TS: Okay, now I feel bad that you bought me an entire cabin. We really should have set a limit.
The Swoon Reads Experience (Continues!)
HW: What’s your favorite thing about being a Swoon Reads author so far?
KZ: Well, not to sound like a broken record, but probably the amazing team at Swoon! We love every single person in the amazing group. Our books would be nothing without the wonderful people who make our books better (especially Holly).
TS: I second that. Especially our online brainstorming chats with Holly, Lauren, and Emily. I’ve been used to writing being a solitary, getting-way-too-stuck-in-my-head-type activity, so it’s been great to come up with fun what-if scenarios for our characters with them. A lot of our favorite moments in this book wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for those talks.
HW: Awwww … Thank you! We love brainstorming with you, too! I know you are both active in author groups online. How do you think the Swoon Reads community affected your experiences as authors?
KZ: Swoon basically alerted me to the fact that there WERE writing communities online! It just wasn’t something I knew to look for. The feedback we received for our These Vicious Masks manuscript when it was up on the site was invaluable. It’s been so great finding other authors and feeling the support of a whole group of people behind you.
TS: Yeah, it’s been incredibly motivating, both having a community as interested and excited about our books as we are, and seeing all the buzz other Swoon books have been getting. I never get tired of seeing those tweets where people declare their love for Swoon Reads as a whole. It feels like we’re part of a nice cozy nook.
HW: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors on the Swoon Reads site?
KZ: Read the open edit letters! I read each one, at least a few times, and go back through my work to apply it. Keep putting up your manuscripts—there are definitely authors who were not selected for their first one but they didn’t give up. Give generous comments to other writers.
TS: Try to find at least one person you trust with whom you can talk about your writing and creativity and struggles and frustrations. Having that second perspective is so important for even the smallest things.
The Writing Life
HW: Second books are notoriously difficult. What was the hardest part about writing These Ruthless Deeds?
KZ: Everything. My God, this one was a LABOR. We couldn’t believe how many corners we had walked ourselves into, plot-wise, by the end of book 1.
TS: Agreed. It was everything. There was this constant second guessing going on because we were always trying to find a balance between the other books. Whether it’s too similar or too different from book 1. Whether we’re solving too many problems or pushing too many of them back to book 3. It just feels like the messiest place structure-wise because every decision we make requires simultaneously thinking about three books.
HW: What was the thing you were most excited about going into the sequel?
TS: More powers! Both in the sense of introducing new ones and also finding new, unexpected uses for the ones we’re familiar with.
KZ: I couldn’t wait to reveal that Rose didn’t die.
HW: What are your writing processes and how does working with a co-author change them?
TS: I’m an intense plotter and brainstormer, to the point where I’ll get down to outlining every dialogue topic and emotional change in a scene rather than have to actually start writing it. It makes me so slow on my own, but Kelly basically forces me to just get something down so we have something on the page to edit and discuss. Or she’ll just jump in and write something in an hour that I’ve been stuck on for days.
KZ: My writing process began as Tarun’s … helper, basically? I had no ambitions to be a writer, but since working with him it’s become the thing I love most. However, I did write a play without him and I pantsed it so hard. Very freeing after working with a plotter for so long! But looking back, I could see where the structure didn’t quite work, and I am pretty sure an outline would have clarified some things as well. Tarun definitely helps remind me that to get the great, explosive moments I love between two characters, you have to build them a great plot.
HW: What do you want readers to remember about your books?
TS: Everything is bittersweet.
KZ: Fight for what and who you love. Never stop.
These Ruthless Deeds
Discussion Questions
The title of this novel is These Ruthless Deeds. Which deeds do you think it is referring to?
Captain Goode believed that there was a purpose to everyone’s power. If you developed an unexplained power, how would you interpret it? Would you seek out the reason for it? Or would you use it however you wished?
Mr. Redburn can copy anyone’s power for his own use. If you had the choice of any extraordinary power, what would you choose and why?
The Society of Aberrations was very insistent on hiding powered people. Why do you think they prefer to keep the true existence of these powers a secret? Would life be better for the powered people if the world knew of their existence?
Evelyn chooses to keep Sebastian out of her plans to fight against the Society of Aberrations. Was she right to leave him ignorant? How much would you have involved him?
Rose’s power charms people into loving her and doing what they feel is best for her. Is this a power you would want? What would you do with it?
Near the end of the novel, Mr. Kent comes to the conclusion that he and Evelyn are not right for each other. Do you agree with him? Explain why or why not.
Mr. Hale can travel across the world in the blink of an eye. If you had his power, where would you want to go and why?
Lady Atherton reveals that the Society of Aberrations was created to protect England from powered people, while using them in service of the Crown. If you were the head, what would you change about the Society? What would you keep the same?
Captain Goode forces Evelyn to choose between her sister’s life and the lives of all the other guests at her ball. Do you think she made the right decision? What would you have chosen?
In which a lady and a law clerk find themselves entangled in the scandal of the season.
A young heiress and her lawyer are caught up in a devious plot to destroy her reputation and steal her fortune in this Regency YA novel.
KEEP READING FOR A SNEAK PEEK.
“FROM MR. ALFRED LYNCH.”
Lydia’s hand went out instantly, but she slowed it just enough to take the letter with great dignity and solemn interest. “Mr. Lynch of Bath? My solicitor?”
“One and the same.”
The letter was not long and took mere seconds to peruse. “You are Mr. Newton? Mr. Robert Newton? Mr. Lynch’s clerk?”
Mr. Newton leaned forward, looking down at the paper as if he were going to read it upside down. “Clerk? Is that what he calls me?”
Edging back, Lydia instinctively pulled the letter to her bodice. “Are you not his clerk?”
“Well, I am. But he offered me an apprenticeship just last week. Though I will admit he did not state exactly when it was to begin. Still, he might have referred to me as an apprentice-in-waiting.”
“A somewhat unwieldy title.”
“True enough. Though it’s more likely that he forgot.”
“Seems unlikely. The man’s mind is as sharp as a tack.”
“Been a while since you’ve seen him?”
“At my father’s funeral, three years ago. Not that long.”
“Yes, well … a lot can happen in three years.”
Lydia thought about how much her life had changed and reluctantly agreed—though silently. “Mr. Lynch’s letter does not explain why you are here to visit us.”
“No, it does not.”
Lydia waited for him to continue, but he didn’t seem disposed to enlighten her. “So why have you come all the way from Bath to Roseberry Hall, Mr. Newton?”
“Bath isn’t all that far. It only took
me a couple of hours.” He glanced over at his gig and shrugged. “Would have been faster on horseback, but Mr. Lynch did insist. Thought it looked better. More official.”
Lydia’s heart skipped a beat, and she swallowed with a little difficulty. “Do you need to look official?”
“In some eyes, yes, I would say so.”
“You aren’t being very clear, Mr. Newton. Rather cryptic.”
“Mr. Lynch said you were clever.”
And so it was that Lydia stood on the side of Spelding Road just outside her own gates, observing that the day had grown chilly and that the splash of the rill was rather boisterous, in a less than charming manner. Had she been of the right disposition, she might have snapped at Mr. Newton for his uninformative conversation. She was now overburdened with thoughts of tardiness and broken wheels while her solicitor’s emissary thought nothing of being mysterious.
Perhaps Mr. Newton didn’t realize that an official visit from a solicitor had preceded the retrenchment of several households in the area. Or he might not know that Mr. Pibsbury, the estate land agent, had just retired and that a ninny had been hired in his stead. Still further, he might not know that arriving without an invitation or warning was highly irregular and boded ill.
And as those thoughts passed through her mind, Lydia hit upon another possibility—a reasonable and nonapocalyptic reason for his visit. It was just a seed at first, but it grew until it blossomed in the form of a smile and brought out the sun again. “My letter about Mr. Drury—the new land agent. Mr. Lynch sent you in response to my letter.”
“In part, yes.”
The sense of relief was such that Mr. Newton’s hesitation barely registered.
“Oh, excellent. Most excellent. Come, Mr. Newton, let us wend our way to Roseberry.”
With a quick step back to the gig, Mr. Newton grabbed his satchel, pulling it free. Joining her by the estate entrance, he half-raised his arm toward her and then, likely realizing they were too newly acquainted to offer such an intimacy, he dropped it back to his side.
However, Lydia found that she was not disinclined to take his arm; in fact, the prospect was rather exciting, in a daring sort of way. Feeling somewhat roguish, she stepped to his side and placed her hand in the crook of his arm. He smiled down at her in a manner that caused a strange flutter in her belly, and then he led them through the gates.
About the Author
Mild-mannered assistant by day, milder-mannered writer by night, TARUN SHANKER is a New York University graduate currently living in Los Angeles. His idea of paradise is a place where kung fu movies are projected on clouds, David Bowie’s music fills the air, and chai tea flows freely from fountains.
Visit him online at tarunshanker.com, or sign up for email updates here
KELLY ZEKAS, a New York University graduate, writes, acts, and reads in New York City. YA is her absolute favorite thing on earth (other than cupcakes), and she has spent many hours crying over fictional deaths. She also started reading Harlequin romances at a possibly too-early age (twelve?) and still loves a good historical romance.
Visit her at kellyzekas.com, or sign up for email updates here.
These Ruthless Deeds is their second novel.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Swoonworthy Extras
About the Author
Copyright
Copyright © 2017 by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas
A Swoon Reads Book
An Imprint of Feiwel and Friends
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
swoonreads.com
All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
Our eBooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945 ext. 5442 or by e-mail at [email protected].
First trade paperback edition 2017
eBook edition March 2017
eISBN 9781250127969
These Ruthless Deeds Page 27