Trying new things: Crossovers

In a recent post I mentioned that Silbrith introduced meta concepts to our Caffrey Conversation series. She also introduced the use of crossovers, bringing Supernatural characters to our series. When I first started writing the series, I considered a crossover with Psych, but changed my mind. Here we are, four years after I published the first story in our series, and I've finally tried writing a crossover.

Costume Trivia Challenge

Just in time for Mardi Gras, it's time to play Caffrey Conversation Costume Trivia! Can you match the characters to the various disguises and costumes Penna and I have placed them in?

Trying new things: New Fandoms

Last year my intention to make a lot of progress on an original novel was overthrown by a number of factors including procrastination. Sigh. At least I have an outline and character sketches, and inspiration is flowing again.

This year I decided to try a few writing exercises to get me started. Those exercises involved fulfilling requests from a story gift exchange and from an auction, which pushed me into other fandoms. As much as I love White Collar and the Caffrey Conversation AU, it's been good to explore more worlds as a writer.

The Meta World of Writing Partners

Last week in Penna's post on metafiction, she described how we've used Arkham Files to write stories where the characters are aware they're in a work of fiction. Reading her thoughts on the subject caused me to reflect on the similarities between Arkham Files and the meta lives we're leading as writers.

Klaus Always Loved the Classics

In canon, Mozzie and Neal often referred to Kate's love for the classics. In our series, that fondness has been usurped by the two villainous brothers, Klaus and Rolf Mansfeld, and the classics they love are of the musical variety.

Trying new things: Meta

When I started exploring fan fiction back in 2012, I ran into a few White Collar “meta” stories that intrigued me. These were stories where Peter and Neal were aware that they were characters. One that particularly stands out in my memory featured them complaining about the concept of “whump” and wondering why fan fiction authors enjoyed making them suffer.

The Secret Side of Sara

It's a given that Neal keeps secrets. He's a master con artist, after all. Concealing his true self has become second nature. Neal hides things not only to protect himself but also to shield others from any fallout. There's also a playful aspect where keeping secrets has become a game. Neal enjoys being thought of as mysterious and deliberately cultivates the image. In Chapter 3 of Echoes of a Violin, Neal discovers that Sara also has a secretive side.

Neal the Romantic

Elizabeth had Neal pegged from the start. In the pilot episode of White Collar, Peter was hesitant to take a chance on Neal. He admitted to Neal that his wife was the one who convinced him. Peter thought it was crazy for anyone with such a short time left on his sentence to break out of prison. Elizabeth said he did it out of love for Kate. Peter told Neal she called him a romantic. Elizabeth was right.