Word Out 2011

Hi there everyone!  Today we are hosting a virtual visit with Y.S. Lee, talented author of the Victorian-era mystery The Agency:  The Body at the Tower.  She's very kindly agreed to answer a few of our burning questions about Mary Quinn, Victorian teen detective, and her world. Here we go!

We love Mary's mysterious heritage, especially on her father's side.  Are you going to develop that any further?

Lee:  Absolutely!  Mary's family history plays a major role in The Agency 3: The Traitor in the Tunnel, when a man who strongly resembles Mary's dead father gets mixed up with the royal family. And one of the reasons I wanted to write a fourth Agency novel was to explore this subject a little further.  (I don't have a pub. date yet, but I'm thrilled to say that The Agency 4:  Rivals in the City will complete the Mary Quinn series). 

I've read an interview where you say that the Agency series was partly a product of your disappointment in the ending of Jane Eyre, where Jane marries Rochester, a character you do not admire.  I'm not too impressed with James Easton after his cold reaction to Mary's background story.  You set him up as a romantic interest so well, and then he turns out to be less supportive and understanding than Mary needs him to be. Why?

Don't you hate flawless characters?  I do.  I wanted James to be imperfect and to make mistakes. One of his traits (which he shares with Mary) is that he's quick to judge and very decisive–a strength that becomes a weakness, in this case.  Meanwhile, Mary is strong enough to do without him, if she has to.  Because of her character and her background, she's not dependent on any one person for love and support and I think that's important, too.  But don't worry–James is back in The Traitor in the Tunnel and while I don't want to give away too much, I will say that the course of true love never did run smooth…

I found one of the most affecting parts about The Body at the Tower was the sub-plot involving Peter Jenkins, the horrible conditions he lives in and the way he is beaten and injured on the job site.  Those scenes had a big impact on me.  What was it like to write them?

Thank you–I'm glad you mentioned this!  Poverty and injustice are often airbrushed out of historical fiction in favour of ballrooms and tea parties. It was incredibly important to me to include Peter Jenkin's side of life because his was the majority experience. The scenes were hard to research but I began with details from some Victorian novels and autobiographies, then moved on to thinking in detail about the basics I take for granted:  clean water, ample food, daylight, fresh air, space.  Then I had to reverse all my comfortable assumptions and really try to imagine lacking all these things. The scenes were also hard to write because I just wanted to swoop in and rescue the Jenkins family. 

I did too!  Thanks so much for chatting with us today.