Catherine Kullman: Writing a spin-off in a series

I am truly delighted to welcome writing friend Catherine Kullmann to my blog to celebrate the publication of her latest book, Lord Frederick’s Return. Catherine was born and educated in Dublin. Following a three-year courtship conducted mostly by letter, she married and moved to Germany where she lived for twenty-five years before returning to Ireland. She has worked in the Irish and New Zealand public services and in the private sector. Widowed, she has three adult sons and two grandchildren.

She has always been interested in the extended Regency period, a time when the foundations of our modern world were laid. She loves writing and is particularly interested in what happens after the first happy end—how life goes on for the protagonists and sometimes catches up with them. Her books are set against a background of the offstage, Napoleonic wars and consider in particular the situation of women trapped in a patriarchal society.

She is the author of The Murmur of Masks, Perception & Illusion, A Suggestion of Scandal, The Duke’s Regret, The Potential for Love, A Comfortable Alliance, Lady Loring’s Dilemma and The Husband Criteria

She also blogs about historical facts and trivia related to this era. You can find out more about Catherine’s books and read the blog (My Scrap Album) at her website where you can also subscribe to her newsletter.

As part of her Coffee Pot Book Club tour, I asked Catherine to tell us about the fascinating high society world she has created and the cast of characters who inhabit them. I’m a true fan of her work, so I was intrigued to find out how and why she had dived into another of her side characters’ stories.

Over to Catherine!

I never set out to write a series, but my novels are all set in the same Regency world and I suppose it was inevitable that I did not create a separate pool of characters for each book but drew on the set of minor characters that already existed to find protagonists for a new story. Having said that, I have found myself caught by the question, ‘And what happened next?’ as well as being beset by readers with the same question. And, of course, I fell into the traps.

The Murmur of Masks was the third book I wrote but the first book I published. It followed on from Perception & Illusion. In a pivotal scene at a masquerade in P&I, a group of ladies have attended disguised as the Nine Muses. As midnight approaches, Thalia approaches Clio who is dancing, unrecognised, with her husband:

“The carriage is outside if you still wish to leave early,” Thalia whispered.
“I do, and you?”
“I think I’ll stay awhile.”

I just had to know what happened when Thalia went back to the ball and so came The Murmur of Masks.

When you want to write a spin-off or side character’s story, the first thing you must do is go back to the book or books they featured in and write down absolutely everything you already know about them. If you don’t do this, you will get yourself in a dreadful tangle later, not only about obvious things like age or appearance but also about the more subtle hints in the earlier books that, overlooked, can cause clashing inconsistencies for your most valuable readers, the ones who love your stories.

(I completely concur with this – I had similar ‘challenges’ when writing the novellas in the Roma Nova series! – Alison)

In P&I, the Nine Muses were a group of women known as ‘Flora’s Fillies, protégées of the Duchess of Gracechurch, who “tends to befriend young wives whose husbands are, well, distant, shall we say. They’re safe in that circle, well as safe as they wish to be. The older women keep an eye out for the younger ones, warn them of the worst rakes, keep them out of harm’s way.”

So I knew that Thalia was a member of this group and had to develop a back story for her that was consistent with the events in P&I. Because of this back story, I published The Murmur of Masks first, because it started a decade earlier than P&I. Once I had set the parameters, writing it was no different than writing any other book in that at some stage the characters take control of the narrative. The one thing that had to happen was a scene at the masquerade with the same small interchange. Once again, it is a pivotal scene that determines the outcome of the book.

As soon as A Suggestion of Scandal was published, readers were asking for a sequel. In particular, they wanted to know what happened to Chloe Loring, whose governess, Rosa Fancourt is the heroine of ASoS. I had two problems here. Firstly, Chloe was still too young—in modern terms, she had just graduated from high school. I wanted her to grow up before deciding her final path.

I was also very interested in Chloe’s mother, Delia, a villain in ASoS and who, while still married, ends up eloping to the continent with another man. Was this the full story? I was tied by the very tight timeframe and events of ASoS but was able successfully to flip the perspective, and reviewers were very understanding of Delia’s situation, commenting very positively on her portrayal. Lady Loring’s Dilemma is told partly from Delia’s point of view and partly from Chloe’s.

Chloe herself is one of the triumvirate of heroines in the next book, The Husband Criteria but her story has not yet reached its end. All going well, that will be my upcoming book.

It is amazing how your favourite characters become part of your family. Even though you may not be writing about them, you know where they are in life. You never know when one will pop back in with a riveting proposition. A quick recap of their circumstances, and you can set sail with them again.

(So very true, Catherine! I look forward to the next voyage. – Alison)

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Connect with Catherine

Website: http://www.catherinekullmann.com/
Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/CKullmannAuthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherinekullmannauthor
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/catherine-kullmann
Amazon Author Page: viewauthor.at/ckullmannamazonpage
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15549457.Catherine_Kullmann
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What’s Lord Frederick’s Return about?

An older hero, an enigmatic heroine and a delightfully outspoken four-year-old. Throw scandal into the mix for a gripping and tender Regency love story

August 1816. Lord Frederick Danlow returns to England after spending 18 years in India. He plans to make a home for himself and his motherless, four-year-old daughter, Ruperta. Unsure where to start, he accepts an invitation to stay at Ponsonby Place, home of Colonel Jack Ponsonby who made his fortune in India, and his daughter Susannah, the mistress of the household.

Soon Frederick finds himself in need of a governess—and a wife? The more time he spends with Susannah, the more his admiration of her deepens. Is she the woman with whom he will share his life?

He is resolved to court her, but then his younger brother Henry engulfs his family in an appalling scandal that could prevent any lady from agreeing to a connection with it. Now Frederick must support his family during this ordeal.

But what of Susannah? What will she say when she hears of the scandal? Should he, dare he offer her his heart and his hand?

Buy Lord Frederick’s Return here: https://mybook.to/Frederick

My thoughts

When I see a new Catherine Kullmann novel is out, I immediately buy it immediately. She writes fluently and vividly so you can settle back easily to enjoy the story. Her research is impeccable; you are immersed in early 19th century life from the first page. 

Some of the values and attitudes seem quite odd to us now. The social and sexual mores for young white men in British India seem harsh on local women and the children of such unions. However, Ms Kullman treads carefully but authentically through these, particularly in relation to race, colonial life and illegitimacy. 

We  are led into many aspects of life in these times, not only the graceful life in a country gentleman’s residence but the uncompromising court system at the Old Bailey, the discomfort and boredom of long distance travel as well as the equal discomfort of living in a draughty medieval castle in the north.

The romance is delicately developed, sensitive without ever falling into sentimentality. Both parties are perfectly aware of their social and material environment and the author navigates this step by careful step.  Highly recommended!

Alison Morton is the author of Roma Nova thrillers –  INCEPTIO, CARINA (novella), PERFIDITAS, SUCCESSIO,  AURELIA, NEXUS (novella), INSURRECTIO  and RETALIO,  and ROMA NOVA EXTRA, a collection of short stories.  Audiobooks are available for four of the series. Double Identity, a contemporary conspiracy, starts a new series of thrillers. JULIA PRIMA,  Roma Nova story set in the late 4th century, starts the Foundation stories. The sequel, EXSILIUM, is now out.

Find out more about Roma Nova, its origins, stories and heroines and taste world the latest contemporary thriller Double Identity… Download ‘Welcome to Alison Morton’s Thriller Worlds’, a FREE eBook, as a thank you gift when you sign up to Alison’s monthly email update. As a result, you’ll be among the first to know about news and book progress before everybody else, and take part in giveaways.