The Crimson Lady by Mary Reed McCall

13 Responses to “The Crimson Lady by Mary Reed McCall”

1
Mary Reed McCall Says:

Wow, another wonderful review - thank you Laura! I was mixed up in thinking today’s review was to be of The Sweetest Sin (my mistake…should have realized you guys were revieing my books in order of their publication) and so I’ll have to hold off my comments about The Sweetest Sin’s subsequent publication after initial rejection until tomorrow. *g* Hope you don’t mind, Lacey…
But - this gives me a chance to talk about Braedan and Fiona/Giselle, which is fun for me in that she remains the one and only character I’ve ever written who popped into my imagination pretty-much full-fledged, *before* I did any research about anything, havig no plot or anything in mind when she “came” to me. I knew nothing about the medieval underworld in general, or the horrible trade she’s forced to undertake at as young age, in reference to the medieval era. In fact, when she burst into my imagination, I did everything in my power to talk myself out of pursuing her story, thinking it would be impossible to pursue from an historical accurancy standpoint.
It was late one weekday night in 2002 when I watched a program on Third World human trafficking, specfically te selling of young women to various male buyers. When I turned the program off, Fiona suddenly bloomed in my mind, full-formed and auburn-haired, with her personality as you see her in The Crimson Lady completely intact. I’ve never had something like that happen to be before or since. Usually I get a little inkling of a character - one or two aspects about him or her that I end up building the story around, to suit the plot aspects I have in mind. Not this time. She needled at me, and needled at me, until I finally decided to research my way out of the story idea she was proposing to me, being certain that I’d discover that while medieval forms of human trafficking must have existed (they’ve always existed, unfortunately), they certainly would have been prosecuted and driven out with a vengeance during the pious and religious atmosphere of the Middle Ages. I had no clue that there were actual laws *condoning* and regulating the sale of women, or that the [i]stewes[/i] were set up specifically to contain those practices. Imagine my surprise when I read that, contrary to my belief about the medieval era’s persepctive of illicit behaviors, the Church/society of tha time actually encouraged the practice, in controlled places (i.e. the stewes) in order to provide a “release valve” for the passions of men who otherwise might turn violently on woman, if left with no other outlet for their desires.
I was astounded. But it meant that Fiona was going to get her way. And I had just the hero - and villain - in mind to round out her story.
Draven was probably my favorite villain to write, because he’s sooooo bad and yet sooooo handsome and refined. I despised him but I was fascinated by him at the same time, LOL. Every scene I wrote with him was riveting to me. One of my favorites remains the one where he steps out of the coach, his cape swirling up around him, to confront Fiona again for the first time in the years since she escaped him. Some powerful, heady stuff on the emotional meter for me to write about there, heh, heh.
Braedan was the kind of hero Fiona needed, and I crafted him with her in mind. He had to have some pretty big emotional baggage of his own to overlook her needs and vulnerabilities, at least at first. But he had to be really good of soul, so that he couldn’t help but be changed and won over by the woman she was inside, regardless of what she had been in her past. His innate respect, admiration for, and protectiveness of women in general was integral to his character, because she is the kind of woman used to getting noe of those things in her past. She couldn’t have opened herself to love the way she did without his patience and kindness. Their first love scene was probably one of the most emotional I’ve ever written, and it gave me fits before I wrote it, because I knew so much was riding on it, based upon her character, and what it would take for her to let go like that. It took me a long, long time (like three weeks) to have the guts to finally take the plunge and write it, hoping it would be enough.
As for Fiona’s “faux” status as a courtesan…well, that’s a whole other story that unfortunately, I’ve run out of time right now to get into. It wasn’t my first inclination with her character, but with the marketplace at the time, and Fiona/Giselle’s characterization as a whole, I think it worked out ok anyway.
Ok - so there’s my little behind the scenes for this book. anyone have anything they want me to address differently or further?
Thanks again, Laura, for a wonderful review. I’m truly flattered (and blushing at your standing ovation comment!) that you enjoyed the book as you did.
–MRM
April 17th, 2007 at 7:55 am

2
Isabel Says:

*Gives Mary a standing ovation* That review rocks, Laura! And Mary! What stories you’ve written! I’m truly, truly amazed here.
love is truly a dangerous choice, yet the best possible answer.
Loved that line, Laura, you make want to call B&N right now to see if they can get me a copy.
April 17th, 2007 at 8:30 am

3
Isabel Says:

Mary, thanks for the “behind the scenes” glimpse.
What kind of “back story” work do you do for your characters before or perhaps while you write their story? Screenwriter teacher, Sidney Field recommends one should write an extensive biography on the main characters before one writes their story.
Based on what you’ve described here today, it definitely looks like you know your characters - including your, “die, die, die, you sack of crap” villain *G* - inside and out. How do you do it?
Do you keep character charts? Do you write biographies or do you keep it all in your mind as you write?
April 17th, 2007 at 8:38 am

4
Andrea Says:

Another great review! And another book to add to my ever-growing TBB list. Thanks, Laura!
Mary, I just want to say thanks for all of the “behind the scenes” of your books. I really enjoy reading those. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and hearing about the BTS of The Sweetest Sin, my review book.
April 17th, 2007 at 9:06 am

5
Lacey Says:

This book review thing turned out to be incredibly cool. I’m really loving these behind-the-scenes peaks!
And whoops, Mary, sorry for the confusion. Totally my fault! But yes, I can wait. Hump Day will have an added bonus!
Kendrick de Lacey, Viscount Draven, “Whoremaster of London”, served up a cold slice of fear with a side of true trepidation. He did not disappoint either. He lived up to his villainous role, with surprises at every turn.
Laura, fab line!
April 17th, 2007 at 9:33 am

6
Laura Says:

Hey Mary~! (there could be possible spoiler type things in this comment)…
I forgot to mention chapter 18 in my review… it would also be hard to because I would be giving away too much and spoil everything for people reading it for the first time..
But I just have to tell you that was my favorite chapter… a heroine in every sense… and then what happened after! When Braedan had a breakthrough~!!!
Anyway… just wanted to tell you that I looooooooooved that.
:)~!
PS I love the background info, and it’s true about how Fiona is so strong, so real, and such an amazing heroine.
(I am a new fan… how does this lead into the Templar Knights Trilogy? )
Oh and the faux courtesan part was so wickedly crafted that I never saw it coming. It was so clever, and added such a new & astounding level to Fiona’s personality. She rocks.
April 17th, 2007 at 10:01 am

7
Mary Reed McCall Says:

Some great questions here! I’ll do my best to answer them in the time I have on my lunch break here at work.
Isabel said: “What kind of “back story” work do you do for your characters before or perhaps while you write their story? Screenwriter teacher, Sidney Field recommends one should write an extensive biography on the main characters before one writes their story. Based on what you’ve described here today, it definitely looks like you know your characters - including your, “die, die, die, you sack of crap” villain *G* - inside and out. How do you do it?
Do you keep character charts? Do you write biographies or do you keep it all in your mind as you write?”
My answer: This has shifted a little over the years, Isabel. When I started out I used to do aa writing exercise for each of my main characters - it was a “biography” sheet developed by author and agent (not my agent, but she still works as one, I think) Alice Orr. It’s called “Writing your character from the Inside Out”, and it leads you through all sorts of questions that you’re supposed to answer *as if you are the character* - i.e. in a first person POV. It really forces you to get into the heads of these people about which you’re writing.
I did it for Grayson in SECRET VOWS (and a to a lesser extent with Catherine…but my first person POV Prologue and Epilogue took care of some of that for me anyway…I’l explain it further in one of my blogs next week). I’m pretty sure I did the exercise for Aiden and Gwynne in THE MAIDEN WARRIOR. By the time I wrote THE CRIMSON LADY, however, I had the process sort of internalized and I didn’t need to go through it in the manual sense that I had done before. And as I’d mentioned, Fiona’s character sort of sprang to life, fully-fledged for me from the get-go.
I’ll plan another blog next week on the specifics of that character excersize (which Alice mentioned authors were allowed to share, as long as we gave her due credit for it). It really does get you thinking AS YOUR CHARACTERS - which helps make them really, really real in your imagination, I think.
I’m also a little odd, perhaps, in that I have a really detail-oriented memory. By the time I’m done writing a book, no matter how long ago I finished it, I usually remember all te little quirks and detais of the story and the characters as if I’d written it yesterday. This process of “Deep character writing” helps cement that.
The only book of mine that I have some gaps about in this regard (and there aren’t too many gaps, but when I think of this book, it’s like I’m viewing it through a lens, rather than being in the actual scenes as I am when I recollect characters/events from my other books) is THE MAIDEN WARRIOR - and that’s because I was dealing with a serious health crisis at the time I was writing it. What I had turned out to be a more treatable disease than what was feared, but basically, there was a chunk of time wherein my doctors thought I had Lymphoma - or cancer of the lymph system. I was undergoing tests and running back and forth from a hospital an hour away. I had a 7 month old and a 5 year old at home, I had recently returned to my teaching job after my maternity leave…and I was trying to finish writing what would be my second published book. A little too much pressure, I think - and that’s what’s left the gaps in some of the details.
With the Templar books, I did some deep thinking and plotting up front, especially with Book I and the trajectory I envisioned for the trilogy as a whole - but for Books II and III I just wrote without doing up character charts/exercises.
Andrea said: “Mary, I just want to say thanks for all of the “behind the scenes” of your books. I really enjoy reading those. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and hearing about the BTS of The Sweetest Sin, my review book. ”
My answer: Great! I’m so glad the behind the scenes stuff is useful for you. And I can’t wait to read your review of TSS, either.
Lacey - thanks for being patient about the back story about TSS, and I’m glad the behind the scenes is fun for you as well.
Laura said: “I am a new fan… how does this lead into the Templar Knights Trilogy?”
My answer: I completely understand about the spoiler aspect of Chapter 18, Laura - but I’m glad you liked it, too!
And to answer your question, Richard (Braedan’s younger brother in THE CRIMSON LADY) is the hero of the first Templar book, BEYOND TEMPTATION (and Braedan, Fiona, and their kids - as well as Adam, who at the point of BT’s story is 16-years-old - all make an appearance in BT as well *g*).
Ok, lunch break is over; I’ll check back again later tonight. Thanks again to all of you for such great comments and questions!
–MRM
April 17th, 2007 at 10:42 am

8
Isabel Says:

My apologies to Mary, I’m not going to post my comments until sometime tomorrow morning. The DT gig got in the way…
LOL
April 17th, 2007 at 5:52 pm

9
Irene M. Says:

Bravo! Laura ~ that was a fabulous and passionate review of THE CRIMSOM LADY—you deserve a standing ovation too!
I didn’t realize you were reviewing this book today either, I have it on my TBR pile and your fantastic review of Fiona and Braedan’s poignant and tempestuous love story has made me want to start reading it right away. Sounds like MRM put them, and the reader, through an intensely emotional wringer before allowing the H/H to achieve their well deserved HEA. But I can safely say, as I have met these characters in happier times in BEYOND TEMPTATION—that they do indeed attain their HEA. I also like the idea that the villains in MRM’s stories are actually believably villainous.
Mary—a big warm HUG to you—I’m so sorry to hear about what you went through with that health scare; thank goodness the doctors were wrong!
April 17th, 2007 at 7:59 pm

10
Lacey Says:

What an incredible story to share, Mary. It’s amazing you managed to write a book at all!
April 17th, 2007 at 11:20 pm

11
Haven Rich Says:

I’m completely in awe! I totally ditto Lacey! WOW!
April 18th, 2007 at 1:39 am

12
Isabel Says:

WOW, Mary, thank God things worked out. That is quite a story. Thanks for sharing it.
April 18th, 2007 at 7:50 am

13
Laura Says:

I ditto what Lacey said about it being such an incredible story, Mary. I am so glad everything turned out alright~!
April 19th, 2007 at 8:45 am

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