Klaus at the Crossroads

When I think of master art thief Klaus Mansfeld as The Musicians comes to an end, the song "Where Do We Go from Here?" from the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire-Slayer begins playing in my head. At the end of the story, Klaus is led away in handcuffs after having spent the past several days in intense soul-searching. Ever since The Woman in Blue, Klaus has been driven by the desire to have Neal become a member of his crew once more. But this past week he decided the price he was forcing Neal to pay was too high. As police stormed the castle, he was attempting to help Neal escape.

When an Asset Becomes a Vulnerability

One of Henry's most admirable traits is his sense of responsibility when it comes to Neal. His selfless devotion has caused him to make numerous sacrifices. Henry switched universities and put his own career on hold in order to spend time with Neal. When Neal was recruited by the FBI, Henry made it his business to ensure that Peter was up to Henry's exacting standards. Although Henry lived in a different city, he continued to keep a close eye on Neal. In the spring of 2004, Henry took a leave from absence at his company to help Neal through an emotional crisis (Caffrey Flashback). Whether it's Adler or the Mansfelds, Henry's ready to suit up and go into battle at a moment's notice. Now that he lives in New York, Henry can keep even closer tabs.

Sara and Mozzie: An Evolving Friendship

In The Musicians, Sara and Mozzie's friendship takes a gigantic leap forward. Mozzie's change of attitude is the most dramatic difference. Initially, Mozzie viewed Sara with suspicion. He, as well as many readers, couldn't understand why she'd want to date Bryan McKenzie rather than Neal. Since then, her stock has been on a gradual upward trajectory, leading to the current warm relations. Elizabeth and Henry need to take the lion's share of the credit for turning the situation around.

Klaus Mansfeld: A Rude Awakening

When the White Collar team encouraged Diana to write Arkham Files, the intention was to influence Azathoth's behavior. Neal and Peter had already been abducted by him and a repeat performance was a constant threat. Several months after Diana published the first story, they discovered that Rolf's brother Klaus was alive. In the next story, Diana introduced a character to represent Neal's former mentor and master art thief. Klaus called himself the Leopard, so Diana chose a saber-toothed leopard named Sornoth to represent him. When Diana portrayed Sornoth as an unthinking killing machine, her goal was to mock Klaus for what he had become since joining Ydrus.

Caravaggio in Caffrey Conversation

In canon, the artist Neal is most closely associated with is Raphael. In my stories, Caravaggio runs a close second. The Italian Baroque master is known for his dramatic use of chiaroscuro, a technique that contrasts light and dark. Chiaroscuro could be seen as a metaphor for the tension between Neal's former life and his new career at the Bureau.

Shedding Skins

This week I started writing a new story for my series Tales from the Library (The Invisible Library fandom). One of the main characters is a shapeshifter. Kai appears human, but he's a dragon—complete with scales, horns, tail, and wings. He can shed his human appearance at will, and is even able to sustain a transitional stage where his eyes turn red and his skin develops a fern-like pattern hinting of scales. Sometimes the transformation occurs involuntarily. For instance, given sufficient provocation, he can become so angry his dragon characteristics involuntarily rise to the surface. Thinking about Kai's nature, I was reminded of Neal, Peter, and Henry's situation in The Musicians. They're also shedding their skins, but for them, the transformation is a mental one.

Caffrey Conversation's Travis Miller

Travis Miller, White Collar's tech expert, was first welcomed into the Caffrey Conversation family in Complications. My purpose in creating Travis was not just to add a resident geek but also to increase the team's diversity by including someone who isn't a by-the-book Bureau agent. His role has gradually expanded until now he's like one of those nifty USB hubs which can connect to a multitude of devices.

Prelude to The Musicians

My new Caffrey Conversation story The Musicians takes place in October 2005 after the events in Night Howls on the Hudson and Harlequin's Shadow.