The XO Interview: KJ Charles
The romance author on money, villains getting their comeuppance and a surprising amount of beetles.
KJ Charles writes exceptionally smart, gorgeous romance novels with a wonderful dry wit, deep emotion and sense of humor. Her characters include smugglers, blackmailers, jewel thieves, taxidermists, detectives and other wickedly fun folks. For the XO interview, I asked about making the leap from editor to writer, how to deftly work in lots of historical detail, and what brings her joy from romance novels. She told me about zoodbitty mutch (not a typo!).
How did you first discover the romance genre? Was there a book that was “The One” for you?
My mother had a complete set of Georgette Heyers. Enough said. Freddy from Cotillion (none too bright but deeply kind) and Avon from These Old Shades (manipulative amoral bastard) remain my Romance Archetypes.
You used to be a book editor before “fleeing the scene” to write historical romance full time. Can you tell us about making that leap? As an editor, what advice do you have for writers—and do you follow it? ;-)
I got sick of publishing. It was partly the pay which, with childcare and travel factored in, meant I was just breaking even by working, with no likelihood of improvement. (I am a huge supporter of the HarperCollins strike because it’s grotesque how poorly publishing companies pay everyone but the C suite.) Also, I recall walking into the office and saying out loud, “God I hate books,” which was probably a bad sign.
On the plus side, this made it easy to quit. I’d published about five books with Samhain by then and money was starting to come in, and we figured it was worth a try to see how I could do, with freelance editorial as a backup. (I talk about money quite a lot, because authors, like teachers and nurses, are in that special class of often female people who are told we don’t need to be paid more than a pittance because the work is its own reward. To which I can only say: no.)
So I took the leap and it worked. I am exceedingly fortunate in having space at home to write and a supportive partner, and wow has it helped that the kids have got older.
I miss editing sometimes—I loved doing it, best job in the world if they actually paid you—and I do a lot of posts on my blog with musings about writing, or writing tips. Most of them boil down to ‘write mindfully’, in the end: actually think in close detail about what you’re saying, and what you’re trying to do, and how your words support that. It’s easy to say, and even easier to forget when you’re in a rush, but stopping for a close look at what you’re doing fixes most problems.
My book club once did a close read of a scene in one of your books—it might have been An Unseen Attraction—where the heroes are in a London pub. But we looked closely at how expertly and elegantly you presented a diverse and accurate historical London through your description of the place and the people in it. Can you talk about what goes into crafting scenes so full of historical detail?
I have accumulated a fairly substantial library by now! Writers like Rozina Visram (Asians in Britain) or David Olusoga (Black and British) or Rictor Norton (Mother Clap’s Molly House) have done vast amounts of work pulling out accounts of people’s lives. In An Unseen Attraction I was able to name the pub where working class Indians went, and the games they played, and even the fact they had a regular sitar player, because all of that information is out there, being diligently gathered by historians who are stripping off the whitewash.
Obviously you can’t just plonk it on the page: it has to be incorporated and digested and presented as part of the tapestry. I think the best way to convey historical detail is as part of a scene doing something else: slide it in as background instead of drawing attention to it. Readers will still pick it up but if it’s not front and centre, it feels like a natural part of the picture rather than an extraneous ‘hey, check out my research!’ moment.
The other thing is, I love historical detail. I love knowing the secret ingredient of the paint colour called “mummy brown” (it was what it says on the tin. No, really) and in-depth details of the 1873 fog, and what mock turtle soup was made of, and the big movie stars in 1924, and how to stuff a canary for use on a hat. As I’m writing this I’m revelling in the fact that my 1815 Epicure’s Almanack mentions a fish sauce (or pickle) called zoobditty mutch. It was widely sold and advertised for some fifty years and literally nobody has any idea now what was in it or what it tasted like. This is driving me nuts, and I am clearly not going to be able to use it in a book, unless I want a bunch of self appointed editors sending me DMs about a weird typo. However, in following that up I’ve become obsessed by just how much soy sauce was used in Regency cookery and as a table condiment. There’s worlds of information out there and endless rabbit holes to dive down, not knowing where they’ll lead: that’s the joy of the job.
Your new book The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen has smugglers, blackmail, and a secret romance between our two heroes. What else can you tell us about it?
I had a lot of fun with it! I wanted to do a proper rural Gothic sort of book, and Romney Marsh (a very remote, isolated, unpopulated bit of Kent famous for smuggling) felt just right. I made a couple of research trips and read a lot of pulp set there, and went for a full-on shenanigans-filled plot, since Joss and Gareth are really a terribly sweet couple when they aren’t in the middle of total chaos. Unfortunately, total chaos is what they get. /evil grin/
There is also what Publishers Weekly called “a surprising amount of beetles for a romance”, a quote I want on my gravestone.
What brings you joy from romance novels?
It’s that satisfying feeling of something going right in the world. That people will be good and kind, that love can win, that the lovers will stand together and uplift one another, and with luck that someone horrible will get their comeuppance. And, of course, the certainty from page 1 that I will get that feeling delivered by the end, no matter how rocky the road there.
The XO Interview: KJ Charles
“A surprising amount of beetles for a romance” is that great or what? Here’s hoping that KJ Charles doesn’t need to engrave that on a gravestone anytime soon!