Hello again!
The past few months have flown by in a flurry of late night writing sessions but finally, and I have to admit at the very last possible moment, I posted my submission to the Romantic Novelists Association New Writer’s Scheme. I’ve slashed, edited and re-written big chunks but one of my biggest concerns lay in making my characters thoughts and values ring true. So it was with great interest that I read Elizabeth Bailey’s guest post regarding the creation of her new Georgian detective. Ottilia. I hope you enjoy it too.
HOW THEY LIVED THEN – DOES IT HELP OR HINDER MY SLEUTH? 
Excitement this month as my first historical crime novel THE GILDED SHROUD has just come out in the US. These days, due to online resources, it can still be bought outside ofAmerica. This started me thinking about the speed of communication and the global village in which we live in the twenty-first century, as compared with the world my investigator heroine Ottilia inhabits.
She operates with very little of the forensic help now available. Ottilia’s doctor brother has initiated her into medical lore, so she can read a dead body. But even this is limited to what was known at the latter end of the eighteenth century.
It is up to Ottilia to notice things. How the murdered woman’s underclothes have been left in a pile; the position of her dressing robe on the day bed; the untidy shambles of her cosmetic tray. What do these things suggest? Deduction is the name of the game. And that goes along with being a student of human nature.
Old-fashioned detection means asking nosy questions and poking around in places you shouldn’t. The latter poses no problem to Ottilia. As to the first, the classes of the era are sharply divided. But Ottilia has the knack of falling into easy conversation with anyone from high-born to low, and she is canny at extracting information.
A good detective is courteous, adaptable and self-confident, and Ottilia is all these things. But she can also be ruthless, using shock tactics if she has to. Again, with evidence thin on the ground and reliant on supposition, Ottilia must force the issue if she is to get at the truth.
When it comes to the authorities, Ottilia is hampered. As a female, she can’t enter male-dominated domains. On the other hand, there is a degree of freedom in a world where Bow Street, or out of London a Justice of the Peace, constitute the only competition to the amateur detective. There was minimal policing, mostly carried out by the militia or, more simply, the local constable.
Of course, women were not expected to be highly intelligent, nor to have abilities thought to be more suited to the male of the species. Ottilia is therefore unusually clever, but she luckily encounters a man who is not intimidated by her gifts.
Which brings me to Francis and his usefulness. He and his associates can deal with authority on Ottilia’s behalf. And when a strong arm is needed, who better than an ex-soldier who knows how to stand to battle? Besides, she’s a woman – vulnerable at times, and in need of reassurance. Oh, and a little romance on the side perhaps?
On the whole, I think Ottilia has the necessary resources to overcome the barriers to detection posed by the environment of her time. Indeed, I’m fast coming to the conclusion that there is very little the era can throw up that she wouldn’t be able to handle!
I hope readers find as much enjoyment in discovering Ottilia’s talents as I am finding in creating her adventures.
Elizabeth Bailey
For further information regarding Elizabeth and her new series of books please go to - www. elizabethbailey.co.uk
Or, if you can’t wait to get your hands on a copy of ”The Gilded Shroud’ click on the following or visit Amazon and other online stores.
Happy reading.
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