Shannon here: Ellen E. Withers shares insight into writing dual-time romance. Comment or answer the question in this post to enter the drawing for a print copy of her latest dual time Mystery, Show Me Deceit. Deadline: June 8th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Ellen:
Time Transcending Romances: An inside look at dual-time romance
I write dual-time mysteries which allow for a minimum of two mystery storylines, with at least one major mystery in both the contemporary and historical eras. I chose my hometown, Mexico, Missouri, as the backdrop for my books because of its rich history and preserved historical structures. Each book features the same structure authentic to Mexico, Missouri, highlighted in both timelines.
The second novel in my Show Me Mystery series debuted this month, titled Show Me Deceit. The featured building is a Classic Revival style Italianate home built in 1857 by John C. Clark. Called Graceland, the historical storyline in Show Me Deceit takes place during the Civil War when the home was new. This home is now used as a major museum for the local historical society on 12 acres within the Robert S. Green Park.
Each of the eras in the book includes a romance, which is a joy to write. I think it’s interesting how writing the romances differs in the different eras. One major difference between eras is the how “courting” occurred in history as compared to dating in current times.
Another difference between eras is the time-span. The romantic story of the main characters unfolds throughout the entire series. Crafting a relationship that spans across multiple books is harder than I expected, but still incredibly enjoyable. Their relationships are more like what real people experience. Because the same main characters move forward with each book in the contemporary era, their romance can be more complicated, with up and downs, turns, and leaps. My goal is to keep the romance interest flowing between the characters while retaining believability.
Featured in the first book are the sparks between two of my contemporary main characters, Liesl Schrader, and Kurt Hunter. They were high school sweethearts who broke up when Kurt betrayed Liesl. This book showed the struggle between Liesl and Kurt to be friends again. Liesl put her heart on the line and allowed herself to trust Kurt. He had to prove he was now trustworthy. In the meantime, Liesl is dating a fellow named Justin who seems to have all the qualities that make a former boyfriend jealous.
In Show Me Deceit, the second book of the series, the feelings between Kurt and Liesl evolve further. I won’t give away any details, but if you’re a romantic, you will love this storyline.
In the historical segments throughout the Show Me Mysteries series, each book features new lead characters. They either interact with real people from history or are molded by the actions and policies of historical figures. Any romance in the historical section must blossom in one book, within the space of approximately 110 pages.
I have my fictional historical characters mixing with real historical figures in Show Me Deceit. The Union Army occupied my hometown for the entire duration of the Civil War. The town was an important military holding because the railroad lines were critical to secure the entire upper half of the state of Missouri for their cause. Because Missouri was a border state, almost divided equally between Southern sympathizers and Union loyalists, nearly half of the state resented the Union presence.
Set during the Civil War, there were many opportunities to mix the military and civilians. Mr. John C. Clark, the owner of the featured home, was a pro-Union man who didn’t believe in slavery. Union officers, including Colonel Ulysses Grant, were frequent guests at the house. (Grant was promoted to the rank of general after he left Mexico, when he was reassigned to the St. Louis area.) Grant and other Union officers enjoyed cigars and conversation within the walls of Mr. Clark’s home.
I’ve added fictional Lieutenant Cormac O’Malley who believes there might be a spy operating within the Union encampment. While attending church and at the home of Mr. Clark, Cupid’s bow flies as O’Malley becomes interested in one of Mr. Clark’s employees. Enid, daughter of the cook and a cook’s assistant, is equally interested in “Lieutenant Green Eyes.” When romance ensues, they work together to identify the suspected spy.
Whether the romance receives a drawn-out timeline or a quick attraction, it’s part of the fun in the series. I hope you fall in love with the Show Me Mystery series.
Question for Readers: Do you prefer a series where the romance of one couple stretches across several books or would you rather have each book in the series feature new characters and a new romance? Why?
About Ellen: Ellen Withers is an award-winning fiction writer, freelance writer, and retired insurance fraud investigator. Her mystery dual-time series, Show Me Mysteries, set in her picturesque hometown of Mexico, Missouri, is published by Scrivenings Press. Show Me Betrayal, was published May 2023 and Show Me Deceit, will publish May 2024.
Scrivenings Press will publish Ellen’s nonfiction book to help writers win writing contests August 2024 titled, Magic Words: Enchant Judges & Conjure Contest Wins for Novels, Short Fiction, and Nonfiction.
More information about Ellen, her books, writing tips, and highlights of guest authors is on her website. Learn more & connect:
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About the book – Show Me Deceit:
Present Day: Liesl Schrader is once again involved in death investigations. A body is discovered inside a charitable museum where Liesl serves on the board of directors. She and her best friend Nicole are drawn into a police theft investigation stemming from the death at the museum.
When Liesl and Nicole uncover a set of historic bones, questions arise. Are they related to the Civil War-era encampment in their town? The unit, commanded by General Pope, guarded one of the biggest supply chains of the Union Army—the railroad lines located in Mexico, Missouri, throughout the war. Was this a battlefield death, or was it murder? Surrounded on all sides by Southern sympathizers, did the Rebels kill this Union soldier?
1862: United States Army Lieutenant Cormac O’Malley has a problem. He knows there is a Rebel spy in his camp, and he needs proof of the spy to save the lives of Union soldiers. He has no choice but to work with his sweetheart from town, Enid Connelly, and her local friends to uncover the proof. Are they trustworthy and loyal to the Union in a state divided between North and South? Can he reveal the identity of the spy before the spy can silence him—possibly forever?
Take a walk through time with Show Me Deceit, book two of the Show Me Mystery Series. The mysteries are set in Mexico, Missouri, where death encompasses two eras—Civil War and contemporary times. Liesl, Nicole, and Detective Kurt Hunter, have previously put a killer behind bars. Now they must combine their skills again to stop the plunder of local charities and solve the mystery of a Union soldier’s death. Can Liesl and Kurt work together again as friends, putting aside their former romance, to solve these mysteries?
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Thanks for having me, Shannon! This was a fun topic.
Glad to have you, Ellen. It depends on the author. I’ve read some romances with the same couple over several books and it seems like the author runs out of stuff for them to do. But then I’ve read some with the same couple and every book is as riveting as the first. I always enjoy books with one couple and friends or relatives who get their own book in the future.
Either type of series is fine as long as there aren’t any cliffhangers. I don’t really care much for cliffhangers.
I have read Ellen’s first Show Me Mystery book, Show Me Betrayal and thoroughly enjoyed it. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book before where the romance is carried out over several books in a series, so I can’t say if I would prefer this type of romance. However, I have read many romance stories where the romance between two characters ends at the end of the book and, if it’s part of a series, the next book focuses on different characters involved in a romance.
However, I love clean romance stories and I don’t think it really matters to me if the same characters’ romance is woven throughout several books or if each book in the series contains a different romance between different couples, as long as the story line is interesting and includes something exciting like danger or suspense or a mystery, I’m happy.
Thank you for your comments and for reading my book, Kelly. I also appreciated your review of the book in Clean Fiction Magazine.
It is my hope to keep the romances and the mysteries interesting throughout the series, whether in contemporary or historic times. Hard work? Yes, but worth it! I hope to be up to the challenge.
I tend to enjoy slow burn romance and so spread through multiple books is preferable. However, both can be done well.
Thank you, Cherie J!
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I have a winner! Diana Hardt won the drawing. I appreciate Ellen for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.