Spotlight on WHEN DARKNESS COMES by John Anthony Miller
Paris: 1942 Three lives intertwined in Nazi-occupied Paris: Paul, a brooding banker whose family was killed by the Gestapo, Rachel, a teenage Jew who leads her family’s escape from the Germans, Claire, a demure bookstore owner who finds courage and conviction – all confronted by an infamous Nazi collaborator.
In the sprawling network of catacombs underneath the Left Bank of Paris, they hide thousands of Jewish refugees, giving them new identities and leading them to safety. Together they move forward, outsmarting a ruthless enemy, overcoming obstacles, defying danger, moving farther and faster, almost invincible. Until an innocent bystander notices something amiss and their entire world collapses around them.
Author John Anthony Miller tells us his approach to writing! I asked the following: Do you outline first or take an idea and run blindly?
I definitely run blindly.
I write all things historical—thrillers, mysteries and romance—with settings that span from Normandy in the year 1216 to Cape May, N.J. in 1976. I have different concepts that I keep in a file, but when I know which book will be next—usually the time period, location, and overall plot—I start to research, reading several books, or parts of books, to prepare.
Almost anything can serve as inspiration. I recently finished a nineteenth century murder mystery inspired only by the photograph of a tranquil lane in Paris—which of course became the scene of the murder in my book. I saw that image on the internet and thought: ‘hmmm, I can have some fun with this.’
When I’m finally ready to start, I simply sit down at my desk and start typing. My first draft is a bit of a mess, but it’s a system that works well for me. I generally do six or seven revisions before I send it off to my agent.
I’m currently writing my thirteenth book, usually write two novels a year, and I’ve used the same basic process for each one. I suppose if you find something that works, it’s best to stick with it!
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