southern Gothic mystery with some romance thrown in for good measure! As a daughter of the South I love the reverence we have for the past and the way we cling to our Old World manners and values. I know all about the bad side of the South, but I think adherence to some of the good stuff will help sort the bad stuff out in the end.
Putting this one on my list, ladies!
Louisa: How true it is that the “old” South involves much to love, revere and cling to, I’d never forget my Southern roots while writing about my “homeland”–warts and all. Thanks for posting and let me know your thoughts on A RRR.
Louisa, I find the South fascinating. Such a rich history, and what a perfect backdrop for a romance!
Susan
This book sounds really good in the early days of me reading romance a lot of that was set in the South and I loved them. Personally conflict in real life I am not so keen on but in romance I love it.
Congrats on the release I will be keeping an eye out for this one
Thanks Kim for inviting Susan along today
Have Fun
Helen
Helen: How right you are. Real-life conflict is way too stressful. With fiction we can bend the clashes any way we like. (That’s why I steer away from writing non-fiction). I hope you’ll find plenty of wit and humor as well as romance and riot in A RRR. Thanks for posting.
Helen, I’m thrilled to have Susan on today. We met via the ThrillerFest website. It’s amazing the connections we make on the internet these days!
I think it is amazing that you can just say “The South” and everyone knows exactly where we are talking about. There are lots of souths in the world but “The South” is a world unto itself.
I see chills and thrills in my future when I read this one. Sounds like a perfect mix to me.
Dianna: Somehow my reply to your comment is out of place. Please scroll down. Sorry–a can be a techno-dunce at times.
Dianna, I always think of Gone With the Wind and the wonderful conflicts in that novel when The South…and now we have RRR!!!
Welcome Susan and thanks for sharing the deets on your book – sounds like one for the TBR mountain! It has all the elements I love *g*.
I think there is a north-south divide in many countries; I know there is here in the UK! It’s funny how even in this day and age, with so much travel and tv programs from all over the world, as well as the internet, these differences still exist and ne’er the twain shall meet!
Hi, Anna: Ahhh–the north-south divide–yes, it’s everywhere. I remember a trip to London when my husband almost caused a riot on the two-decker by wearing the wrong football colors! A RRR takes this on but there’s much more–mystery, history, romance and a ghost! Thanks for posting and I hope you’ll read A RRR.
Ah yes – the football rivalry! That actually splits towns even more than the north-south divide! We are a very tribal nation *g*.
Anna S, great to see you! Susan, you are talking to our resident sports’ expert, so she definitely knows about rivalry!!!
Dianna: Wow! You’ve said something I’ve been longing to hear–that MY “South” is recognized universally–not just for its geographical location, but for its unique character and populace–the good, the bad and the confusing–that can be found in all cultures. Chills and thrills you will definitely get in A RRR. And a good dose of “The South” as well. Thanks for posting!
Hi Susan! Welcome to the Lair! :> Like Dianna and Trish and several others, I’m a Southerner too and love that this book has it all! Quirks and mayhem and good Southern hospitality. Grins. Haylofts included. Snork!
KJ, thanks for bringing Susan to visit with us today!
Hi Jeanne,
Can I please be an honorary Southerner???
Jeanne: Well, Ashby and Luke do get their roll in the hay; ironically, the wasps had a little “bit” to do with it! Thanks for commenting and I hope you’ll read A RRR.
Hi Susan, and welcome.
I love the sound of your book, and looks like I’ll have to add this one to the TBR pile. I love mysteries, especially when there’s a bit of romance involved.
Red wasps, eh? It’s clear you know what you’re talking about. Not many haylofts without wasps.
Hi Cassondra,
Great to have you here today. Umm, I could live without those wasps! In Canada, the wasps go crazy when it starts to warm up.
I’m about to go outside to repair some siding on the house. Steve is on vacation and we’re working around the property all week. And there are..yes that’s right…red wasps under said siding. Joy.
Cassandra: Yes, the wasps do add a “bite” to the roll in the hay. Despite the mystery and gothic aspects, A RRR is also a fun read–COZY, as we say! Hope you like it!
Hi Susan -
There’s something about the south that cries out for mysteries and ghost stories. This one sounds great – plus it has horses! What more could a young adult wish for (grin).
Donna: I agree that the South has it all. The horse part was also a challenge as I am afraid of them myself; however, my little sis loved them, had one (Donnie–he’s actually in A RRR) and she helped with the horse-y parts. Hope you read and love A RRR!
With Southern literature as my major academic field, I agree with Fred Hobson that “The South always makes good reading.” I love cozy mysteries and Southern Gothic; RRR definitely sounds like good reading.
Janga: I appreciate your love and study of Southern lit. I inhaled it at my college and even took a History of the Old South course to supplement my knowledge. I hope you’ll read and love A RRR.
Welcome to the lair, Susan! Thanks so much for spending the day with us and telling us about your book which sounds fabulous
I’m a born and bred Yankee though my son goes to school in Nashville and has a girlfriend from New Orleans *g*
Well, Beth, my protag Ashby is a New Jersey girl and proud of it.
The characters and setting work to “convert” her, though she’ll probably always be a Yankee at heart. Hope you’ll give A RRR a read!
Hi Susan. I grew up on a farm in the MIdwest and had nary a boy ask me up to his hayloft but you’re never too old to fantasize (altho no wasps are allowed in my fantasy!) I’ve already ordered your book and it’s almost at the top of my TBR pile. You have all of the elements of the perfect book for me.
Cindy, I love you! Thanks for ordering a RRR. I hope you’ll let me know your feelings when you finish it. It was fun, fun, fun to write and I hope it will be a good, good read
!
Lovely review , Susan! and Robert Burns is my favorite Scots writer–I’ve always loved his “My love is like a red, red rose.” And I’m glad you do the romance offstage! I do, as well, in my various mystery series. It’s more ‘romantic” that way, I think.
Nancy: My father, Scots-Irish, adored Bobbie Burns and he handed down the love to me. I couldn’t resist the Burns poem “My love…etc” as it tied in so perfectly with my ghost, Rosabelle and the story. Cheers to subtle sex scenes, eh?
The south is full of romance and conflict – a very passionate place in love and hate. My mom is from the deep south; I worked in N. Florida (deep south); and I found the south more foreign to a born Yankee than many truly foreign countries. So, here I am, writing about the Civil War based on a story about my great grandfather passed down to me. What a challenge! Life is romance, but I try to put the hottest in the imagination, the sensual in the story. http://www.dkchristi.webs.com author of Ghost Orchid and more
Dear DK: The Civil War will NEVER die in the Southern mindset–I can’t imagine WHY since it was so awful and they lost so profoundly. I’m a native Virginian (Northern VA) and am actually a bit of an outsider here in Southern VA–some folks think they are two different states!
Susan, welcome to the Lair! Your book sounds like a great mix of genre elements.
I’ve been to Smith Mtn. Lake. It’s beautiful.
Nancy: Yes to both your statements–mixed genre andf SML IS beautiful. It is a wonderful stimulous for the creative writing mind! However, I’m sometimes lured from my writer’s loft all the way to the dock before I realize it. Perhaps I have my own personal ghost leading me on!
Hi, Susan,
Your novel sounds fascinating and I love the cover art! Like you, I enjoy mixing genres. Perhaps we are creating new, out of the box fiction. This is an exciting time for writers.
Wishing you every success with your novel.
Jacqueline: Yes, we Dreamspell authors are graced with gorgeous covers! Let’s keep inventing the new novel. I love being able to let the creative thoughts flow whereever they like.
A great blog, Susan. I enjoyed every word.
Thanks, Betty. It was great fun to write and even more fun to share comments. Stay in touch!