Cast Commentary #9

Noel: We can jump right in but I wanted to ask if there was any specific scene either of you wanted to talk about.

Kimbar: Arianna? Any of her stuff - there's a lot of great scenes with her in this episode.

Noel: Okay. So, we could focus on the "central mystery" and what that means for Mariel Cove.

Skye: I just love this episode. Most of it's because of your scenes, though, Noel. Hearing Harper's music. Celeste's back story. Kennedy gets real credibility. Devi!

Noel: I asked Jennifer if we could elude to Season 2 and some of the changes and she said yes.

Skye: That would be great. This is a big ep for the main mystery and I don't think we've talked a lot about it in these chats.

Kimbar: We definitely haven't given it the credit it needs, and this episode moves that whole plot forward by a lot. So many clues arise, and we see Arianna back in her sleuthing mode.

Noel: Okay.

Noel: Let's jump right in then, and talk about Episode 9 of Season 1 as well as the series as a whole!

Noel: Though Mariel Cove has an ensemble cast, there is a central mystery for each season. Were you, as writers, encouraged to entangle your characters in the central mystery? How did that work?

Skye: Each main character had a fact or moment that connected them with the main plot, but most of the set up for those connections were up to the writer. For example, the only plot point Kennedy was given was to provide town documents to Arianna (which happened this ep!) Every other plot line I either created (the love triangle) or she naturally became a part of (like her plotline with Kitty.)

Kimbar: I was given a character that was already entangled in the mystery - but in a very out-of-the way sort of way.

Noel: Right, Kitty! And Kitty certainly isn't a token character just for the central mystery!

Noel: She has her own serious stuff going down!

Kimbar: Definitely. She's got a big plot arc going on, and the last few episodes of the season really get into her stuff.

Noel: Without any spoilers, Kimbar, does Kitty also fit into the central mystery in Season 2? It's a different mystery every season, but does Kitty carry over?

Kimbar: Kitty fits hugely into season two - she's not one of the three starring characters, but she's a pretty important one in season two. It's all very related to her sculpting, and where that has gone, which is nice - because she's still sculpting! But also leaves her in a very tense position.

Noel: You mention "starring" characters. What does that mean in Mariel Cove?

Kimbar: Starring characters are the characters who get scenes in every episode that are written from their point of view. There are three in season two. We did it differently in season one, but I think I like season two's format. It's much easier to keep track of.

Noel: So the characters all had small connections to the central mystery in Season 1 -- and bigger connections to the central mystery in Season 2?

Noel: Will the starring characters change with every season?

Noel: (Look, two questions at once!)

Skye: Starring characters change every season, yes. And the characters are definitely more connected in season two! The environment is a lot more closed in the second season and there are major events happening in the cove that impact everyone in important ways...

Kimbar: They're very different mysteries, though - in season one, we really have one person investigating her own private secret, and different people might have different information for her to gather. In season two...I can't say what the mystery is, but it basically envelops the entire Cove. Everybody is a part of it whether they like it or not, even the new characters. And yes, the starring characters change with every season. That gives all the writers a chance to potentially write for a starring characters.

Noel: I love that approach! So that pesky, secretive Arianna won't necessarily be a starring character in Season 2?

Kimbar: Yep! But other characters definitely get a chance to step forward and take the spotlight.

Noel: And I might get to see more of characters I like much better? : D

Skye: Season one's central mystery was personal to Arianna. B-plots surround inner conflicts and personal discovery. Season two's main plotline is more aggressive and affects everyone at once.

Noel: Cool!

Kimbar: I know that Kitty got to have a much bigger part this time around, which was nice. And, I got to help design her part - within the parameters of the plot that our Wonderful Editor created for us.

Kimbar: She truly became My Character in season two - not half mine, half her original creator's.

Noel: I love that different characters get to step up and have their fifteen pages of fame

Skye: There are also new characters in season 2! So your favorites may shine more... or you may get new favorites!

Noel: The tagline for the series is "Sex. Scandal. Secrets."

Noel: Are their guidelines for those?

Noel: Like, how much sex, scandal and secrets are allowed per episode?

Noel: Are there topics that you're not allowed to cover?

Kimbar: Jennifer's pretty open to ideas - it has to be relevant to the plot and to the episode, it can't be insanely over the top, and there has to be sex in every episode. But, this time, instead of assigning sex scenes, she let us decide our characters scenes and assumed that we'd all work to make sure that at least someone was having sex at some point in the episode. It worked out pretty well - I don't know if she had to do any tweaking, but I know I didn't hear about it. (And yes - it's working perfectly)

Skye: Season 1's only guideline was at least one sex scene per episode. These were scheduled out before we even started writing. (Does that steal the spontaneity? : ) ) Season 2, however, we received the guideline to have as many characters connect as possible, which was a lot of fun. We see characters interacting that didn't seem to have anything to do with each other in season 1.

Kimbar: That was especially nice for me, since Kitty didn't really talk to ANYBODY but Kennedy and Ruth in season 1!

Skye: Sorry about that, Kimbar. LOL!

Skye: (As in, it was my character's fault Kitty was isolated.)

Noel: Kitty deserves better!

Noel: Are any topics off limits? BDSM certainly isn't.

Skye: Everything has to be consensual. No underage sex of any kind. Beyond that, as long as it's consensual and natural to the character, we have free reign. We want there to be a little something for everyone, and everyone likes different things!

Noel: No violence against children. No sex between adults and minors. No sex between minors.

Noel: No sex with dogs, cats or turtles.

Kimbar: Or fish =P

Noel: Especially not fish. Spot is asexual.

Kimbar: I came in late to the series initially, so I wasn't given a list of off-limits topics, but those are all things I had assumed anyway.

Noel: Good assumptions, I think!

Skye: Sometimes there are also rules about varying styles. For example, we passed around a list of specific acts we wanted to feature that no one else could repeat so things stayed fresh. Also, in season 2, only one character is allowed to use a strap on because it's a huge part of her sexuality.

Noel: I mean, teens do have sex with each other. Part of life. But it can be tricky to write about it for an adult audience.

Noel: Wait!

Noel: Skye, there was *a list* of *sex* acts that were reserved?! What a neat idea!

Noel: Way to look out for the reader and make sure they're getting chocolate, vanilla *and* strawberry!

Skye: Yep =) Only very specific ones. Regulars like "oral" "fingering" etc were able to be repeated, but specific acts had to be reserved.

Kimbar: I remember reserving sex on the kitchen table for this particular episode!

Noel: (I just spit tea across my laptop. I have never in my life heard the phrase "fingering.")

Kimbar: Skye - wasn't that your idea initially? Or were you just collecting the data? I remember you sending around asking for planned sexual acts....(unless I'm crazy...sometimes I'm crazy)

Noel: Crazy in a good way!

Skye: Yep! I wanted to do something and Jennifer told me it was already a big part of someone else's scene. Because I'm a control freak and possessed by Kennedy at the time (who didn't like having her moment taken by someone else) I volunteered to compile a list so everyone knew what was up before writing.

Skye: Really?

Noel: So sex wasn't just a hot thing that happened. It's very planned for the readers enjoyment.

Skye: I thought it was better than "fingerblasting."

Noel: *readers'

Noel: *wiping off my computer, shaking my head in disbelief*

Kimbar: Yep. Very planned. Although, all I was given for this scene was that Kitty is frustrated and tops Kennedy in a rougher fashion than she ever has before.

Noel: So there was room for writers to play?

Kimbar: It was interesting trying to figure out how far that actually go with Kitty....she's not like Kennedy, which is a big part of why Kennedy seeks sex elsewhere.

Noel: What is *Kitty's* idea of wild and rough. Right.

Skye: Definitely room to play. We only reserved the sex act. A lot of my scenes ended up twisting away from my original plans, but they always fit within the broad guideline I was given.

Noel: Coming back around, what about violence and gore?

Skye: I don't think there was a hard rule about it in season 1 because there wasn't a call for it. Season 2, has both, though, but I don't think it's ever been overdone. Mariel Cove isn't horror or thriller. It's lyrical and can be haunting and intense, but there's never really a call for a super gory scene.

Kimbar: I haven't seen any that happens on screen, so to speak. There may be allusions to something having happened if the mystery calls for it, but sitting there and describing violence and gore in a scene - that can be a huge turn-off, and this is supposed to be erotica.

Noel: So the Cove winds up truly having a little something for everyone! But safely wrapped up in a silky erotica cover!

Skye: On violence, by the way, I know we all strive not to horribly trigger our audience. A lot of our more risky scenes in regards to violence -- Kennedy's scene with Carmen, Tatianna's flashback about her rape -- are either very consensual (Kennedy) or described sparingly (Tatianna.) We want to be true to life, but we don't want to trigger our readers.

Noel: That's very responsible of the writing team.

Noel: One last question!

Noel: I re-read Episode 9 today and I asked myself: What might a reader want to know at this point? And you know what I came up with?

Noel: "Why should I care about pesky Arianna's strange secret?"

Noel: Does Arianna's secret (the central mystery) figure into the overall world view of Mariel Cove? Does it affect others in the Cove? Does it have any bearing on Season 2 as the series moves forward?

Skye: That's funny, because this is the episode where I really started loving Arianna.

Noel: Interesting!

Kimbar: It has a HUGE bearing on season two - that's for sure.

Skye: Arianna's secret changes the entire social landscape of the Cove.

Noel: Ah-ha!

Noel: So the central mystery *seems* isolated to Arianna... but secretly... another *secret*!... everyone is affected!

Noel: Good work, editors planning that out! Good work, team making it happen!

Skye: Definitely.

Kimbar: ^_^

Noel: Anything else to touch on before we go?

Kimbar: My gosh, what was Kitty doing with all those figs!? I guess we'll just have to wait to find out....

Noel: LOL! Figs!!

Skye: Are we going to talk specifically about the episode? Some of my favorite scenes and connections happen here.

Noel: Go for it, Skye. What did you love?

Skye: Oh, I just loved some of the ways everything deepened. I loved Arianna actually listening to Harper's music (Harper is a character who has intrigued me from the beginning despite rarely seeing her.) I loved seeing Celeste's personal story deepen. I *loved* that you, Noel, gave Kennedy so much legitimacy as a lawyer and really drove home, I think, that most everyone doesn't see Kennedy like the reader does. We finally see her as a professional. As the rest of the world sees her. And we got a new character, Devi! A lot of things happen in season 2 because you created Devi and the Rosewood.

Skye: Also Raine makes an appearance!

Skye: In voice only, but still.

Kimbar: And some things will continue to happen in season three (shh) because of Raine. But that's too far in the future. I definitely loved a lot of the Arianna scenes.

Noel: Devi, Harper, and Raine were all characters created by Jennifer to help frame Season 2 -- so that shows when she started to think about it.

Skye: That's intense. I didn't know they were created by Jennifer! Our editor rocks.

Noel: I think, bluntly, that Season 2 is stronger.

Noel: More connected.

Skye: I do, too. It's a different beast for sure.

Kimbar: We definitely had a chance to work out any kinks in our system with season one, so season two has benefited from our experience.

Noel: Well, here's a toast to Season 10!! : D

Kimbar: *Raises glass and tries not to spill on my laptop, too*

Noel: : D

Skye: Cheers!

Noel: All right, ladies. Shall we wrap up?

Noel: Perhaps a group chant?

Noel: "Success does not come from not trying."

Noel: "Success does not arrive from lazy work."

Noel: "If writing is too hard... I can always get a job at a drive thru."

Noel: ; D

Kimbar: If writing is too hard... I can always poke my characters with a stick and try harder.*

Noel: Thank you both for putting up with my moderation. I know I'm different from our beloved Kimbar but sometimes the grrl needs a break.

Skye: True story: Jennifer keeps a sign near her desk that says "I could have been a plumber."

Noel: LOL!

Noel: Thanks, "ladies" (as Jennifer call us, and that I love).

Noel: Good night!

Skye: Thank *you* Noel!

Skye: Good night!

Cast Commentary #8

Kimbar: Okay, my writerly friends, let's start this commentary. This was quite the complicated episode to write.

Kimbar: What scene should we start with discussing? We've got a lot of good ones we could go over.

Neale: There were some pretty major emotional scenes.

Skye: So many things are introduced in this ep.

Skye: Most of them yours, Neale!

Noel: The tender moment between Arianna and Aidan.

Noel: You handled that wonderfully, Neale.

Noel: Not over the top.

Neale: Thank you, Noel.

Noel: It fit what their relationship is.

Skye: It was also a scene that I find a lot of people have problems writing well, a lover revealing a past of self-injury. I think it was very, very nicely done.

Noel: I can't stand fiction where the lovers share things early on -- more intense things than a real person would ever share -- because it just takes me out of the story.

Neale: Definitely.

Neale: To me, people are one of two ways:

Neale: Emotional upfront, but more guarded about their bodies/sexuality (not meaning orientation, but sex and being a sexual person).

Neale: Or comfortable with the physical, but take longer to open up emotionally.

Neale: Someone who is open with both is a rare and wonderful gift

Neale: I'm not sure if I've met a person like that so far in my life, though.

Noel: That's very insightful.

Noel: I like your attitude about this because it seemed like to allowed you to write Arianna in that opening scene without... well, without making her into something she's not.

Noel: She's not cold, but she's not an overly emotional, touchy/feely person.

Kimbar: I've never thought of it that way, but I definitely fit into one of those two categories, and so does everyone I know - except for the handful that I know who are guarded in both instances.

Neale: That's true, Kimbar.

Neale: Some people can definitely be guarded with both.

Neale: A lot of people, I think.

Skye: That's something I really love about Arianna, to be honest. She's not very emotional and it's okay. There's no push for her to change. To grow and feel more comfortable, yes, but this isn't the stereotypical "beautiful, emotional woman saves the hard professional by forcing her to face her emotions." Both Aidan and Arianna are allowed to be who they are without judgement.

Kimbar: Do we have anybody in this season of the Cove who's guarded about their body but open about their emotions?

Kimbar: I'm trying to think through everybody....

Noel: Celeste.

Skye: Yes. Celeste. And I think Roisin to a degree.

Kimbar: Maybe Ruth, too.

Noel: I think there's a nice mix in the Cove.

Neale: Well... definitely not my characters.

Neale: LOL - Not sure what that says about me.

Skye: It says you're the sex god of Mariel Cove. ; )

Neale: I don't know if I'd go that far =P

Noel: This episode knocks it out of the park in several scenes -- the Celeste and Tal scene; the Kitty welding scene; the Arianna harp scene; Madison and Tal have sex, etc!

Kimbar: Ruth is an interesting character that we haven't discussed much. She's a very quiet character, but we learn a couple of really amazing things about her in this episode.

Skye: Kimbar, you're absolutely right about Ruth. I was going to say this episode introduces so many elements that are important later, and I think the scene introducing Marley is a big scene for that.

Kimbar: Absolutely.

Kimbar: There's a little bit of a love triangle starting up and we haven't explored that much in these commentaries. We've got Kennedy going off the deep end, and we've talked quite a bit about that, but we've got this really close friendship developing between Ruth and Kitty, and though I don't tend to bring up my own character much because it feels a little weird to do that, I think it would be good to discuss that a bit.

Skye: Definitely, Kimbar. This is a big episode for Kitty, too. The gentle, growing relationship with Ruth pushes forward with Ruth's gift and we see Kitty sculpting for the first time.

Noel: Personally, as a reader, I saw Ruth as more of a prop.

Noel: Kitty needed her to help her see herself.

Noel: The triangle was less interesting to me than Kitty herself -- Kitty standing on her own, Kitty voicing her own needs and desires.

Noel: I know that folks seem to love the hot mess that is Kennedy, but, for me, I like Kennedy in Season 2 (what we're writing right now) and I liked Kitty more in Season 1.

Noel: How many of us have been in a bad relationship?

Noel: *raising hand*

Kimbar: *Raises hand*.

Skye: *raises both hands*

Noel: But the sex is good or whatever and we stay.

Noel: Or the emotional entanglement is there and we can't seem to find a way to untie ourselves.

Noel: Kitty had to get out.

Noel: But she was all tangled up.

Noel: Ruth was her scissors.

Neale: Sorry, I couldn't type because both of my hands were raised. Oops.

Noel: : D

Kimbar: Originally, Kitty was supposed to stay out of fear of being alone - that's what everyone in the Cove thinks, that's what Ruth thinks, and that's how it was supposed to be. I wanted Kitty to stay because she honestly loves Kennedy and doesn't want to let go of the past. My own personal bad relationship was one that dragged on for far too long because I didn't want to let go of who my ex *had* been.

Noel: Yes! I love that!

Noel: Who someone *had* been.

Noel: That is the tangle we get caught in.

Noel: A tangle of memories.

Neale: Being in love with the idea of someone - not who they actually are.

Noel: Ah, the power of being in love with an idea *sigh*

Skye: Memories and a sense of duty. Like "we've been through all this together, how can I abandon her/him?"

Neale: Absolutely.

Kimbar: Or in this case, "She needs me. Look how she breaks down without me."

Neale: That can be the toughest of all.

Neale: Obligation.

Neale: Guilt.

Kimbar: What I loved about this episode the most was getting to describe the Sculpture Garden, though.

Noel: The metal garden scene was awesome.

Kimbar: That space where Kitty goes to be alone, not affected by other people. She leaves everything at the door and just focuses on The Art.

Skye: I love the sculpture garden. Like, the idea of it as much as reading about it. I love that Kitty has this secret and this space. I think it says a lot about the strength Kitty had even from ep 1 that a lot of readers didn't see until that moment. I mean... with the way Kennedy is in season 1, that sculpture garden is a pretty bold rebellion in Kitty's quiet way.

Kimbar: She doesn't view it as rebellion, though. It saddens her to have to hide it, but she views it as a sacrifice for Kennedy's sake. In one of the earlier episodes, Kitty talks about wanting to someday show it to Kennedy and make Kennedy understand that she's the muse for all of it.

Neale: It's like a physical representation of Kitty's subconscious - the part that doesn't want to be with Kennedy. The part that can see through her lies.

Skye: Also the idea that I feel is a big part of female socialization in western culture that we must put others before ourselves all the time. For me and many, many people I know part of the guilt is the guilt of considering a breakup to save your own mental health. Like we think we need to deal with abuse or BS because someone else needs us and we're wrong to want to leave even if it saves our sanity/health/etc.

Neale: We're expected to be able to deal with our own shit while maintaining everything else in our lives - partner/girlfriend/lover​, work, school, familial obligations...

Kimbar: That whole concept is definitely very personal for me, Skye. Not from a past relationship, but a very close and unhealthy friendship.

Kimbar: It's the hardest thing to fight over with yourself.

Noel: One of the amazing things about the garden is that I think readers will see it in different ways. They'll deconstruct it to mean different things.

Kimbar: I love when readers can do that with writing, Noel.

Neale: Me, too =)

Skye: I think part of the power in Kitty is that so many people can read themselves into her and interpret her actions in ways that relate to their lives. We've proven it with all this talk about relationships! She's very relateable.

Noel: Like how different readers like different characters or even how everyone saw Arianna so differently than I did.

Kimbar: Okay, we're running out of time and we've got plenty of episode we could cover - is there anything else anybody'd like to discuss?

Skye: This is, to me, the episode where music really comes to the cove. We had a beautiful quiet moment with Roisin before, but in this episode we meet Harper, her harp and music. We meet Marley. It's the start of something I feel is really magical about the series.

Noel: You're absolutely right, Skye. This episode brought music full-force to the Cove. 
Noel: I loved how by bringing music into a prose piece we show how the Cove truly is about all types of art.

Skye: Noel, I've always wondered: was this influx of music all from your mind or a plot point from the editors? I feel like it was a brilliant element and it only gets more powerful throughout the rest of the series.

Noel: Wait... will Jennifer or Brianne read this commentary?

Noel: If not, then: Yes! It was all me!!

Kimbar: Haha. I can guarantee you 100% that Jennifer will read this commentary.

Kimbar: She has to read them all before they post.

Noel: If they read the commentaries, then, no : ( It was a decision from on high : D

Skye: Well, you handled it beautifully. My personal favorite scenes almost always involve the harp music.

Noel: I love that Rowan wrote original music!

Neale: Her lyrics were very beautiful. I really enjoyed that. I was sort of hoping she might write the music to go with them.

Noel: By infusing music into the prose, we lift it up above "just a story." "Just words."

Noel: Btw, I want chocolate.

Skye: Because chocolate also expresses more than "just words?"

Noel: That must be it.

Neale: Chocolate expresses everything.

Kimbar: Haha - I never think a good story is just words, but then, fiction is my highest passion - like Kitty with her sculptures (which is where I drew my inspiration from), but I know exactly what you mean, Noel.

Kimbar: Alright, we're out of time now. That seemed to really fly by!

Skye: This was a great ep. Lots to talk about : )

Kimbar: It seems unfair. I'd talk with you guys for hours if I could, but I guess we'll have to wait until next week with episode 9.

Cast Commentary #7

Kimbar: Okay ladies, so in this episode we get to see a LOT of Arianna.

Skye: The diving episode!

Rowan: Yes.

Neale: Right. The episode where Noel threw Tal under the bus and made her lose Arianna. Hmm.

Rowan: And also the episode where Rei goes to Kennedy's office and finds Lia working for Kennedy.

Noel: Yes, I did get to throw Tal under the boat, so to speak, didn't I?

Kimbar: Yes! I have to admit, I have never had much interest in diving, but in the space of this one episode I suddenly gained the urge to dive, lost it in fear of dying, and then regained it again.

Noel: LOL!

Skye: This ep also saw a bunch of us writing scenes last minute, yes?

Neale: =P

Noel: An enormous amount of research for 2000 words.

Rowan: I can only imagine Noel. When I reread it I was like impressed all over again.

Rowan: I know. I'm afraid I'll blow my eardrums out of my ears.

Noel: Arianna is not very careful with herself, is she LOL!

Skye: That's kind of an understatement, Noel (Arianna not being careful with herself.)

Noel: And everyone wound up coming in at the 11th hour to write rescue scenes, right?

Kimbar: One of the interesting things I thought about that scene was just that - that so many authors got to work together on one thing. Everyone pulled together for it.

Rowan: That's right!

Rowan: That was actually really cool.

Noel: Yeah, great point. That really showed that we can really rally behind one character.

Noel: I loved that. We should do that more.

Kimbar: What was it like for you all to do that? How much coordination did it take?

Skye: I seriously felt like Jennifer had called in the rescue party for real. Like "You have 24 hours to find Arianna! Go!"

Skye: It would be really interesting to live-write something, I think.

Neale: : D

Rowan: I so agree, Skye.

Noel: I can imagine Jennifer on a rock, pointing out to sea: Rowan! Neale! Skye! Go!

Rowan: Yeah. That sounds about right.

Kimbar: I would watch that marathon

Rowan: Neale, go left, Rowan, center, Skye take the right

Neale: She said "do it." And we did : D

Noel: LOL!

Kimbar: Did you guys have to get together and have a chat about it?

Rowan: I don't think so.

Rowan: Did we?

Skye: I didn't. I got the message at work and holed up at a nearby cybercafe to eat a sandwich while I busted out my scene. I think a lot of the meshing and fact-tweaking was on Jennifer's end.

Rowan: So true.

Kimbar: Did it pop up suddenly or was this the plan all along?

Noel: That sounds like our courageous editor! : D

Rowan: No, the episode came in short, I think.

Neale: Very suddenly - definitely not planned.

Skye: It popped up suddenly for me. Just an email saying "We need Rei to take her boat out to find Arianna. Also have her think a few things about outing. I need it ASAP." (which in Jennifer speak means "two hours ago.")

Kimbar: When you first heard the news, was it exciting or harrowing? Were there any worries about having the time to write it out last minute like that?

Skye: I loved it. I work best under pressure.

Rowan: It was fun.

Neale: It made me a little nervous : /

Rowan: I am not sure that I work best under pressure, but I felt like I could do this. It was clear and concise.

Noel: I think the rescue scenes were needed very badly because the diving sequence came in *way* over word count and it needed to be broken up by other scenes Sorry everyone!

Rowan: Bad Noel.

Neale: You're in big trouble, Noel.

Noel: *hanging my head*

Kimbar: I feel like the whole thing worked out REALLY well.

Skye: Don't be sorry, Noel. Wasn't the diving scene voted the favorite scene of the series by the authors?

Noel: It was. Thanks : )

Rowan: Oh, I agree.

Rowan: Plus, come on, that much research... you want to make it worth the reader's time. Make it real.

Noel: Yes, Rowan, exactly, right?

Noel: What fish? What currents? What gear? How does it look, feel? You know?

Rowan: If it had been my scene, I would definitely have done the same thing.

Noel: Thank you, Rowan!

Rowan: = )

Kimbar: We also learn what the phone call that Arianna received - we get the actual message itself. Minus some words.

Noel: Yes. The broken, static-shot phone call.

Noel: That's what leads her to the Cove. To Mariel Cove.

Neale: I love that convention.

Neale: I plan on using it in Season Two, in at least two scenes.

Noel: It's a great convention, Neale, well worth using : )

Noel: Me, too, Neale. I always have.

Noel: The half-heard conversation.

Noel: Like Tal and Arianna in the last episode.

Noel: The mishearing or misunderstanding of something to dramatic effect.

Kimbar: I love the way you reference it - great in movies, frustrating in real life.

Noel: Thank you, Kimbar.

Kimbar: It breaks the fourth wall and gives a nod to the readers, I feel.

Noel: I try to break the fourth wall when I can with a little wink and nudge.

Neale: Definitely.

Noel: LOL!

Neale: LOL!

Rowan: Noel, I just use a sledgehammer. It's much easier.

Noel: LOL, Rowan!

Kimbar: It comes across really well here, I feel. It could have been cliche otherwise, but the way you do it makes it fit well.

Noel: The most fun with the phone call...

Noel: Was figuring out how Arianna would figure out where it had come from.

Noel: All the cruise lines and locations were real.

Noel: I wanted to root Arianna's investigation in reality as much as possible.

Neale: Absolutely. I always like it better when people don't make up their own alternate history, in fiction.

Rowan: I agree, Neale.

Neale: Unless... it's alternate history fiction. LOL

Neale: Alternate universe. That sort of thing.

Noel: Exactly, Neale.

Noel: Unless you're writing alt history, then do your damn research, right?

Neale: Yes.

Rowan: Right.

Kimbar: There's a great deal of research in Mariel Cove.

Neale: I have researched the most random and obscure things.

Rowan: That's why I became a writer.

Noel: After doing the research for the fish in the cove, I wanted to dive it. Then I found out there would probably be GPO and I changed my mind : )

Neale: But I'd rather spend the time to research instead of sounding stupid.

Neale: And ignorant.

Rowan: The research. That's one of my favorite parts.

Noel: So true!

Skye: That's what impressed me the most about your scenes in this episode (and the whole series, really) Noel: you make potentially convoluted plot lines totally believable. Because fact really is stranger than fiction and these things do happen... but so many other books/movies etc have so little truth to them that they seem farfetched. I find it very inspiring, to be honest.

Noel: Thank you, Skye. I really work hard on my scenes.

Kimbar: I have one specific question, though, that moves us away from Arianna. It's something I'm fascinated by...

Noel: Go for it, Kimbar!

Kimbar: Moving back to Tal, when she has her tarot reading - how much research went into the creation of the reading?

Neale: Um...

Neale: A LOT.

Neale: : D

Neale: I have a basic idea of what I want the reading to say.

Neale: But then I have to hunt down the cards that could possibly say those things.

Kimbar: Did you have to learn how to do tarot or do you already know how to use it?

Neale: : D

Neale: I've done tarot before.

Neale: And oracle decks, too.

Neale: So that part was easy : )

Kimbar: I've done rune readings and I have both a tarot deck and a rune set, but the thought of creating a reading that would work the way it does...it's so daunting. How long did it take you to decide? Did you go through a few card options before coming on the one you ended up using?

Neale: I'm a big believer in using tarot not so much as a "spiritual" or "fortune-telling" tool, but as a psycological one.

Kimbar: I'm the same way.

Neale: I wrote Madison having this belief too, even though she is Wiccan.

Rowan: I think that approach makes a lot of sense.

Kimbar: I loved that you included that in there, by the way.

Neale: So I let Madison give Tal the meanings of the cards, but let Tal put them together on her own.

Neale: That let me be able to find cards that meant "mother" or "brown-haired" or... whatever I needed it to be, and use those.

Neale: It lets the reading be a little more open to interpretation.

Neale: I would search for a card meaning - mother - and then choose the best one, that would fit in with the other cards and the overall message of the reading.

Rowan: And I loved the *pause* where Madison gets what she's just said.

Kimbar: This episode was a big step for Tal - she finally comes to terms with something and then puts herself on the line. After losing Arianna, so she's got to already be feeling a bit on the vulnerable side.

Neale: This was definitely a big step for Tal, Kimbar.

Neale: A push in the right direction, I hope : )

Noel: I won't make friends by saying this, but I have honestly never enjoyed "Wiccan" characters in fiction. But Neale, you make me *almost* like Madison and all the metaphysical stuff -- tarot, circles -- is written very, very well.

Neale: Thanks

Neale: That's a pretty big compliment from you, Noel.

Neale: Some of it was research, some of it was real-life experience, some was other fiction I've read.

Noel: : )

Kimbar: I think so.

Kimbar: So, we're almost out of time, but let's talk for a few minutes about the Kennedy/Lia/Rei triangle.

Kimbar: We got to see Kennedy get the ball rolling on that in this episode.

Skye: Kennedy got to be a total jerk, yeah. LOL.

Noel: The Lia sandwich. Poor Lia, stuck in the middle of a war.

Rowan: Yes. The Kennedy we love to hate.

Neale: Nope. I just love her : D

Rowan: Was that fun, Skye? To write both of those characters in that scene?

Skye: I like writing scenes where Kennedy and Rei get to spar, but I admit this was a hard one for me to write. I think it's the most manipulative we've seen Kennedy to date. Very calculated.

Rowan: (You are so twisted, Neale)

Noel: All three characters! Chef Skye : )

Kimbar: And very on the ball, right after temporarily losing her girlfriend.

Skye: LOL, hopefully the sandwich was as spicy as it was sharp and bitter : )

Noel: Higher stakes.

Kimbar: "Slightly derailed, but things are back in place now. Time to continue with the plans."

Skye: I knew I had to keep emotions high, not just to keep the stakes high but because I needed to keep Lia in a place of being constantly off balance and confused for her to realistically make some of the decisions she did. I needed things to happen quickly until Kennedy could really get her hooked.

Neale: You executed that very nicely : ) It can be tricky, getting the supporting characters to realistically do what you want.

Noel: Well done.

Kimbar: I think you did a great job.

Kimbar: Is there anything else anybody would like to touch on before we end this?

Skye: Thank you all

Noel: We're into the final stretch of Season 1 now. Action is picking up.

Noel: I *love* these last few episodes.

Noel: I think we all found our voices and were really running with the plots.

Kimbar: So do I. I can't wait to talk about them. Some really exciting things happen.

Skye: I totally agree. These last few episodes are really amazing.

Skye: I want to just put it out there that my Emery scene was one of my favorites to write ever, even if it wasn't super important. It holds a special place in my heart.

Kimbar: What did you like most about it Skye?

Neale: I really liked it too, Skye : )

Rowan: Skye, I felt the same way about the scene with Mina and Tatiana.

Rowan: I loved writing it, even though it was a smaller moment in the action of the episode.

Noel: The smaller moments make the series so real!

Neale: Rowan, I loved when they were talking about the paint brush flower story

Neale: It's one of Dani's favorites.

Rowan: Thanks. I love writing Mina. She is a treasure.

Rowan: Oh, really? How cool!

Neale: She's very sweet.

Skye: I just love Emery. Writing her past and about her as a child (as well as writing Vikki, who was based on a really amazing woman I met just before starting to write erotica) hit on some personal things for me and, because she doesn't get a lot of air time, I treasured the moments I had with her. Also I imagine young Emery is exactly how my future kiddos will be so it made me smile.

Skye: It's not something I really need to discuss. I just wanted to point out that I loved it : )

Kimbar: I think it really makes a scene pop to have such passion about what they're writing; I was curious what you liked most about it because it lets me and anybody reading this see the scene through your eyes. That's what this cast commentary is all about, after all - seeing Mariel Cove through the eyes of the authors.

Kimbar: Ladies, this has been a fantastic chat, as always. I have loved getting to talk with you, and I can't wait until next week!

Neale: Me, too : )

Skye: It was fun! Thanks!

Rowan: It's nice to see you all.

Noel: Thank you again, Kimbar. And it was wonderful to chat live with everyone.

Kimbar: And now I'm going to a tea party with a Sasquatch. You're all invited!