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Published on October 15, 2017 08:00

October 8, 2017

Bedtime Blog 2 — Imagine you’re a Sock!

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My bedtime blog is a quick read. It’ll only take a couple of minutes just before you switch off the light and snuggle under the duvet…

So, just imagine if you are a sock. Are you made to be short or long? Do you only reach the ankle and is your destiny to slip only into a shoe?

Were you designed for a reason or a purpose? To provide warmth and comfort, joy or snugness or, do you deign to think outside the box and imagine your role in life is greater and that you have a more important purpose?

A sock and an author may have more in common than you realise. They certainly have more than one purpose and they can also go hand in hand, so to speak. You see, keeping warm and snuggled up is like cuddling up with happy, relaxing or exciting prose. A good book is as comfortable as a warm and cosy sock but — there’s so much, so much more….

A sock must be adventurous.

A sock must be versatile, subtle and accessible. It’s pointless being a thin sock in the middle of winter if there’s a storm outside and boots need to be worn. Just as it’s no good being a thick sock in the height of summer with 35 degrees outside.There’s a sock for all occasions and sometimes they’re not even needed at all. The right sock is like finding the right book — at the right time.

So, like finding a book that suits your particular mood, it’s important to be the right sock at the right time. It’s necessary to be appreciated and valued; to be taken off, washed and; not necessarily hung out to dry, but treated tenderly and with care so you can live another day or turn another enjoyable page.

It’s important to be flexible and open to change. To read something out of the ‘norm’ and away from your comfort zone. A text can offer pathos: a smile of sorrow or a tear of joy. It can thaw a cold heart or even cool a heated head. It’s flexible and versatile like using a sock to warm a freezing hand or to slip around your cold neck and tuck into your collar.

Creativity must breathe like the pores in our skin or a pause in our thoughts. It must allow us to inhale rich air, toxic fumes of oxygen, breathing lungfuls of senses into our soul; ripe in colour, rich in taste and funky in sound. It enriches our vocabulary, understands our musings and makes sense of our speculations. And again, like a sock protecting toes, it’s a guarded vessel that will hold all our senses and emotions together.

Or lend it.

Offer your sock to another if they’re cold or their shoes are uncomfortable…

Loan your thoughts, through discourse and discussion. Share beliefs in debate. Boot up and lace your ideas together. Twist and weave them like a neat plot, tying it securely making sure the ideas don’t unravel. Keep the padding in the sole stuffed with generous measures. Pull your socks to your knees and fold them over perhaps you may hold them with a garter?

Socks used in sports are like ideas running amok on the pitch or on the field or like streams of consciousness that fertilise a garden, mulching the labyrinth of the mind.

They chase with us, running the path of life as we battle with ideas, plans, dreams and hopes. Our feet, sometimes with our socks, carry us toward new objectives, horizons and ideas and into the fearful unknown.

It’s the calmness when you find harmony during the hours of solitude walked along a haphazard route. It’s when you’re cold that you will seek shelter. It’s when you have nowhere to turn that you find another route and you pull on your socks with vigour and energy.

You think outside the box. Let your imagination flow. Excited and thrilled. A new journey, an adventure, new pastures… new times — everything is ahead.

With no fear of where it may lead.

A path of darkness is flooded with new light and understanding. Growth provides a way of comprehending and communicating. It’s all life’s pilgrimage. The route of the sock, the vagabond feet, that may lead you astray or give you confidence but like your ideas, it can only protect you only a part of the way.

Raw pain, blistered emotions and battered soles are inevitable along a path of adventure and exploration. And socks, just like an author’s ideas, can become discarded.

But just as a sock can be re-tied, reused and darned to live and tell another story — so can an author. There’s always another tale waiting to be told. Another story ready to be run. Another hill to climb.

Good night, dear reader. Think grand thoughts…

Janet

For more information about my writing, please visit my blog:

· How I Research and Write my Novels

· Bedtime Reads — Short stories based on unusual relationships

www.janetpywell.com

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Published on October 08, 2017 08:00

October 1, 2017

Bedtime Blog 1 — All Teeth and Fireball

My Bedtime Blog is a quick read once a week. It’ll only take a couple of minutes just before you switch off the light and snuggle under the duvet…

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The Blog Roll…

Did you ever wonder — when did blogging become so popular? And why is it fascinating for so many?

Knowing how to blog properly is a bit like knowing which way the toilet roll goes in the holder — which side the sheet hangs down. And, believe me, not everyone knows.

How infuriating is it when you find out that it’s the wrong way round — and it’s inevitably when you’ve only got one hand free to use? The other is probably otherwise engaged in texting, Skyping or chatting to someone about something exciting that’s happening in your life — and you can’t wait to tell them your news.

Blog ideas are like a toilet roll. Each sheet has a new theme, idea, musing, rant or poem perhaps there’s even room for a short story. Or while you’re having a flash in the pan — a bit of racy flash fiction.

Ideas can unravel as quickly as an Andrex roll tossed downstairs by an excitable puppy. He’s tearing the paper, ripping it apart like a severe critic or worse still snarling at it like a fierce dragon. All teeth and fireball; a passionate agitator that ensnares your creativity in a rage of flame and scorching heat. His mauling stings your sensitive thoughts and burns your precious ideas, making carbon of your secret goals. And, like the greedy fiend, the puppy chews with no regard for the paper it’s written on. Like your severest critic they’re oblivious of the hurt and scorn that burns your temperament, and their instinct is stronger than tact.

Kindness is a little like leaving an extra roll beside the bowl. Just in case it runs out or the puppy steals one. Likewise criticism is about keeping something in reserve. Holding back. Encouraging positive action.

Praise is like being in a public toilet. Isolated and helpless and hoping an unknown ally will pass you some paper under the door. Or even lob a new roll over the top. It saves you from sitting there waiting and wondering if you’ll be rescued. If it lands on your head like an insincere compliment, frustration mounts as it slides effortlessly from your grip and tumbles across your shoes and into the neighbouring cubicle. You were too slow to grasp it.

Children love toilet humour. But it’s no fun when with your knickers around your ankles, baring your ample and fun-loving soul to the world, hoping for a thumbs up or a like or a share. It’s as if the power is in the puppy. The eager enthusiast who tell you you’re doing it all wrong.

So, why bother? It’ll only be chewed up, spat out, cleared up and forgotten in a few minutes. Something more interesting and exciting is bound to be written leaping like a spring lamb showing you another way to frolic and gambol your time reading the bestseller list.

I’ve never associated transience and ideas with toilet paper. Although, on rumination, it’s perfectly logical. Flush daily with new ideas, ignore the soiled and the sodden. Be adventurous and think of something new. Take it between your teeth and tug hard. Pull ideas from your inner sanctum and watch them unfold. Revel in that special place where ideas ferment like a bubbling cauldron or a flushed cistern. Wash away the old ideas, rinse your hands with tepid thoughts or ignite your fingers with the devil’s ideas. Cross the threshold of the accepted — be creative and unique — wipe your hands, look at yourself in the mirror and begin again.

Remember those blogroll specialists? They’re the ones who pull a stream of ideas and leave reams of square paper littered on the soiled floor like discarded ideas marked with another’s dirty footprint.

I try to be kind to the crumpled sheets, tossed aside and discarded. They have known and gone through much more than you can possibly imagine…

Creativity is bare. Nakedness is our vulnerability. Ideas are plentiful.

Good night, my dear reader. Think Happy thoughts…

Janet

For more information about my writing, please visit my blog:

· How I Research and Write my Novels

· Bedtime Reads — Short stories based on unusual relationships

www.janetpywell.com

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Published on October 01, 2017 02:28

December 15, 2016

1. Writing and Researching a Novel

Welcome to my blog on Writing and Researching a Novel.

There are many blogs on how to write and where to find the necessary skills but MY blog is different – Why?

In this blog, I’ll let you about the hurdles I’ve overcome to self-publish FIVE books: Three crime thrillers from my Culture Crime Series: GOLDEN ICON, MASTERPIECE and BOOK OF HOURS. A book of short stories RED SHOES and a romance novel ELLIE BRAVO.

There is no quick or guaranteed method for successful writing. There are however tips, skills and crafts that will help you. The aim of this blog is to show you how I research for my novels to bring plot, characters and scenes alive to make them compelling and exciting.

When I first started writing I had no idea what research I’d have to do. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to meet and correspond with interesting and skilled people who have been willing to share their experiences both business and personal. These insights have helped bring authenticity to my writing. Many people have asked me how I do my research. It’s not just about collating all the information, it’s also about weaving the knowledge or the tiniest of details into the narrative to make a scene or piece of dialogue more realistic.

I owe it to my readers to make my writing believable and research really can make all the difference.

Once you have an outline, overview or idea for a novel then you will begin to understand the research you will need and how and when you can incorporate this information.

What does your reader expect? Purpose? Meaning? Experience? Plot structure? Character development? Satisfying conclusion?

One way to help you begin your novel is to use the Snowflake Method.

It’s a simple 10 step simple process (all links to referenced material will be listed below). The first step is to write a one sentence summary of your novel. For example BOOK OF HOURS could be:

“A young woman embroiled in a web of lies must use all her expertise and ingenuity to face the past and avenge the murder of her friend.”

Tagline: Don’t forge the wrong friendships…

Just writing the first sentence gives you an idea of what your book is about and this helps if you’re explaining the plot to a stranger for the first time. It’s not cast in stone and you can go back at any time and change it. It’s just a starting point.

I use a MacBook Air and I also have a fabulous piece of software called Scrivener. It’s easy to download and costs around $50.

Why Scrivener?

It allows me to create my manuscript in sections and scenes. It helps me to organise long pieces of text and to make notes and references. I collect (write or import) reference materials and store information in a safe and easily accessible folder. Whether it’s a link to a website, a book or a recorded conversation all my research is together and this means that I don’t lose scraps of paper or have to scroll through mountains of text in Word or Pages to find what I need.

REMEMBER: There are no shortcuts in writing but the struggles that you face will make you stronger and your penmanship will mature. Write anywhere and don’t be afraid to let your imagination run free.

Literature and Latte — Scrivener:

Next blog post: Four Stages to Writing a Novel.

LINKS:

My books on Amazon:

Snowflake method:

(‘Scrivener’ photo by Allan Reyes. CC BY)

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Published on December 15, 2016 06:09

2. Four Steps to Research a Novel

Welcome to my blog on Four Steps to Research a Novel.

I was reading a novel recently and there was a scene set in a town in Spain that I know every well. The author (who shall remain nameless) talked about walking along the promenade and buying a tourist hat and candy floss, and although many parts of Spain are commercialised the particular place the author was writing about is not.

My reaction was immediate. I lost all belief in the author, the characters and the plot and I tossed the book aside. The author hadn’t done the research and credibility was lost. Research can be like flying in space – daunting but exciting. It can be endless and like gravity, it can pull you away from your main aim of writing the novel. So focus on what information you will use.

1. What sort of experts will I need? – Once you have established your characters and the plots that will form your novel then you will need to work out the essential elements which give credibility to your writing. For example in BOOK OF HOURS I’m writing about kite surfing. It’s an area that I knew nothing about. So, I asked around and a friend introduced me to Stefano a kite surfer. I arranged to meet him on the beach in Whitstable and he introduced me to an instructor, Sarah who has her own Kite School. I was also really lucky to meet Hannah Whitely a three-time British Kitesurfing Champion.

My advice is talk to everyone and ask questions. People enjoy speaking and sharing information on subjects they are passionate about. There will be more about Sarah & Stefano later in my blog and how Sarah reconstructed an important kitesurfing scene in my novel.

2. I don’t know any experts – Don’t be afraid to Google ‘experts’ on specific criteria or needs for your book. In the BOOK OF HOURS the use of a drone way key to certain scenes. I contacted Steve Pentleton an aerial filming and photography expert. I sent an introductory email and explained who I was and that I had used other resources in previous novels to help make my books come alive and he kindly agreed to help. What followed were numerous emails between us with Steve advising and helping me on the terminology and technology that I could incorporate which brought excitement and reality to those scenes. Drones are an interesting subject and with Amazon now using them to deliver goods they are even more current and sometimes controversial.

3. Friends and People you know – You never know who knows what until you speak to them. Observations can make a difference by adding the smallest detail to a scene; a room from a friend’s home, their garden ornaments, a painting on a wall, or even an overheard conversation in a cafe, on the bus or the tube. As a writer my senses are constantly alert. I notice things, the way someone dresses; colour combinations, scarves, shoes and even their habits; cleaning the car, walking the dog, shopping in the supermarket. It’s all in the detail; the turn of a head, the crooked half-smile, or even the way someone pushes themselves through the door first. Noting details allows you to weave seemingly unimportant character traits and descriptions into your narrative. It’s all research.

4. How much research should I include in my book? – Enough to make it interesting and plausible but not enough to bore the reader rigid. Research endorses the credibility of your book and your characters and locations and scenes. Use the information sparingly but accurately. Don’t write huge chucks of clunky information. Describe something or use the information in dialogue so it comes across naturally. The trick is never to let the reader guess the amount of research you’ve done. Make it look natural and simple.

REMEMBER: Ask questions. Be polite and be thankful. Write everything down and keep a track of who said it to you, just in case you need to get back to them for more information at a later date. Keep relevant newspaper cuttings.

Next Blog Post: Location, Location, Location…

LINKS:

Writers Digest – How to research

Novel Writing – Researching crime writing

How to write romance

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Published on December 15, 2016 06:08

3. Location, Location, Location.

Welcome to my blog on Location, Location, Location.

I’m fortunate to have worked in the travel and tourism sector for over thirty years. This allowed me to travel extensively, meet interesting people and learn about foreign cultures and lifestyles.

I was lucky to work in a sociable industry that’s fun and often conversational, and where I was able to enjoy other people’s anecdotes and listen to their stories.

On a visit to Vilnius I met a Russian lady. We were on a trip where travel agents get to know a location and become familiar with hotels so they can sell the product to their clients back in their home country. One afternoon, a few of us found a small bar in the old town and over a glass of red wine we swapped stories:

She was happily married and had two children; a boy and a girl but when the boy was eight he became very sick. She had no money for his lifesaving medical treatment but she knew an old man with lots of money who liked her. So, she divorced her husband who then walked his ex wife up the aisle to marry the rich old man. She saved her son’s life but the old man wasn’t kind and with a new younger wife, he wasn’t in a hurry to die. When I met her she had just divorced the old man and remarried her first husband whom she’d never stopped loving.

Several years later she showed me professional photographs of her son. He was entering the world of fashion modelling. She had tears in her eyes and her chest was filled with pride and I remembered the story she had told me in far more detail than these few sentences. It made me realise the power of love and the sacrifice that she and her husband endured to make her son healthy and well.

The memory of sitting in the bar as they whispered their stories in broken English and halting sentences, struggling for the right words, amid their painful memories has stayed with me. Years of Russian suppression had built up resentment and I was interested to learn about the lives from the assortment of agents. It was a time when the Baltic countries were separating from Russia, cruise ships weren’t yet pulling in to their ports and ‘no-frills’ airlines had not yet opened up travel opportunities.

But I haven’t written about these people in my novels or these locations.

Why is this?

Not everywhere I go will be relevant to my novels.

Not everyone I meet will have a story to tell and if they have a story to tell it may not be appropriate.

I’ve learned that it’s important to marry the right research to the appropriate scenes in my books. Just as couples get together and friendships grow, so does my research and the plot of my novel. There has to be a valid reason for information to be included in the book, either to move the plot forward or to give character credibility.

For example in BOOK OF HOURS, relevant scenes for assessing the authenticity of the manuscript is set in Bruges. I visited Bruges. It is a town steeped in history and beauty and realised I wanted to set scenes for my next novel here.

In the fifteenth century, manuscripts with hand-written Ghent-Bruges borders including flowers and birds featured in these opulent books. As I’ve described in my novel, these characteristics were typical of the manuscripts produced there and there has to be a link between the past and the present. So, it seemed logical to set scenes in Bruges where Mikky begins her quest to find out if the Book of Hours is what it seems to be.

And many people have asked me:

Why Malaga?

Why Tarifa?

The most obvious reason is that I lived in Malaga for almost twenty years and I also spent a lot of time in Tarifa.

Malaga has undergone amazing transformation. It was a city that was often bypassed in favour of the nearby coastal towns and villages but now it proudly demonstrates its past history and houses, prestigious museums and art galleries. The city’s Moorish architecture like Gibralfaro, the Alcazaba and the Cathedral, also illuminate Spain’s cultural heritage and I feel proud of the city I once called home.

By contrast, Tarifa’s wild and often deserted beaches offer the perfect location for kite surfers. For my protagonist Mikky dos Santos it’s the ideal place for her to hone her skills and it provides the location for the opening and closing scenes.

REMEMBER: It’s the people you meet in life. Listen and take notes. Not everything you write down will be used – if at all – but you can extract useful phrases, interesting descriptions, and even unusual locations that maybe used one day to authenticate your writing.

Next Blog Post: Writing Opera in the Golden Icon.

LINKS:

Information on Malaga

Information on Tarifa

Information on Bruges

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Published on December 15, 2016 06:07

4. Writing about Opera in Golden Icon

Welcome to my blog on Writing about Opera in Golden Icon.

As an aspiring author with no track record of having anything published I felt a fraud asking “experts” for their help. But I had an idea for GOLDEN ICON (my first published novel) and I knew I needed some professional, expert advice. By chance, that same week, I read an article that said:

‘Be proud of being an author and tell people what you do and don’t be afraid to ask for help.’

I had begun my novel and decided that my protagonist Josephine Lavelle was going to be a faded opera diva but I knew very little about the opera world. I contacted the School of Music at the Universities in Belfast where I lived but then sadly the uncle of my very good friend died in Dublin. He was a lovely man with an incredible sense of humour. I went with my friend to his funeral in Dalkey and I will never forget how soprano Kay Lynch began to sing as the coffin was carried into the church. I turned around to see her up in the gallery, at the back, near the organ and I was mesmerised by the tone and quality of her “timbre.” It was haunting and a deeply emotional experience.

Several weeks later I sent an introductory email to Kay and I explained I was an author who was yet unpublished but writing my first crime novel. She kindly spoke to me on the telephone and I explained the plot and my protagonist and we spoke at length about what it was like to sing at a funeral and the skills involved in being a soprano.

Later that year I was on holiday, staying with friends, in Lake Como. When I mentioned my novel to them they were very excited and introduced me to a neighbour, who by coincidence, was a soprano living in the village. Jennifer Borghi agreed to meet me the following day. I went armed with a note pad and pencils and as we sat in the café overlooking the beautiful lake, drinking cappuccinos under the shade of a parasol, we watched passengers embark and disembark from the regular ferries. Jennifer told me things I could not have researched; how it felt to control your breathing, the hard work that went into practising on a daily basis and the desire and thrill to sing on stage.

Watching her speak with enthusiasm and passion, I felt I was finally able to capture some of the characteristic elements for my main protagonist. Josephine Lavelle came to life.

Although there was over a twenty-year age gap between Jennifer and my fictional character – it was irrelevant – the art of singing as a soprano is still the same. I was able to describe details of a voice and the training skills and speak with passion that enabled me to write in the first person.

Neither Kay nor Jennifer resembled my fictional character Josephine Lavelle but I was fortunate to draw on their experiences and incorporate details of their expertise into my writing.

I was able to write convincingly and with candour and more importantly with confidence. I included small details and nuances that formed my main character’s personality.

When I meet someone who is equally as passionate about their work as I am about mine, it’s a collaboration and a meeting of souls. I feel an inner sense of achievement and I am privileged to learn from them and share their excitement.

REMEMBER: Send an introductory email with information outlining who you are and how you would like them to help you. Sometimes if people are too busy to reply, you can send them a polite reminder but if you hear nothing after that look for an alternative resource on the Internet.

Always acknowledge those who help you. Keep notes.

Derek Moloney & Kay Lynch -Fields of Athenry

Next Blog Post: Writing Travel.

LINKS:

Kay Lynch singing Ave Maria

Jennifer Borghi

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Published on December 15, 2016 06:06

5. Writing about Travel

Welcome to my blog on Writing about Travel.

You might think that having worked in the travel industry for thirty years writing travel articles would come easily to me but in fact it doesn’t. For me they are one of the hardest things to write.

Each of the novels in my Culture Crime Series is set in three different countries. This does not mean that they are travel articles. They have to be locations I’ve visited or lived in so that I can bring them to life. Using the senses, I describe sights, sounds and smells to enhance the readers’ perceptions and maybe even remind them of their own experiences and rekindle memories.

For example, in GOLDEN ICON, I describe a hotel in Munich where I stayed one Christmas. Josephine flees from the apartment with the priceless icon in her bag and takes refuge in the hotel. There, she finds out about a shocking death that changes her destiny…

In MASTERPIECE the location of the apartment is Strand-On-The-Green, London where my oldest friend lived and where I stayed on visits to England from Spain. It is an area that I have returned to frequently to walk by the Thames and to have lunch in one of the lovely pubs along the towpath.

Several years ago I stayed with good friends in Dresden and visited so many fantastic Christmas markets and drank so much mulled wine I forgot to take notes but fortunately my memory served me well. I also brought home lots of literature to read though and I was able to write about Mikky walking through the city and visiting the museums.

For the art gallery in Arta, Mallorca I used the home and art studio of an artist I knew from another part of the island.

However, Lake Como is still one of my all time favourite destinations. When I stayed with my friends they made me promise not to reveal the name of the village where they lived for fear that I might become a bestselling author, my book turned into a film and the village into a tourist attraction!

But not everything in the novel is true. There are some things that you just have to create. For example, the Theatre Il Domo.

Anyone who knows Como, will know that a prestigious theatre built into the lake does not exist. I made a creative decision to place this theatre there and in doing so, for my research, I studied architectural designs and glass domed structures and created a special and dramatic location as a venue for my protagonist, Josephine Lavelle to sing Tosca.

Travelling, taking notes and making observations is part of my life but sometimes you might do a lot of research thinking you may use a place or a scene but then you don’t use the research for your original intent.

For example: In Dublin, Daniel O’Connell championed Catholic rights to give their dead a dignified ceremony in a cemetery that was originally called Prospect Cemetery. This is now know as Glasnevin Cemetery and contains the graves of some of Ireland’s most prolific national figures; politicians, writers and musicians.

In my early draft of GOLDEN ICON I wrote a couple of scenes set in 1832 that revealed how and why the Golden Icon was made and how it came to Ireland to finance the rebellion against the English and how gravediggers stole it from a travelling Priest. I became so engrossed in this story that I decided that if I used it as a prologue in my novel it would detract from the modern day main part of the book, so I used it as a stand alone short story in RED SHOES called Dublin 1832.

This goes to show that research is rarely wasted.

I spent a fascinating morning at Glasnevin Cemetery and Museum and learned an enormous amount about the history and oppression of Ireland. Sometimes it can be a few years later that your memory is triggered and if you can locate your relevant notes then you can use that research to make your story more authentic.

I enjoy travelling and reading and I’m in the fortunate position to write what I like and what I enjoy. Quite honestly when I go on holiday I find it interesting to read something about where I’m staying. I remember years ago finding a book shop in Barbados and a novel that was very different to books on sale at the airport. I think my books are great to take away on holiday. Especially if you are visiting the location where one of the scenes is set.

REMEMBER: Travel well and wisely. Take a notebook and lots of photographs. Be kind to yourself – write what comes naturally to you.

Next Blog Post: Writing History and Linking it to Today.

LINKS:

Glasnevin

Lake Como

Tosca

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Published on December 15, 2016 06:05

6. Writing History and Linking It To Today

Welcome to my blog on Writing History and Linking it to Today.

Do you believe in coincidence or fate?

I came up with the idea of GOLDEN ICON when I was at Queen’s University Belfast studying for my MA in Creative Writing. It began as my dissertation that became the foundation for my first novel and I self published the following year in 2013.

For a long time I’ve been interested in artwork and treasures stolen by the Nazis for Hitler to build his personal museum, the Führermuseum in Linz, Austria. This has led me to read and research about wider cultural issues including the injustices done to the millions of people across the world.

LINKS:

The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel, with Bret Witter

George Clooney’s The Monuments Men Film

Cornelius Gurlitt

Helen Mirren, Woman in Gold

Having travelled extensively, I’ve visited Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Salt Mines near Krakow and I’ve become aware of the cultural sites and cities that have been rebuilt and refurbished after the war across Europe.

While researching I stumbled across the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter and I found it fascinating. It is a history book that explained the cultural consequences of the war, highlighted mysteries of stolen treasures and acknowledged the twelve original men who were assigned to protect heritage sites toward the end of the war. It also explained how the Nazis retreated and the Monuments Men discovered, catalogued and often returned many pieces of artwork to the original owners.

So I was delighted when, in March 2014, just after publishing my first novel George Clooney’s film Monument’s Men was released and I was able to link some marketing on social media to my book on Amazon and Kindle.

The second coincidence was even more unusual…

In GOLDEN ICON, I created a scene where Josephine Lavelle goes to the home of Dieter Guzman. He lives in a secluded apartment that he’s turned into a mini museum in Munich. So, imagine my surprise when I read about the death of Cornelius Gurlitt and the discovery of over 1,400 paintings discovered in an apartment in – believe it or not – Munich.

Gurlitt’s father was an expert on modern art and was appointed by Hitler to sell paintings to fund the Third Reich. At least 500 pieces were thought to have been stolen or bought at ridiculously low prices from Jewish collectors. Although the authorities knew about Gurlitt – it never came to the attention of the press until 2014. ONE year after I published my book!

When I read about Gurlitt in Munich – it reflected the scene in my book with Dieter Guzman that I had written the previous year and this taught me something:

Events in the past – historical facts – can be brought to life in the present day.

Now the authorities are trying to find out who owns Gurlitt’s paintings and where they came from. They’re trying to establish the provenance of the pieces to be able to return them to their original owners, as reflected in a 2015 film by Helen Mirren – Woman in Gold – a true story based on Maria Altman who seeks to have Gustave Klimt’s, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, returned to her family.

History, art, crime and culture are all themes that interest me. I believe the success of these films attest to the popularity of these subjects. Learning about our history and the past is compelling for me and I attempt to reflect my own interest and curiosity in my novels to entertain my readers.

REMEMBER: History can be brought to life, be remembered and justice can be done. Using these articles that came to light in the newspapers was also a great way to link to my book on social media to current affairs. Coincidence or Fate?

Next Blog Post: Writing About Art.

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Published on December 15, 2016 06:04

7. Writing about Art

Welcome to my blog on Writing about Art.

Having written and published GOLDEN ICON, my original idea was to then write a trilogy. I wanted to expand upon Josephine Lavelle’s character but as the story evolved she became a protagonist that most people would not feel empathy for: a once famous diva, cocaine addict with a secret past. She was also egoistical and damaged and I wanted to find out why.

In MASTERPIECE I created Mikky dos Santos, and using her as my protagonist in subsequent novels, I was able to draw on Josephine’s character more deeply and show a softer side to her character.

Unfortunately not all adoption stories are happy ones and Mikky’s story is no exception. Her life has been filled with jealousy, lies and deception and she desperately seeks security. She falls in love with the wrong men and is hurt, and she hates herself for her own weakness. Having used churches as a refuge all her life, her body is covered with tattoos of famous biblical masterpieces: The Betrayal of Christ and The Last Supper, and wrapped around her right arm is a replica of Edvard Munch’s The Scream: the long, despairing face is near madness and the vibrant colours wrapped around her arm represents the confusion in her mind. She says: ‘It’s my talisman and it serves as a reminder to the dark days in which I lived and the state I was in four years ago when I lived in Malaga. It’s a work of art, crafted with care and precision.’

Ten stolen pieces of art that have never been found

Isabella Stewart Museum heist

Stolen art can become a burden

Mikky’s emotional trauma is reflected by the ink drawings on her body. They are a part of her, as they are an arm or a leg. The artistic paintings are her talismans. Her salvation as well as a constant reminder to her past. But the most shocking of all, across her chest and breasts, is the severed bloody head of St John the Baptist and Salome’s seven colourful veils painted around her waist.

In MASTERPIECE, Mikky is intent on stealing Vermeer’s stolen painting, The Concert.

Why did I chose this?

Quite simply because it is one of the most expensive stolen paintings never to have been recovered but also because of the circumstances of its theft. Two men dressed as police offices duped security guards to open the doors to the Isabella Stewart Museum and although they had plenty of time, they stole to order, thirteen pieces of artwork worth $500 million. There were investigations, many theories and links to Mafia, the Middle East and even the IRA.

So, I decided that I would find it – or rather Mikky would.

So many stolen valuable paintings are found in the trash or in cellars or abandoned because the thieves are unable to sell the painting. A stolen painting can lose its intrinsic value as there’s no legitimate purchase or provenance. No-one wants to get caught with a stolen painting and unless a thief has connections the painting could become a burden.

I didn’t want a whiter than white heroine. So, I decided to give Mikky an unsavoury past where she has contacts that will help her and as the Culture Crime Series novels with Mikky as the protagonist continue, she will be resourceful in drawing upon these people who will help her in further adventures.

Artwork is wound around Mikky’s body like a web of intricate brush strokes, soothing and soft, erratic and fiery. They are a testament to her temperament, her personality and the way she leads her life; at once sensitive and yet deeply impulsive and vibrant.

Quite simply, Mikky is a masterpiece herself, an enigma of beauty, emotion and passion.

REMEMBER: By using references to existing artwork I write nuances and details. I believe this brings my characters to life and adds an interesting perspective to my work and simultaneously entertains my readers.

Next Blog Post: Red Shoes and Other Short Stories.

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