Six-Crossed Knot: Wolf Moon

When last we checked in with Jack, he'd been reunited with Diana and Matthew in the present. Harm's Repair ended at roughly the same time as the canon novel The Book of Life. Throughout the series, my goal was to fill in some of the blanks in Jack's life while adhering as closely as possible to canon. But in Harm's Repair, I added the twist that Jack, like Diana and Matthew's twins, is a Bright Born. That set me to daydreaming about what his future would be like.

Six-Crossed Knot: Harm's Repair

By the start of Harm's Repair, Jack has reunited with Diana and Matthew in the present time. A few weeks earlier, Diana had given birth to twins. The newly enlarged family is now gathering at Sept-Tours for the christening. But simmering underneath the happy events are unresolved issues. Baldwin has yet to get his blessing to the proposed Bishop-Clairmont scion. As for Benjamin, nothing has been heard from him since he attacked Phoebe. And you just know that won't last for long.

Six-Crossed Knot: Tangled Knots

With Tangled Knots, I've reached a milestone in this series based on the All Souls Trilogy. In Deborah Harkness's second novel, Jack Blackfriars is an eight-year-old child in Elizabethan England. He reappears in the third novel as a young adult who's been a vampire for over 400 years. The author sketched in a few details of his life, but left most of it a mystery for us to speculate about. And that's what I've been doing for the past 18 stories. It's now time to merge the timelines!

Six-Crossed Knot: Virtue's Cloak

For this latest installment in my Six-Crossed Knot series, the principal launching points are two canon incidents. The first one is in The Book of Life, when Matthew discovers that Philippe gave Jack Matthew's cello. In the novel, Matthew doesn't discuss it with Jack. All we know is that it disappeared around the time when Napoleon was emperor. When I first read those lines, I demanded answers. What were the circumstances? How did Philippe find out about Jack? I answered the second question earlier in Masque. In Virtue's Cloak, I imagined what could have led Philippe to give Jack the cello.

Backdrop to Fretwork

On December 9, I posted the latest addition to my Six-Crossed Knot series: Fretwork. The story spans fifteen years in the mid-eighteenth century. In England, this is the Georgian era. The arts were flourishing and private clubs proliferated throughout London. In Fretwork, I mention two clubs—Scriblerus and the Rose and Crown. Both are historical. The Rose and Crown Club was for artists and art connoisseurs. It was formed in 1704 and continued till 1745. The Scriblerus Club was much more famous. The group of writers included such notables as Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, and John Gay.

Ring Out the Old

Over the past few years, Penna and I have linked each year of writing to an animal. 2022 has been the Year of the Duck where our plot bunnies are all ducklings. Soon we will honor a new animal, but before 2023 arrives, we still have a few ducklings who are quacking to be presented.

Found Families

The found family relationship in White Collar is generally acknowledged to be one of the most appealing aspects of the TV series. In the world of Caffrey Conversation, Penna and I super-sized it.

Six-Crossed Knot: Backdrop to Powder Keg

In the eleventh story of the Six-Crossed Knot series, the year is 1605. James I has been ruling England for two years. Over in France, Henry IV sits on the throne. Jack has been a vampire for two years. He's resumed his pre-rebirth activities, working as a musician with an acting troupe and occasionally getting commissions to paint murals which have become quite fashionable.

Six-Crossed Knot: Backdrop to Masque

Masque is the tenth story in Six-Crossed Knot, a series based on the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. The story takes place in the spring of 1604, roughly six months after Jack became a vampire. Philippe has a larger role than his first appearance in the prequel, Walking Shadows. Matthew and Ysabeau are also in the story. Locations for this story include the Globe Theatre and two palaces -- Hampton Court and Whitehall.

Love Is in the Air

Valentine's Day is nearly here. What better time to pause and celebrate the importance of love in our stories! Thanks to the extended timelines in our series, we're able to create slow-burn relationships where love in many different guises can be explored. Cupid's arrow has not always been directed toward couples desiring sexual love. Love that is familial or platonic in nature is just as important as romantic love.

Backdrop to Walking Shadows

Walking Shadows is the ninth story in Six-Crossed Knot, a series based on the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. The story takes place in the second half of 1603, a year of great significance for Jack personally as well as for England.

Six-Crossed Knot: Backdrop to Illusion's Voice

Illusion's Voice is the eighth story in Six-Crossed Knot, a series based on the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. The story opens on October 31, 1599. On this day nine years ago, Diana and Matthew timewalked into the world of Elizabethan England. Jack is currently 16 years old.

Six-Crossed Knot: Backdrop to Golden Bubble

Golden Bubble is the seventh story in Six-Crossed Knot, a series based on the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. It is now two years after Diana and Matthew's departure. Jack is ten years old. In the summer of 1593, the plague is ravaging London. Approximately one-eighth of London's population will eventually succumb to the outbreak.

Six-Crossed Knot: Backdrop to Adrift

Adrift is the sixth story in Six-Crossed Knot, a series based on the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. The story takes place in August of 1591, roughly two months after Diana and Matthew returned to the twenty-first century.

Six-Crossed Knot: Backdrop to Unpathed Waters

Unpathed Waters is the fifth story in Six-Crossed Knot, a series based on the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness. The story is set in the early summer of 1591. Diana and Matthew will soon return to the 21st century, leaving their Elizabethan friends behind. During my previous fic, Shadow's Dream, Diana and Matthew alluded to their upcoming departure. Now it's only a week away.

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.

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.