Nancy Bilyeau- " Fugitive Colours"
Dear Reader,
I’m known for writing historical suspense, both series and stand-alone novels and novellas. In my latest novel Fugitive Colours I try to immerse a reader in another time and place by weaving in fascinating historical details and creating a very specific atmosphere.
I came up with my approach to fiction sixteen years ago. Up to that time, I’d been kept busy as a magazine editor. I worked on the staff of Rolling Stone, Good Housekeeping, and InStyle.
Then came the day I joined a fiction workshop held on the fourth floor of a Greenwich Village walk-up. The leader asked me, “What do you want to write?” I answered, “I want to write a mystery and I want to set it in the past.” I have stayed on that path ever since!
Part of the reason I like writing these sorts of books is I enjoy reading them so much. My favorites are Philip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther series set in mid-20th-century Germany; and Sujata Massey’s Purveen Misty mysteries, set in 1920s Bombay.
It took me five years to write my debut novel, The Crown, set in 1537 England with the protagonist of a Dominican novice. I researched the abbeys of Tudor England to the extent that I had created my own floor plan of Dartford Priory, the real-life Dominican order of nuns that existed until it was demolished by command of Henry VIII. I found out how many times a day the nun prayed, what their illuminated manuscripts looked like, what they ate, and what herbs they grew in the cloisters garden.
Was it easy to learn these details? Nope. But it helped me with my world building, an essential part of my goal.
I gather the little-known details, the buried nuggets from history, and use them as a base for my imagination. When I read my reviews, I find that these details are appreciated, that they add a layer to the story, whether it’s a 16th century priory, a Coney Island 1911 hotel such as in my mystery Dreamland, or the 18th century porcelain factories and silkweaving workshops of my novels The Blue and The Fugitive Colours. And that makes for an engaging mystery well worth a reader’s time.
--Nancy Bilyeau
Nancy Bilyeau was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Michigan. She studied English literature and American history at the University of Michigan, earning a bachelor's degree, before moving to New York City to work in the magazine business. She was a staff editor at Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Good Housekeeping and InStyle. Nancy is now the author of popular historical suspense, both series and stand-alone novels and novellas. Visit Nancy at http://www.nancybilyeau.com