Paul Winters's Blog, page 2

McBride Was Here! Park Avenue, New York City

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buy The Book

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

In the novel, Deepest Doors, the main character, James McBride becomes embroiled in political chaos in Azerbaijan, fights for his life in his hometown of New York City and eventually flees to the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya.  This all happens on his journey to discover who he really is and how he acquired certain very unusual abilities.  Along the way he finds love as he escapes the clutches of Dr. Maxwell Glover and his very own firm.  Good writing goes beyond the telling of a location and takes the reader to a remote spot in a way that they can see, feel and sometimes even smell the local environment through vivid descriptions that spark the imagination.

New York City was the hometown of our hero.  I have had the good fortune to have lived there for a few years but had only visited the more exclusive area which James McBride had called home; Park Avenue, in the Upper East Side.  The story adds little tidbits about the area each time James passes through.  “By and large, that particular streetscape reflected the area’s affluence and desire to appear as such. The carefully tended Park Avenue malls were just now blooming with tulips. There would be begonias in the summer and white lights at holiday time. They had a rather large budget for such upkeep, all paid through voluntary contributions of which James was but one donor.”

Park Avenue was originally known as Fourth Avenue and carried the tracks of the New York and Harlem Railroad starting in the 1800s.  On May 5, 1959, the New York City Council voted 20–1 to change the name of Fourth Avenue between 17th and 32nd Streets to Park Avenue South.

Its southernmost ZIP code, 10021, contains the nation’s highest density of people and, at the same time, perhaps its largest concentration of wealth.  And it is where the New York City exists at its very best. The rich and the poor march the same sidewalks, which empty and fill with the pace of the day, though they are never completely empty.  Children would scurry down the streets on a fall morning; all dressed in their private school uniforms.  With its enduring images of silk stockings, white gloves and the jacketed, top-hat doormen, the Upper East Side is possibly the only place in the city that could be imagined to have an area-wide dress code, unwritten but followed all the same.

McBride did have an apartment here.  But, he later learned it was not his home.

Buy The Book

McBride Was Here! Baku, Azerbaijan

Buy The Book

In the novel, Deepest Doors, the main character, James McBride becomes embroiled in political chaos in Azerbaijan, fights for his life in his hometown of New York City and eventually flees to the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. This all happens on his journey to discover who he really is and how he acquired certain very unusual abilities. Along the way he finds love as he escapes the clutches of Dr. Maxwell Glover and his very own firm. Good writing goes beyond the telling of a location and takes the reader to a remote spot in a way that they can see, feel and sometimes even smell the local environment through vivid descriptions that spark the imagination.

The internet is such a wonderful thing for writers these days. While nothing beats getting your feet on the ground and visiting a place, a lot can be gleaned from reading the travel blogs of those who had been there before. I have been fortunate enough in my career to have visited and lived in some very exotic locales. This was not the case in the location where our hero starts in Deepest Doors; Baku, Azerbaijan.

Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan. Oddly, it is located 28 meters below sea level, which makes it the largest city in the world (with roughly two million people) located below sea level. The city has two main parts: the downtown and the old Inner City. Officially, about 25 percent of all inhabitants of the country live in the metropolitan city area of Baku. James finds himself near the old part, trying to be a consultant and caring little for the surroundings or political changes this story creates.

The city has undergone dramatic changes since the fall of the Soviet Union, evolving economically and taking steps to erase much of the Soviet style architecture that defined it at the turn of the century. Many of the city’s most impressive buildings were built during the early 20th Century, with a very eclectic combination of European architectural styles. With such a unique look, it has often been called the ‘Paris of the East’. Oil defines the economy here, and a mixture of old and new meld together as the formerly Stalinist republic tries to grab hold of more European future.

With a majority religion being Islam, Deepest Doors paints Azerbaijan as having recently seen their elected government toppled by a Taliban-styled insurgency. This is where our unwitting hero enters the story. And, this is where the excitement begins.

 

Buy The Book

McBride Was Here! Baku, Azerbaijan

Buy The Book

In the novel, Deepest Doors, the main character, James McBride becomes embroiled in political chaos in Azerbaijan, fights for his life in his hometown of New York City and eventually flees to the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. This all happens on his journey to discover who he really is and how he acquired certain very unusual abilities. Along the way he finds love as he escapes the clutches of Dr. Maxwell Glover and his very own firm. Good writing goes beyond the telling of a location and takes the reader to a remote spot in a way that they can see, feel and sometimes even smell the local environment through vivid descriptions that spark the imagination.

The internet is such a wonderful thing for writers these days. While nothing beats getting your feet on the ground and visiting a place, a lot can be gleaned from reading the travel blogs of those who had been there before. I have been fortunate enough in my career to have visited and lived in some very exotic locales. This was not the case in the location where our hero starts in Deepest Doors; Baku, Azerbaijan.

Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan. Oddly, it is located 28 meters below sea level, which makes it the largest city in the world (with roughly two million people) located below sea level. The city has two main parts: the downtown and the old Inner City. Officially, about 25 percent of all inhabitants of the country live in the metropolitan city area of Baku. James finds himself near the old part, trying to be a consultant and caring little for the surroundings or political changes this story creates.

The city has undergone dramatic changes since the fall of the Soviet Union, evolving economically and taking steps to erase much of the Soviet style architecture that defined it at the turn of the century. Many of the city’s most impressive buildings were built during the early 20th Century, with a very eclectic combination of European architectural styles. With such a unique look, it has often been called the ‘Paris of the East’. Oil defines the economy here, and a mixture of old and new meld together as the formerly Stalinist republic tries to grab hold of more European future.

With a majority religion being Islam, Deepest Doors paints Azerbaijan as having recently seen their elected government toppled by a Taliban-styled insurgency. This is where our unwitting hero enters the story. And, this is where the excitement begins.

 

Buy The Book

Songs of Inspiration

Lyrics | Fun lyrics – Carry On lyrics

Being a writer is hard. Of course, there is writer’s block at the start. Getting over that alone can be a monumental task. Then comes the seemingly endless cycle of edits and rewrites to try to make it just perfect.

If and when a project gets completed, the really hard work begins with trying to land a publisher (either through an agent or directly). The cycle of queries and rejections can quickly overwhelm even those with a thick skin.

If and when a publisher is found (assuming you are not self-publishing at this point), the realization that your ‘just perfect’ work was far from it hits as the editors fire off one change after another, sometimes slicing out entire sections of your work. Another downer!!

For some reason, certain songs have always lifted me up when I get into a funk at any stage of the process. This one has been my favorite for the past few weeks.

I hope it works for you!

Paul

http://www.DeepestDoors.com