February 27, 2023
Dragonblade Publishing just released the first book in the Ladies of the Labyrinth series, called The Veil Between Worlds, by my multi-talented dear friend Betsy Thorpe, aka Hope Carolle. This is a time travel story about what happens to Ellie Hartford, professor of Middle English and mother of two small daughters, when she stumbles into the haunted labyrinth in her friend Jane’s English Garden and is pulled back into the year 1344, the year of the founding of the Order of the Garter. This is a time travel adventure Ellie never wanted…with the man who broke her heart. Ellie will do whatever it takes to get back to her children. With her knowledge of the medieval language and culture, she must navigate the intricate world of feudal England, with its tournaments, knights, chivalry, dancing, and feasts.
Betsy graciously agreed to answer a few interview questions about writing romance, and how that combines with her day job as an editor.
1. Tell us the path to publication for The Veil Between Worlds.
It took a long time to write, and I must credit my first writers’ group for getting me in gear, giving me deadlines, helping me to define my characters better, and getting me to the finish line. I did find a wonderful young agent who wanted to represent the book, and her enthusiasm in my work (she liked the book better than I!) made me want to work with her. Alas, the book did not sell, with most editors liking the writing but said it fell between genres. Not quite women’s fiction, not quite romance. And time travel – is that fantasy, or? So it didn’t fit neatly on anyone’s list of books they published, and my agent and I put it in a drawer to sit until I finished my next novel.
Then Covid hit, and when I was ready to submit my next novel, which is not a historical time travel romance, literary agents got overwhelmed with the lack of childcare out there and many stopped taking new submissions. At that time, I saw on Publishers’ Marketplace that there was a new boutique published named Dragonblade that was taking agented pieces, but they also took unagented work. So I submitted my book, and was thrilled that they wanted my book. But they also wanted two more books, as their readers are voracious, so once they read one book by an author, they want another book in a series. So I’ve been writing like crazy ever since.
2. Now that you've been through the publishing process from several different vantage points, which part is the most fun for you?
Great question! I honestly love both parts. I love being a book editor because I play many roles: part detective, part coach, part forensic team, part psychologist. What is going right for the book, and what needs work? Where does the book sag, where does it sing, how can we assemble the book so that the reader will be intrigued throughout. And I have to encourage my authors continually, which I enjoy. To contrast that with being a writer, I love researching the different time periods (I minored in history), I love creating my characters, and how I can really “hear” their voices at times making decisions and talking to each other. I love when characters are at a crossroads, and I have to figure out whether they’re going to make a good decision or a bad one, and most of all, I love it when they make an unexpected decision and then I have to figure out how the heck I’m going to get them out of a difficult situation. So as you can tell, I’m clearly not a person who believes in plotting out every single situation. I write mostly by the seat of my pants.
3. What kind of advice can you give other writers about writing a series?
The good news about a series is hopefully you’ve got a “home base” for these characters where they all must go to/from, and that helps set the foundation for the series. Then different characters can inhabit that home base and set out for their own adventures. They all need to return safely, and find romance, and hopefully have moments of heroism (and also stupidity), because it’s in those moments we see how their character is formed, or changing.
4. I saw that you did a playlist for your series. Have you also thought about casting for The Veil Between Worlds?
Gosh, I usually do find pictures of my characters that helps me visualize them. For John Stafford, I had definitely pictured someone as charismatic and appealing as David Tennant, my favorite “Dr. Who.” Harry is based on a few different people, but I can’t say I’ve found someone who captures all his awesomeness, steadiness, and sweetness. And for Ellie, oh let’s just say Amy Adams. Smart, pretty, problem-solver, charming, strong, loving.
5. What other question do you wish someone would ask you about this experience?
I guess people might wonder how I wrote two novels in 14 months. That might be completely doable for people that need less sleep than I do, don’t have kids, and don’t work full time. But I think a lot of it comes down to self-imposed pressure, a solid deadline, and a dedicated work ethic. Do I want to binge a series on Netflix or Hulu? Absolutely. But I couldn’t finish my books if I did that. Those shows will still be there when I finish, as will all the books that I’ve been wanting to read that I haven’t had time to. I think when you’re under deadline, be it one from your writer’s group, or one of your own making, hopefully the responsible part of you shows up, and gets the job done. Divide up your total word count that you’d like to meet, set a schedule for delivery, and try not to take any days off, because you’ll be that much further behind on your word count. (FYI, I started out with wanting to hit 60,000 words, and I think the last two books in the series are around 75,000 words.) Have your friends or your writing group (thank you Lisa and Emily!!) give you feedback along the way so you don’t dig any holes that can’t be recovered from without a lot of work. And have a trusted editor waiting for you at the other end, who can see both the big picture (is the story working, is it fun, are the characters interesting) and the details (is the dialogue clunky, can I “see” this scene with a reader’s eyes, are the descriptions any good). Knowing that I have somebody who will see both the big and small details really gives me peace of mind.
Thanks so much for answering these questions, Betsy! The Veil Between Worlds is such a fun and exciting read. One of my favorite aspects is the time travel — that we can experience life in the fourteenth century through the eyes of a savvy, smart young scholar from the twenty-first century. The Veil Between Worlds is available at local independent bookstores around Charlotte like Park Road Books and Main Street Books, and also from Amazon.
