Straddling Two Worlds: The Woman in Violet

Two of my series—Arkham Files and Tales from the Library—feature librarians and portals to other worlds. So you probably aren't surprised to hear that I've often daydreamed about the characters having joint adventures. I'd already tested the waters by having the Arkham Files crew visit their counterparts in Caffrey Conversation. There they learned about the dangers of crossworld contamination. The resulting chaos that can ensue is a concept that Irene is very familiar with. The possibilities for collaboration finally became so enticing that I couldn't resist giving it a whirl.

The Iron Brotherhood

The Iron Brotherhood marks my return to Tales from the Library, a series based on The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman. The first six stories featured the mysterious Count Lecerf. The Fae had somehow managed to create magical illustrations in novels that acted as portals to other worlds. The sixth story, Merlin's Cave brought the collection to a resting spot. At that point, I took a break from writing the tales. But recently, Irene and Kai visited my writing cave, insisting that the adventures were just getting started. How could I ignore those enticing dangling threads in Merlin's Cave?

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!

Caffrey Conversation: Vermeer Interrupted

Neal isn't the only one who holds conversations with paintings. I've been chatting with the works of Johannes Vermeer ever since I began writing Caffrey Conversation stories. Recently the artist dropped into the writing cave to argue that he should be listed in the cast. He makes a compelling case.

Caffrey Conversation: Mousetrap

Peter has long been fascinated by the secrets and skeletons Neal keeps locked in his closet. After working together for nearly four years, he feels good about the ones he's managed to extract with minimal damage. The Leopard is no longer caged inside. Neal revealed his early history with Keller. Much of Neal's life, both when he was on the road with Henry and when he was on Klaus's crew has been disclosed.

Celebration Time for Caffrey Conversation!

On October 10, 2013, Penna posted Caffrey Conversation. Happy Tenth Anniversary, Caffrey Conversation, and thank you, Penna, for ten years of storytelling magic!