Khaled Talib's Blog, page 13

Eye of the Tiger

Got up early yesterday morning, put on my jogging shoes, plugged in my earphones and went for a run. It’s been a while, but I was all Rocky Balboa like — rising up, back on the street… eye of the tiger and all that. Couldn’t sleep until 2 am — leg muscle cramps. Ended up watching ‘There’s a girl in my soup’ with Goldie Hawn and Peter Sellers.

 

 

Shows that Inspired Me to Write

I’ve been asked this question a lot:  What inspired me to want to be an author? For some authors, it’s the case of reading another author’s novel. For others, it could have transpired after attending a book festival or meet-the-author session. There are plenty of reasons. A life experience could also be a catalyst to push you to want to pick up the pen – well, keyboard, these days… at least for most of us.  I, for one, have never understood my own reason. But I would attribute some author-themed movies as having a strong influence on my decision to pick up the storytelling pen.  Here’s a few of my favorites:

 

Her Alibi

Tom Selleck plays a mystery novelist Phil Blackwood who is having trouble finding inspiration, so he goes to the courthouse to observe real criminals in action. There he

encounters a gorgeous immigrant charged with a gruesome murder. Convinced she’s not guilty, Selleck furnishes Nina with an alibi and a place to stay. But, as the two begin to fall in love, Phil finds he has grave doubts about her innocence.

Magnum P.I.

Even though Robin Masters was never seen, his mysterious persona was inspiring enough to want me to pick up the pen while Tom Selleck (Thomas Magnum) went about solving cases.

 

 

Author! Author!

Author! Author! is a 1982 American comedy drama film starring Al Pacino, Dyan Cannon, and Tuesday Weld. The plot concerns a Broadway playwright trying to solve his family and relationship troubles while trying to get a new play into production.  My favorite line in the movie: “We’re all depress in this family. We will all stay depress — together.”

 

 

 

 

Stand by Me

After the death of a friend, a writer (Richard Dreyfuss) recounts a boyhood journey to find the body of a missing boy.  The finale scene where Dreyfuss types out the last sentence in his manuscript was meaningful. He wrote: “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?”

 

 

 

 

 

She Devil

One of my top favorites, a cunning and resourceful housewife Roseanne Barr vows revenge on her husband when he begins an affair with a wealthy romance novelist played by Meryl Streep.  I was rooting for Streep. Funny as hell.

 

 

 

 

 

The Waltons

The life of a Depression-era family in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains is the subject of this wholesome series. The TV series is seen from the point of view of eldest son John Boy, who becomes a novelist.

 

 

 

 

 

Secret Window

A writer (Johnny Depp) is accused of plagiarism by a strange man, who then starts haunting him for “justice.” Yikes!

 

 

 

 

Black Ice

Michael Nouri plays a Detroit taxi driver with aspirations of becoming a crime writer. He picks up a woman (Joanna Pacula) who turns out to be on the run from murderer.

 

 

 

 

 

Salem’s Lot

The movie, adapted from Stephen King’s novel of the same name, revolves around a writer returning to his hometown to discover the citizens are turning into vampires. Freaked me out, this one.

 

Boundary Breaking

Nice to see your debut novel Smokescreen get listed as one of the six boundary breakers by the Indie Reader. Check out the link.

http://indiereader.com/2016/08/five-boundary-breaking-indies/

The Italian “Al” and the Arabs

Ever wondered why many Italians have “Al” in their surnames?

That’s because of Arab influence. In medieval times, an Emirate was established in Sicily, southern Italy with Palermo as its capital. This took place between the 9th and 10th century. Monumental remnants can still be found in the region.

The word “Al” in Arabic means “The” like Allah, which literally means The God. “Ilah” in Arabic is “God” and “Al” is “The.”

How I Accidentally Wrote My New Thriller

I didn’t set out to write INCOGNITO, my second thriller novel. I accidentally stumbled upon it. The experience was bizarre, I tell you. It started with my encounter with two different women in Switzerland.

The first story took place in Geneva. I was looking out my hotel room window one cold night when I noticed a tall, large woman in black standing stiffly under a street lamp.  Later, I decided to go downstairs to talk to the hotel receptionist  in an adjoining office as he had invited me for coffee. I took the stairs instead of the ancient traction elevator since my room was only one floor down.

Descending halfway, I saw the same woman in the lobby. She glared at me. There was no one else. I realized she was mentally challenged, but her behavior gave me the creeps. I ran back up and locked myself in the room. Something about her reminded me of a character in a horror movie.  And how the hell did she get in? Every guest had a password to open the digital door lock. She was not a guest.

In the second story, I was hiking up a snowy mountain in Saint Moritz. There, I met another woman. I asked her for directions as I wasn’t sure of my surroundings.  She then introduced herself and told me she visited the alps regularly for inner peace. She added that she followed a certain religion although she was not born into it.  She also complained about how Switzerland was no longer the same. She even denigrated the country’s politicians and bankers. Then, with a finger pointing at Italy, she ranted about the Vatican.

All this while, I was praying the woman wouldn’t ask me about my faith. I was concerned she might also have issues with it. I got the impression she had issues period. She was carrying a hiking pole unlike me.  I was worried she might get a bit creative with the stick.  If I had to defend myself, it’ll be my word against hers since there were only the two of us on that mountain section.  How fast could I run with snow boots on, anyway? But the idea for a story had transpired. Some 3,000 feet up high on the Swiss alps, I suddenly realized I was looking at the vista of new thriller novel!

Then I visited Italy, which gave me more ideas about what to include in my manuscript.  It was like picking fruits in the garden. I had visited several other countries that I felt would be relevant to the plot and theme. So I began crafting with all the ingredients in the pot. Trial and error, rewrites, back and forth… and then it was all done.

In weaving the tale, I wanted a cocktail thriller set on the international scene. without the usual players. No CIA, no Mi6… none of those kind of people. I wanted something different – something fresh. So I added a few new elements that in my few sounded plausible.  I am happy with the outcome. Honestly? I didn’t think I would ever finish writing the manuscript. But I did.  Phew!

I’ll skip the boring details about how I went about writing the story. Every author does the same thing. We research (lots of research), fact check, interview people, make observations — that kind of thing. Nothing glamorous about that. But I knew the story had to be different

Well, I hope you’ll read INCOGNITO when it’s released. And yes, l couldn’t help it. The novel does contain a secret message.  Please don’t tell when it’s finally revealed to you … that’s the fun part about sharing a secret.

Over and out.

p.s. A special thanks to Jörg-Thomas Weidtke who worked at Hotel Stille, Saint Moritz for letting me take as much chocolate as I want from the bowl at the reception desk.

How writers shop when they travel

There are some images based on my upcoming thriller, INCOGNITO,. These images were taken during my trip between the Italian-Swiss border.  Some people buy souvenirs, I stock up ideas in my mind. These pictures were taken during a train journey between Italy and Switzerland.  So what do you think?

Cover Reveal: INCOGNITO, a new international thriller

 

From a press release issued by the publisher…

PENSACOLA, Fla., September 6, 2016

World Castle Publishing is proud to unveil the cover for Khaled Talib’s highly anticipated thriller, INCOGNITO, scheduled to be released next year. Early buzz from thriller fans across the globe and social media platforms are anticipating this novel to be a huge success.

The book cover’s overlaying fiery red ruby communicates the intense theme that brings together incongruent elements in a striking finish. It personifies a story that is mysterious, suspenseful, action-filled, and tumultuous all at the same time.

The author’s new protagonist, Ayden Tanner, is a former British SAS commando who happens to be officially dead. He and his crew are dispatched by a covert division of the international hacker group, Anonymous, to find the pope, who is missing. In the story, Anonymous has created a covert division called The League of Invisible Knights, which aims to bring about the triumph of good over evil.

INCOGNITO was inspired by the author’s chance encounter with several individuals and visits to places during trips to Switzerland, Italy and Istanbul.

 

New Thriller Novel

I’m excited to announce that my new thriller, INCOGNITO, is coming out some time next year!

Published by World Castle Publishing, a member of the International Thriller Writers Association, it will be available in paperback, Kindle and several other reading formats. The bulk of this political-religious story takes place in Switzerland and Italy with scenes in several Middle Eastern countries.

Some readers have been asking me to bring back my captivating protagonist, Jet West (Smokescreen), but he’s on holiday at the moment. The last postcard I received from him had a stamp from some island I’ve never even heard of.

INCOGNITO offers a new set of characters, new landscapes, and a tumult of intrigue, action, suspense!

How to get rid of unwanted guests

The door bell rang today around 3.30 p.m while I was reading from my Kindle. Shaking my fist repeatedly, I just knew it’s going to be either a door sales person or the survey people.

I opened the door to see a young woman standing at the gate.

A surveyor… on a Sunday.

From behind the gate, she asked if she could talk to anyone in the house who works. I told her nobody works here. Puzzled, she started rambling about I don’t know what, and then asked about my family and kids. I told her nobody lives here.

Finally, she asked if she could talk to me. With a blank stare, I told her I don’t exist… it’s an empty house.

You should have seen her run.

Know Your Surroundings

There was a two-storey Lebanese restaurant behind the grand old Sultan Mosque in the old area here. The front of the establishment and the back entrance of the mosque was divided by a thin road. The restaurant owner was stationed in the Middle East. He visited occasionally to check on things.

I used to frequent this place when it was newly opened. Some time later, the management, a group of Singaporeans, decided to host an official launch party. Apart from having a live band, they planned to have a belly dancing performance. I was invited.

I came with a friend, a Malay-Muslim, but with no intention of joining the party. I requested a table outside the restaurant, right at the end of the walkway, in a really dim spot.

The waiters pestered us to go upstairs to join the party. In fact some guests, who were familiar faces, also urged us to join them. I refused.

We ordered food and two apple-flavored sheesha, then sat there quietly in our own space.

My friend was wondering why I chose this boring, isolated spot. I told him to trust me.

The party began. You could hear the drums reverberating, tambourines banging, the loudspeakers yelling incessantly, and shoes thumping on the wooden floor.

About forty minutes into the gig, the mosque Imam, dressed in his white robe and Haji cap, showed up. With a frown, he was accompanied by two clergymen. They marched upstairs.

The music and the craziness stopped.

Later, a senior waiter told us how lucky we were because the revelers received a telling off from the Imam, who felt disrespected.

I turned to my friend. “Now you know why I chose this spot,” I said. “You have to know your surrounding. I saved your face today because the next time you go to that mosque, at least you won’t feel embarrassed when you see the Imam.”