D.M. Beucler is joining us today to talk about her novel, Memory and Magic. Here’s the publisher’s description:
Tamsin learned caution the hard way, spending a year in the king’s jail under suspicion of using illegal blood magic. Now she’s scrounging a living as a laundress in the Narrows, the poorest ring of the three walled capital city.
When Tamsin’s smuggler friend brings a badly beaten outsider to her door, compassion drives her to risk everything and heal him. But Rhys is no ordinary kingsringer dandy. An unknown blood mage stripped away Rhys’s memories, he’s being hunted, and he may be a traitor to the crown.
Now Tamsin must navigate the working-class streets she knows and the aristocracy she left behind to clear his name and discover the treasonous plot that someone wanted Rhys to forget. If she fails, a king will die and the Narrows will burn.
What’s D.M.’s favorite bit?
Choosing one favorite part of Memory and Magic is a bit like asking me which of my kids (or my cats) is my favorite. Tamsin though, my book’s heroine has such a special place in my heart. There is a film scene in the Emma Thompson version of Sense and Sensibility, where Elinor Dashwood is sitting on a staircase, drinking a cup of tea, after every other Dashwood has run to their room in tears. That level of calm, kindness, and practicality in chaos is what I tried to bring to Tamsin in Memory and Magic.
Tamsin is barely scraping by as a laundress when she learns that her rent has increased and she can’t cover it. The answer to her financial issues lands in her lap when Rhys, a man with money but no memory, is brought to her to take care of. Keeping him safe and finding out why his memories are gone leads to uncovering a deeper plot against the city she has made her home in. Through one practical, calm, and clever decision at a time, Tamsin finds her way through terrifying riots, street brawls, and society balls to try and keep all the people around her safe.
And playing in a Regency inspired world was so fun! My historical clothing nerdage runs deep. I dove through so many museum archives and extant pieces to create a world that would feel real and have amazing gowns. My favorite was an extant French evening gown that I found in the Met’s archives. I needed a scenario where Tamsin wore a long-sleeved dress to cover up injuries, and this extant silk gown covered in glass pearls just fit the part perfectly. The fashions in this era changed rapidly, reflecting the new industrial age, so it was fun to play around with how those changes could reinforce the strict class dynamics of my world.
The romance that builds from Tamsin and Rhys, both in places where they have been stripped of their identities and rediscovering who they are together in a high stress environment, was delightful. I think so much of building solid love stories is finding a person with whom you are comfortable abandoning all pretenses and expectations and laying bare your soul. And having no memories of your past is certainly a great way to fast track that process!
Creating their relationship from dependance to independence, respect, and love was a joy. I can’t wait until the rest of the world can experience their story too.
LINKS:
Book Link
BIO:
Denise is a writer, fiber artist, and professional chaos manager residing in Ohio with her husband. She has two kids, three cats, and more sewing machines and looms than anyone should practically need. Denise spent much of her childhood in Pern, Tortall, and Prydain. A Viable Paradise alumna, she now spends her days herding children and writing imaginary histories.