Just when you thought it was safe to open the covers of another book…. Lord Richard Selwick, aka the Purple Gentian, may be feeling a bit espionage-challenged these days (otherly agented? my PC speak is rusty), but there is no denying that he gets around. The Purple Gentian has escaped the pages of his author’s creation and run amok among the bookshelves.

In short, the Purple Gentian has a shout-out in Mary Blayney’s recent release, Traitor’s Kiss.

Neat, no? Mary and I discussed this a while back and decided it would be fun to have our historical worlds overlap. It adds to the air of verisimilitude to have the existence of one’s characters acknowledged by other characters– plus, it’s just fun to feel like you’re on the receiving end of an inside joke. I still remember the thrill of reading Sarah Donati’s Into the Wilderness and coming upon a conversation about the hero’s old family friends: Diana Gabaldon’s time-trotting Frasers. It makes you feel so gloriously in the know.

But, fear not, Richard will be back where he’s supposed to be tomorrow: right here on the website, in the fifth installment of That Untitled Christmas Novella!