Hallo, Hallo dear hearts,
I originally had planned to listen to the audiobook version of “The Silent Woman” via my Scribd subscription (which I use for the #AudioReads) as I found it to be a better listening experience which suited my budget a bit better right now than Audible. As I started to listen to the narrator perform the story, I had a rather surprising reaction to the narrator’s approach at presenting the story; hence why I asked a question regarding the narrator in this interview.
To be completely transparent, I had trouble settling into the context of the story-line due to the narrator directly to where I truly felt this could be a case of where the narrator killed the book for me which has happened in the past.
Not wanting to let go of the participanting on the blog tour and trying to hold onto the curiosity I had about the Cat Carlisle series – I decided to swich from an audiobook review to an author interview rather than featuring both for the tour. After I gather some distance from the story – I am going to see if I can seek out a copy in print via my local library – to see if having my own imagination and interpretation of the author’s written voice might lend a different takeaway.
It is hard when you have this one version of the story and can’t shift into an alternative immediately to tell the difference between the two – however, in the past, I was first introduced to Phillipa Keyworth in print & lateron found I much preferred her stories in audiobook. Her narrator changed my entire impression of her style of Historical narratives – in that train of thought, I am thinking perhaps for whichever reason, the opposite is true? Perhaps I am better to read the Cat Carlisle series in print and let go of the idea of an audio version which in my eyes did not justify the series Ms Thomas has written.
I am truly overjoyed to be presenting this convo I shared with Ms Thomas – who took her time to answer my questions – digging into the heart of Cat Carlisle and giving all of us a better first impression on what this series can reveal to us as we’re reading it. I also wanted to highlight her writerly life and which Historical novelists she personally enjoys reading – as let’s face it, those of us who love to disappear into the historic past can NEVER have too many recommendations!
Be sure to brew your favourite cuppa
& settle into a comfy chair whilst you enjoy this interview!
The Silent Woman (Interview)
by Terry Lynn Thomas
Narrator: Jan Cramer
Would you sell your secrets?
Catherine Carlisle is trapped in a loveless marriage and the threat of World War Two is looming. She sees no way out… that is until a trusted friend asks her to switch her husband’s papers in a desperate bid to confuse the Germans.
Soon Catherine finds herself caught up in a deadly mixture of espionage and murder. Someone is selling secrets to the other side, and the evidence seems to point right at her.
Can she clear her name before it’s too late?
Places to find the book:
ASIN: B07KCKN37Z
Also by this author: The Silent Woman (Spotlight)
Published by HarperCollins Publishers, HarperCollins UK, HQ Digital
on 18th November, 2018
Format: Audiobook | Digital
Length: 7 hours and 36 minutes (unabridged)
Published By: HQ Digital UK (@HQDigitalUK)
an imprint of HarperCollinsUK (@HarperCollinsUK)
The Cat Carlisle series:
The Silent Woman (book one)
The Family Secret (book two)
Converse via: #CatCarlisle + #HistFic or #HistNov
as well as #HistoricalMystery and #HistoricalFiction
Available Formats: Trade Paperback, Audiobook and Ebook
How did you choose to begin your story in the Prologue – where we are caught inside the turmoil of a fractured relationship between a brother and sister due to the sister’s impulsive marriage which was going to alter their lives during the war in Germany?
Thomas responds: This response contains a spoiler.
Without giving a spoiler, I’ll simply say that it didn’t go well for her or her brother.
As you shifted away from the Prologue as the novel begins to step into the life of Cat Carlisle what were you hoping readers might appreciate about the back-story and the segue into Cat’s world?
Thomas responds: This is a really good question. The Cat Carlisle books – although set in World War 2 – are really English village who-done-its. In 1937, Hitler had violated pretty much all the tenets of the Treaty of Versailles, had conscripted an army, built planes, and had beefed up a war machine. During my research, I discovered cabinet minutes that discussed this, but the English people were never told the truth. Neville Chamberlain was all about appeasing Hitler. Talk about a sham job! Historically, that situation could have sealed England’s – and perhaps the world’s – fate. I wanted the reader to see the tension in Germany and compare it directly to life in the UK at that time, wherein a few people knew what was happening, but many didn’t.
I was curious – did you have an influence of choice when it came to selecting your narrator? And, if so, what were your first thoughts about her approach to narrating the story and your after thoughts after having heard it?
Thomas responds: Unfortunately, I had no say in my narrator. My publisher takes care of all that. True confession: It’s really hard for me to listen to my own books. I can’t explain it, but it just makes me nervous. And I am an audio junkie. Since I spend so much time writing, I predominantly rely on audiobooks for my fiction. When I write my books, I hear a specific narrator in my head, and I always read my books out loud once to catch syntax errors.
I had a feeling if you had heard this narrator ahead of time you might have thought she was the wrong fit for the story – that was the main reason I wanted to ask as I felt she did your novel a disservice. I can understand where your coming from though – each of us who writes a story has a particular attachment to their characters, their worlds and the context of how the story plays inside our hearts & imaginations. If the voice we’re listening to takes us ‘out of that experience’ it could be as determential as a reader who finds a narrator disagreeable to a novel.
I’ve heard of this technique, however for me, reading aloud or re-reading in the standard sense isn’t the best way for me to ‘catch’ my own writerly errors – being a dyslexic writer, I rely on a copy editor to help me weed out the issues and also to see the mistakes I might miss or overlook myself as whenever I read a piece I’ve written I only see how it is meant to be said rather than how I blundered it.
What do you think is more challenging – setting a story during a well-known era in History or making a believable character readers can feel close to as they read their journey? Or is it equal as each has its own set of challenge to fleshing out what you want to say in both instances?
Thomas responds: I think both are challenging. World War II is remarkable to me because of the sacrifices and courage shown by ordinary people. This type of selfless courage and bravery seems a rare commodity in these times. So while we have characters dealing with internal struggles, finding love, breaking away from family ties, etc., we have them living with the idea that their lives could change immeasurably at any moment. Although my books are set during World War II, the actual war is more of a setting than a plot issue.
I almost sensed this when I was in the initial first chapters of “The Silent Woman” – that the war era was merely the place this story was set rather than the overall gist of what was inclusive to the story-line to shift forward. It is interesting how you can set a series with the backdrop of war and previously I have found this to work rather brilliantly – not just in fiction but in serial dramas such as “Foyle’s War”, “Home Fires” and after the war in “Bletchley Circle: San Francisco”. It is like you said – there are a lot of ‘stories’ left untold – before, during and after the war era concluded to where I can foresee writers feeling inspired to continue to pen the stories readers haven’t yet had the pleasure of reading til they find them being published.
What drew you to writing Historical Mysteries during the war generation and how far forward to do you see the Cat Carlisle series going past the 1940s?
Thomas responds: World War II fiction has certainly enjoyed a massive upsurge in the past five years or so. I chose this genre because as the generation that witnessed the atrocities of Nazi regime fade away, their stories should be memorialised.
The idea that a man like Adolph Hitler could rise to power has always fascinated me, and the way to understand how something like that could happen is to under the historical events and political climate of that time. A search for this understanding, led my writer’s mind to a curiosity about the brave people who stood to lose so much.
So while the Cat Carlisle books are conventional mysteries, their set under the shadow of a very frightening time in history because we must always remember this war and those would fought it. I have another Cat Carlisle book which will release in November of 2019. After that, I’ll set the series aside, while I write a new mystery series that takes place in modern times. I do have Cat stories that would take me all the way through the 1950s, and may develop those into novellas at some future time.
The worst part about History is when History becomes irrelevant which is unthinkable to me as without a proper understanding of the past, we cannot fully understand our present much less embrace the future yet to be lived. I like how you’ve thought through the progression of the series but also, how the series could evolve later into novellas – hopefully those might be cross-released either in an omnibus print edition or find a home with a narrator who fully embraces the spirit of the series.
When it comes to style what do you love most about how you developed Cat’s image and what were some of your favourite pieces she wears in the book?
Thomas responds: I wrote Cat Carlisle as a sophisticated, well-heeled London lady, and I had a blast perusing fashion magazines and picking out her clothes! (And OMG – the hats!) Cat is a red-head, so I loved dressing her in tropical weight wool suits – popular at the time – in shades of emerald green and rich blue. She doesn’t struggle with style. She’s an elegant woman, and her dress designers love her.
The Silent Woman takes place in 1937, so clothes rationing hadn’t started yet. Despite all of Cat’s clothes and the opulence of the Carlisle household, Cat takes it all with a grain of salt. She sees her husband’s wealth and all that it brings as a burden and a curse. Since she was not born into this upper-class lifestyle, she has no problem snubbing her nose at the parts of it that are ridiculous.
The hats are some of the best bits of these past generations – being a girl who has an affinity for the fashion and style of those generations, I can see why you were smitten over those hats! I did start to see a smidge of this part of Cat’s personality – the absurdity of the lifestyle she was caught inside but also the stern & strict rules she was forced to endure by her husband’s family. I could see how this would evolve forward into the story – how she would continue to want to put distance between the Carlisle’s and herself. Still though – what a delight of joy for YOU to research the clothes and the ways she could express herself through fashion!
As this is a story about one woman’s journey towards self-redemption and having more self-worth than others expect out of her – how did you develop this would benefit Cat to become involved in the espionage game whilst still keeping her rooted on the journey of developing her own path of freedom out from under the Carlisle family?
Thomas responds: When characters arc in any story, their change should be deep to the core and utterly life changing. I like to think of it as a galvanising process. They have to walk a fiery gauntlet which should not only entertain the reader, but which should be intense enough to force them to continue the path and risk their lives, if necessary.
Cat wanted freedom from her horrible marriage. She was willing to work at menial jobs and do whatever was necessary to get away. What better opportunity than for her to serve her country? The adrenaline rush and the excitement certainly pushed Cat into some reckless behaviour. This thread of the story also helped me to showcase an important characteristic of Cat’s: Not only is she unpredictable, she likes to help people! I will say that after the events of this story, Cat’s mission in life is to help women who are stuck in horrible domestic situations. (In the next book, she opens a refuge for battered women. It doesn’t go well!)
I could see this about her – she has a strong sense of responsiblity threading into her character – she wants to stand for those without a voice or the internal strength to rise above their circumstances – that in of itself was something I saw flickering in her from a distance and partially what inspired me to read her story in the first place. She is quite the remarable woman – living in an era where there was a lot stacked against her but she wasn’t the type to back down or to feel that something was too impossible to achieve.
Cat has had a lot of trauma and disappointments sent her way – what inspired you the most as you set your mind on her future rather than her past?
Thomas responds: Like all women of this era, Cat was constrained by her sex. She needed her husband, father, or brother in order to open a bank account or rent a flat. Although women still have a long way to go (fair wages, etc.), it’s important for us to realise how far we’ve come. It was inspired to show a way around the social constraints placed on all women during the time period. I was further inspired and driven to show a strong female lead who saved herself. I think I succeed with Cat Carlisle. She is so much fun to write!
I believe this is a viable character to be featuring right now – as like you said – without the women behind us, none of us would be rising together in the present much less in the future. This is one reason I am thankful I was inspired by my Mum as a young girl to be an intersectional feminist – to champion the cause for all women, for women and by women – as each of us has something to cheer about whilst we also have a lot still yet to overcome. It might be a continued journey but there is a lot of hope right now by how organised we continue to be and how strong we all are to continue shining a light on the issues, causes and movements which are important to us all.
Are there other Historical Mystery novelists you enjoy reading who set their stories during the war years? If so, who are they and which series grips you the most?
Thomas responds: I have a passion for Golden Age Detective fiction, and still reach for authors such as Agatha Christie, Patricia Wentworth, Dorothy Eden, and Mary Stewart. Although I love Jane Marple (Agatha Christie’s spinster detective), I have to say my favourite is Patricia Wentworth’s Miss Silver.
Patricia Wentworth weaves a rich tapestry of the war years in the UK, without shoving the historical details down your throat. I have the entire Miss Silver collection and listen to them over and over. There’s a dignity about stories written in this era that resonates with me.
Most importantly, I like a fast-moving mystery, with the historical components lightly sprinkled in unless they serve the plot. As for modern authors, Jacqueline Winspear and Susan Elia MacNeal (I could list dozens) are my go-to modern-day authors.
OOh, I do as well! I grew up reading all sorts of Mysteries but when I was given my first Agatha Christie anthology – it was like a whole new layer of the genre was opened up in front of me! I was definitely a HUGE appreciator of Miss Marple and it took me until my late twenties to mid-thirities to appreciate the stoic sincereity of Poirot. I think he was just too unapproachable as a child but as an adult, I suppose I’ve matured into loving his quirkable nature! lol
I’ll have to seek out the novelists I’ve not yet read – Wentworth, Eden & Stewart along with MacNeal – though I have heard of a few of them, they are not yet on my readerly radar. From what you’ve shared about MIss Silver I’m going to begin there – she sounds like a good stepping stone past Miss Marple and a character who seems fit for me to enjoy meeting!
I’ve had the Maisie Dobbs series earmarked to read for ages – but it was a blog tour where I had my first sampling of her stories and I simply fell in LOVE! I wonder if you’ve read the Bess Crawford Mysteries by Charles Todd? This is another series I want to back-read and then continue forward as between Maisie Dobbs & Bess Crawford, I know I have two women I won’t want to say ‘goodbye’ to anytime soon!
When you’re not researching and writing what renews your spirits?
Thomas responds: Trees or the ocean! I love being outside in nature. I have two dogs and a husband and we love to hike in the woods. I live in the southern United States, and really appreciate the historical homes and cemeteries in this part of the world.
Thanks for having me, Jorie.
I hope your readers enjoy The Silent Woman.
I couldn’t agree more, Ms Thomas! I *love!* being out in nature & being amongst the natural world’s environs – seeking out wildlife and natural landscapes is a balm to my soul. I also love photography and the two walk hand in hand together as you never have to hike very far to feel awe-inspired or to feel stilled by a wild animal or bird of prey seeing you as you are first observing them wherever you have come upon them.
Historical homes are my favourites – as they have such a strong sense of self & personality – older homes have the best bones because they have built-in niches of historic features that are simply removed by today’s modern builders. They have character and you can ‘see history’ just by how they were built – whilst I must admit, spending time in cementaries is a personal favourite as well. Not to mention they sometimes have the best (& quietest!) parks to explore!
Thank you for your candor and for your time for delving into your writing life, giving us an overview of Cat Carlisle and sharing a bit of your life outside of your writing endeavours! It was a pleasure to have you here on Jorie Loves A Story.
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Please note: I spotlighted this blog tour ahead of featuring this interview whilstl I opted out of listening to the audiobook in consideration for review.
Similar to blog tours where I feature book reviews, as I choose to highlight an author via a Guest Post, Q&A, Interview, etc., I do not receive compensation for featuring supplemental content on my blog. I provide the questions for interviews and topics for the guest posts; wherein I receive the responses back from publicists and authors directly. I am naturally curious about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of stories and the writers who pen them; I have a heap of joy bringing this content to my readers. This also extends to Book Spotlights & Book Blitzes which I choose to highlight which might have content inclusive to the post materials which I did not directly add a contribution but had the choice whether or not to feature those materials on my blog.
{SOURCES: Book cover for “The Silent Woman”, book synopsis, author biography, author photograph of Terry Lynn Thomas, the tour host badge and HFVBTs badge were all provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers badge by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Conversations with the Bookish banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2019.
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