Getting to know you: an interview with Concordia Wells

Sometimes it’s good to sit down and have a chat with peeps you see all the time, don’t you think? You never know what’s going to pop up in conversation, and then you wonder how you never knew that about a person you’ve been acquainted with for years.

That’s close to the feeling I had when Margot Kinberg tagged me (an embarrassingly-long time ago) for the “Meet the Main Character” blog hop. When you get a chance, check out her post about her own character Joel Williams, a police detective-turned-professor-turned-back-to-sleuth (when the occasion calls for it).

Without further ado, here are the questions which my amateur lady sleuth, Professor Concordia Wells, will answer for you today.

What is your name? Are you a fictional or historical character?

My name is Concordia Wells. I assure you I am quite real, although my chronicler, K.B. Owen, insists otherwise. She can be quite stubborn in that regard.

When and where is your story set?

I live in the period of time referred to as the “Progressive Era,” during the 1890s. Most of my days are spent teaching and living at Hartford Women’s College in Connecticut.

What should we know about you?

My first name – Concordia – was given to me by my father, who was an avid scholar. I was named after the Roman goddess of harmony. Ironically, the only harmonious relationship during my childhood years was between my father and me. My mother took to her bed for a week when I defied her wishes and left for college instead of going out to find a husband.

I inherited my father’s love of books and learning, and am now a college professor. I teach rhetoric and literature. Because I am a female professor, my responsibilities also entail living in one of the student dormitory cottages – Willow Cottage – as the teacher-in-residence. The house matron and I serve as chaperones – surrogate mothers, if you will – to the two dozen young ladies in our care. They can be a bit hoydenish at times, but they are good-hearted girls all the same. I am unmarried, of course; no school employs married women. I might point out that the male professors can be married and live in their own homes. Is it truly the Progressive Era? Sometimes I have my doubts.

 

What is the main conflict? What messes up your life?

It is a sad fact that one cannot create the world as one wishes it to be. Our little insular sphere of the women’s college is where I feel most happy and at ease, where my work is valued and my fellow teachers understand me. However, in the greater world of 1890s America, the old myths about a woman’s intellect and delicate constitution persist. Many in society at large believe we ladies are threatening our health and that of future children by taking on academic pursuits. Others believe us akin to rabble-rousers and anarchists.

In addition, even though we are on the brink of the twentieth century (imagine!), what constitutes lady-like behavior is quite circumscribed. Climb out of a window once (well, maybe twice), or trap a murderer into giving himself away, and one never hears the end of it.

 

What is your personal goal?

Recent events, as chronicled by K.B. Owen, have me grappling with several goals that are quite personal. Eli, a young orphan boy who is very close to my heart, disappears after the murder of his mother. My friends and I are quite anxious to locate him and keep him safe. In the process of finding answers, however, we come up against a dangerous foe. I won’t go into any more detail than that, as K.B. is reluctant for me to give away what happens next. But I am at liberty to tell you that I am also dealing with a very personal quandary regarding a gentleman friend to whom I have grown close these past few years. I have a wrenching decision to make as to what my future will be.

 

Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it?

The novel is called Unseemly Ambition. Rather a sensationalized title, I grant you – K.B. does get carried away with these unseemly titles – but even so, it’s an apt name.

When can we expect the book to be published?

The book is available now, but I will allow K.B. to step in and give you the details. It’s time for me to round up the girls for chapel. It was lovely to meet you.

Thank you, Concordia! Unseemly Ambition is available now, at your choice of online venues. Buttons below are clickable links:

Also, check out the details of my Unseemly Ambition giveaway, with the list of prizes and how to get your name in the drawing (multiple times!). Find out more by clicking here.

My thanks again to Margot, for tagging me in the original blog hop. 🙂

If there was one character you could interview, who would it be? What would you ask him/her?

Thanks for stopping by!

~Kathy

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