Caffrey Conversation: The Shark of SoHo

Did you ever wonder how Neal Caffrey became an expert art forger and con artist at such a young age? Peter stewed over that question for a long time, but by the end of the canon series, there had only been a couple of brief references to Neal's life prior to his arrival in New York. We learned that Neal grew up in WITSEC and that he didn't graduate from high school. He once mentioned having hustled pool in St. Louis as a kid, and that's about it. In fact, the canon episodes reveal much more about Mozzie's childhood than Neal's. Luckily for me and readers of Caffrey Conversation, we're no longer in the dark. Penna has provided compelling accounts of those missing jigsaw pieces in her stories.

Works in Progress: Fashion and Thievery

This week I'm writing the final scenes of Fashion Undertow, a first draft for Caffrey Conversation. The story takes place during Fashion Week in New York and includes a few Easter eggs to the canon episode "Threads" which also featured Fashion Week. Writing the draft in October seems fitting since the eleventh anniversary of White Collar's pilot episode was on October 23, and "Threads" aired a week later. Will my story also include supermodels and a chase through Central Park? I won't hazard any predictions. Like Neal, I've come to accept that no matter how much planning I make, I know the final product is going to change.

Roads Not Taken

This weekend I'm posting the first half of my newest Caffrey Conversation story: Roads Not Taken. After one of the characters experiences a death in the family, several of them think about how things might have been different.

Destination: Cheekbones Caffrey

Cheekbones Caffrey is the eleventh story in my Crossed Lines series—a fusion of Caffrey Conversation and Supernatural. Some readers have asked about the gore content in the tales. Although Supernatural can be quite bloody, the supernatural beings in my stories are more likely to use curses and spells than inflict physical wounds. The strong relationship between brothers Dean and Sam Winchester is what initially attracted me to the series, and it makes them a good fit for the family nature of Caffrey Conversation. For readers of Caffrey Conversation who'd like to give Cheekbones Caffrey a try, here's a brief summary of the main characters specific to Crossed Lines and their situation at the start of the story.

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.

Backstage at Attack of the Kraken

When Peter heard that the inspiration for my latest Caffrey Conversation story was an ancient map of Scandinavia, he was excited at the prospect of Vikings being included. Alas, no. Although I do have a couple of stories in mind which feature Vikings, at this point they're just a random assortment of shy plot bunnies. If Peter had seen the map in question, his thoughts would have immediately spun to Rolf Mansfeld instead.

Arkham Vault: Queen's Gambit

Queen's Gambit is the 10th story in the Arkham Files series, a collection of meta tales written by Diana Berrigan and Mozzie in the Caffrey Conversation series. This story was conceptualized shortly after Henry Winslow joined the Arkham Files Round Table writing group, and his influence is evident in the plot. To name just one example, he uses his Arkham Files character Henry Chaseman to justify his solo work in Argentina in The Dreamer and Nocturne in Black and Gold.