Q&A with R.M. Caldwell

  

 

 

R.M. Caldwell is the author of the new novel Fast and Fastidious. Caldwell is based in Hamilton, New Zealand. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Fast and Fastidious, and how did you create your character Lucy Elliot?

A: I think the original idea spun out of a half-finished play of mine about highwaymen. Once the title popped into mind, a lot of it flowed but I ran out of steam six chapters in left it for a few years.

When I picked up the chapters again during the COVID lockdowns, I was really struck but how obvious it was that Lucy was on the neurodivergent spectrum. She had always been a fastidious and technically minded character but I hadn’t given thought to why.

 

Social awareness around that spectrum had improved over the years, to the point that I now realized I’d been writing her that way without even knowing it.

With that in mind it gave her a lot more direction. Jane Austen novels are a world of social rules and it was interesting to have a character who depended on those rules because it didn’t come naturally.

I already knew my plot but with a character behind it, I was able to push through to a finished first draft. 

 

Q: Your characters’ names have some Jane Austen connections--can you say more about that, and about the novel’s title?

A: I always wanted to write something that had the feel of an Austen novel, even when the plot veered into the adventure story lane. That meant names and family dynamics that kept that feel. When I came across the name Dashwood it was a perfect fit for the character, the dashing hero, racing through the forest lanes.

The title was an obvious play of Pride and Prejudice and Fast and Furious, one of those phrases that clicked into my head one day and I knew it had appeal.

 

Q: Did you need to do any research to write the book, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: I do basic research but try not to get bogged down in it on my first draft. The time period was important, but other parts were vague. I’m incredibly grateful to Dianne Blacklock who gave me structural edit notes. They were so clear and thorough and one area of focus was about anchoring the piece geographically.

 

I then went into a lot more research, which meant a lot of places got renamed to match real-world locations. For example, the Walton church really did fall into the sea from erosion in 1798. It gave the world a more solid feel, though some elements, like Longburn Mire, are a fiction.

I did try to do a little research on coaches and models at the time but it wasn’t readily available so most of the engineering is just technobabble, though one of the models is an Austen reference.

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Lucy and Captain Dashwood?

A: I think the relationship theme of Fast and Fastidious is “Find company among those who get you.” You don’t need to be the same, but you need to understand and accept who someone is for a relationship to work.

 

I think this was the case for the main character, like Lucy and Captain Dashwood, all the way down to minor characters like the seamstress and the tailor.

 

This even resonates with non-romantic connections, the Torres’ makeshift family, or the friendship between Lucy and Charlotte Wyndham. Once they’re able to understand each other, there’s a comfort and security in feeling seen. Find your people I suppose.

Lucy is a cautious overthinker and I needed her to be very tentative in exploring the relationship, which meant Dashwood had to let her. Because the story around them is dangerous, James had to be safe.

 

It’s about building that mutual respect and admiration for character, which is the road that Austen novels often also take, characters not realizing how bonded they are until the dam breaks. There’s a definite physical attraction, which flusters Lucy, but it’s not at the forefront.

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: I’m always floating different ideas, fleshing them out before putting pen to paper. One is a spiritual sequel with the same mystery and romance bond. Another is a more action adventure-based concept with a fairy tale spin. I think they’re both in the same place Fast and Fastidious was, with a plot fleshed out but waiting for the main character to click.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: Everyone has a different writing style but a couple of tips that work for me.

1- Know your ending first. Once you know the destination, the journey is more fun.
2 – Get the first draft done. Even if it’s two handwritten pages a day (during lock down), once you get that complete, you can really start honing it.
3 – Accept criticism. The sweeps of editing and suggestion were amazing in making the work better and better.
4 – Find the people (or person) who get you. 

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb