Author photos

For many of us, the worst thing is having everything ready for the proof copy, then remembering that an author's photo is expected. You don't want it to put anyone off or distract from the story. You've been spending ages editing and the idea of getting dressed up and going to a studio to get photos done is a recipe for exhaustion.

Well, when your character is a private eye, why not do a little film noir cosplay and see what happens?

Dedicated to those who remember

When I write about the not-too-distant past, I’m writing about someone’s lifetime. Part of my interest in jazz and pulp detective stories come from my parents. My father, in particular, loved music, and had a large collection of jazz and classical pieces that were part of the background of life. Mind you, the post-swing era of crooner and do-wop were more part of his personal timeline, but every generation picks up things from the generation before.

Detective stories have never really gone out of style. My parents had a large collection, and the local library had plenty as well. While many wonderful stories are being told in present day, the works of Raymond Chandler, Rex Stout, and others, will always have a place on a well-stocked shelf. Although some people may be put off by out of date social mores, a discerning reader will see some of the writers were pushing against prejudices few people talked about at the time. It also grounds the modern writer who wants to write about times past. Kerry Greenwood, the author of the Miss Fisher mysteries, does a wonderful job connecting with issues of the past that are relevant today. In a sense, one can ‘remember’ things by proxy.

The classic movies, often in black-and-white, played as filler on TV in much of my childhood, although they were preserving a time I never lived through. But the vivid emotion of the acting and high suspense of the stories drew me in and made me feel as though I were there. While some parts of Forever’s Too Long draw on more recent sources, the pop culture of the time is referenced in many ways.

But would it ring true to someone who had been there in person? I may never learn. The generation of my grandparents and their siblings is disappearing. I lost my great-aunt recently, and while I mostly thought back to happy memories of her, and what a swell woman she was (Eugene’s friendship with Rafael may have been subconsciously influenced slightly by having a very successful relative who never treated anyone different due to economic status), I also thought, I wish that my book had come out in time for her to read it.

Here’s to the ‘Greatest Generation” and the ones before and after, that expanded the American middle class, started a sense of multiculturalism (what else can one consider jazz to be?), adapted wonderfully to changes in technology and social structures, and shaped systems that improved world peace. Thanks for the memories.

Genre fiction

I've always been a keen reader with a strong imagination. I've been drawn a lot to fantasy, science fiction, and paranormal storylines. But I also am an analytical thinker, which is usually more appealed to with science fiction, nonfiction, and mysteries. 

My first published works were as co-author on Allan's Para-Earth books, where I've helped with character interactions, the science behind the stories, and dialogue on the first two, and for the third and fourth wrote part of them myself. I insisted that there be a science fiction grounding for the monsters, because I found such monsters scarier, being potentially real, whereas the supernatural creatures never really scared me. 

Yet here I am, writing my own, and my love of fantasy has resurfaced and my detective has to deal with supernatural problems. Some of my friends don't like horror, and originally I assured them that it wouldn't be too scary-- but then I found out that one friend considers Harry Dresden too much of a horror story (a wizard detective in urban fantasy), and I had to tell her not to read my books. 

So what genre am I in? I consider Rafael Jones to be primarily in the detective novel category, sometimes being true mystery, sometimes more pulp fiction adventure. Yet the supernatural elements will be strong in every story. His base is in New York City, making urban fantasy a good description. Whether it should be considered to cross into horror depends, I guess, on what you think horror is. I don't feel it is that, myself, because the books are hopeful, philosophical, and funny. But when there's murder, there's an element of horror. 

One of my beta readers said she felt like she was reading a Philip Marlowe story, only to have it twist into Kolchak: The Nightstalker. I wonder what you will find in my writing... 

Time, time, time, see what's become...

I thought one of the wonderful things about starting a  series in the 1940s was that there would be so much time to move forward in.

And yet the second book, set only a few months after the first, is rooted more-or-less in the 1920s. A ghost becomes a sort of secondary client for the detective as his attempt to determine a house is not haunted does the reverse. His heart goes out to a murdered flapper and he seeks out a murderer on this very cold case in the hopes that getting justice will help her find peace. During the Prohibition Era, gangsters were often treated like celebrities and the elite might be found rubbing elbows with them. What kind of chaos happened when a teenager house-sat for his family at a manor too close to the Canadian border to be dry?

For Rafael, there's a bit of nostalgia in re-visiting the 20s. For me, there's a lot of research! And a little bit of irony.

Music, Music, Music

Because Raphael was a musician before he was a detective, specific songs are referenced in the books. In the second book, he's working to solve the murder of a mysterious ghost, and in order to determine what year she died in, he plays music to get her reactions.

If you like music, I recommend reading on or near a device that will allow you to pull up the songs-- they will give you a sense of setting, character, and can serve as a bit of a soundtrack to the adventure. I do love the jazz era sound and I think you will, too.

Planning cover art

So, I paint as well as write and am working on an painting to use as cover art.

Finding some reference photos to help with details is an interesting challenge. I love the mood here, it's similar to what I want to convey, but it's taken from above and I need the skyline from below.

There are other great pictures of Manhattan from 1947, though, and this one is what I really needed. 

No Spoilers!

To tell the truth, every time I write about my writing, it's hard to keep myself in check. Because I want so much to talk about story elements which would end up being spoilers. When you're deeply involved in something and so excited, the only way to hold it in is to remind yourself that the other people will enjoy it so much more if they get the reveal in the way that was intended.

So I have to act as Benedict Cumberbatch to my inner Tom Holland and not allow anything but teasers and vague talk about my influences or process.

It's worth it. I'm starting to get feedback from my beta readers and one of them just got to a major twist.

Prologue

Note: The novel itself is written first person, from Rafael's perspective. However, I've written a short scene set shortly before the novel, to awaken curiosity and do some foreshadowing. Also, here's an idea of what Clara Thomas looks like.

Prologue

Clara Thomas was almost finished packing when the phone rang. “Good morning,” she said.

“So glad I caught you, Clara. You’re being sent to America on a case, aren’t you?”

“Sir Lynn! Do you need any errands taken care of while I’m there.”

There was a chuckle on the other end of the phone. “No need to be so formal. I’m your brother, after all, or married to your sister, which amounts to the same thing. Lynn will do just fine. I just called to give you a little advice. I know Interpol needs to recruit more people. Trying to rebuild such an organization is a major task. Well… they’ll have given you some files of people they’d like you to interview as possible options. Somewhere on that list there will be a Major Rafael Jones. Near the middle if they’ve just done it alphabetically, but near the top if they’ve had the sense to prioritize them. I think you should read his file first thing. I think he could be a serious asset.”

“To Interpol?”

“To them, yes. Maybe in other ways, too. He has a great deal of potential. I know one of his godmothers.”

“Is that all you’re going to tell me?”

“All I can right now. I’d have to meet him for myself to have a better idea. But as far as Interpol goes, he’s very fluent in two languages, passable in four more. He has a reputation for getting along with very nearly everyone-- he makes friends easily, and given that Interpol is all about local cooperation, you could use that. Law enforcement has been his career and he has already worked with an international team. He’s ideal for Interpol’s needs.”

“But you’re also interested in him.”

“On hunch, my dear, but my hunches are usually reliable.”

“I’m intrigued. Major Jones, you said.”

“Rafael, if there’s more than one.”

“Shall I call you after I’ve made contact?”

“That’s an excellent idea. I’d like to get your impression of him.”

“Until then. Give Susan my love.”

“I certainly will, and all of mine, too. Safe travels.”

With the call over, Clara went to the window and took a moment to look over the city she was in. Just a few years ago, it seemed like war was everywhere and nothing was safe. Now she could turn her head and look toward England, her homeland, and know that ships were plying across the waters once more. She was soon boarding an aeroplane for America, one laden with passengers, not combatants or weapons. The world was at peace, but her own heart… she didn’t think she’d ever be as lucky as Susan, to find someone who was as real and kind as Sir Lynn Fox. He might be more than a decade older than his wife, but what was that when people were perfect for each other, as they were?

Work was better than love, if you didn’t have the right one. It gave you stability, purpose, and things to be interested in. Right now, she was interested in getting the file on Rafael Jones to find out what made him important enough for Lynn to take an interest in.

Writing in a different time period.

The internet makes doing basic research so much easier for many things.

I was going to use the phrase "coloring inside the lines" and then had to ask myself-- would a guy in his 30's in the 40's use that phrase? When were coloring books invented? They seem like something that's just been around forever. Well, it only took about a minute to do the research to find out they'd been around about 100 years by then, so yes, it was fine to use.

Likewise, I needed to see if a fire-axe back then fit my mental image of one... even though I don't describe it in detail, there was a possibility I would use it on the cover. Another question I had was if a passport problem would legitimately be used to delay someone leaving the country.

Back before the internet, I'd have needed to look for very, very specific history books for images of fire axes, an encyclopedia for the coloring book history, and as for the passport issue, I'd probably need to look into procedural handbooks from the New York-New Jersey Port Authority from 1948. Finding those sources would all have been difficult.

There's something wonderful about having so much information at our fingertips.

Updating

     The word count is past 42,000, and the main draft may be finished by the end of the month. I call it the main draft rather than first or rough, because I'm one of the weird, rare writers who works to polish their prose from the start and edits throughout the initial writing, so that the final product is very close to the original finished draft. I'm not saying this is superior; actually, I think this insistence on having my language just so before I put down a sentence is why I could never finish writing more than a short story on my own before this. On the other hand, I do want beta readers to help me with cultural aspects (Rafael is part Latino) and other details, such as making sure I didn't mess up the proper terminology for shipboard life, military work, firearms and equipment, and such. It's one thing to do a little online research, but the people who delve deeply are worth listening to-- I respect readers too much to disregard correct usage.