Felix’s Scribe Assaph Mehr

Author of Murder In Absentia, Assaph Mehr is Felix’s scribe. I’ve heard that Felix isn’t a very thankful customer on another blog (apparently Assaph hasn’t paid Felix his cut), but we won’t speak of that here. So, I’ve heard what Felix does (find his interview here), but what do you do Assaph?

Try to write as often as I can.

Don’t we all. Now, tell us about yourself and what inspired you to start writing. 

I started to write only recently. I had my nose in a book since I was a child, and whilst seeing my name in print was on my bucket-list, I never thought to actually go and do something about it.

I had the idea for a fantasy detective story and for the particular twist ending for a while. Then one hot night in January 2015 my wife complained that she had nothing good left to read, so I just sat down and started writing. And I didn’t stop until I finished the novel.

Have a blurb for that novel?

A young man is found dead in his bed, with a look of extreme agony on his face and strange tattoos all over his body. His distraught senator father suspects foul play, and knows who to call on.

Enter Felix the Fox, a professional investigator. In the business of ferreting out dark information for his clients, Felix is neither a traditional detective nor a traditional magician – but something in between. Drawing on his experience of dealing with the shady elements of society and his aborted education in the magical arts, Felix dons his toga and sets out to discover the young man’s killers.

Murder in absentia is set in a fantasy world. The city of Egretia borrows elements from a thousand years of ancient Roman culture, from the founding of Rome to the late empire, mixed with a judicious amount of magic. This is a story of a cynical, hardboiled detective dealing with anything from daily life to the old forces roaming the world.

This is a story of Togas, Daggers and Magic – for lovers of murder mysteries, ancient Rome and fantasy.

How did you go about getting published?

Once I finished the manuscript, I looked at the publishing industry. It was very clear that there is almost no chance for a virtual unknown to break into the major publishers – who mostly seem in troubles themselves, and unsure of what they do in this rapidly changing market.

I therefore created my own publishing house – Purple Toga Publications – and went about treating it like a business. Besides being guaranteed a “contract”, the rest of my book was produced professionally, by working with experienced freelancers. That includes editing and proofreading, cover design, web presence etc.

I have not regretted this decision for a moment, even though it does mean quite a bit of work.

Work, that it definitely is. So, what is your writing process? Do you have a time, day or place you like to write?

My first novel was written late at nights, when everyone was asleep. Then we were joined by a baby boy… Now I sleep when I can