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An Inspector Ian Rutledge Mystery
by Charles ToddThis article relates to A False Mirror
Charles Todd is the author of ten Ian
Rutledge mysteries to date, and one
stand-alone novel, The Murder Stone.
This USA-based mother-and-son (Charles &
Caroline) writing team maintain a strong
level of anonymity, even though they
appear on many author panels together
and Charles is a very active member of
the Mystery Writers of America.
According to Caroline "because of
Charles' job and his father's job,"
they've been reticent about using their
last name. Charles was a corporate
troubleshooter, who traveled frequently
for his job. Even their residences are
kept under wraps - other than that they
live somewhere along America's
mid-Atlantic coastline. Some biographies
will show Charles living in Greenville
Delaware, but that simply refers to a
P.O. box they maintain.
Their decision to write under a single
pseudonym came about when writing their
first novel; they submitted an
unsolicited manuscript to an editor
hoping for some feedback and, because
most books are published under a single
name, they chose to submit the
manuscript under the single name Charles
Todd. However, instead of getting
feedback from the editor they were
offered a book deal, and neither they
nor the editor saw any need to change
the authorship. After a few books they
decided to "come out" - a decision
delayed because Caroline had been
diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat
and, until her condition was under
control, she couldn't add the pressure
and stress of tours.
They both love to travel to research
their books and have traveled all over
England together on many occasions.
Caroline has an undergraduate degree in
History and English Literature, and a
master's in international relations.
Charles is a member of the Men's
Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars (VFW),
American Legion and
AMVETS, focusing on the care of the
troops when they return home.
When asked how they obtain their much
praised insight into what the ravages of
war can do to the human mind, Charles
replies that he has spent many wonderful
hours listening to service people, their
wives and widows, starting in high
school when he worked in a retirement
home hearing stories about WWI. When
traveling he actively seeks out stories
from people he meets along the way.
Caroline comments that she comes from a
long southern tradition of storytelling
and that she and Charles spent many
evenings on her father's porch listening
to his life experiences.
"A writer has to have an interest in people. You never know which part of an overheard conversation is going to be a gem for a book. But most importantly, we write about ordinary people being driven to the brink of control by a stress in their lives that has no other solution than someone's death. Murder lurks in all of us, and we try to draw out of our characters a sense of reality where what they do would have been done in real life, not just on a page at an author's whim." - Caroline "Todd".
In addition they have a library of
materials they have collected, using
first-hand sources as much as possible
and they always walk the ground
themselves.
Interesting Links:
This "beyond the book article" relates to A False Mirror. It originally ran in February 2007 and has been updated for the January 2008 paperback edition. Go to magazine.
When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground.
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