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An Interview with Charlotte Kandel, author of THE SCARLET STOCKINGS: The Enchanted Riddle (January 2008) What inspired you to write THE SCARLET STOCKINGS: The Enchanted Riddle?
I’ve always had my nose in a book. My mother began reading grown up books to my twin sister and me when we were five. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Oliver Twist. She edited as she went, enthralling us with the great storytelling and making Mr. Darcy, Jane and Oliver come brilliantly alive for us. As I teenager, books were my salvation. I wasn’t alone. Every single person has to survive puberty!
Needless to say, I ached to write myself. But I was stuck thinking, "If I can’t write like Jane Austen, then I don’t dare try at all!" Of course, I knew that NO ONE writes like Jane Austen. But still, I pushed the longing away and got involved in a wonderful PR career on Broadway, in Australia and in Hollywood. No time to write, even if I thought I could. Five years ago I left Warner Bros., DETERMINED to see what I could do.
I knew I wanted to write for girls. I owe so unbelievably much to books because of what they gave me.
And I believe in magic, I really do!
Did you start with a character or with a plot? How did the story emerge?
THE SCARLET STOCKINGS: The Enchanted Riddle began life in infancy as an illustrated story about mice, living in London, brilliantly drawn by my friend Desmond Heeley, a legendary set and costume designer and winner of multiple Tony Awards.
So, the story was inspired by a piece of art?
Yes! The central character was called Daphne. When Desmond was not able to continue with the book, he generously said to me, “Here, you take Daphne and make her your own.” Desmond must also get credit for coming up with the name of our vile villainess, OVA ANDOVA. In writing the book, I hoped to create an unforgettable personality such as Cruella de Vil in THE HUNDRED AND ONE DALMATIONS. Evil and vicious, but also glamorous and funny.
Are any of the characters inspired by people you know?After I had Daphne and Ova in my sights, I found the other characters sort of created themselves. Magda Magellan, the irresistible musical comedy star, Daphne’s adoptive parents, green grocers in Hoxton in the East End of London, Carlo and Maria Green, the suave impresario of the Ballet Splendide, Serge Petrov, and of course Daphne’s pals, the three other members of the talented street performing group THE BEST OF FRIENDS.
I must admit, I have a PARTICULAR soft spot for Grushka, Ova’s despicable sidekick!
You set this story in such a rich, vibrant time and place. How did you come to choose this setting? I chose to set the story in two locations where I grew up, London and Paris. I chose the 1920’s because this was when women truly came into their own and found the world alive with possibilities. Oh, the glamour, the fashions, the witty slang. Cole Porter and Noel Coward. The Eiffel Tower and dresses by Lanvin. Bliss! I wanted glamour, I wanted charm, I wanted a sense of wonder, I wanted a world in the throes of change, where high spirits and outrageous FUN were paramount. Where anything could happen. And it did!
Briefly describe the revision process. Did the story change much over the course of the revision?THE SCARLET STOCKINGS: The Enchanted Riddle went through four drafts. The first draft was longer than BOTH books of the Bible. I’ve never had a formal writing lesson, however I quickly became aware that essential to the whole process of writing is a clear-eyed editor. You can’t do it by yourself. You become totally wrapped up in the material and unable to see the weaknesses and the inconsistencies.
Tell us about your writing process. Where do you write? When?
The writing process is, of course, completely individual for everyone. When I first began I found that my best time was between 2 a.m. and 11 a.m. I loved the dark, the quiet, the no phones. And I didn’t really know what I was doing so I had to CONCENTRATE. After two Daphne books, and the new book I am currently working on, I have found that I can work at any time. But biorhythmically the morning is still best for me!
What are you reading now?Paul Scott’s brilliant Raj Quartet is high on my list of all time favorite reading. I will be traveling to Rajasthan later this year to do research for a new book.
Born in England and educated in London and Paris, Charlotte Kandel knew by the time she was nine years old that she wanted to work behind the scenes in the world of theater, dance and movies. Charlotte trained for a career in Public Relations, and when her family moved to New York, sshe tarted by working as publicity assistant for a busy producer of Broadway musicals and dramas. This led to a job in charge of publicity at the famed Guthrie Theater. Six years later she left for Los Angeles to become a movie publicist at Warner Bros. Pictures, where she worked her way up to become the studio’s top publicity executive, supervising a team of 200 American and international publicists launching Warner Bros. films worldwide. After 15 years Charlotte left Warner Bros. to fulfill her lifelong dream of writing. THE SCARLET STOCKINGS: THE ENCHANTED RIDDLE is her first book. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles.
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