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

Guest Post by Rachel McMillan - Write Where You Know

It's my absolute pleasure to introduce to the ICFW podium, a friend to many of us, Rachel McMillan. Rachel lives in Toronto and is soon (very soon, in fact)  to have her first works published. 2016 is going to be a big year for Rachel and her two lady detectives. Rachel has a great post to share with is, one that most of us can very easily relate to. In addition, Rachel and I will be chatting on the blog in 2 weeks so do come back.

Please give Rachel a hearty ICFW welcome.

Last December I signed a contract with Harvest House publishers for three novels and three e-novellas featuring two trouser-wearing, mystery solving Sherlockian lady detectives in the Edwardian era. You’re thinking: this premise + the CBA…are you nuts? To add to the crazy, the proposed series was set in Toronto, Canada where I live.

We’ve all heard it: write what you know.  But I wanted to write about where I know. And in some cases, the where was a contributing factor to some of the rejections I received on my proposed manuscript. It wasn’t rare for my agent and I to receive an email pass that mentioned that their publishing program was invested in historical fiction set in America, even as the last few years have seen that landscape change providing readers stories from a variety of international locales. I even contributed a list to Novel Crossing called Beyond the Borders focusing on some of these international locations.

When I first talked to my agent about the international setting, I made sure that she knew that it was a deal-breaker for me to set at least part of the series in my beautiful Canadian city. When I met with editors at ACFW, I made sure that they knew it was hill I would die on, too.  While we were sure my high concept would provide buzz and capitalize on the steady growth of romantic suspense, I needed to make sure that I could keep my Canadian setting.

But, like any CBA author, I had spent time and research aware of the publishing world, focusing on things that would make my project saleable. Indeed, with the notable exception of Janette Oke, Canada isn’t always a setting prominently represented in the CBA. Because the majority of CBA publishers are located in America, the majority of books published are set in America for the vast number of American Christian readers.

I spent years as an enthusiast of CBA fiction, as a reviewer and influencer, aware of this climate and understanding of this climate.  I took the time to learn about the CBA  publishing spectrum and was able to make a case for my Canadian setting if it ever came time to discuss it.

While one rejection mentioned that the Toronto setting was “exotic” (which made me laugh a little, I confess), I made sure that my series was inclusive of the American readers and publishers noting that with difficult sales, it has become more important than ever for publishers to be able to look to projects that are saleable.

I had the high concept that made several publishers take several glances at my hook but I needed to make sure that said pitch reflected popular tropes in the CBA.

While I was crafting the three-book series ( and believe me, I know how rare it is for a debut author in this day and age to sell a 3 book series off the bat), I took into account what make American publishers  might take notice of.

I made sure that my second proposed novel had a prominent American setting: in A Lesson in Love and Murder by lady detectives are employed to help stop an assassination attempt on Theodore Roosevelt.   

But I also made sure that 1910s Toronto (which was still very much a British-influenced Colonial setting) reflected that which was integral to my country’s burgeoning culture: I introduce a Mountie (red serge and all) as a major character and I take the series in the Great War, where Canadians fought with Britain from as early as 1914.

If you are attempting to publish with one of the major US CBA publishers, it is important to recognize that several publisher’s programs (especially during this uncertain time  of book sales) will want to reflect the interest and location of their largest majority of readers---U.S. based readers.  In a climate of uncertain sales, this is quite logical.

But you, international author, should still ensure you are including something indigenous to where you are and infusing the expanding CBA landscape with something unique and fresh.

As international authors it is not as easy for us to visit our publishers, to attend conferences and maybe (despite the great ACFW efforts) easy for us to join a branch of the ACFW.  That being said, we have a great many things at our disposal: Social Media, Publisher’s Blogs, Twitter and Email.  Make sure that you read and learn about the fictional landscape you are approaching. Make sure that you have a specific reason why you are choosing to set your precious book in an area close to your heart and make sure that while you might have one or two fictional “hills you will die on” , that you prove malleable and teachable.

Now more than ever, the CBA is looking for fiction set in unique places and it is a prime time for you, fair author, to take the reins.

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 theatre.

Rachel can be found in the following places on the web:

Website: www.rkmcmillan.com
Bookish Ramblings: A Fair Substitute for Heaven
Twitter: @rachkmc
Instagram: @rachkmc
Facebook: rachkmc1

Rachel's first novella and novel are available for pre-order. Here are the links:

The Bachelor Girl’s Guide to Murder 

A Singular and WhimsicalProblem (releases Dec 1)