she’s back…
Writing Coco books is always a lot of fun, and now that I’m writing the fourth and she’s been around for a while, I’m finding people are taking to her so well they actually suggest to me things she might say. They’re often rude and entirely inappropriate, but that rather sums up our chaotic heroine, doesn’t it?
The truth is I’ve discovered the easiest (and funniest?) way to write Coco is to not overthink it and certainly not to plan what she says because I think it ends up sounding fake. It’s much easier just to put her into the various situations and see what happens! And as it turns out, it’s so much more natural and probably funnier and more inappropriate that way.
The thing I love most about Coco is that she isn’t exactly one way or another. Yes, she’s funny, rude, and chaotic but she’s also a very good investigator and people watcher. She’s loyal, she’s dedicated (in her own way) and she doesn’t allow the knocks of life to rule her life. Coco is the kind of woman we’d all like to know, but would most likely be a little afraid of!
When I decided to write a spin-off, there really was no choice but to base it on Coco. ‘Les Mauvais Garçons,’ (HDI book 9) really was her book as much as it was Hugo’s (though I didn’t realise it at the time). I had planned on other spin-offs, ones which ended up on the back burner, so I might go back to them at some point if I ever grow weary of Hugo and Coco.
And now here we are. Coco is back in a brand new mystery, her third. ‘Cercueils en Spirale’ (coffins in a circle) finds Coco, Cedric and the gang embroiled in a very mysterious case involving the discovery of three coffins stolen from a monastery. One of the coffins is missing its corpse and now contains a brand new fresh one, setting Coco off on a very puzzling investigation.
The thought of Coco loose in a monastery was too delicious a scenario to completely ignore. Therefore we meet Mathieu Moreau, a twenty-year- old novice monk with a dark family secret. The attraction between Coco and Mathieu is obvious and as expected, entirely inappropriate. I won’t spoil the story too much, other than to say you’ll have to wait until the very end to find out what happens, or maybe not? :)
Coco’s love life is another complicated issue. Four children by three different fathers (two MIA, the third spending life in prison) has left Coco worn and weary. Sure she flirts a lot (and I mean, a LOT) but over the course of these books it has never really gone further than that. I have thought about it, but never really could decide how it should go. How would an occupied Coco look? Would it work in a book? I’m still not sure of the answer to that. But I am sure of one thing. Coco would never let a man rule or change her life, so he’d have to be pretty special for her to allow him in. We’ll see what happens, so watch this space.
As I write this blog, I am also finishing off Coco’s fourth adventure. This time she’s amongst the world of clairvoyants and séances and it’s as fun and (yes) chaotic as you would imagine. I’ll tell you more about that another time. After that, it’s time to finish the Hugo prequel trilogy. ‘Hugo & Madeline’ takes Hugo up to his eighteenth birthday and the loss of his grandmother. I’m really looking forward to writing that one as Madeline is a hell of a lot of fun to write!
And then, it’s back to Hugo present day. Hugo book 13 will be called ‘Hotel Beaupain’ and I continue to work out the story, I can tell you this, the plan is a bit of a doozy and will really shock you… I know, I’m a tease, but it’s going to be a hell of a ride and a shock to you all who love the Hugo and Ben love story. Oh, and just because, Coco will return to Montgenoux for that story in our second crossover. I’m so excited to start it.
Okay, time to say au revoir for now. Thank you all for your support and continuing to read the books, I honestly appreciate it and it means the world to me. Until next time, enjoy Coco!
GX