Sunday, May 9, 2010

Fan Letter to an Author Blog Crawl!

Kassa started it, this crawl around the webz wherein bloggers write fan letters to favorite authors.  And she set up a schedule, which you can see on Erotic Horizon's blog  if you click the link in the left column, the one in several colors that says "Blog Crawl" right on it.  If you aren't all the schedule you can still participate.  Just write your love letter and link back to the schedule so others can see what's what.  Or not.  It's a free world.

Thank you to Amy, of My Friend Amy, for tagging me in the crawl. 

Here is my letter, to Charlie Cochrane, author of the wonderful Cambridge Fellow Mysteries.


Dear Charlie,

 It's 2:00 a.m. and I've just finished Lessons in Trust. Oh, how I love Orlando and Jonty!

I have read with great satisfaction every book in this series, a couple of them more than once (to tide me over till the next book).  Sitting down with one of these books is like getting comfy on the couch with an old friend and a cup of coffee, and maybe a few slices of banana bread.
Your writing is so darn clever.  The banter between Jonty and Orlando is precious.  It makes me smile and snicker.   Witty, dry, and quick, I suppose it's what they call English humor.  I find it very satisfying.  And it's not just between our two heroes; family and friends get in on the act as well.

You bring these boys to life with their humor and poking fun, juxtaposed with the serious stuff they carry with them: Jonty's past experience of abuse and Orlando's difficult personal history.  And you have done this through seven books covering several years.  They begin their journey tentatively, as they hold on to their secrets and insecurities.  With each book  they take ownership of their own selves and each other, together and separately.  The mysteries keep me curious, the romance keeps me interested and nothing is static.   By the end of the series we know these men as intelligent but sometimes stupid, reserved but often passionate, humorous and just as much heart-breaking, and always honorable, except when they need to lie.


The way you write their love-making proves that the mind is the most important sexual organ. I, who like to read about sex in all its explicit detail, find myself thrilled with the build-up to and subtle description of Jonty & Orlando's encounters. There is delightful tension and sometimes hunger in the way you write about a touch of a hand, or a look, a scent, a reminder that requires no explicit blow by blow (pardon the pun) to show the attraction between these two .  I look forward to reading your clever descriptions of their sex life, such as:

"He needed all his energy concentrated on making sure he didn’t spoil the match with a premature shot at goal. "



The mysteries stay interesting because you vary their style from book to book.  Jonty and Orlando may be investigating a murder next door, or one that's been unsolved for years. Despite the sometimes gruesome murders that take place within the pages, these are genteel books. I know our heroes will solve the mystery with characteristic attention to manners and shrewd perceptions.

I am happiest with a book that invites me to immerse myself in its world. So thank you, Charlie, for much happiness!

Hugs,
Wren


To visit Charlie's blog, go here
A free short story about Jonty and Orlando can be found here.

Tomorrow, go to Smokin' Hot Books to read the next letter!

29 comments:

  1. Haven't tried these yet, but I keep hearing good things about them! Your letter is influencing me to get to her books even sooner. :)

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  2. I haven't read these yet, either, but I have this strange urge to after reading your letter!

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  3. Great letter, Wren. I've read and enjoyed a couple of Charlie Cochrane shorts in anthologies, but have yet to pick any of the books up in this series. This is partly because I have a feeling I'm going to really like them and so I'm saving it for when I've got time for a huge marathon :).

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  4. Chris - you are getting sleepy...you are buying these books...

    Jen - I'll watch the kids while you read.

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  5. I'm surprised the people that haven't read this great series. It's not one that is always exciting (at least for me). But it's one that I know will delight and entertain.

    Fabulous letter! Your descriptions were spot on and the subtle details for the sex scenes actually intrigue and satisfy me more than if there were full of graphic depictions. And I'm a perv so that's saying something.

    Great mother's day present!

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  6. Kassa, thank you!

    I'm surprised, too, that more people haven't read them. It's one of those situations where I just figure everyone has read the book/series!

    Maybe it's strongly a matter of taste - historical, very British? (I have also loved the Lord Peter Wimsey books by Dorothy Sayers, and am enjoying immensely the Soulless series by Gail Carriger. Not m/m either of them, but dear to my heart)

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  7. Heh, Wren, by the time you'd typed that, I'd already twisted my way through the tangle of the ARe 50% Rebate sale and purchased them... :D

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  8. Hmmm. I've read the first two and did enjoy them muchly. Everyone knows I'm not a huge lover of historicals, but I did enjoy them and was totally in love with Jonty's Mom. Since Chris says hey are at ARe, I guess I better get over there and manipulate the 50% off deal while it's on.

    Great letter and I think you summed up the feel of the stories nicely.

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  9. Thank you, Tam. I'm so glad that ARe is having this sale to help me pimp these books! :)

    And yes, Jonty's mom - she's awesome. His dad, too.

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  10. *zing* Wren sells 14 Charlie Cochrane books just like that. :)

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  11. Comfy reads are the best kind :)

    Hmmm love me some banana bread also.

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  12. I think this blog hopping thingy might not be healthy for my bank account. Finding all these recommended reads is a double edged sword. :-)

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  13. Chris - should I be getting a percentage?

    Katiebabs - now I'm hungry!

    Tam - I'm getting that feeling, too, and we've only just started!

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  14. I should've kept a tally when I started reading blogs this morning, to see how many books people ended up purchasing based on recs...

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  15. Fabulous letter! I'll have to put these books on the list when I'm in the mood for a historical.

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  16. A great letter Wren...

    I also have read something short by this author - but not this series.

    I am adding it to my list - as I am trying to get through some of my backlog of books now..

    Beautiful covers.. and it's so nice when a book keep you up way past your bed time..

    E.H>

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  17. Terrific letter, Wren. As you know I'm not a fan of historicals, but these I've enjoyed very much. Precisely for their subtlety.

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  18. Fabulous letter, Wren.

    I've been hearing really good things about this series lately. I'm adding it to my buy list right now.

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  19. Great letter. I'm going shopping now and have to agree with Tam that this blog hopping is going to get costly. Thank you for introducing me to a new writer.

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  20. Chris - That would've been an interesting study!

    Eyre - Thanks. Go shopping.

    E.H> - They are lovely covers, aren't they? I like it when a book just draws me in like these do.

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  21. Kris - Thanks. I think Charlie Cochrane does a good job of not overwhelming you with details. She gives you just enough to establish sense of time and place, and I like that.

    Lily - Thank you! Jump on the bandwagon!

    Teresa - Ka-ching! :)

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  22. Hi Wren, I'm new to your blog and lovin' this Blog Crawl y'all are doing ;) I definitely am going to check out this author, I love the chemistry between the two men you are describing in your letter. I think this feature is going to prove havoc on my CC LOL

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  23. Hi Leontine and welcome!!

    Isn't the blog crawl great? Do investigate Charlie's books; I hope you like them.

    We'll have to start a club of burning credit cards!

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  24. I love this blog crawl - I'm meeting some amazing bloggers and some fantastic sounding authors, of which Charlie Cochrane is one. I loved the 'why' to your letter. I have a friend who is a huge fan of this series and I'm thinking I should definitely try it!

    Thank you Wren!

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  25. Hi Orannia!! It's great to have you visiting here! As you can guess, I would encourage you to read this series! *grin*

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  26. Hi Wren, your letter is amazing! I've been eying this series over at Samhain a few times before, but now I'm certain I want to buy and read it. Thank you for bringing this author to our atttention, I think this blog crawl is great!

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  27. Janna, hi! Thanks for stopping in. Glad you liked my letter enough to spur the buying urge!

    I'm enjoying the crawl, too!

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