the thread: Bok discussion with author Nev march > Likes and Comments
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The story has a classic detective-story feel, particularly with Lady Diana encouraging Jim to recount the case. What drew you to that style, and were you consciously thinking about Conan Doyle while writing it?
The phrase “disgraceful embrace” immediately creates curiosity. How did you develop the mystery around that situation, and what did you want readers to initially assume?
Captain Jim and Lady Diana have an interesting relationship. What do you enjoy most about writing their interactions, and how do you think their personalities complement each other?
Hello Nev march i hope you are active with us, let us know
Without giving away more than you want to, what was the most challenging part of creating the unexpected solution to Jim’s case?
Hello there!
Yes, I can see your questions. Somehow I had expected a zoom link or other connection. No worries
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING US REPONSE KINLDY REPLY TO OUR EACH EACH READERS NOW
The most challenging part? Keeping the story short!
As you know, the story hinges on a problem that Jim has undertaken to save his client who is accused of sodomy (homosexuality) which was illegal at the time. I wanted to show how Jim found a creative solution, without taking the reader in real time through the events. Doing that would have made the story far longer!
Instead I used one of Conan Doyle's tricks! He narrates the entire solution as a dialog between two people.
So that's what I did. I had Jim pose the question to Diana and her brother Adi, so that they can explore alternate methods to solve the case. In fact, this even surfaces a possibility that Captain Jim had not considered!
Then he reveals how he used the very same social stigma of the time, to help his client get released. This worked, and kept the story short enough, while allowing some space for the banter that I enjoy writing so much.
Is there any RGBF associated with the book that you can provide to us for the discussion?
This story leads into The Silversmith’s Puzzle. What role did you want A Disgraceful Embrace to play in preparing readers for the larger story?
To answer Mark's question, absolutely! I really enjoy writing about the couple and their different ways of thinking. Jim is methodical and works step by step. Diana makes deductive and inductive leaps of logic! In many cases she leapfrogs over Captain Jim's careful investigative processes.
But most of all I enjoy the affection between them, and their respect and admiration for each other. This holds, even when Jim's actions lead him into danger which terrifies Diana! And sometimes, vice versa!
I think the couple's interaction and warmth add depth to what otherwise could be a fairly cerebral puzzle. It adds emotion and a contrasting light to the darkness of the crimes they investigate. This balance feels right to me, and adds some comfort in some unflinching scenes of my crime novels
have you prepared any RGBF for readers, and if so, could you provide it before the discussion continue
Question: disgraceful embrace” immediately creates curiosity.
What did I want readers to assume?
An embrace is a warm and positive thing. To couple it with the adjective 'disgraceful' feels like a contradiction. Yes, I wanted to pique readers' curiosity with the title - How can an embrace, and affection, be disgraceful (socially disapproved)?
Turns out this is exactly the issue today, where many conservatives in the US find gay love abhorrent. I was trying to show that affection is positive, no matter who one loves-- and the initial build up goes to build that effect: Jim's client "P" does not defend himself. The other bloke Frank also is miserable. So they are a sympathetic duo.
I really enjoyed your book, and I was wondering if you have any RGBF available for it. If you do, kindly provide it for us.
Paul wrote: "The story has a classic detective-story feel, particularly with Lady Diana encouraging Jim to recount the case. What drew you to that style, and were you consciously thinking about Conan Doyle whil..."
Yes indeed! I truly enjoy all of Conan Doyle's work, and am presently reading his Brigadier Gerard stories (very different indeed!)
The Holmes stories work for me because of the affection and admiration Watson has for Holmes.
This story is an homage to Conan Doyle's narrative style! It felt like the perfect little nugget - a puzzle, the family around the investigator Captain Jim, and the neat solution he found, all wrapped up in barely 10+ pages! Why not learn from the greats, like Conan Doyle?
For readers discovering your work through this short story, what would you most like them to understand about the larger Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries?
Ok, something about me.
I have 4 degrees - in Economics and Health Policy. I enjoy learning, so now I'm reading Carl Sagan's the Dragons of Eden, which is about human intelligence, from a biological perspective, and more.
Given the vast advances in AI, I wanted to know what one of our finest scientists (who also makes stuff easy to understand) might have said about it in 1977!
I also have a book called Manual of Surgery, about training methods for surgeons in the 1800s!
As you can expect, I have a rather large library of my own, and still borrow books from the library, and also buy books on kindle! I love how accessible knowledge is, and adore authors who write well, which helps me understand stuff I don't usually come across.
I truly enjoyed reading your book. I’m not sure whether you have any RGBF for it, but if you do, kindly provide it so we can include it in the discussion.
My journey as an author:
I've been writing short stories since I was 11. Mum kept them!
At the time, we had a manual typewriter, so I do have a host of handwritten and typed pieces from my teen years.
Wonder if there is a way to add pics here?
Anyway, I worked in the corporate world in analytics, for about 25 years. Over the years I wrote 4 (still unpublished historical novels). I stopped because it was too difficult to find time, with a stressful job and my two boys growing up.
Then I got laid off from my role in 2015. Getting laid off is a fairly common experience here, but it threw me for a loop! For 2 days at least.
Then as I searched for another job, I joined a local writers group, and began writing again. This brought me to start Murder in Old Bombay. My writing group loved it. Each of the 70 very short chapters was workshopped with that weekly group, so I got a great sense of how they land on my readers.
So I searched for an agent (pitched 122 before I got a positive response!) When I won Minotaur (Macmillan Publisher's) award in 2019, that came with a contract to publish Murder in Old Bombay. And that finally launched my career --with a book published right in the middle of the Pandemic!
I've loved this writing life so much and tried to pay forward the kindness of those writers. Boman Desai, who gave me early positive feedback, and Thrity Umrigar who said "keep going". It's a wonderful, generous community.
Cynthia wrote: "I really enjoyed your book, and I was wondering if you have any RGBF available for it. If you do, kindly provide it for us."
Sorry that's not a term I'm familiar with. Can you please explain?
Sandra wrote: "This story leads into The Silversmith’s Puzzle. What role did you want A Disgraceful Embrace to play in preparing readers for the larger story?"
Aha! Yes indeed. While I was writing The Silversmith's Puzzle, I mentioned that Captain Jim had to solve a case before he can leave England for India (to help Diana's brother). My agent at the time said, "well, do you want to say something about that case?"
However, when I wrote the chapter, it seemed to take away from the story at hand: saving Diana's brother from the gallows! It's also a rather jaunty little chapter, and I wanted to keep the sense of impending doom in the novel, to maintain the feeling of suspense.
So carving this story out into a separate ebook short story made a lot of sense. We included the first 3 chapters of The Silversmith's Puzzle, so that readers would experience this couple's relationship and how Captain Jim operates... and then hopefully want to read the next book :)
mark wrote: "Captain Jim and Lady Diana have an interesting relationship. What do you enjoy most about writing their interactions, and how do you think their personalities complement each other?"
I'm glad their relationship feels interesting. It's a big part of the fun of writing for me. I wanted to show how relationships can change over time, especially as each person grows or experiences something significant. The power dynamic also shifts, but the couple still keep close, and help each other achieve their goals. They don't always agree (much like real life!)
In my first novel, Murder in Old Bombay, Captain Jim is a illegitimate mixed race man, (bottom of the social strata!) while Diana is an heiress. This balance changes in each novel - sometimes one, sometimes the other progresses, but their affection continues.
Cynthia wrote: "For readers discovering your work through this short story, what would you most like them to understand about the larger Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries?"
I'd love for readers to just enjoy my stories: the puzzle, the warm relationships, the surprises, and the resolutions.
The larger story arc has to do with Captain Jim's identity, as he struggles to gain pieces of himself sheared off by loss: abandoned by his unknown father, the losses during his experience of war, and the question: who can he trust? It is buffered by the changing relationship with Diana. He needs self worth in order to feel worthy of her. But she's changing too!
Individually each novel is based on events that really happened: two unexplained suicides (were they really suicides?), the Virginius Affair where American and British sailors were summarily executed in Spanish owned Cuba, the strange events during the 1893 world's fair in Chicago, when the World's Convention of Anarchists was held the same summer as the first Parliament of World Religions!
The link to buy the short story and other novels is on my website. nevmarch dot com
It's been a pleasure to chat with you! If you'd like to subscribe to my (sort of monthly) newsletter, please join at my website.
Looking forward to hearing your comments! Happy Reading, and thanks for the opportunity to answer your questions.
Nev wrote: "My journey as an author:
I've been writing short stories since I was 11. Mum kept them!
At the time, we had a manual typewriter, so I do have a host of handwritten and typed pieces from my teen yea..."
REACH OUT TTO MODERATOR ABOUT IT NOW
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The story has a classic detective-story feel, particularly with Lady Diana encouraging Jim to recount the case. What drew you to that style, and were you consciously thinking about Conan Doyle while writing it?
The phrase “disgraceful embrace” immediately creates curiosity. How did you develop the mystery around that situation, and what did you want readers to initially assume?
Captain Jim and Lady Diana have an interesting relationship. What do you enjoy most about writing their interactions, and how do you think their personalities complement each other?
Hello Nev march i hope you are active with us, let us know Without giving away more than you want to, what was the most challenging part of creating the unexpected solution to Jim’s case?
Hello there!Yes, I can see your questions. Somehow I had expected a zoom link or other connection. No worries
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING US REPONSE KINLDY REPLY TO OUR EACH EACH READERS NOW
The most challenging part? Keeping the story short!As you know, the story hinges on a problem that Jim has undertaken to save his client who is accused of sodomy (homosexuality) which was illegal at the time. I wanted to show how Jim found a creative solution, without taking the reader in real time through the events. Doing that would have made the story far longer!
Instead I used one of Conan Doyle's tricks! He narrates the entire solution as a dialog between two people.
So that's what I did. I had Jim pose the question to Diana and her brother Adi, so that they can explore alternate methods to solve the case. In fact, this even surfaces a possibility that Captain Jim had not considered!Then he reveals how he used the very same social stigma of the time, to help his client get released. This worked, and kept the story short enough, while allowing some space for the banter that I enjoy writing so much.
Is there any RGBF associated with the book that you can provide to us for the discussion?
This story leads into The Silversmith’s Puzzle. What role did you want A Disgraceful Embrace to play in preparing readers for the larger story?
To answer Mark's question, absolutely! I really enjoy writing about the couple and their different ways of thinking. Jim is methodical and works step by step. Diana makes deductive and inductive leaps of logic! In many cases she leapfrogs over Captain Jim's careful investigative processes. But most of all I enjoy the affection between them, and their respect and admiration for each other. This holds, even when Jim's actions lead him into danger which terrifies Diana! And sometimes, vice versa!
I think the couple's interaction and warmth add depth to what otherwise could be a fairly cerebral puzzle. It adds emotion and a contrasting light to the darkness of the crimes they investigate. This balance feels right to me, and adds some comfort in some unflinching scenes of my crime novels
have you prepared any RGBF for readers, and if so, could you provide it before the discussion continue
Question: disgraceful embrace” immediately creates curiosity.What did I want readers to assume?
An embrace is a warm and positive thing. To couple it with the adjective 'disgraceful' feels like a contradiction. Yes, I wanted to pique readers' curiosity with the title - How can an embrace, and affection, be disgraceful (socially disapproved)?
Turns out this is exactly the issue today, where many conservatives in the US find gay love abhorrent. I was trying to show that affection is positive, no matter who one loves-- and the initial build up goes to build that effect: Jim's client "P" does not defend himself. The other bloke Frank also is miserable. So they are a sympathetic duo.
I really enjoyed your book, and I was wondering if you have any RGBF available for it. If you do, kindly provide it for us.
Paul wrote: "The story has a classic detective-story feel, particularly with Lady Diana encouraging Jim to recount the case. What drew you to that style, and were you consciously thinking about Conan Doyle whil..."Yes indeed! I truly enjoy all of Conan Doyle's work, and am presently reading his Brigadier Gerard stories (very different indeed!)
The Holmes stories work for me because of the affection and admiration Watson has for Holmes.
This story is an homage to Conan Doyle's narrative style! It felt like the perfect little nugget - a puzzle, the family around the investigator Captain Jim, and the neat solution he found, all wrapped up in barely 10+ pages! Why not learn from the greats, like Conan Doyle?
For readers discovering your work through this short story, what would you most like them to understand about the larger Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries?
Ok, something about me. I have 4 degrees - in Economics and Health Policy. I enjoy learning, so now I'm reading Carl Sagan's the Dragons of Eden, which is about human intelligence, from a biological perspective, and more.
Given the vast advances in AI, I wanted to know what one of our finest scientists (who also makes stuff easy to understand) might have said about it in 1977!
I also have a book called Manual of Surgery, about training methods for surgeons in the 1800s!
As you can expect, I have a rather large library of my own, and still borrow books from the library, and also buy books on kindle! I love how accessible knowledge is, and adore authors who write well, which helps me understand stuff I don't usually come across.
I truly enjoyed reading your book. I’m not sure whether you have any RGBF for it, but if you do, kindly provide it so we can include it in the discussion.
My journey as an author:I've been writing short stories since I was 11. Mum kept them!
At the time, we had a manual typewriter, so I do have a host of handwritten and typed pieces from my teen years.
Wonder if there is a way to add pics here?
Anyway, I worked in the corporate world in analytics, for about 25 years. Over the years I wrote 4 (still unpublished historical novels). I stopped because it was too difficult to find time, with a stressful job and my two boys growing up.
Then I got laid off from my role in 2015. Getting laid off is a fairly common experience here, but it threw me for a loop! For 2 days at least.
Then as I searched for another job, I joined a local writers group, and began writing again. This brought me to start Murder in Old Bombay. My writing group loved it. Each of the 70 very short chapters was workshopped with that weekly group, so I got a great sense of how they land on my readers.
So I searched for an agent (pitched 122 before I got a positive response!) When I won Minotaur (Macmillan Publisher's) award in 2019, that came with a contract to publish Murder in Old Bombay. And that finally launched my career --with a book published right in the middle of the Pandemic!
I've loved this writing life so much and tried to pay forward the kindness of those writers. Boman Desai, who gave me early positive feedback, and Thrity Umrigar who said "keep going". It's a wonderful, generous community.
Cynthia wrote: "I really enjoyed your book, and I was wondering if you have any RGBF available for it. If you do, kindly provide it for us."Sorry that's not a term I'm familiar with. Can you please explain?
Sandra wrote: "This story leads into The Silversmith’s Puzzle. What role did you want A Disgraceful Embrace to play in preparing readers for the larger story?"Aha! Yes indeed. While I was writing The Silversmith's Puzzle, I mentioned that Captain Jim had to solve a case before he can leave England for India (to help Diana's brother). My agent at the time said, "well, do you want to say something about that case?"
However, when I wrote the chapter, it seemed to take away from the story at hand: saving Diana's brother from the gallows! It's also a rather jaunty little chapter, and I wanted to keep the sense of impending doom in the novel, to maintain the feeling of suspense.
So carving this story out into a separate ebook short story made a lot of sense. We included the first 3 chapters of The Silversmith's Puzzle, so that readers would experience this couple's relationship and how Captain Jim operates... and then hopefully want to read the next book :)
mark wrote: "Captain Jim and Lady Diana have an interesting relationship. What do you enjoy most about writing their interactions, and how do you think their personalities complement each other?"I'm glad their relationship feels interesting. It's a big part of the fun of writing for me. I wanted to show how relationships can change over time, especially as each person grows or experiences something significant. The power dynamic also shifts, but the couple still keep close, and help each other achieve their goals. They don't always agree (much like real life!)
In my first novel, Murder in Old Bombay, Captain Jim is a illegitimate mixed race man, (bottom of the social strata!) while Diana is an heiress. This balance changes in each novel - sometimes one, sometimes the other progresses, but their affection continues.
Cynthia wrote: "For readers discovering your work through this short story, what would you most like them to understand about the larger Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries?"I'd love for readers to just enjoy my stories: the puzzle, the warm relationships, the surprises, and the resolutions.
The larger story arc has to do with Captain Jim's identity, as he struggles to gain pieces of himself sheared off by loss: abandoned by his unknown father, the losses during his experience of war, and the question: who can he trust? It is buffered by the changing relationship with Diana. He needs self worth in order to feel worthy of her. But she's changing too!
Individually each novel is based on events that really happened: two unexplained suicides (were they really suicides?), the Virginius Affair where American and British sailors were summarily executed in Spanish owned Cuba, the strange events during the 1893 world's fair in Chicago, when the World's Convention of Anarchists was held the same summer as the first Parliament of World Religions!
The link to buy the short story and other novels is on my website. nevmarch dot com
It's been a pleasure to chat with you! If you'd like to subscribe to my (sort of monthly) newsletter, please join at my website.Looking forward to hearing your comments! Happy Reading, and thanks for the opportunity to answer your questions.
Nev wrote: "My journey as an author:I've been writing short stories since I was 11. Mum kept them!
At the time, we had a manual typewriter, so I do have a host of handwritten and typed pieces from my teen yea..."
REACH OUT TTO MODERATOR ABOUT IT NOW
We’re happy to have you and your book join our readers’ discussion. Our readers are looking forward to discovering your work, sharing their thoughts, and engaging with you about the story.
Before we move into the discussion, we’d love to know more about you. Tell us a little about yourself, your journey as an author, and what inspired you to write this book. Our readers will be happy to get to know you.