Introducing Rachel McMillan, Author of the Herringford and Watts Mysteries

Two weeks ago Rachel McMillan shared a provocative post with us about writing where you know. I thought it would be great for us to meet Rachel and so I posed her a few questions which she was happy to respond to.

Tomorrow is a very big day for Rachel. The first novella in her 6-part Herringford and Watts Mysteries series (3 novellas, 3 novels) launches. It’s titled: A Singular and Whimsical Problem.

With that in mind, let’s welcome Rachel to ICFW with a big hurrah and hello. Over to you Rachel:

In a few words tell us a little about yourself.

I am a lifelong bibliophile who lives in Toronto, Canada. I work in Educational publishing by day and scribble at night. I love to travel and I love, love, love live theatre. I recently became an aunt for the first time and my little 6-month-old niece Maisie is my entire heart these days!

Huh, books, travel and theatre, my three favourite pastimes, well alongside following a certain English football club.

How many years have you been writing and is this series your first production or are there other manuscripts stored away on your computer waiting to be launched on the world?

I have always been writing. I have been writing since I was 7 years old; but was too scared to show people. No critique groups for me. Before this series I had completed one 3 book series, 1 straight historical and 1 historical romance alongside several other unfinished projects.  The only one that made it out into the world was my historical romance, which landed me an agent and was my first shopped manuscript in the CBA market (though it was rejected at every publisher we sent it to) I started pursuing writing for publication 3 years ago. I signed an agent almost immediately after that but it was about 2 years before I signed a contract.

Be interesting if the historical romance gets a different reaction in a year or so.

This series, Herringford and Watts Mysteries, has such a great premise. Could you give us a sneak peak into your two detectives? What sort of crimes do they investigate?

They kind that solve everything! From murder to missing pocket watches.  But women, of course, didn’t pursue such dastardly things as murder investigations in the Edwardian time period so they disguise themselves in bowler hats, vests and trousers when in pursuit of a case.  

The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder has them working to solve the deaths of young Irish immigrants in Toronto even after the police have given up, the second book A Lesson in Love and Murder takes them into an anarchist group wanting to bomb Roosevelt’s Democratic Convention at the Chicago Coliseum (they go state-side for that one). 

In the third book, set in 1914, Canada is on the brink of war ---and men are found murdered with white feathers on their chests even before the enlistment sheets go up.

They try to use Sherlockian methods but they are amateurs who sometimes stumble into the solution.  The fact that there are a few eligible young men in their vicinity: including a dashing police constable, a muckraking Italian reporter and a Royal Northwest Mounted Policeman make things even more complicated.

Can’t wait to start reading their adventures.

I know from FB you're a Sherlock fan so what was your inspiration for the characters and the series?

 

As I mentioned, I had a book out on submission that was a straight historical romance and my agent was having no luck with it. She called one day after meeting with editors who said that romantic suspense was getting a lot of buzz and traction and she suggested I use my love for Sherlock Holmes and think about a female Sherlock. I’ve been a Sherlock Holmes fan since I was a little kid so that was definitely something fun to play with. I also loved the idea of introducing strong, independent women who shirk domesticity. While there are romantic elements to the story, theirs is the central relationship in the series.

Bit Rizzoli and Isles. Oops, excuse me, Rach … but I really like that show.

It's also set in 1910. Tell us a little about the research you had to do to discover the life and times back then? 

I have always been passionate about Toronto history so I had a good starting point. Once I decided that I was going to pursue this I gave my agent a bit of a timeline for a draft and met with editors at ACFW giving them a bit of a tease. In some cases, we sent the first five chapters to them.  All the while, I was spending every weeknight and weekend in the Toronto archives or at the library reading everything I could about the time period, Toronto politics, journalism, the major onslaught of immigration, social reform and what career options were available to unmarried women.  I also read a lot about the wave of working women called “bachelor girls” not to mention etiquette and slang books. I really immersed myself: all the while plotting out mysteries for a proposal that would find us a contract. When you work full time, you squeeze in writing opportunities when you can :)

We can only imagine some of the peculiarities you discovered in all that research.

The introduction to the series launches tomorrow - a novella: A Singular and Whimsical Problem. What's the launch schedule for the rest of the series look like?

Did I mention I work full time? Let’s just say I eat a lot of dinners at my desk!

• The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder releases March 2016
• Of Dubious and Questionable Memory (novella) releases Summer 2016
• A Lesson in Love and Murder releases October 2016
• Conductor of Light ( novella) releases Winter 2016
• The White Feather Murders releases February 2017

(fun fact: the novella titles are all taken from Sherlock Holmes stories pertinent to the cases the girls are solving)

Last one, which authors are your must reads?

I am such a voracious and eclectic reader! So this is tough.  Patrick O’Brian is an all-time favourite. I love his Aubrey-Maturin series.  I am a huge fan of the Victorian period (my specialist degree in University) so Dickens is a favourite. In mystery I love Ian Rankin, Martha Grimes and Reginald Hill. In the CBA, I never miss a book by Billy Coffey or Christa Parrish or Katherine Reay! My 3 favourite books are Great Expectations (Dickens), Les Miserables (Hugo) and the Blue Castle (L.M. Montgomery)

Rachel, thank you so much for sharing with us all. Congratulations, once again, and all the very best with tomorrow’s launch. Enjoy these next few firsts you'll experience over the next few weeks!

And ICFW crew, why not grab a copy of A Singular and Whimsical Problem, it’s priced less than a cup of coffee and it’s bound to be a lot of fun.

Rachel McMillan is a keen history enthusiast and a lifelong bibliophile. When not writing or reading, she can most often be found drinking tea and watching British miniseries. Rachel lives in bustling Toronto, where she works in educational publishing and pursues her passion for art, literature, music, and theater.

Rachel can be found on the web at:

Website: www.rkmcmillan.com

Bookish Ramblings: A Fair Substitute for Heaven

Twitter: @rachkmc

Instagram: @rachkmc

Facebook: rachkmc1

Those launching emotions

 

This past week, my sixth novel The Inheritance was officially released (see my book trailer here)—and yet again, the emotions involved have taken me a little by surprise. It was only last October that my first non-fiction book Soul Friend was released, so one would think I would remember how it all felt. Granted, launching another novel is different. The Inheritance is, after all, fiction, while releasing my memoir Soul Friend like personally serving myself up on a platter! But again, I have felt those nervous flutters inside as I have posted off those advance copies already purchased. Will this novel of mine be well received? Will those readers who have stuck by me through all seven of my books enjoy this one as much?

The Inheritance is, in essence, a story of family secrets, forgiveness and faith. It explores one man’s struggle to come to grips with the past, be reconciled with himself, his family and ultimately God, and face the future with courage and integrity. At the same time, it also explores a woman’s struggle to stay true to her faith in God and pursue God’s purposes for her life. In writing this novel, I attempted to focus equally on each main protagonist much more than I did in my earlier novels. And this brought with it new challenges such as being careful to stay in in one character’s point of view for a whole scene or chapter and balancing how often I changed from one to the other. I was very aware of the importance of point of view prior to this, but the approach I chose with this novel has meant I had to be particularly careful in this regard. The Inheritance is my first work of fiction with my new publisher, Even Before Publishing, and I am grateful for the assistance I was given to see the mistakes I was making with point of view and to learn so much more in the process.

But will my faithful readers—and hopefully some new ones—like the somewhat different style I have employed in The Inheritance? Will they relate to my initially very angry and aggressive hero Michael Trevelyan and my equally determined heroine Alexandra Hope? Will they track with these two people I have grown to love as they experience so many ups and downs in their personal lives and in their ongoing relationship? What if they feel one character is not quite believable—or, worse still, both? What if they decide Alexandra is just too ‘good’ a heroine, an opinion some expressed about my main female protagonists in my earlier novels?

Yet, while I still have doubts and questions like these, the counterbalance to it all is that I do believe it is my best novel so far! Please understand I don’t say that in any boastful way, however, but rather with thankfulness to God for enabling me to keep on writing and learning and also with gratitude to my publisher who challenged me to grow.

What about you other authors out there? How have you felt when your own new novel has been released? Is it a huge mixture of emotions such as it has been for me? For those not yet published, how do you plan to tackle this whole book launch experience?

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of six published novels and one non-fiction work, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual journey. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and three grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com or www.soulfriend.com.au.

Letting another child loose

I well remember how I felt in April 2007, when my first novel Heléna was released. What had I done, I wondered. My baby that I had laboured long and hard to bring to birth was now being put out there on show for all to see and perhaps criticise. How vulnerable I felt! What if no one liked it? What if those copies stayed on the shelves in the bookstores and ended up on ‘clearance’ tables?

This past month, my sixth book was released—and I have discovered I am still not used to the whole process of launching a new baby into the world. Besides, there is an extra dose of uncertainty for me in it all this time around, for two reasons. Firstly, it is my first published work of non-fiction. So will those who have read any of my previous five novels be prepared to follow me into the world of non-fiction? And for that matter, will any of those people who don’t read novels be prepared to try my non-fiction offering?

But secondly, I wonder if some readers will find my new book a little too personal and subjective for their tastes. You see, it is entitled Soul Friend: The story of a shared spiritual journey and is an honest and intimate portrayal of my own journey with my wise, spiritual mentor and the warm, life-giving relationship that developed between us during our fifteen years of meeting together. Just as I did in my novels, I am still telling a story—but this time it is all true! And that makes me feel very vulnerable indeed.

Yet in another way, I am so excited that this baby of mine has been launched. Apart from wanting to honour my mentor, who is now almost eighty-two, I hope by writing my story to inspire those who read it to seek out a spiritual friendship for themselves or perhaps to provide such a friendship for another. And I also hope to encourage any who are facing similar issues in their own lives not to give up but to find the support they need to pursue their God-given dreams. For any of you who might care to here this spelt out a little more, here is a brief interview style book trailer for Soul Friend:

 

So now the challenge for me is to let this book stand on its own two feet, just as we need to do with any child as it grows up! The book is out there now—what’s done is done. And, since I strongly believe God was behind and in my whole journey of writing Soul Friend, I need to trust God will now use it to bless and encourage others and to bring about all the purposes for which the book was written. And I also believe that, as in the past, God will give me the grace to deal with any comments or feedback I might receive about my new baby, either positive or negative, to take on board what I need to hear and to let the rest go.

How have you found the whole experience of letting one of your ‘book children’ loose? Has it been a mixture of joy and trepidation for you as well?

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through both the written and spoken word. She is the author of five published novels – Heléna, All the Days of My Life, Laura, Jenna and Heléna’s Legacy—and one non-fiction work, Soul Friend: the story of a shared spiritual journey. Her sixth novel, The Inheritance, will be released in 2013. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and three grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com or www.soulfriend.com.au.