I first discovered Charlie Cochrane's writing with her story Aftermath in the historical m/m anthology SPEAK ITS NAME. I was immediately taken with the combination of understated charm and intense emotion she brings to her characterizations. Then, for a little while I kept hearing that Charlie had other books out but I couldn't find them in ebook editions. So I was delighted to discover recently that she has a whole series of novels out from Samhain, the Cambridge Fellows Mystery series, which feature the adventures of Orlando Coppersmith and Jonty Stewart, Cambridge scholars, amateur sleuths, and soulmates. They're delightful. Before I even finished the first one, I'd ordered the second.
So it gives me particular pleasure to introduce to you Charlie Cochrane, who is joining us today to talk about her latest release, book four of the Cambridge Fellows Mysteries, LESSONS IN POWER:
Cambridge, 1907
After settling in their new home, Cambridge dons Orlando Coppersmith and Jonty Stewart are looking forward to nothing more exciting than teaching their students and playing rugby. Their plans change when a friend asks their help to clear an old flame who stands accused of murder.
Doing the right thing means Jonty and Orlando must leave the sheltering walls of St. Bride’s to enter a labyrinth of suspects and suspicions, lies and anguish. Their investigation raises ghosts from Jonty’s past when the murder victim turns out to be one of the men who sexually abused him at school. The trauma forces Jonty to withdraw behind a wall of painful memories. And Orlando fears he may forever lose the intimacy of his best friend and lover.
When another one of Jonty’s abusers is found dead, police suspicion falls on the Cambridge fellows themselves. Finding this murderer becomes a race to solve the crime…before it destroys Jonty’s fragile state of mind.
Be sure to click the link at the bottom of the post to read an excerpt from LESSONS IN POWER.
And now, the interview:
What gave you the idea for this story?
It seemed like the natural next part of Jonty and Orlando’s relationship, for them to deal with the awful things which happened to Jonty at school. The abuse he suffered – and the hatred he feels for his abusers – has hovered over his life like a black cloud and he and Orlando are never going to be able to really be happy together until Jonty can find some sort of ‘closure’.
I also wanted to use characters from other books who had proved popular, like Matthew Ainslie and Jonty’s amazing parents (who are always a great source of comic relief). Oh, and I was determined to get the lads playing rugby against each other, too.
Why do you write?
It started because I’d run out of suitable fanfic to read in my fandom and I thought “I’ll try my hand at it.” Then it became a really enjoyable hobby (and one I started to get paid a bit for, once I went pro). Now I carry on because I enjoy it so much – I don’t feel I have to write every day (I tend not to if we’re on holiday) but I’m always picking up ideas to use when we get home.
Who has inspired you, and how?
Loads of authors – Austen, Sayers, O’Brian, Jerome K Jerome to name but a few – who’ve taught me that serious writing doesn’t have to be boring and that humour works well in romance, mysteries and adventure stories. I’m grateful to Lee Rowan for nudging me and nudging me into trying to get published. And I have many sporting heroes, particularly paralympians, who remind me never to give up and aim for the stars.
What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Ooh, that’s difficult. A whole tin of condensed milk and a spoon would be pretty good but I’ve not done that for a while. Watching lots of rugby on the TV, especially when it’s a Heineken Cup weekend and I can rack up seven or eight matches (part or whole) over four days is a wonderful indulgence. Why do I do it? The games are exciting and the men are scorchingly hot. Simples. *g*
If there were one misconception about m/m that you could clear up forever, what would it be?
That it has to be sexually explicit. There’s plenty of well written, non-explicit romantic books around (not just mine, Tamara Allen’s ‘Whistling in the Dark’ is a brilliant example). Some of them even have covers which you wouldn’t mind your maiden aunt seeing.
Who is your favorite character, and why?
Among my characters, I love Jonty Stewart from the Cambridge Fellows books because he’s worked his way through troubles with an unquenchable spirit and a cheerful smile on his face. He’s also got an impish sense of humour and is drop dead gorgeous.
Among other people’s characters I love Tom Pullings and William Reade from the Patrick O’Brian books and Sutton and Jack from Tamara Allen’s ‘Whistling in the Dark’. All of them heroic, dashing males, who’ve fought for their country and suffered physical and/or emotional wounds.
Do you now write, or have you ever written, fanfic? If so, what fandoms, pairings, etc?
I have. I started off writing Age of Sail fanfic (Hornblower, Master and Commander) which is where I met lee Rowan, before she was published. If it hadn’t been for that I would never have tried my hand at pro-writing.
I’ve also dabbled in Torchwood fic and still produce the occasional piece, which helps keep the creative juices flowing. I’ve always specialized in AU or crossover stories for my fandoms – I think I might be the only person to have written Jeeves & Wooster/Torchwood crossover.
(Very Good, Ianto: 1/2, 2/2 Charlie let me link provided I explain her other stuff is not as loopy. That's okay. We don't mind a little loopy around here, do we?)
Please click the link below for an excerpt from LESSONS IN POWER.
Friends brought the film The Brothers Bloom over tonight and OMG what a wonderfully slasheriffic h/c fest it was! First of all, it stars Adrien Brody. I mean, that's almost enough 
right there. But it stars Adrien Brody as the reluctant half of a con-man duo, brothers who grew up together getting bounced from one foster home to another and eventually winding up in the hands of "The Diamond Dog," a Russian Mafia Fagin-type figure. (Tortured childhood, anyone? Why yes, I don't mind if I do.) The film makes it clear that DD beat the boys, but in a very tense scene where DD gropes Adrien's thigh while A sits there and shakes sends a very strong hint that Adrien's character was sexually abused as well.
who Bloom (Adrien) falls in love with. She's perfect. I barely even got into slashing the two brothers (though you totally could),
because Rachel's character, with her multitude of odd hobbies, history of isolation and hunger to experience the world was such a great geek girl character. And they don't make a big deal out of her being beautiful. AND, there are all these scenes where she's cupping Adrien's face, or stroking his hair as he lays with his head in her lap. I'm telling you, this film taps right into the heart of the hurt-comfort motherlode and just keeps it coming. Yummy angsty fun. Recommended.
and
