Ask the Author: John Anthony Miller
Answered Questions (23)
John Anthony Miller
Hi Maggie- I don't blame you and your husband for not wanting to move any books - I wouldn't either! I've moved several times, but nowhere near 40! I moved back to south Jersey, where I grew up, about ten years ago. I had been living in Florida, and Wisconsin before that. I'm not crazy about the winters here after living in Florida, but it's nice being where I was raised.
John Anthony Miller
Hi Maggie-
Thank you so much for the fabulous review - I really appreciate it. I think it's great that you give your books to the library for others to enjoy. I'm afraid I have a problem letting go of mine - and have over 2000 books stuffed into 14 different bookcases! Please stay in touch - especially since we're neighbors!
All the best to you
John
Thank you so much for the fabulous review - I really appreciate it. I think it's great that you give your books to the library for others to enjoy. I'm afraid I have a problem letting go of mine - and have over 2000 books stuffed into 14 different bookcases! Please stay in touch - especially since we're neighbors!
All the best to you
John
John Anthony Miller
Hi Faye - How are you? Thanks for the question.
There were some instances of hiding in the catacombs during WWII, but not to the extent that I used for the book. The Germans were well aware of their existence, at least the major arteries, and maintained an underground presence which prevented any of the larger portions from being used. Later, after the war, there was actually a nightclub in one of the entrances. When I envisioned the book, and went to Paris to research it, I had a different location planned. I actually got the idea for the catacombs after reading a National Geographic magazine in which they were featured! Thanks so much for the question. One of the book clubs that follows me asked me something similar. Take care - and write any time.
There were some instances of hiding in the catacombs during WWII, but not to the extent that I used for the book. The Germans were well aware of their existence, at least the major arteries, and maintained an underground presence which prevented any of the larger portions from being used. Later, after the war, there was actually a nightclub in one of the entrances. When I envisioned the book, and went to Paris to research it, I had a different location planned. I actually got the idea for the catacombs after reading a National Geographic magazine in which they were featured! Thanks so much for the question. One of the book clubs that follows me asked me something similar. Take care - and write any time.
John Anthony Miller
Hi Joy - thank you so much. Here's the link:
https://www.amazon.com/When-Darkness-...
I'll take a look at your book as well.
All the best-
John
https://www.amazon.com/When-Darkness-...
I'll take a look at your book as well.
All the best-
John
John Anthony Miller
Hi Joy - how are you? It's nice to be friends. Thanks for your interest in "When Darkness Comes." It's not a spooky book at all. It's set in Paris during WWII and features several people involved in rescuing Jews - the risks they take and the sacrifices they make. The book highlights the history, the city of Paris, and how ordinary people can become heroes - even when only trying to right a wrong. All the best to you!
John Anthony Miller
Hi Gregory - thanks so much for the question. Writing a book is a long process for me, usually 5 or 6 revisions before it even gets sent off to my agent. I've always admired writers who do an outline of their book, build it out and then send it off. That would never work for me. As I write, the book takes on a mind of its own, and usually the finished draft is much different from the initial. After I'm done, the draft is sent to my agent. It goes through a quick edit, usually for fatal flaws, and eventually lands with a publisher - typically a year or so before it's issued. The book the goes through a series of edits with the publisher - usually one and sometimes two passes. Lastly, there's a layout review by me - after the text is put in a Kindle format. From beginning to end, the book is probably reviewed about a dozen times, by at least 3 or 4 different people. And there are always mistakes that get missed! Thanks again - and all the best to you
John Anthony Miller
Hi Deborah - glad to hear your novels will be translated into Italian. That's fantastic. My current publisher is Endeavour. How about you?
John Anthony Miller
Hi Jane - thank you so much. My novel All the King's Soldiers - spies and romance in 1940 Portugal - is on sale right now. You might like that. A more moving story is When Darkness Comes - a Holocaust story in 1942 Paris. Again - thank you so much
John Anthony Miller
My novels are set throughout the world: Singapore, London, Lisbon, Paris, Berlin. Define "gritty?"
John Anthony Miller
Hi Elizabeth - I might be interested in taking a look, but I'm a bit busy right now. Do you live in Scotland or just set your novels there?
John Anthony Miller
Hello - thank you so much for the question. I think I would use H.G. Wells Time Machine - and go back to Victorian England. I'm fascinated by the British Empire - especially when it was at its peak - and it would fun to experience it. My second stop would be the Roaring Twenties and the Jazz Age. I would join Hemingway and the ex-patriots in Paris.
All the best
John
All the best
John
John Anthony Miller
My summer reading list includes some of the classics - many of which I'm re-reading after many years. As I writer, I'm studying the technique. So far, I'm through a few Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Romeo and Juliet - with Joseph Conrad coming up. Thanks for asking!
John Anthony Miller
Hmmm - that's an interesting question. I think the most recent mystery in my life was having my DNA tested on Ancestry.com. I thought I had a good idea of my family history, but I didn't. For example, I didn't think I had any Irish in my family tree. But testing showed I'm 18% Irish. Wow!
John Anthony Miller
Hi John- I'll email some things I tried. Some worked - others didn't,
Best of luck to you!
Best of luck to you!
John Anthony Miller
Hi David- of course, definitely glad to be friends
John Anthony Miller
I think my favorite fictional couple would be Romeo and Juliet. Not because they're probably the most famous couple in history, but because it's a tale of forbidden love that transcends the ages - adaptable for any era. West Side Story was based on Romeo and Juliet. How about you?
John Anthony Miller
Hi Jim-
I'm so glad that everyone enjoyed the book.
I attached the link of a recent interview I did - which will give you some insight into writing. I'll also add your email to my contact list. I can be reached at authorjamiller@gmail.com if anyone has anything they would like to discuss.
http://www.thespineview.com/the-view-...
I'm so glad that everyone enjoyed the book.
I attached the link of a recent interview I did - which will give you some insight into writing. I'll also add your email to my contact list. I can be reached at authorjamiller@gmail.com if anyone has anything they would like to discuss.
http://www.thespineview.com/the-view-...
John Anthony Miller
Hi Jim-
How are you?
Satan in the title is a reference to Hitler. Amanda, through her husband Manfred, lived in Satan's Shadow.
Thanks for asking the question!
John
How are you?
Satan in the title is a reference to Hitler. Amanda, through her husband Manfred, lived in Satan's Shadow.
Thanks for asking the question!
John
John Anthony Miller
Hi Leslie- Thanks so much for the question. I'm drawn to historical periods of conflict - or the turmoil that follows - because I'm interested in how ordinary people react - folks like you and me that often become true heroes. Examples are the WWII era, which is a clearly defined struggle of good versus evil, or WWI - a cataclysm overshadowed by WWII. I also am very interested in British history - which offers tremendous opportunities for an active imagination, from midieval times to present.
John Anthony Miller
Hi Amy - thanks for the question.
Coming up with ideas is fairly easy, but finding an idea that's interesting enough to justify the research required to support it is a bit harder. Once I have the idea, I normally frame the beginning and ending of the book, then the story becomes what happens in between. That's where the original idea changes. Sometimes characters take on a life of their own, and tend to go in directions different from what I originally planned.
Coming up with ideas is fairly easy, but finding an idea that's interesting enough to justify the research required to support it is a bit harder. Once I have the idea, I normally frame the beginning and ending of the book, then the story becomes what happens in between. That's where the original idea changes. Sometimes characters take on a life of their own, and tend to go in directions different from what I originally planned.
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