Steven Knapp's Blog

Navigating the roads on the way to The Ruins of Saint Vincent.

  Hello Everyone. Happy New Year. I apologize for the length of time in between updates, I have been very busy and sometimes life gets in the way of doing what we really want. I promise to have more frequent updates as the next story begins to come together. Since my last update I have continued my research for The Ruins of Saint Vincent, and I am realizing how difficult it can be putting my ideas into a story and making sense of it. I guess, I am experiencing my first foray into the dreaded Writer’s Block. I have told many people that my writing is like a road map, I come up with several plot themes which I call the cities. The roads connecting those cities, making the whole trip worthwhile, is the difficult part. Many times, I have gotten lost on these roads and have to find my way back. That is the essence of writing for me, it is allowing myself to go off course a bit, because when I have what I want, I know it, and when I don’t, I really know it.

Earlier this year, I went to England to visit some locations for the story. I rented a car and drove west from Heathrow Airport through the English countryside to an area known as The Cotswolds. Driving on the other side of the road, or “wrong side” as we call it, was a bit of a challenge. As you get farther away from the highways on to these sleepy country roads, you realize the road is starting to become narrower and narrower. There is barely enough room for two cars to pass each other. Every few miles I would encounter a roundabout, or traffic circle. They love their roundabouts in England. Other than a few curbs, I managed to not hit anyone or anything on the journey, a pleasant surprise. The Cotswolds region is a beautiful setting which brings you back hundreds of years to a time when roads were cobblestone, the pubs were old, churches dominated the center square of each town and horse drawn carriages were the only mode of transportation. Most of the buildings look like they did in the 1800s and the fields of sheep grazing make for a very serene landscape. Traveling from Burford to Lower Slaughter to Chipping Campden, I pictured Mason and Collette sneaking around these small villages during The Blitz in 1941. Taking lots of pictures and lots of notes, I was already starting to map out the story. I love when an area that I envision turns out to be beyond perfect for a story idea.

After a few days in The Cotswolds, I bid a fond farewell to the locals, the pubs and the sheep and headed back toward civilization. Before reaching London, my next stop was Cliveden House, a historic mansion, now a hotel, but once the country home of a very prominent British family. Wandering the grounds in the rain I tried to picture what it would have been like attending a party at this historic mansion during the war. These weekend parties were an escape for the rich and powerful and removed them from the food rationing and the dangers of nightly bombings in London. The lavish parties welcomed the elite in their formal attire for dinner and conversation. The atmosphere provided no shortage of viewpoints concerning Nazi Germany, both for and against the way the British command was waging war. Many attendees were not shy about sharing their views and they became known as the Cliveden Set, a group of British citizens with considerable influence, secretly meeting to discuss the future of England. The basis for the story of The Ruins grew from these gatherings, so to be able to visit the home where these gatherings took place was a powerful experience. Since it was a holiday weekend, the hotel was off limits to anyone not staying there, so I stuck to the grounds and could feel the ghosts of the past and hear their voices as I walked the back terrace overlooking the gardens. I think it is time for Mason and Collette to join the party.

Lastly, I spent a few days in London, to visit the Crown Jewels. The jewels are currently stored in a massive vault in the Tower of London under twenty-four-hour Yeoman Warder guard behind a two-foot-thick steel door. Some of the jewels had been removed in order to prepare for King Charles’ Coronation, but the remaining valuables were incredibly impressive. I was pretty mesmerized by the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross featuring the world’s largest cut diamond, The Cullinan 1. These jewels were hidden during the war in various locations always under the threat of war and theft. The story of the Jewels during the war is pretty fascinating, I’m excited for Mason to share a bit of it in the Ruins.

So, the research trip was everything I needed it to be. The locations, the stories of these towns and the buildings, the characters throughout the history of The Cotswolds all make for a fascinating backdrop to The Ruins of Saint Vincent. Now, all I have left to do is connect the cities with the storylines, a process which has been a bit of a challenge as I find myself with little time to write, that pesky work thing always getting in the way of life. I am getting back to it and, as usual, I feel that once I dedicate time every day to the story, I can transport myself back in time and wander through 1941 England, watching Mason and Collette on their next adventure. The Ruins takes place during The Blitz and the basis of the story is a country trying to navigate their way through the seemingly insurmountable task of fending off Nazi Germany while dealing with enemies inside their own walls. As usual, Mason and Collette will do their part for the war effort joined by new friends and old. I am excited about taking everyone on this new adventure, we will try not to hit anything along the way. Cheers!!

New Year, New Goals, Same Virus

Welcome to a new year, 2022, in some ways it feels the same as the last. I have a big year planned…writing a new book, renovating the world headquarters of Steven Knapp Writings (my spare bedroom), planning a research trip to England and hopefully moving on from Virus talk. Every year presents its own challenges. And the beauty of writing is it takes you away from a world you sometimes want to forget.

When I sit down to write, I go back in time to 1941 London. Not exactly where you would want to go to escape. London being bombed almost nightly and Londoners seeking shelter in basements or the Underground Tube stations. If they were lucky, sometimes the weather would be so bad over the Channel, Germany would have to postpone raids, at times, for days saving England from another night of horror. I always try to immerse myself in the time period I write about. As I sit here at my desk, I have a 1933 map of London next to me, a book on British slang, countless research books, first drafts, a Thesaurus, and most important of all, a story in my head that I am trying to transfer to a computer screen.

The Ruins of Saint Vincent takes place in England during The Blitz, and as I’m writing, I keep thinking of the resolve of the English people. One of the only European territories yet to be conquered by the Nazis, they sat a mere 20 miles across the Channel from an army which ran across Europe with almost no resistance. To their credit, life went on, it had to. Teatime was still teatime, whether you were home, at work, an RAF pilot, an Air Rid Patrol, or manning an anti-aircraft gun. The threat of a land invasion was deemed imminent at times, and everyone had to live with that. Of course, that invasion never came, and England survived the war, but I am pretty sure it was more difficult than “Keep Calm and Carry On.”

We will get through these difficult times, we always do. I am reading a good book about Winston Churchill in 1940. The pressure on him to carry a nation through wartime was immense. Behind the scenes, he had his doubts, but he never let that be seen.

I’m tired of Covid, politics, 24-hour news and all the craziness in this world, so I disappear into a story in my mind to get me through. I hope to share The Ruins of Saint Vincent with all of you soon and as I make my way through the year, I will “Keep Calm and Carry On” with a glass of wine in hand, of course.

Thanks for the continued support and Happy New Year!

London bookstore during The Blitz–1940

A Modern Day Tour Through History- The Mason Wright Tour

Summer has arrived and for the first time in many months, it has been amazing reconnecting in person with friends and family. My family is actually spread out around the world. I am the youngest of five and my parents took us all over when we were kids. Before I turned one, we moved to Belgium. We also lived in Germany and Brazil. I have two brothers who were born in Paris and my family lived in Italy before I was born. Currently, I have a sister in Japan and a sister in Paraguay. It usually is several years in between opportunities where the five siblings are all together. The last time was 4 years ago at my niece, Ellie’s wedding.

As soon as things began to calm and vaccinations increased, both of my sisters traveled to the U.S. We spent the month of June celebrating family and picking up right where we left off. We are very close even though there are many miles between us. My sister Rose mentioned to me that she would like to visit some of the New York sites from The Bones of Saint Pierre. I had always thought about doing this but wasn’t sure anyone would be interested. I told Rose that we can absolutely do it and I got to work. I set up the first Mason Wright Tour and it consisted of me, my wife Lori, my brother John, my sister Rose, my sister Carolyn, my niece Sarah and My brother-in-law Dale.

When writing The Bones, I was at The Metropolitan Museum of Art over and over again doing research; so, the opportunity to show people about the process was quite fun. I spotlighted several of the artworks and areas of the museum which Mason visits in The Bones. We looked like a real tour and several people were watching as we gathered around Andrea Solario’s painting Salome with the Head of John The Baptist, The Medieval Wing, and, of course, the pinnacle of the tour, Madame X. We spent roughly 3 hours in the museum and then moved outside to Central Park.

In Central Park we visited Cleopatra’s Needle, which was being renovated so we only saw it from a distance, Belvedere Castle, The Ramble, Bow Bridge and Bethesda Terrace. After Central Park it was time for food and drink. We found a spot outside and enjoyed pizza, meatballs, and a nice Chardonnay.

The final stop of the tour was 425 East 86th Street. This is the apartment where Mason lives in The Bones. It also happens to be the apartment building where my mother grew up. She passed away several years ago but I felt like she was smiling down proudly as her children gathered for photos outside.

It was a great day, fun for me to share the stories behind the story and spend it with family. I plan on doing it again with friends and maybe again with strangers. The first Mason Wright Tour was more than a trip through the pages of a book, it was a gathering of family who have supported me from day one and are now asking when we are doing the Paris part of the tour. That will require a bit more planning but I am up for it.

Book Trailer

While out and about enjoying the weather yesterday, I received an intriguing email from Eric Labacz of Eric Labacz Design and Illustration, the designer of the covers of The Bones of Saint Pierre and The Secrets of Saint Joanna. He created a one-minute trailer for both books as part of his exploration of moving into the book trailer industry. What he created was amazing and I was honored to be his test project. I hope you will enjoy this and consider sharing with others to spread the word about The Mason Wright Series. Thanks for the continued support on this fantastic journey and thank you Eric!

Starting a New Chapter

This Friday coming up, May 7th, I have the opportunity to present along side three well known authors at an event in Gladstone, NJ put on by The Junior League of Morristown. It is called Lunch With the Authors. Fiona Davis, Marjan Kamali and Carol Van Den Hende will be joining me, or I should say, I will be joining them. It will be my first live event since last summer when I did an outside event for about 20 people. They are expecting upwards of 180 attendees this Friday and to say I am excited is an understatement.

It is going to be so nice to be back at a book event after the events of the last year. I have never been that comfortable speaking to crowds but I decided when I published my first book, that would need to change. Am I nervous? A little bit, but excitement is more the correct term. Kind of like the butterflies we all get when we are nervously excited.

As I prepare for the event, I have my checklist of things I need to do: Bring books to sell (Quite Important), Have plenty of sharpies to sign them, have my speech prepared, bring bookmarks, business cards, advertising posters and banners. I ordered many boxes of books, both Hardcover and Paperback. I have them all stacked downstairs ready to go.

Writing is many things…It’s fun, hard, frustrating, monotonous, humbling and it definitely makes you second guess your endings LOL. But honestly, most of all it is incredibly rewarding. When someone tells me they enjoyed my book, it is a hard to describe feeling. I thank you all for that feeling, it’s amazing.

So, Friday is coming and I am really excited about it. Will be nice to be back talking to people about writing, reading and books. Looking forward to starting a new chapter and getting back out there to talk with people about the art of writing and sharing my story.

Turning The Page

Good Morning and Happy New Year to everyone. After such a tumultuous year, it is hard to imagine normalcy returning to our everyday life but here we go, forging ahead into what we hope is a year we can look back on with a slight smile.

2020 is hard to describe. It was many things, most of which were pretty awful. In the beginning of the year, I was wrapping up the story for The Secrets of Saint Joanna and I needed some time to finish the end of the book, which is always tough. Then came March and the world as we know it began to close. Two weeks and we’ll be back to normal was what we were told. Well, those two weeks are still going on. All of the sudden I had time, plenty of it, to finish the story, but I couldn’t do it. I had more time and less motivation than ever. I sat in front of my screen staring at a blinking cursor. It was hard to concentrate with everything going on.

I was second guessing myself on the final few chapters. I began writing alternative endings which would have entailed going back and changing so many parts of the story. I realized I was doing more damage than good, so I walked away. I took the time and stopped forcing the story onto the screen. Needing a distraction, I decided to go back and sure up some of the research for the book, particularly one part of the story.

Mason gets smuggled into France in a wine barrel, so of course, I had to know what that feels like. I ordered a wine barrel and had it delivered. Toilet paper may have been in short supply, which I still don’t understand why that was, but a wine barrel arrived in two days. My thought was to get my brothers together and stuff them in the barrel, but that wasn’t possible, so I removed the top and spent an afternoon getting in and out of this barrel until I had the right angles. Then, I completely folded myself into it. One of the most uncomfortable things I have done in a long time, but a welcome distraction from the world. At 6 feet tall (Actually 5′ 11″, I seem to be shrinking) and 206 pounds on a good day, I did manage to get in the barrel and close myself in. I know people were smaller in 1940 but I could not spend more than a few minutes inside without starting to lose feeling in my limbs. I would not have been the ideal candidate for barrel smuggling.

After going over all my research, I went back to the story and remembered what I have shared with many people at book events. So many people have told me they are writing a story but can’t finish it. Did I have any advice? I would always say, “Get out of your own way.” I went back to basics and finished up. I decided that if anything good was coming out of this year for me, 2020 would be remembered as the year The Secrets of Saint Joanna was released.

Don’t get me wrong, 2020 sucked. It is deserving of all those words we have used to describe it. I hope 2021 brings back many things I miss dearly. I am entering the new year with optimism and will do my best to stay out of my own way, I hope you do as well.

Thank You to everyone for your support and I look forward to seeing you in person in 2021 for drinks, hugs, concerts, laughs, dinners, travels and everything that we promise we will never take for granted again.

Churchill’s War Rooms

I am often asked about the research for my books. How is it done, what is involved, did you really go to these places? I decided early on while writing “The Bones” that I wanted my books to be as true to life as possible. I will say, it is quite a challenge writing stories that take place 80 years ago. As I am trying to write a fun, interesting story, I also want it to be historically accurate.

For The Secrets of Saint Joanna, I knew the story would revolve around the rise of the French Resistance and take place mainly in Occupied France. However, after visiting London twice, I decided to start the story in the heart of Britain, and one of the main reasons is I wanted to include one of the most interesting places I have been, The Churchill War Rooms.

The War Rooms have been preserved to their original wartime state after being abandoned after the war. Margaret Thatcher reopened them to the public in 1984, a fascinating insight into the working heart of wartime Britain.

Mason finds himself in the War Rooms in “The Secrets” and I tried to convey the excitement and nervous energy that I felt while visiting them. I stood in the halls transporting myself back to 1940 and imagining the everyday workings of these rooms.

It is an amazing place to visit if you are a World War 2 historian. Not many things are left in the world from those days, but the War Rooms sit exactly as they were 80 years ago.

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Labor Day 2020

Happy Labor Day weekend 2020, the unofficial end of summer. I know, its kind of sad, but I do love Fall. Normally I would be excited for College Football this weekend, the kids would be back in school, but as we all know 2020 has been anything but normal. The Kentucky Derby is today, which kind of sums up the craziness of the year, so we all just move along trying to get through this seemingly never ending year.

For the past few weeks, every night, I have spent editing The Secrets of Saint Joanna over and over again, until it felt right. This weekend I will be sending the first few chapters to the publisher to begin the final edits.

The story begins in London with the murder of a high level British agent. It will take you through Spain and into occupied France through the wine caves of the Loire Valley to a small town south of Paris where a resistance is growing.

I will continue to update the progress as we head into the Fall. Everyone, be safe, live in the moment, and thank you for supporting me. I hope to release “The Secrets” this year and remember 2020 as the year I released my second book, instead of the year the world turned upside down. Cheers,

Steve

Chateau Chenonceau

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The Bones of Saint Pierre signed book giveaway on Goodreads now through August 16, 2020

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2020-08-17T03:00:00

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Goodreads Giveaway Ends

My first ever Goodreads book giveaway began on July 18. I am giving away five (5) author signed first edition paperback copies of The Bones of Saint Pierre. The giveaway ends on August 16, 2020. You can check the promotion out by following the below link for all of the details. Thank you and good luck! https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/309596-the-bones-of-saint-pierre

The Bones of Saint Pierre signed book giveaway on Goodreads

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2020-07-18T03:00:00

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Goodreads Giveaway

Starting at midnight (Pacific time) on July 18, 2020 my first ever Goodreads book giveaway will begin. I am giving away five (5) author signed first edition paperback copies of The Bones of Saint Pierre between July 18, 2020 and August 16, 2020. You can check the promotion out by following the below link for all of the details. Thank you and good luck! https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/309596-the-bones-of-saint-pierre