It is wonderful to be able to pop in and out of this interesting and thought provoking pages when I can get a moment. It is now quarter past twelve at night and I must go to bed, Susan and friends, Thank you.
Wonderful, I have read The Cat that walk by himself, I am a great fan of Kiplin and Bearix Potter. You probably know that Brearix wrote them originally as letters to a little boy away at boarding school . Can you imagine getting such a letter today, with drawings along the margin and talking animals across the pages.
Or even getting a letter at all? These days, it's all about texting. But we can do what we're doing here, which is pretty amazing, when you stop to think about it. 🙄
Helen, I'm going to do a post in the June Bookscapes on that subject. It's a subject I've thought a lot about--and have heard from many readers with strong opinions. Watch for the post on 6/17.
Oh, how I love these Cottage Tales! I've been traveling to see family and reading two other books for book clubs, but I finally finished and am just starting into book #4. It feels like being welcomed back home by friends who have missed me---and the feeling is mutual.
I loved those books. I have been a B.Potter fan forever. I visited Hill Top Farm on my first trip to the UK. Learned that because there were so many Japanese visitors coming because of Beatrix that the locals called it Little Tokyo. I have had her biographies and the book with the code in it for probably 30 years.
I am an animal and nature nut so none of my friends were ever surprised when I showed them my newest BP book. I also encouraged the students in my elementary school library position to check her out.
How wonderful to visit Hill Top Farm! Which biography would you suggest as a start? I've mostly pored over her art journals so far and, of course, read the little books to my children when they were young, and I've just started reading them to our first grandson, who appears to delight in Peter Rabbit.
Toni may have a different idea, Leenie. But my favorite bio is Linda Lear's. Not as easy-reading as some of the others, but she has a much broader view and dug deeper into available records.
I've always been glad that the series made it into Libby/Overdrive, where they'll stay available. Back in the "old" days, books went out of print and were impossible to find.
Your library probably has them, Donna. Or you can find them on Libby/Overdrive. (I always feel it's a great compliment when somebody likes one of my books well enough to share it!)
These little diaries are enticing me toward a re-read of the Cottage Tales. I galloped through them when I first discovered you as a writer. So it's been a while.
In our household, we are always supplying dialog to our cats. "No, I don't want my paws touched!" "Where have you been all day?" "Share some of that salmon with me!" We carry on long conversations that involve the feline family members.
We do gallop, don't we? 😃 When I find a writer I like, I dive into the work and read as much as I can, as fast as I can. But these days, I re-read a LOT of those favorites, in order if I can. It's a different experience.
I like your phrase "supplying dialog." Exactly! And we have used our animals as therapy helpers. When Bill and I fuss at one another, Molly (our heeler) will often "say" out loud, something like, "She didn't really mean that." Or "He'll try to do better next time." Molly can say things we can't. (I know this sounds goofy. There's probably a better way of describing this little game.)
I don't think we've used the cats as intermediaries, but Smudge often gets to be part of making-up hugs, since at the first sign of stress she winds up glued to one or the other of us. Smudge sandwich hugs are regular occurrences. Cat therapy is also a frequent prescription; when one or the other of us is having a minor meltdown, the calmer one will supply the cat and a cup of tea as well as a listening ear.
Susan, thanks for sharing the backstory about the animals. I love how they talked their way into the series. I absolutely love the Cottage Tales and the animals are a big part of why I love this series. We need animals as friends and companions, and I agree that we need them to remind us of our connection with nature. I'm so glad you and Bill talk to your animals. I can't imagine not talking to them. :)
Thanks, Linda. I wonder how much of this (conversations w/our animal companions) comes about in our later years. I've had cats forever, but don't remember talking with them in my busy years, when I was teaching and raising kids. Or maybe that's just me, and others have different experiences.
I believe you're right! I think it's true in memoir, too. If you decide to make something up, whether because you don't know the truth or the truth is inconvenient to where you want to story to go, there will inevitably develop false notes that will ruin the story. Maybe there's no such thing as fiction.
Susan, I love that you had actually spent time in the Lakes District and Beatrix Potter's house and grounds before embarking on these books. I know you also did more research than I can imagine! Knowing that setting has to have played a critical part in giving us all 'the feel of the place'. As one who loves landscapes and settings, and a writer's gift for revealing them, the whole series charms me no-end. I thank you especially for that. 🙂
As to little animals talking in your head... join the crowd! There seems to be a bunch of us with that going on ...like all of the time. Walt Disney must be smiling down on us!
I have wondered about how each of the stories in any of your books develops. Do you need a beginning, middle and end? Or maybe an outline? Or does a hint of a theme start you writing? I have heard some writers need their last scene in mind before putting pen to paper. (Or fingers to keyboard as the case may be.) Would love to hear what your favorite way of writing has been. Rather obviously it's working! ✨ 🌈😊
Thx for that question, Sandy. Different projects require different approaches (for me, anyway). The Hidden Women standalones, based on real people, have a real beginning and end, based in real events. I'm always surprised by new material/ideas that pop up but I know where the story has to go. For example, Kay and Ike have to separate in The General's Women--that's the end of that part of the story. And of course I knew how/when she died. But what happened between 19945 and 1975: that was all new material that showed so much about her strength. And a surprise.
With the series, there's always so much known material to work with: the lives and ongoing plots of the character ensemble. Not very many surprises there. But I usually don't know where the central mystery plot is going--and sometimes I don't even know whodunnit until about 3/4 of the way through the book. In the China series, I love the challenge of working the herbal theme in, especially when it complements one or more of the plot lines--as in Bleeding Hearts and Blood Root. Some books have a stronger matrix of material to work with, sometimes that's me (how creative I''m feeling), sometimes it's the nature of the material itself.
Susan thank you for your detailed reply about your writing. So interesting. For years I only knew about the China Bayles series and always looked forward to each new book. I really liked the way all of the characters developed, the family histories and past experiences as well as new characters. A+ in that department IMHO. Always loved the herbal connection and of course the recipes, too. It was only a few years ago that I first started reading the Darling Dahlias and then more recently listened to the Cottage Tales. I "galloped" through both of these series and enjoyed them very much. They helped me get through Covid, my proud-boy wannabe neighbor and the loss of my woods. Really!
I am keeping a couple of each of your series in reserve. Like fine wine! They are there to add a little sparkle to a moment when I might need it. True treasures!
AS to talking animals, I have never known any other. My father and a tom cat named Sam had a conversation every morning over who had the right to sit in 'their favorite chair'. Dad would explain to Sam that it was his chair as he moved him aside and Sam would be back in the chair after dad had refilled his coffee cup looking with the eyes of the true owner of that chair, as much as to say....Oh, you again! 😺
That's a lovely memory, Sandy. Animals can certainly take possession of "our" spaces--especially chairs. And laps.
John Sandford is one of my favorite thriller writers. I've read all of his work (there's a LOT of it), but far prefer one series (Virgil Flowers) because of the main character. I think it's smart for writers to take their work in different directions, not only because they might engage more readers, but because it keeps the writer from going stale.
Thank you for the John Sandford - Virgil Flowers suggestion. I will check it out! Life these days is so thrilling, that I am usually looking for a way to calm down. 😂 You had mentioned perhaps starting a reading group. Sounds fun! All of my suggestions would be from the past, so would be good to be jogged into something new.
Laura, I always hope that the characters--human or otherwise--have enough energy and agency to take charge of the story. When it happens, I always feel blessed. It happened more often in this series than in the others. It was a wonderful experience.
As you know I would give almost anything to see The Cottage Tales turned into a movie. The ANIMAL characters are just WONDERFUL. When I'm done with your Victorian/Edwardian series I'm currently reading, I think I'll go back and read The Cottage Tales AGAIN. Sigh... Oh happy day...
I'm always happy to hear about a re-read, Carolyn. I know, from my own reading experience, how much I miss on the first reading. We all read SO MUCH, and so fast. A second reading--for me--is a totally different experience.
It was so right that she found Willie Heelis and another passion in preserving (as much as she could) the way of life that was vital to her. A lovable woman.
Thank you so much for the backstory of your Potter series. Reading about your animal characters made me nostalgic for them! Nothing to do now, but re- read the whole series! I can’t wait to get started! PS: Please call me Cyd
Thanks, Cyd. I know a full reread of the series is a huge commitment. But in this series, the 8 books are actually 8 chapters in a looong, very looong novel. Reading through it recently, I saw things I didn't see when I was writing it--continuities I didn't recognize at the time. Interesting how that works!
Wow, Pat--means a lot, coming from you (whose work I much admire!). Thank you.
But I give Beatrix all the credit--both her work and her life. Over the nearly 10 years I lived with her, she taught me things about writing (and living with purpose) that I could never have learned elsewhere.
Oh, you're so right, Pat! In this case, Potter was not who I thought she was when I proposed the series, wrote the precis, and began the first book--all of that based on a quick reading of the early biographies. I really had no clear idea how complex a woman she was--especially for that time. When you're dealing with fiction, the characters can be whoever you want them to be. When you're working with biographical fiction, the writer has an obligation to the reality of the person. (At least in my view. I don't think all biographical fiction writers take the same view.)
It is wonderful to be able to pop in and out of this interesting and thought provoking pages when I can get a moment. It is now quarter past twelve at night and I must go to bed, Susan and friends, Thank you.
Hope you got a good night's sleep, Liz! (We're still here this morning. 😊)
Wonderful, I have read The Cat that walk by himself, I am a great fan of Kiplin and Bearix Potter. You probably know that Brearix wrote them originally as letters to a little boy away at boarding school . Can you imagine getting such a letter today, with drawings along the margin and talking animals across the pages.
Or even getting a letter at all? These days, it's all about texting. But we can do what we're doing here, which is pretty amazing, when you stop to think about it. 🙄
I love the Cottage Tales about Helen Beatrix Potter. What can you tell me about the narrating tone some of the books are written in?
Helen, I'm going to do a post in the June Bookscapes on that subject. It's a subject I've thought a lot about--and have heard from many readers with strong opinions. Watch for the post on 6/17.
Oh, how I love these Cottage Tales! I've been traveling to see family and reading two other books for book clubs, but I finally finished and am just starting into book #4. It feels like being welcomed back home by friends who have missed me---and the feeling is mutual.
#4 might be my favorite, Leenie. I enjoyed the way the interlaced plots worked together, and Jemima's little surprise.
I loved those books. I have been a B.Potter fan forever. I visited Hill Top Farm on my first trip to the UK. Learned that because there were so many Japanese visitors coming because of Beatrix that the locals called it Little Tokyo. I have had her biographies and the book with the code in it for probably 30 years.
I am an animal and nature nut so none of my friends were ever surprised when I showed them my newest BP book. I also encouraged the students in my elementary school library position to check her out.
How wonderful to visit Hill Top Farm! Which biography would you suggest as a start? I've mostly pored over her art journals so far and, of course, read the little books to my children when they were young, and I've just started reading them to our first grandson, who appears to delight in Peter Rabbit.
Toni may have a different idea, Leenie. But my favorite bio is Linda Lear's. Not as easy-reading as some of the others, but she has a much broader view and dug deeper into available records.
I agree, Susan. I tried to send a picture of my book collection but it did not go through.
We can't do photos in this comment space, unfortunately. Thanks for making the effort, Toni!
It's fun to remember all of them again. I read the entire series quite a few years ago.
That makes it even more fun to learn about the characters as they grew.
I've always been glad that the series made it into Libby/Overdrive, where they'll stay available. Back in the "old" days, books went out of print and were impossible to find.
I adored these books especially because of the animal stories. I passed them on when I was done but wish I had kept them to read again now.
Your library probably has them, Donna. Or you can find them on Libby/Overdrive. (I always feel it's a great compliment when somebody likes one of my books well enough to share it!)
These little diaries are enticing me toward a re-read of the Cottage Tales. I galloped through them when I first discovered you as a writer. So it's been a while.
In our household, we are always supplying dialog to our cats. "No, I don't want my paws touched!" "Where have you been all day?" "Share some of that salmon with me!" We carry on long conversations that involve the feline family members.
We do gallop, don't we? 😃 When I find a writer I like, I dive into the work and read as much as I can, as fast as I can. But these days, I re-read a LOT of those favorites, in order if I can. It's a different experience.
I like your phrase "supplying dialog." Exactly! And we have used our animals as therapy helpers. When Bill and I fuss at one another, Molly (our heeler) will often "say" out loud, something like, "She didn't really mean that." Or "He'll try to do better next time." Molly can say things we can't. (I know this sounds goofy. There's probably a better way of describing this little game.)
I don't think we've used the cats as intermediaries, but Smudge often gets to be part of making-up hugs, since at the first sign of stress she winds up glued to one or the other of us. Smudge sandwich hugs are regular occurrences. Cat therapy is also a frequent prescription; when one or the other of us is having a minor meltdown, the calmer one will supply the cat and a cup of tea as well as a listening ear.
Every couple ought to have a therapy cat like Smudge!
Susan, thanks for sharing the backstory about the animals. I love how they talked their way into the series. I absolutely love the Cottage Tales and the animals are a big part of why I love this series. We need animals as friends and companions, and I agree that we need them to remind us of our connection with nature. I'm so glad you and Bill talk to your animals. I can't imagine not talking to them. :)
Thanks, Linda. I wonder how much of this (conversations w/our animal companions) comes about in our later years. I've had cats forever, but don't remember talking with them in my busy years, when I was teaching and raising kids. Or maybe that's just me, and others have different experiences.
I'm pretty sure I've always talked to my pets.
I believe you're right! I think it's true in memoir, too. If you decide to make something up, whether because you don't know the truth or the truth is inconvenient to where you want to story to go, there will inevitably develop false notes that will ruin the story. Maybe there's no such thing as fiction.
Susan, I love that you had actually spent time in the Lakes District and Beatrix Potter's house and grounds before embarking on these books. I know you also did more research than I can imagine! Knowing that setting has to have played a critical part in giving us all 'the feel of the place'. As one who loves landscapes and settings, and a writer's gift for revealing them, the whole series charms me no-end. I thank you especially for that. 🙂
As to little animals talking in your head... join the crowd! There seems to be a bunch of us with that going on ...like all of the time. Walt Disney must be smiling down on us!
I have wondered about how each of the stories in any of your books develops. Do you need a beginning, middle and end? Or maybe an outline? Or does a hint of a theme start you writing? I have heard some writers need their last scene in mind before putting pen to paper. (Or fingers to keyboard as the case may be.) Would love to hear what your favorite way of writing has been. Rather obviously it's working! ✨ 🌈😊
Thx for that question, Sandy. Different projects require different approaches (for me, anyway). The Hidden Women standalones, based on real people, have a real beginning and end, based in real events. I'm always surprised by new material/ideas that pop up but I know where the story has to go. For example, Kay and Ike have to separate in The General's Women--that's the end of that part of the story. And of course I knew how/when she died. But what happened between 19945 and 1975: that was all new material that showed so much about her strength. And a surprise.
With the series, there's always so much known material to work with: the lives and ongoing plots of the character ensemble. Not very many surprises there. But I usually don't know where the central mystery plot is going--and sometimes I don't even know whodunnit until about 3/4 of the way through the book. In the China series, I love the challenge of working the herbal theme in, especially when it complements one or more of the plot lines--as in Bleeding Hearts and Blood Root. Some books have a stronger matrix of material to work with, sometimes that's me (how creative I''m feeling), sometimes it's the nature of the material itself.
Susan thank you for your detailed reply about your writing. So interesting. For years I only knew about the China Bayles series and always looked forward to each new book. I really liked the way all of the characters developed, the family histories and past experiences as well as new characters. A+ in that department IMHO. Always loved the herbal connection and of course the recipes, too. It was only a few years ago that I first started reading the Darling Dahlias and then more recently listened to the Cottage Tales. I "galloped" through both of these series and enjoyed them very much. They helped me get through Covid, my proud-boy wannabe neighbor and the loss of my woods. Really!
I am keeping a couple of each of your series in reserve. Like fine wine! They are there to add a little sparkle to a moment when I might need it. True treasures!
AS to talking animals, I have never known any other. My father and a tom cat named Sam had a conversation every morning over who had the right to sit in 'their favorite chair'. Dad would explain to Sam that it was his chair as he moved him aside and Sam would be back in the chair after dad had refilled his coffee cup looking with the eyes of the true owner of that chair, as much as to say....Oh, you again! 😺
That's a lovely memory, Sandy. Animals can certainly take possession of "our" spaces--especially chairs. And laps.
John Sandford is one of my favorite thriller writers. I've read all of his work (there's a LOT of it), but far prefer one series (Virgil Flowers) because of the main character. I think it's smart for writers to take their work in different directions, not only because they might engage more readers, but because it keeps the writer from going stale.
Thank you for the John Sandford - Virgil Flowers suggestion. I will check it out! Life these days is so thrilling, that I am usually looking for a way to calm down. 😂 You had mentioned perhaps starting a reading group. Sounds fun! All of my suggestions would be from the past, so would be good to be jogged into something new.
A reading group is still on the list of possibilities--maybe this fall?
👍😊
Thank you for these insights into your writing life! I love the description of how certain characters talk for themselves in your mind as you work.
Laura, I always hope that the characters--human or otherwise--have enough energy and agency to take charge of the story. When it happens, I always feel blessed. It happened more often in this series than in the others. It was a wonderful experience.
As you know I would give almost anything to see The Cottage Tales turned into a movie. The ANIMAL characters are just WONDERFUL. When I'm done with your Victorian/Edwardian series I'm currently reading, I think I'll go back and read The Cottage Tales AGAIN. Sigh... Oh happy day...
I'm always happy to hear about a re-read, Carolyn. I know, from my own reading experience, how much I miss on the first reading. We all read SO MUCH, and so fast. A second reading--for me--is a totally different experience.
Me too - there are nuances and connections we often miss the first time around...
It was so right that she found Willie Heelis and another passion in preserving (as much as she could) the way of life that was vital to her. A lovable woman.
Thank you so much for the backstory of your Potter series. Reading about your animal characters made me nostalgic for them! Nothing to do now, but re- read the whole series! I can’t wait to get started! PS: Please call me Cyd
Thanks, Cyd. I know a full reread of the series is a huge commitment. But in this series, the 8 books are actually 8 chapters in a looong, very looong novel. Reading through it recently, I saw things I didn't see when I was writing it--continuities I didn't recognize at the time. Interesting how that works!
One of the best writing lessons I've ever encounter! I have a ton of students who would do well to read this!
Wow, Pat--means a lot, coming from you (whose work I much admire!). Thank you.
But I give Beatrix all the credit--both her work and her life. Over the nearly 10 years I lived with her, she taught me things about writing (and living with purpose) that I could never have learned elsewhere.
Ah, geez, Susan! Feeling is mutual!
Those miracle teachers that seem to come along out of the blue just when you are most receptive to their wisdom! Isn't writing grand?!
Oh, you're so right, Pat! In this case, Potter was not who I thought she was when I proposed the series, wrote the precis, and began the first book--all of that based on a quick reading of the early biographies. I really had no clear idea how complex a woman she was--especially for that time. When you're dealing with fiction, the characters can be whoever you want them to be. When you're working with biographical fiction, the writer has an obligation to the reality of the person. (At least in my view. I don't think all biographical fiction writers take the same view.)