I’ll Never be a Cat Burglar but…
Dear Readers & Friends:
Let me start with some background and insight…
Ever since I was a young man, I loved John Robie, the main character in David Dodge’s story To Catch a Thief. To me, John was the ultimate man. He was charming, confident, and living an enviable lifestyle in a magnificent villa on the French Riviera. On top of that, John was the world’s most notorious jewel thief, which added tremendous intrigue. I mean, who wouldn’t fantasize about being John Robie? Other readers felt the same way about the character Francie Stevens.
Now for the insight -- as an author, you can take those fantasies to a higher level. You immerse yourself into the world of characters like John and Francie under the excuse of ‘research’. But don’t be fooled -- it’s a lot of fun.
Here are a few examples …
John Robie’s World
In addition to being the most infamous jewel thief of his time, John Robie was also an accomplished lockpick. Makes sense if you’re breaking into places…
Lockpicking has an aura of mystery, like an expertise you pick up if you have certain kinds of friends. It’s not, though. Lockpicking is a very attainable skill. Once you understand how a tumbler lock works, (see illustration below) you realize how a few simple tools can open a lock -- with a pick and a tension wrench, you can open lots of doors.
Since I’m immersing myself in John Robie’s world, I decided to learn how to pick locks. Thankfully there are great sources out there (for example, see https://www.wikihow.com/Pick-a-Lock). Also, I bought a kit from Amazon with 3 different locks and a fake credit card that holds some lockpick tools.
Now I’m no John Robie, but after some practice, I’m proud to say I can pick a tumbler lock in less than 2 minutes. I doubt I’ll ever use this skill, but I actually feel one step closer to my fantasy hero. I’m still working on the charm, the confidence, and all those other things. But I can pick a lock!
Francie Steven’s World
Paris has always been one of the fashion capitals of the world, never more so than in the years following World War II. Designers like Christian Dior, Coco Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, and Hubert de Givenchy helped move France away from the austerity of the war years and into a celebration of life through fashion’s glamor.
Francie Stevens was drawn to the world of fashion, and that world plays a big part in my book. Back in the 1950s French culture was challenging many societal norms, including those in fashion. Louis Reard, one of the inventors of the bikini, led the way.
Reard’s swimsuits used less than 30 square inches of fabric, about the size of an average cocktail napkin. He used to brag that it wasn’t truly a bikini unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring. His invention created a global stir, and several nations passed laws banning bikinis.
Interestingly, one of the original To Catch a Thief book covers shows a woman wearing a bathing suit similar in pattern to the one in the Reard photo.
Riviera Life
When researching the book, I wanted to understand the culture of France -- and the Riviera -- on a personal level. I wanted to understand daily life--to know what people thought about, what they wore, what music they listened to, and what they ate and drank. And as a lover of sweets, I naturally gravitated toward what they ate.
I had a lot of fun trying different French recipes, and I stumbled on a favorite -- the canele. It’s a pastry shaped like a turret and usually flavored with rum and vanilla. Needless to say, they had me at pastry!
Caneles are not just desserts -- they’re eaten for breakfast, for snacks, and even paired with wines. And they are surprisingly hard to make. It took several attempts before mine were presentable. Early attempts looked overcooked, had odd shapes, and tasted a little off. I’m not complaining since I ate those failed attempts. The picture above is not of my caneles…it’s a stock picture of what they should look like.
For reference, I used the recipe at eat.live.travel.write website (article is, ‘How to Make Caneles in Silicone Molds’), and I did not coat the silicone mold with beeswax or melted butter. Also, I went with this mold from Amazon — https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0045U9Q6U/?coliid=IRSA3XJSAOSJN&colid=37FRNA8G81ORJ&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1
My World
In prior newsletters, I wrote that I knew I wanted to write but didn’t know how.
So I began searching online, and I found some great resources. But that took a while. There were some resources that were too theoretical, some too superficial, and some felt just right.
I really liked the resources from KM Weiland, Jane Friedman, Elizabeth Craig, and Linda Dunn. I started with Ms. Weiland’s “Story Structure”; it was the first thing I read about writing. That felt right to me, so I went through all her content. You can find a lot of her guidance here at https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/, as well as her books, which I found on Amazon. I’ve always been a plot guy, but I quickly learned that plot, theme, and character arc are the critical elements of any story, and a good author should understand those attributes. There’s also a story structure theory called Save the Cat, with many online resources, but I liked Ms. Weiland’s approach much better.
Jane Friedman is another unbelievable resource for the business side of writing, and you can find her here at https://janefriedman.com/. Thanks to Jane, I’ve learned a tremendous amount about all aspects of writing, particularly how to market your book and yourself, and much of it is reflected on my website. Thanks, Jane!
Elizabeth Craig has been a tremendous asset. I started following her on Twitter @elizabethscraig, and I’m continually impressed with her posts and reposts. So, thanks to you, Ms. Craig.
Last but not least, Linda Dunn has been great. Her posts (@Dunn4Authors) about social media efforts have been eye-opening and insightful. Check her out.
Like any profession, continual learning is a requirement for being good. Every month, I learn something that helps my writing.
I hope it’s reflected in my next book.