Who's in charge here?

Several months ago I decided to write a Caffrey Conversation story to post in December, and I called it "Ghosts of Christmas Past." So why am I posting a story called "In the Driver's Seat" instead?

Lion's Lair: Clueless in Arkham

Readers of my Caffrey Conversation stories know that there is a romantic subplot revolving around New York Neal and Sara. Diana Berrigan, who writes the Arkham Files stories, is being given suggestions by secret matchmakers Elizabeth, Henry, and June. They hope Arkham Neal and Sara's relationship will nudge their New York counterparts in Cupid's direction. Sara and Neal are well aware of the conspiracy. In response, they've hatched their own scheme, the Clueless con, to keep their dates a secret. They're not shy about offering their own ideas for the stories.

Neal's Support System

When I started writing the Caffrey Conversation series, I wanted Neal to feel less alone than he did in White Collar canon. I set out to give him stronger relationships with his coworkers, and to show him as part of a family.

Messages to Azathoth: The Lion and The Serpent

Diana had dreamed up the idea of writing Arkham Files as a way to help keep Peter and Neal safe. An unidentified criminal was known to be stalking them. Their foe had demonstrated a fascination with the world of horror- writer H.P. Lovecraft, causing Mozzie to give him the nickname of Azathoth. Diana reasoned that provoking him with stories featuring members of the White Collar team could lead to his eventual unmasking. The profiler on the case, Tricia Wiese, saw an additional benefit. She hoped to manipulate the plots to make Azathoth experience reverse Stockholm syndrome, where the criminal develops feelings of empathy toward his captives.

Library Acquisition: The Red Chamber

The Red Chamber is the second story in Tales from the Library, a series based on The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. In the previous story, A Scandal in Montmartre, a routine mission to collect a rare copy of Candide by Voltaire for the Library turned deadly when scorpions attacked Kai in the Paris apartment of Count Lecerf. Irene and Kai suspect the count is Fae, but they have no proof. Particularly troubling was that the scorpions focused their attack exclusively on Kai.

Backdrop to Shadow's Dream

Shadow's Dream is the fourth story in Six-Crossed Knot, a series based on the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. The action takes place in May of 1591. Diana and Matthew returned about a week ago from a trip to Prague, where they'd spent the past two months.

All in the Family

When it comes to dysfunctional families, the Greek gods set the gold standard. As is the case with mortals, problems more often than not can be traced back to the head of the family, and Zeus fits the pattern. Worshiped as the king of the gods, Zeus was also the chief philanderer. His sister Hera was well aware of his deplorable proclivities. She grudgingly agreed to marry him to spare herself further embarrassment after he seduced her. Zeus apparently loved nothing so much as shapeshifting into another appearance so he could cavort with mortal maidens. For her part, Hera's acts of jealousy and vengeance are legendary. There's more than a hint of Zeus in Astrena. Her rightful domain is the stars, but she prefers to live on Earth. Like Zeus, she's fascinated by mortals, but in Astrena's case, the consequences for her victims are deadly. So far, she's managed to keep her family spats out of view. That's about to change, and it begins in Night Howls on the Hudson.

Mozzie the Master Storyteller

One of the many delights that writing in an AU provides is the ability to develop aspects of a character that may have only been hinted about in canon. The seeds for Neal's life as a grad student at Columbia can be found in "Upper West Side Story" when Neal had a fling at teaching in a prep school. During that episode, we learned all his diplomas were forgeries, and that he'd never graduated from high school. Neal told Peter that if his sentence was commuted, he might go back to school and get a master's. Fast forward to Caffrey Conversation where Neal is in the doctorate program at Columbia University. Neal's partner in crime, Mozzie, is experiencing a similar transformation in Caffrey Conversation.

Double, double toil and trouble

During the Renaissance Festival in Night Howls on the Hudson, Neal and Sara give impromptu performances of some of Shakespeare's most romantic moments. They're unaware that their actions inspire another to perform a rendition of another Shakespeare play, The Tempest. Astrena, goddess of witches and vampires, who is currently living among mortals as Electra, is not amused when Neal kisses another. She is as merciless as the witches in Macbeth, and she has no need of a cauldron to exact vengeance.

Back to the Cauldron

It's part of White Collar canon lore that Neal's romantic side is a vulnerability. In Caffrey Conversation, Rolf and Klaus Mansfeld have planted Bianka at Columbia University to take advantage of that weakness. After an intensive study of Neal's former loves Kate and Fiona, they selected a blend of qualities designed to appeal to Neal. Physical beauty, artistic talent, innocence, and sensuality were all placed in the magic cauldron, and they groomed Bianka to fit that image. But potions don't always work. Neal was never attracted to Bianka romantically, and now that he knows she's a tool of his arch-enemies, she's the one being conned.

Goya, a Lasting Influence

When I last wrote about Francisco Goya for our blog, I explored the connection between the art thief Curtis Hagen and the Spanish master artist, both in canon and in our series. At the time I was posting Raphael's Dragon, a Caffrey Conversation story. Hagen's ties to Goya were reinforced in the Crossed Lines story Witches' Sabbath when Hagen was held prisoner by Electra's sister Alcy. Neal had an opportunity to speak with Hagen in the witch's house and quizzed him about Goya. Hagen confessed that he'd experienced an unusual attraction to the artist. Like Neal, Hagen was a forger, but he wasn't at Neal's level. Unlike Neal, he didn't normally feel like he was merging with the artist when he made a forgery. But with Goya he did. He commented that it was as if Goya was in his mind.

Family Treasures

A favorite concept of Supernatural canon lore is that Dean and Sam rely on their father's journal. John Winchester made notes of his experiences throughout his career as a hunter. In the pilot episode, Dean acquired the worn notebook, and since then it has been their primary reference manual. To an outsider, the pages appear full of arcane scribbles and drawings. For Dean and Sam, it's a priceless resource.

The Wolf Pack

So far no actual wolves have popped into my current story, Night Howls on the Hudson, but they've been much on my mind. Wolves are a recurring theme in many of our series.

Backdrop to Night's Witness

Night's Witness is the third story in Six-Crossed Knot, a series based on the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. The action takes place in February 1591, shortly after Knot of One. Diana and Matthew are living in the Hart and Crown in the Blackfriars district of London. They've welcomed into their household two children. Annie is a teenage witch who is helping Diana, and Jack is an eight-year-old waif Diana rescued from the streets. Adjunct members of their household are the School of Night. This historical group of thinkers and scholars includes Christopher Marlowe, George Chapman, Thomas Harriot, Walter Raleigh, and Henry Percy (9th Earl of Northumberland). Night's Witness features the dynamic between the School of Night and the rest of the household.

Launch Point

Like many, I got my start in writing fanfics by thinking of a missing scene I wanted to describe. Often writers pick a TV episode, movie, or novel for their launch point. For me, it was a scene in an AU—Choirboy Caffrey.

Kate: No Longer in the Clouds

While Neal and his friends thought they were starring in a pirate adventure, for Kate Harlequin's Shadow has been more of a roller coaster.

Caffrey Conversation Trivia Challenge: Disney Movies

In Harlequin's Shadow, as Neal nears a hoard of plundered paintings, the references to buccaneers continue. Many of them are nods to pirates featured in movies by Walt Disney Pictures—Peter Pan, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Treasure Island. What better time to reduce a little of that kidnapping stress by engaging in a round of Caffrey Conversation trivia? The theme this time is Walt Disney movies, both live action and animated.

Artistic Easter Eggs: Van Gogh

There's a reason I saved Vincent Van Gogh for my final post on artists featured in Harlequin's Shadow. Unlike the others, he was not mentioned in canon. Instead, all the Easter eggs refer to previous Caffrey Conversation stories.

Role-playing Games

For Neal Caffrey, White Collar's quintessential Peter Pan, the U-boat con must seem like a dream gig. He and Henry are given full license to cavort like reckless and irresponsible pirates. But Neal likes to play fair, and it hasn't escaped his notice that once more Peter's gotten the short end of the stick. As the leader of the team, Peter has to be the responsible one—the designated driver. Wouldn't he rather stow away on the pirate ship?

Artistic Easter Eggs: Degas and Vermeer

In last week's post, I discussed the Easter eggs we've hidden for Raphael and Matisse, but the references to the French Impressionist Edgar Degas and the Dutch master Johannes Vermeer are just as numerous.

Is it a story without conflict?

In school I was taught that conflict was a required element when writing a story. But is it really necessary?

Artistic Easter Eggs: Raphael and Matisse

One of the delights of writing a long series is the greater potential for including references to earlier events. For Harlequin's Shadow, a story that concerns a treasure trove of plundered art, opportunities to plant artistic Easter eggs abound. Two of the largest eggs are for Raphael and Matisse.

Twisted Brothers

Readers have known for a while that the cybercriminal Rolf Mansfeld delights in psychological games. For almost a year he's fixed his sights on Neal and Peter. In Harlequin's Shadow, there are hints about an earlier target.

Sara's Dilemma

In Harlequin's Shadow, Sara laments that Neal has been targeted by a group of black widow spiders. It's bad enough that Python, the head of Ydrus, is a woman, but also lurking in the shadows is Kate. Could she make another play for Neal? Then there's Astrena, a Greek muse with lethal potential. In addition, Sara learns to her dismay that Neal has to pretend to be infatuated with the blonde bombshell Bianka. Black widows are known to eat their mates. This is not a good situation for him or Sara.

Undercurrents at Riffs

Neal and his friends believe Riffs is the hottest rock club in the Village. But it has a dark underbelly. Behind the scenes, a ring of hackers is running an ID fraud operation with an ominous twist—they're vampires.

The U-Boat Arc

The tale of a lost U-boat filled with art was one of the most delightful arcs of the White Collar TV series. Like many viewers, I was entranced in watching Neal and Peter work together to solve the mystery. But just at the moment of their greatest success, that partnership appeared to collapse when Peter believed Neal stole the salvaged treasure. Harlequin's Shadow is my humble attempt to provide a happier resolution to what happened in canon.

Neal the Buccaneer

I've long believed that Neal was destined to star in a pirate adventure. The canon references make it undeniable. Neal's got the part of a daring swashbuckler nailed, as exhibited by his Errol Flynn maneuver in the season 2 episode "Point Blank." His skill as a fencer was demonstrated in the season 3 episode "On Guard." Pirates are often depicted as charming rogues. That's Neal, all right. And, as if I needed more hooks, Peter called Neal Peter Pan in the season 1 episode "Bad Judgment. So, for all pirate-loving readers, I present Harlequin's Shadow. The team may call their operation the U-boat con, but Neal and his fellow buccaneers know that it's really a pirate tale.

Mind Games

White Collar is no stranger to board games. Mozzie uses Monopoly to plot strategy. He and June play high-stakes Candy Land. Although Neal is more a fan of chess, recently he and Sara adopted Clue as their strategy tool. He even briefly wonders if a game based on Bewitched wouldn't be more appropriate. But for the expert gamer, nothing beats the psychological games which are played without boards, and the game pieces are real people.

Calling All Matchmakers

Henry and Neal have often traded places, both literally and figuratively. They can imitate each other's voices. When they were younger, they looked enough alike that they could switch identities. They've also reversed roles. Henry assumed the role of big brother when Neal was an 18-year-old runaway. But Neal is always on the alert to act as protector for Henry when he gets into trouble.

The Clueless Con: A Winning Strategy

Neal and Sara invented the Clueless con as a way to date in secret. By pretending to date others who are actually avatars of themselves, they hope to foil the machinations of well-intentioned friends. At the start of Harlequin's Shadow, the con has primarily been a subject for pleasant conversation. Because of business trips, they've yet to go on a date. Even so, the con is already paying dividends.

Job searching is like an AU

There are probably people who enjoy searching for a job. I'm not one of them. I've just wrapped up a job search, and still have my sanity intact -- mostly. Looking back on the process, I can relate my experiences to writing a story, particularly a fanfiction alternate universe (AU) story.

The Artist and the Supernatural

In Harlequin's Shadow, Neal is ecstatic to have a reason to visit Auvers-sur-Oise. He's not the only one. This picturesque village west of Paris had my plot bunnies hopping for joy too. In my series Crossed Lines, I've blended Neal's ability as an artist with supernatural themes. Normally I relegate supernatural plots to the sidelines in the main Caffrey Conversation series, but the unusual predicament Neal finds himself in made that impossible for this story. There's no better site than Van Gogh's former home to explore the mashing of the real and surreal.

Neal's Lost Years

In Harlequin's Shadow, many of the scenes have their origins in what I call Neal's lost years. This period in his life begins in March 2001 when he flees the States on his twenty-first birthday and lasts until he is recruited by Peter in December 2003. Neal's flight to Europe was caused by his cousin Henry's father who blackmailed him to keep him from associating with Henry. Robert was one of a succession of poor mentors Neal latched onto. This is also the period when Neal landed on the radar screens of the FBI and Interpol. The Caffrey Conversation stories begin at the end of Neal's lost years, but we've been slowly lifting the veil on those earlier events.

The Beta Reader Conversation

Our post about this year's writing retreat mentioned a new method for giving feedback. When we received a request for more detail, it inspired us to write about the evolution of our process. Here's a look back and a glimpse forward at how we're providing feedback as beta readers, and what has made our beta/writer relationship successful.

Writing Retreat: 2018

Last year's writing retreat was such a blast that we had to plan a sequel for this year. We went for warmer weather and a different venue, while retaining the fun and creativity of the original retreat. It's a challenge to do it justice, but I can't help trying to share the joy on our blog, so here are the highlights.

Prelude to Harlequin's Shadow

Harlequin's Shadow begins 4 days after the completion of events in Dark Rabbit. It's mid-August. In a few weeks, classes will resume at Columbia University. This is Neal's second year in the graduate program where he's studying art history and visual arts. Luckily he doesn't have to crack open his books just yet because White Collar is about to embark on the most elaborate con it's ever devised. The double-pronged objective is to ensnare fugitive hedge fund manager Vincent Adler and the criminal organization Ydrus. The team's dubbed it the U-boat con.

Shadow Worlds

The TV series White Collar juxtaposed Peter's world of the FBI with Mozzie's shadowy existence as a con artist and thief. Much of the dramatic tension was derived from Neal who straddled both domains. In Caffrey Conversation, Penna and I have nudged the two worlds closer together. At first, Mozzie merely tolerated the new coexistence. Now, more often than not, he is cooperating with those he used to lump together as the Enemy. With Crossed Lines, I added a second shadow world to the mix—the magical realm of witches, vampires, and other supernatural spirits. Can they also learn to coexist?

Bloodlines: A Female Perspective

"It's in my blood" is a key expression for both Supernatural and White Collar. In an earlier post, I wrote about the pressures the Winchester brothers place on themselves because of their heritage. Dean in particular feels hunting is a destiny he can't escape. In canon, Neal expressed similar emotions. When he told Peter his dad was dirty in the episode "What Happens in Burma," he confessed his belief that certain traits were in his blood. It's a view that's been shared by some of the characters in our series, notably the head of D.C. Art Crimes, Phillip Kramer. But bloodlines don't have to be a negative factor, nor are they the exclusive domain of male characters. This is especially evident in Crossed Lines.

Stress Lines

Like White Collar, Supernatural is known for its season-spanning arcs. For Dean and Sam, the plots are particularly angsty. One season, Dean worries about Sam being haunted by the Yellow-eyed Demon. During another season, Sam stresses about Dean only having a year to live after having made a pact with a crossroads demon. No sooner is one crisis resolved than another one pops up, such as the season Sam didn't have a soul for a year. Talk about complications!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Caffrey Conversation Crew!

It's the middle of March, Silbrith is posting about Irish threads in her most recent stories, and that means our characters are donning green and preparing to wish you a Happy St. Patrick's Day. It also means I'm reflecting on the Irish elements in my stories, and how they became part of the Caffrey Conversation. Let's start with Neal, and how he reminded me of an iconic character in J.D. Robb's In Death series -- mysteries set in New York City a few decades in the future.

The Celtic Connection

As we approach St. Patrick's Day, Mozzie is brewing a special batch of green-tinted honey mead to celebrate the occasion. I'm sure Neal will want to pick up several bottles for himself, Henry, and Angela. Neal's Irish heritage is original to the Caffrey Conversation AU. Despite his given and surname both being Irish in origin, the TV series never developed the thread. Penna began the process in our stories. She provided Neal with a grandfather, Edmund Caffrey, whose grandparents came from Ireland. Edmund was quite proud of his Irish roots and was fond of adding an Irish accent to his reminiscences. Penna also endowed the Caffreys with distant relatives who settled in Appalachia from Ireland and are now itinerant folk musicians and instrument makers. In Caffrey Flashback, Edmund told Neal that according to stories that had been passed down in the family, the Caffreys were descended from ancient rulers of Ireland.

Doppelganger Dilemma

When I decided to write a crossover series that blends the worlds of the Caffrey Conversation AU with Supernatural, my original intent was to make all the stories road trips with no involvement of the other White Collar team members or Caffrey relatives. That didn't last very long. One character after another began tapping me on the shoulder with ideas on how they should be included. First it was Travis who, as a good friend to Mozzie and a fellow astronomy enthusiast, made a strong case to be part of Fireflies at Midnight. Next up were Diana and Jones. They argued that their investigative skills would make it impossible for Peter and Neal to keep the supernatural events a secret. Dark Rabbit is just the beginning of what they'd like to see happen. Now Angela Caffrey and her boyfriend Michael have entered the mix. Her cousin Henry Winslow, however, has yet to make an appearance. Henry is one of the most popular characters in Caffrey Conversation. How could he possibly be excluded? The answer is it's complicated.

When a Bunny Becomes a Rabbit

Angela Caffrey has been associated with bunnies since her first appearance. (See last week's post on Angela Caffrey). When I decided to feature Angela in a Crossed Lines story, I was faced with a quandary. Should Angela remain Funny Bunny, as her grandmother nicknamed her, or was she ready to go dark side?

Angela Caffrey

One of the differences between Caffrey Conversation and White Collar is that Penna created an extended family of Caffrey relatives for Neal. His older cousin Henry has been featured in many stories In my latest story, Dark Rabbit, it's time to show some love for the youngest Caffrey cousin—Angela.

Chocolate Box 2018

Last year I participated in the AO3 Chocolate Box exchange, and when it completed I decided I definitely wanted to sign up again in 2018. Now that authors for this year's exchange have been revealed, I can finally post links to my stories and share tidbits about the experience. Each time, participating in this challenge meant writing pairings and even fandoms I'd not written before. It was so much fun, Silbrith probably wondered if I was ever going to stop sending her stories to beta. Seriously, I wrote seven stories in a month. Silbrith had no idea what she was getting into when she offered her beta services. (Thanks, Silbrith!)

A Herculean Effort

With all of the coverage of the winter Olympics recently, I've wondered if I should try to make a link between that competition and our stories.

The only direct link is in By the Book, when Henry says that during the most recent winter games he became a fan of curling. But indirect links? We certainly have competitive characters, many of whom are in excellent physical condition. Those, however, didn't inspire me to write a post for our blog. What did inspire me was... Silbrith!

Messages to Azathoth: Dreams

In Cinereous Skies, at times Neal is unsure if he's awake or dreaming. That has been a recurring theme in Arkham Files and one which I've spent much time daydreaming about as well.

Resumes: an exercise in creative writing

Well, here I am, rested and relaxed from a South Pacific vacation and ready to dive into a highly un-relaxing activity: the job hunt. Yes, I'm nearing the end of a contract and need to find another job to support my writing habit. And that means updating my resume. It feels a bit scandalous to say I'm calling on my skills in fiction writing for the resume. It's not that I'm planning to lie about my experience, but that I'm trying to tell a story.

Messages to Azathoth: An Unreliable Trigger

Peter decided in Nocturne in Black and Gold that Diana should include plot elements in Cinereous Skies that could be interpreted as references to objects in Vermeer's painting, The Astronomer.

Messages to Azathoth: Invisible Wounds

In Cinereous Skies, Peter broadcasts a loud message to Rolf Mansfeld. He knows Rolf was in Los Angeles when Neal was rescued from Scima Workshop. Rolf must be aware that Neal was hospitalized after he was discovered to be hooked up to a virtual reality program. Are those implanted memories bubbling to the top?

Messages to Azathoth: A Leashed Leopard

Cinereous Skies is the first Arkham Files story to overtly reference the master art thief Klaus Mansfeld, Neal's former mentor. Up to a month ago, the White Collar team believed he was dead. Now they know his brother Rolf wasn't the only one to fake his death.

Messages to Azathoth: Gods No Longer

In Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, the Outer Gods are the most powerful entities in the universe. Azathoth and Nyarlathotep are members of that rarified group. Remote, amorphous beings they're beyond the ability of us mere mortals to comprehend. That's not the case in Arkham Files, where Diana and the members of the Arkham Round Table have taken them down several notches.