An Imp on His Shoulder

Oh, Mozzie! Such a gift the creative minds behind White Collar gave us when they created him. Whether he's devising a con, obsessing about his latest conspiracy theory, unraveling an abstruse code, or misquoting one of the greats, Mozzie is an imaginative genius. In Chapter 9 of The Mirror, he has the opportunity to display his mastery of yet another skill when he assumes the role of a birdwatcher. Speaking from personal knowledge, I can testify to many birders also being known for their obsessive behavior. It's no wonder that Mozzie excels at it.

Playing Hide and Seek in the Caffrey Conversation AU

It’s Easter, which means I’m seeing many references to the tradition of hiding eggs for children to seek out. And that reminds me of how the game of hide and seek has become a recurring theme in our Caffrey Conversation AU.

A Flip of the Canvas

"Why would you forge an artwork?"

That is the question Elizabeth Burke asks Neal Caffrey in Penna's story By the Book. It's a natural question. Neal is a gifted artist. What caused him to use his talent to imitate others? The conversation that follows between Neal, Elizabeth, and Peter reveals not only why he chose that path but how he developed his skill.

Happy Birthday to Neal Caffrey!

In White Collar, Neal Caffrey told Peter Burke that his birthday is March 21, and if you follow the White Collar Closure twitter account you’ve seen they are gathering signatures for Neal’s birthday card.

(Warning for spoilers for several of our Caffrey Conversation stories.)

I gave Neal a surprise birthday party near the end of my story Caffrey Flashback, where Neal and friends and family sing and dance and eat a great meal and swap stories. Thinking back to that chapter, I’m reminded of the differences between canon Neal and the version of him in our AU.

A Tale of Two Saras

In the TV show White Collar, the relationship between Sara Ellis and Neal Caffrey ia one of the most complicated of the series. Sara's an insurance investigator who found herself attracted to Neal even when she was at odds with him. At times, she protected Neal, but in other instances she sought to have him arrested.

Baby Bear: When Characters Talk to Writers

Often Silbrith and I describe our characters as talking to us, demanding that their stories be told. My favorite example of a character talking to me was Baby Bear.

(Warning: mild spoilers for Woman in Blue and Caffrey Aloha.)

The Baby Bear joke originated in late 2014, when Silbrith sent me the final chapters of her Woman in Blue for edits. There’s a scene where Peter and Neal are stargazing, and Peter points out constellations that he identifies with himself and Elizabeth. Hers is Ursa Major (Mama Bear), and Neal tells Peter he refuses to be Ursa Minor. But alas, poor Neal, once that idea was in my mind it wouldn’t let go. I’d just started writing Caffrey Disclosure, and in the second chapter I decided to reveal that when Neal was a baby, his grandmother called him Baby Bear because of the way he growled when he was unhappy.

Raquel LaRoque

In writing The Mirror, I drew inspiration from the White Collar season three episode "On the Fence" which also featured Ancient Egyptian artifacts. A key character in that episode was Raquel LaRoque, played by Eliza Dushku, and I've included her in my story as well.

Caffrey Conversation Background

Today I’m starting the outline for my next project, after taking a brief break from writing – although I spent quite a bit of time in research and upgrading my hardware and software in anticipation of the new project. In other words, it didn’t always feel like a break…

I suppose it isn’t surprising that I’ve been thinking back to prior writing projects, pondering what made them fail or succeed, in the hopes that I’ll go in the right direction this time. The Caffrey Conversation series is absolutely something I think of as a success, and here are some things that I think helped me get off on the right foot with the initial story.

The Campbell Apartment

The Campbell Apartment, one of New York City's most famous bars, is the setting for Neal's meeting with Matthew Keller in Chapter 5 of The Mirror. Neal mentions the bar as being a favorite of his former boss, Vincent Adler. Vincent Adler, the corrupt CEO of a hedge fund, and Matthew Keller, a thief, were the two principal villains in the TV show White Collar. Their storylines didn't cross in canon, but in The Mirror Peter is suspicious of a connection. Later events in the story will determine whether or not he's right.