H.B. Berlow's Blog, page 5

EXCERPT #4 – THE END OF THE TREACHERY

(Harold’s efforts are thwarted by a shady character from Los Angeles.)

I woke up early, a routine from my army days. I made coffee and a couple of scrambled eggs, and filled the cats’ bowls with water and food. As I stepped out of the building’s front door, I didn’t find Richie waiting patiently and dutifully as expected. What stood out was an almost brand-new coupe with a suave looking carefree gentleman in good spirits as he exited the vehicle. He strode up the walkway with an air of confidence. He had the physique of a heavyweight boxer who had retired several years prior and had gained a paunch from living high on the hog. He had dark, slicked-back hair, likely done with a popular treatment such as Wildroot Cream Oil. His black moustache appeared perfectly trimmed a la John Gilbert. This man made it known he knew more than me without uttering a single word. In my mind, I still needed proof.

“I let your boy know you wouldn’t be needing him,” he said as he stuck out his hand. He had yet to introduce himself despite admitting he altered my plans without asking me. It came across as either assurance or arrogance. Both bothered me.

“And why is that?”

“Waste of your time heading to LA” I looked at him perplexed. I made my decision to travel to the West Coast only recently and known only to, at most, three people. “I’m Max Burke.” He grabbed my hand and shook it as though he tried to wring a towel dry. “I’m a private dick, just like you.” That comment did not impress me.

* * * *

Harold Bergman, a Jewish private detective and World War II veteran, is approached to locate a missing girl. Little does he know, this seemingly routine case plunges him into a labyrinth of deceit, entwined with a looming threat to national security.

Meanwhile, a distraught woman challenges the official narrative surrounding her husband’s death, convinced that a vengeful client orchestrated his demise. As he delves deeper into these cases, he uncovers layers of hidden truths and personal agendas, where every step reveals a new layer of treachery.

Determined to unravel the web of lies, Harold must navigate through a maze of danger and deception, drawing upon his resilience and faith to unearth the sinister truth that threatens to unravel everything he holds dear.

The End of the Treachery, Volume 2 of The Wichita Chronicles, will be released on December 9, 2024 and is currently available for pre-order.

VALIDATION

Artists of any sort require only to know the work they are creating has a sort of resonance, not just within themselves but to those that partake of their vision. Perhaps the reader of a book, the viewer of a movie, the observer of a painting or sculpture might not “get it” in terms of what the artist specifically had in mind. But there has to be something that is both communicated and received.

If, as a writer, I come up with an idea that is not commercial in the sense it doesn’t have existing comparables, past or present, I have to determine to what degree it is worth it to proceed. How deeply invested am I in the idea in its formative stages to devote a lengthy period of time toward development and refinement? A quaint notion can sometimes be a viable artistic entity. Or not.

Years ago, I came up with an idea based on my speculation on the need for a reader to truly know the biography of a writer in order to appreciate the work. To that end, I began to fashion the fictional biography of a fictional author named H.B. Berlow, written by another fictional author named (coincidentally) H.B. Berlow. Then, while formulating how I would write this decidedly non-traditional story, I learned of the genre of metafiction. I determined that I was not as way off base as I initial considered myself to be.

Currently, I am immersed in an historical crime fiction series, The Wichita Chronicles, in which the main character is Jewish. A former police officer and World War II veteran, Harold Bergman, upon returning from the war, can no longer arbitrarily consider the absolutes of either the laws of man (as embodied in the police department) or the laws of God (symbolized by his father’s desire for him to become a rabbi). His transition into private detective is as much a spiritual journey as an exploration of criminal cases.

I have embraced the historical aspects of this series and have almost eschewed much of the hard-boiled genre on which such a character is based. Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and all the pulp writers informed my desire to venture into this style. I stopped on their road and forged my own path.

It was by consciously seeking out other Jewish detective fiction that I came across Faye Kellerman and her Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series. Peter is a Viet Nam vet, in his forties, and a police detective in California. He learned his birth parents were Jewish which is a factor when he meets the lovely younger widow Rina and decides to fully embrace Judaism.

Kellerman is an Orthodox Jew. This series includes investigations into very serious crimes, some of them (as in “Milk and Honey”) extremely violent in nature. There is also highly descriptive aspects of Orthodox Judaism and the traditions as they exist in contemporary life. Rina is highly observant; Peter is trying very hard to be.

Now, I am not an Orthodox Jew. If anything, I might consider myself to be more of the Reform nature. But I am a Jew at a time in the world where aspects of antisemitism are prevalent. It can be difficult to embrace your faith in the midst of turmoil. But that is what these characters are doing. Now, Harold Bergman is doing so as well.

I wondered in the first book (“The Day of Calamity”) and the forthcoming second book (“The End of the Treachery”) whether I was infusing two much of the religious aspect within, especially given these are rooted in the hard-boiled tradition, as opposed to Kellerman who is clearly contemporary. Yet, reading her work has given me the validation that I am on the right track in presenting a character who is not to be found within the standard tropes. Would I hide my pride at being a Jew simply because I didn’t feel comfortable with what others may think? These characters are as real as the writer makes them. They are who they are. In some fashion, their existence on the page validates who we are as writers and human beings.

EXCERPT #3 – THE END OF THE TREACHERY

(Harold views the place where a client’s husband was found dead, trying to determine if it was murder, an accident, or suicide.)

Gunny had told me specifically where they found Martin Kaye’s body. Since the police ruled the death as accidental or possible suicide, the area was not a crime scene and blocked off in any fashion. Richie pulled over as close to the curb on Nims Drive as possible while I walked down the pathway along the Arkansas River. Kaye’s car still sat parked at the office building on Douglas. That meant he would have had to walk anywhere from a mile and a half to two miles, presumably in a drunken stupor, to have made his way to this location. Perhaps he didn’t start his imbibing until he got to a cozy spot on the riverbank. A stretch of the imagination, for sure. I had trouble picturing either a despondent suicide or an intoxicated accident in this manner. Every possibility existed he could have been abducted by a perpetrator and brought to this quiet location to be killed. But by who? The insinuation of a disgruntled client indicated a crime of passion, one of emotion rather than deliberation. A meeting in the office followed by a heated argument that eventually led to an impulsive act. Anything like that made sense. I found a scene in the park incomprehensible.

* * * *

Harold Bergman, a Jewish private detective and World War II veteran, is approached to locate a missing girl. Little does he know, this seemingly routine case plunges him into a labyrinth of deceit, entwined with a looming threat to national security.

Meanwhile, a distraught woman challenges the official narrative surrounding her husband’s death, convinced that a vengeful client orchestrated his demise. As he delves deeper into these cases, he uncovers layers of hidden truths and personal agendas, where every step reveals a new layer of treachery.

Determined to unravel the web of lies, Harold must navigate through a maze of danger and deception, drawing upon his resilience and faith to unearth the sinister truth that threatens to unravel everything he holds dear.

The End of the Treachery, Volume 2 of The Wichita Chronicles, will be released on December 9, 2024. It is currently available for pre-order.

CHARACTER PHOTOS

For a couple of the books of the Ark City Confidential Chronicles, I put together brief videos of “character photos.” I would scan various images that appeared to be like the characters in the books and have something of a visual representation.

Well, I’ve gone beyond that. I figured out how to generate AI photos of various characters and have put together a wonderful video for “The End of the Treachery, Volume 2 of The Wichita Chronicles.” The worldwide release date is December 9, 2024.

The video can be found here and is another example of the extent writers will go to in order to present their work in a most favorable setting. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Character photos generated using Hotpot.ai

“Organic Meditations One” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

IS IT REALLY A HOMAGE?

Character names are important. Writers do not select names that are bland, generic, or run-of-the-mill. They may be indicative of character or an ironic twist to a character’s true essence. They may imply physical characteristics. Once a name is selected and the book becomes a truly memorable piece of fiction, the name sticks with the reader as the remembrance of a great event.

I started in my formative years simply by “making up a name” in a rather blasé fashion. There was no rhyme or reason. I turned to the next great resource (which now no longer exists): the phone book. I would flip through and run my finger down the columns of a random page, seeking surnames that were unique yet, at the same time, very real.

At times, seeking a specific implication of character, I would look up baby names and their meanings. Thomas is Aramaic for “twin”. If the character had a hidden characteristic or perhaps multiple personalities, this would have been a good name. Diana, from the Roman deity, meant ‘divine”. A good character might have that name; or, if she were evil, that name could be used ironically.

It became too difficult to pursue this intellectual manner of name selection. I realized I didn’t necessarily need meaning so much as a unique name. I determined a way to find these names while at the same time engaging a group of people who might not automatically be readers. I used variations of the names of co-workers and other friends.

This started eight years ago when I approached a female co-worker who had a delightful name for a film noir-ish femme fatale: Heather Devore. I asked her permission to use her name and she agreed (as long as I made her – in her words – hot and sexy). You will find this femme fatale in Ark City Confidential.

The issue I encountered was I had more male characters in my books than females but worked with more females. In order to get some excited about the prospect of “being in the book”, I had to convince them their names would be male characters. Many acquiesced, some begrudgingly.

Of course, when you write crime fiction there are likely to be deaths and those looking for literary infamy, in a manner of speaking, might be disappointed by their demise. A former supervisor made the cut as a vicious pimp. He was thrilled when I told him he was in two scenes, but then became further excited when I referenced two more scenes. I asked two young ladies if they would mind being dead prostitutes. “Sure” they both said with a shrug.

I started my current job in May 2021. This was about the time I was outlining the second book in The Wichita Chronicles, The End of The Treachery (to be released December 9, 2024) Naturally, my new co-workers were titillated about my writing and happy to be in the book. At least a half dozen of the characters that were created are based on people no longer with the company. I’ll have to let them know in some fashion.

So, is this a homage or a slick ploy to gain followers and interest in my work? The answer is: a little of both. The end result is I have names for my characters and a smile on my face for remembering where they were obtained from. Maybe those folks will get a kick out of it as well. Assuming their character didn’t wind up dead!

******************************************************************

Next week, I will be uploading a video of AI created representations of some of the characters in The End of the Treachery, Volume 2 of The Wichita Chronicles. And, yes, the inspiration for these characters will be tagged in social media.

EXCERPT #2 -THE END OF THE TREACHERY

(Harold follows a client to the home of a woman whose daughter might be missing or simply a runaway.)

Considering the fact the cats were relatively happy, I motioned for Mr. Long to lead the way. He made his way slowly over to Hydraulic and took George Washington Boulevard south toward Plainview, the housing built for aircraft workers during the war. They were functional but certainly nothing in terms of elegance or style. The Albert Whitmans of the world likely didn’t even know such neighborhoods existed. Don turned off East Ross Parkway and then down a dead-end street called Whitney Lane. The houses all looked the same. They had a simple slab that passed for a front porch. Some front doors had screen doors as well; some did not. The rectangular box of a house likely had two bedrooms and one bathroom, a small kitchen, and a front room barely enough to hold a couple of chairs. No one had a garage. For that matter, there weren’t too many cars around. The aircraft industry still thrived after the war and their employees lived like refugees.

The influx of aircraft workers during the war expanded the population of Wichita. There had still been plenty of work afterward which created a shortage of both housing and basic goods and supplies. I found myself quite lucky to get my apartment at 730 North Market in the fall of 1945. The city did not build neighborhoods like Plainview with the expectation of permanence. Consequently, they had the appearance of imminent decay. Perhaps the residents did as well.

*****

Harold Bergman, a Jewish private detective and World War II veteran, is approached to locate a missing girl. Little does he know, this seemingly routine case plunges him into a labyrinth of deceit, entwined with a looming threat to national security.

Meanwhile, a distraught woman challenges the official narrative surrounding her husband’s death, convinced that a vengeful client orchestrated his demise. As he delves deeper into these cases, he uncovers layers of hidden truths and personal agendas, where every step reveals a new layer of treachery.

Determined to unravel the web of lies, Harold must navigate through a maze of danger and deception, drawing upon his resilience and faith to unearth the sinister truth that threatens to unravel everything he holds dear.

The End of the Treachery, Volume 2 of The Wichita Chronicles, will be released on December 9, 2024.

To find the truth, Harold Bergman will have to unmask the treachery.

WICHITA : THEN AND NOW

               I have written at length about the nuances and special needs involved in writing historical fiction, crime or otherwise. An awareness of slang and other word usage as well as daily living are all practical matters. Eliminating computers and modern technology can be seen either as limiting or freeing, depending upon the writer’s personal perspective.

               In the end, you hope the final result transports the reader back to a time they either are unfamiliar with or, in the case of an elderly reader, reminiscences of things past. The bottom line is telling a good story.

               I have lived in Wichita, KS since 1995. Much has changed just in the past twenty-nine years. What has been built and what has been demolished. The look and feel of things, whether in downtown or the surrounding areas. I can imagine someone at the time I arrived looking backwards to 1966 and feeling pangs of nostalgia as well. It is unavoidable. Whatever we can remember of the past both haunts us and amazes us as we look around where we stand on this day.

               But I have chosen a different course while writing a new crime fiction series, The Wichita Chronicles. Taking place in 1946, we experience the city just after the end of World War II. There had been a great influx of workers to support the aircraft industry which was important during the war. Many of those workers remained.

               As I continued my research in order to craft as realistic a setting as possible, I became enamored of the lifestyle of the time period as it related to the city in which I live. My main character’s apartment still stands in as ostensibly a similar fashion as it had in that day. I lived in that part of town until recently and would smile as I drove by, yes, hoping to catch a glimpse of a fictional character.

               The Orpheum Theater, built in 1922, has been undergoing restoration for a number of years now. Both inside and out it has the ambience of a bygone era. However, the old King’s X diner across the street is long gone.

               I realize many people have a problem imagining or even considering life of any kind before they were born. Well, your parents lived before you as their parents before them. Grocery shopping, dining, entertainment all existed in one form or another. It just wasn’t what you are used to currently.

               In continuing these efforts of writing historical fiction, I make no judgment of how people lived and worked and laughed and loved. They survived and records of their existence are to be found. Additionally, I have absolutely no idea at all if I would be able to survive in another decade. Perhaps, it is incorrect to imagine things in that fashion. I have become who I am because of the time in which I was born and the experiences I have had during various decades of my own.

               What I continue to do is paint a picture of a time and make it as real as I can. Then the characters I have created can live and breath and talk and fight as they would under those “normal” circumstances. This is the confluence of history and fiction.

* * *

In forthcoming weeks, I will be presenting a “travelogue” showing photos of Wichita, KS years ago with contemporary photos to see the changes. I hope you will enjoy that short video, currently scheduled for release in November.

* * *

The End of the Treachery, Volume 2 of The Wichita Chronicles, will be released December 9, 2024

PODCASTER PODCASTED

How cool is this?

As many of you are aware, I have been co-hosting Tikiman and The Viking Podcast with long-time friend Brian Johnson for a little over a year now. We’ve fashioned our show around a conversational style, discussing aspects of the craft of writing and other creative ventures. We also have interviewed writers from all genres, and even our friend Alex Gordon from Scotland.

But it was at this year’s OWFI Conference (where Brian and I were presenters) that I met Melissa Hearn who has been long associated with Tornado Alley, an affiliate of Sisters/Siblings in Crime. She bought “Secrets of the Righteous”, Book Two of the Ark City Confidential Chronicles and casually referenced being interviewed for their podcast. Naturally, I was thrilled and honored but knew I had to be patient.

Melissa does all her interviews via Zoom. This gives her a broad range of folks to be able to interview. While Brian and I did that for an interview in Scotland and in Oklahoma, we have, thus far, primarily remained local. Melissa was very organized. There were email and text inquiries as to ideal dates for an informal get-to-know-you followed by recording. Beyond having read one of my books to glean my style and voice, she wanted to get to know the person she was interviewing, not just the writer. It all went splendidly.

So, this podcast host has now been a podcast interviewee. The episode will be released on Friday September 13, 2024. As it turns out, that will be a luck day! They can be found on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. I’m dying to listen to it myself. I hope you will as well.

THE CHALLENGE OF WRITING HISTORICAL FICTION

By all rights, this post could just as easily be titled THE CHALLENGE OF WRITING FICTION. The entire craft is not for anyone, takes meticulous preparation, attention to detail, and a passion that goes above and beyond simply one’s love of writing. That being said, I write historical fiction, specifically historical crime fiction, and I know there are aspects of this particular genre that become a challenge with many hurdles and speed bumps.

Take out the concepts of plotting, character development, and scene description from the conversation. These are facets of all fiction writing. Yet, within those disciplines there are characteristics of historical fiction with which to take specific note.

Perhaps you can plot a story from the 1930s or 1940s the same as contemporary fiction. It’s just as likely you might need to slow the pace down. Look at any crime film from the 1970s and beyond and you will see how rapid the pacing is in order to maintain a level of action conducive to that time period. Car chases, though they existed somewhat in Old School hardboiled fiction, are rare. While a fight is more typical, it was closer to boxing or brawling than anything approaching martial arts.

Character development is a little more straightforward. While characters may have psychological motivations or quirky nuances, these were not as noticeable, Hitchcock’s “Spellbound” notwithstanding. My own series, The Wichita Chronicles, strays from the run-of-the-mill hardboiled narrative by having the main character be a Jewish private detective with moral conflicts.  This was done intentionally to separate the series from the standard tropes of the classic fiction of the 1930’s and 1940’s. While film noir did deal with moral ambiguity, it took its style from German Expressionism. My series lingers in Realism.

Scene description is of greater concern. The look and feel and sights and sounds and smells of a time period are not second nature to anyone living today. The buildings you are familiar with may or may not have existed 80 years ago. Cars are certainly not the same nor is a person’s wardrobe. Prices are vastly different as are salaries and the value and cost of basic items. Daily living, whether it is sleeping, hygiene, or dining, is extraordinarily different. These all require the necessary research to make your work come alive and be as real as possible.

I made a significant mistake in my very first work of historical crime fiction, Ark City Confidential. I used as a title for an unmarried woman “Ms.”, an expression that did not exist in 1934 and became part of regular usage in the 1970s. I made sure not to repeat that mistake moving forward. Whereas no one might have noticed that (until my confessional declaration now), it is an example of the kind of details necessary for accuracy.

It’s understandable that contemporary writers of crime fiction and thrillers have other kinds of research to consider. Most involve modern weapons, forensics, and computer technology. The procedural aspects of criminal investigation in 1946 (the time setting for The Wichita Chronicles) is vastly different. I consulted with a retired sheriff from Garland County, Arkansas who indicated most information was gathered and inscribed on index cards until the early 1980s.

What I find refreshing about historical crime fiction is the ability to focus more on story and character than the minutiae of the technology of contemporary fiction. I can ensure the background looks, shall we say, just like it does in the movies. I can put slang and period verbiage into the mouths of characters that might seem foreign but is only a couple of generations removed. I can focus on criminal activity that is, perhaps, less elaborate, but not less impactful to those involved.

It is said the devil is in the details. Therein lies the challenge.

Excerpt #1 – The End of the Treachery

(King Mar, Harold’s dear friend and the owner of the Pan American Café, has a surprise on the cusp of a celebration.)

Somewhere around the middle of May, King Mar called me to the back of the Pan American Café while I enjoyed his roast beef sandwich lunch special. At first, I felt annoyed to be taken away from such a delicious sandwich. Nevertheless, I followed dutifully. Before me, in need of a wash, new tires, and a replacement windshield, sat a 1942 Pontiac Torpedo Coupe, a shade of ochre somewhat darker than Sir Pounce, my Manx cat. For that matter, it might have been years of built-up muck and dirt. It was fortunate it wasn’t a black-and-white combination, like Lady Mittens, the other feline who lived in my apartment. King Mar had a big smile on his face. I could not determine the reason.

“Nice, huh?” he beamed proudly. I nodded, my eyebrows in the typical position of surprise, trying not to insult a dear friend with a premature comment. Had anyone else observed the scene they would have doubted my detecting skills. “Your birthday’s soon, right?” The explanation became clear in a single question.

*****

Harold Bergman, a Jewish private detective and World War II veteran, is approached to locate a missing girl. Little does he know, this seemingly routine case plunges him into a labyrinth of deceit, entwined with a looming threat to national security.

Meanwhile, a distraught woman challenges the official narrative surrounding her husband’s death, convinced that a vengeful client orchestrated his demise. As he delves deeper into these cases, he uncovers layers of hidden truths and personal agendas, where every step reveals a new layer of treachery.

Determined to unravel the web of lies, Harold must navigate through a maze of danger and deception, drawing upon his resilience and faith to unearth the sinister truth that threatens to unravel everything he holds dear.

The End of the Treachery, Volume 2 of The Wichita Chronicles, will be released on December 9, 2024.

To find the truth, Harold Bergman will have to unmask the treachery.