My guest this week is author Paul Graham, whose debut psychological crime thriller has just been published by Mereo Books – “In The Shadow They Cast”. I do enjoy a good thriller, and this novel is fast paced with twists and turns that kept me entertained from start to finish. The threads of the novel were very cleverly intertwined and I really can’t believe that this is Paul’s debut!A most excellent read.

BOOK SUMMARY

A gripping, psychological crime thriller set in London, Brighton and New York that explores the deadly nature of consequences.  

·         In the murky world that surrounds the powerful Vignone family, one man’s ruthless actions unleash wide-ranging and deadly repercussions. 

Despite his impoverished, tough childhood in New York, Paolo Vignone has built a thriving, if morally-dubious, business empire which he rules over with harsh discipline – a discipline that he also applies to those closest to him.  So, when his son Lorenzo becomes involved in a relationship which does not meet with Paolo’s approval, he sends him to Europe to defuse the situation. However, when Lorenzo returns the situation is not as Paolo had planned.  The chain of events that follows leads to tragic and murderous consequences.

MY INTERVIEW

Hello Paul, welcome ! Please introduce yourself.

Hello, I’m Paul. I was born in Brighton and now live in Hove. That journey of less than 5 miles took me via Reigate, London, Barcelona and Bournemouth. I have worked in bookselling and IT, and currently teach English as a foreign language. I have two wonderful children each of whom has a partner and a dog.

“In The Shadow They Cast” is your debut novel – a psychological crime thriller set in London, Brighton and New York that explores the deadly nature of consequences. What inspired you to write a novel ?

A combination of things. I wondered if I could write an entire novel. I had dabbled with writing, produced short stories and filled notebook after notebook, but was never been sure that I had a book in me. 

Circumstances conspired to provide me with the opportunity and the idea. There is a an old story about a servant trying and failing to escape his destiny and also a tradition found principally in Asia which concerns The Red Cord which joins two people together. Those thoughts about connection and destiny form the backbone of In The Shadow They Cast. 

We can decide when to catch a bus, we can decide which bus to catch but we cannot decide who is on the bus, nor can we ever predict all the consequences of our actions. My novel is a story of decisions, actions and consequences (intentional or otherwise). 

In addition I wanted to explore the question of motivation – why people act the way they do. There are similarities in the difficulties that my characters, Paolo and Patricia, experience in their lives, but their reactions are very different.  Is the way people act and react a matter of nature?  Or is it cumulative, reaching a tipping point where everything becomes too much?

Are the characters based on observations of people you’ve come across in the past and incidents you’ve experienced? Who were the hardest characters to portray?

Here is a photograph which I took on Brighton seafront very early one September morning many years ago. ….

This scene was highly influential in my novel, providing me with characters, locations, incidents and atmosphere. I have no idea who the people in the photograph are, nor if their lives were anything like the one I have created based on them. All the characters are imagined, but many have quirks and foibles borrowed from people I have known. I also listened a lot to what people were saying and to the extraordinary things that had happened to them. However, there is one particular character who is more closely linked to reality than the others, but even so I have adapted the personality freely. 

The structure of the book is very important to me. I always knew the ending and worked back from that. The characters evolved by dint of that process, incidents were added to cause the characters to behave in a certain way, so the process was organic rather than each having a fixed set of characteristics at the outset.

Were there any aspects of writing your novel that surprised you, either by being harder or easier to write about than you expected?

For me the most difficult thing was leaving room for the reader. I believe that reading is an imaginative process. If the writer explains exactly how the character feels the reader can feel excluded. If the writer does no more than describe an incident then the reader can surmise how a character feels or what effect the incident has.

It was strange to realise that the writing process varied from day to day. Some days the words would flow and other days I would sit down to write and nothing would happen. Sometimes I would force myself and then have to delete it the next day, on other occasions the content was right but did not flow. Many times changing the order of the paragraphs solved the problem. There were other periods when I had to stop because I had set myself problems which I could not yet solve. 

I am pleased with the structure of the novel as a whole and there are some passages and dialogue which I particularly enjoyed writing and find satisfying when I re-read them

Hypothetically speaking, if In The Shadow They Cast was made into a film, who would you love to see portraying the characters, especially Lorenzo Vignone, Paolo, Patricia and Michael?

Paolo – Robert de Niro

Lorenzo – Ralph Macchio

Patricia – Olivia Coleman

Michael – Dan Stevens

Audrey – Emma Thompson

How did you come up with the book title? Did you consider any other titles?

The book had a working title (Like This) which was adequate when I started writing, but which no longer fitted as the book developed. The title In The Shadow The Cast is more closely linked to the themes of the book and is derived from a suggestion by the editor Chris Newton. 

Have you always wanted to have a career as an author or did you have other aspirations?

I have toyed with the idea of writing as a career and was once offered the opportunity to produce the in-house newsletter for a large company. I declined it because the role seemed to me very limited. I have never seriously thought about writing as a career. In The Shadow The Cast took a long time to write so I do not think I would ever be able to make a living from it.

 Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book?

Paper. For me there is something special about having a book in my hand. As for genre, at the moment I am in a thriller phase. I really enjoyed The Silent Patient and some of the books by Carmen Mola, but felt cheated when it was revealed that she is three men. I particularly like the mixture of myth and mystery in The Baztán Trilogy by Dolores Redondo. I am also drawn to metaliterature as exemplified by the early work of Jasper Fforde and the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

Is In The Shadow They Cast available to purchase worldwide?

Yes

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

Cargo Pants, shoes by Josef Seibel, bright check shirt by Charles Tyrwhitt.

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?

Charles Tyrwhitt; Next

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

New boots – I’ve been looking for ages. I found some a few weeks ago, but they didn’t have my size and then discontinued them! The search continues.

Boots or Shoes?

Boots – it’s something to do with solidity and contact with the ground. If I don’t have the right connection then everything above it is wrong. 

Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc

Website: paulgrahamauthor.co.uk

Facebook: Paul Graham

Twitter: Paul Graham @paul_paulgraham

Instagram: Paul Graham paul_paulgraham

Thank you very much for the interview, Paul. Thanks also for the copy of “In The Shadow They Cast” for reviewing – I found the story most excellent and have no hesitation in giving this book a 9/10!

Linda x

All photographs have been published with kind permission of Paul Graham.

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I’m thrilled to be part of author Ronald Chapman’s “Dark Side Of Grace” book tour. “Dark Side Of Grace” is the sequel to the much acclaimed novel “A Killer’s Game”.

BOOK SUMMARY

A devastating terrorist bomb blast at a spiritual retreat outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, sends journalist Kevin Pitcairn and his beloved Emmy on a quixotic quest to understand the roots of violence. Travelling across the country deep into the bowels of Southern Appalachia, their search takes them through a long-standing rift in the American consciousness to confrontations with remarkable and anomalous characters, some of them deeply spiritual, others well-grounded in research and psychology.

In this sequel to the much-acclaimed A Killer’s Grace, Pitcairn and Emmy return to the exploration of innocence while adding to it a deepening understanding of injury and ordeal―and its amazing corollary of Post-Traumatic Growth. As the quest and its dangers rip their lives apart, doors open that lure them back and forth across the country in search of tendrils tying together the events and anguish, as well as bringing the protagonists more deeply together.

• ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1948749874
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Terra Nova Books (May 1, 2023)
• Genre ‏ : ‎ Mystery Action & Adventure, Thriller & Suspense Action Fiction, Psychological Thriller
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 200 pages

The Dark Side of Grace  is available in print and as an ebook at Amazon. You can add it to your GoodReads reading list as well.

MY INTERVIEW WITH RONALD CHAPMAN

Hi Ronald and welcome to the blog! Please introduce yourself 😊

Hello. I usually refer to myself as a full-time, all-time student of life and living! It’s the only thing that seems to capture the breadth of my interests. Some years ago a career counselor told me I am a “spanner,” that I would never be able to ignore connections that I could make to other fields, disciplines, people and arenas. That has proved to be pretty accurate. Many of my professional clients know me as a master coach, a strategic consultant, and a process facilitator and trainer. Those in the twelve-step recovering community know me as a long-time student of the principles and practices of recovery. In the Toastmasters realm, in which I’ve developed my speaking talents, I’m an Internationally Accredited Speaker and Workshop Leader. For me, I’ve sometimes just said I’m an aspiring mystic, and want to learn all I can. I also sometimes christen myself Ron Quixote as well, because sometimes I find myself flailing at metaphorical windmills. Since that all seems like a lot, my favorite introduction from those who know me is, “This is my friend, Ron.”

Dark Side Of Grace” is the sequel to the much-acclaimed “A Killer’s Game”. What inspired you to become a writer?

As a kid growing up in a small city in Oklahoma, the local library was a refuge and sacred space. I would hang out in the dimly-lit bowels of the basement amid all those musty smelling books and lose myself. Books and reading were magical. There’s just no way that kind of love of books could not bring me round to writing. To this day, I get lost in the craftwork and the storyline. It is a happy place for me.

The characters in your book are all very strong and “vocal”, especially Kevin Pitcairn and Maria Elena (Emmy); but these strong characters expand to the people Kevin meets at his AA meetings too.  Are your characters based on observations of people you’ve come across in the past and incidents you’ve experienced ? Who were the hardest characters to portray?

What a great observation, Linda. Yes, all these characters are reflections of real people I’ve come across in my wanderings. It’s almost like I have a psychological imprint as I engage people, many of whom I find fascinating. And the enticement to understand who they are, and what animates them, is so captivating. So when I translate those experiences into characters, they really do come to life for me. Of course, when on occasion we get a really good look at what lies deep down inside someone else, its as if their whole being suddenly makes sense.
An author once told me an interview that everything we write is in some way or another biographical, that we can’t see the world of others except through the lens of our own realities. No surprise the characters most challenging to capture are those most unlike me. Though with enough engagement with the real people, it can become much clearer how they are wired. Since I’m inherently optimistic, and enlivened by potential, it’s a real stretch to get inside the character of someone who is deeply pessimistic, or disengaged, or attached to their own futilities. Not that I have not had to navigate my own dark and difficult insides, but I’m much more compelled by transformation and realisation .

Were there any aspects of writing your book series that surprised you, either by being harder or easier to write about than you expected?

Another great question. I really have to slow down and be intentional about connecting things. It seems like connections come very quickly and naturally to me, that I can just see how things are related. The most common feedback I’ve received over the years is to spend more time bringing readers and listeners along in and through those connections. Curiously, I’ve become pretty good at it when I can remember to pay attention to that, though often I just get to rolling and have to backtrack. A few clients routinely record our conversations so they can play them back and then follow up with me with clarifications. I find that a bit embarrassing, to be really honest. As a social worker by education and sometimes by practice, it seems ridiculous I can’t remember to slow down and be more intentional and bringing others along in my thinking.

Your writing works, whether fiction or non fiction, tend to explore many psycho spiritual themes such as innocence, spirituality, forgivenesss, 12 step recovery… what is it about these themes that ignites your passion for writing?  Would you ever consider branching out to encompass a completely different genre? If so, what would you tackle?

LOL … even my attempt to write an allegory, My Name is Wonder, turned out to be a psycho-spiritual journey! As an aside, that was inspired by a visit to a petting zoo in Victoria, British Columbia, when I had a transcendent experience with goats and crows. The story of a goat named Wonder on a spiritual quest with his spirit guide, Mac Craack Crow, was really a treat to channel onto the page. That aside, a balance for me, and one very much present in my social media posts is expressions of art, gardens and beauty. I guess that’s less about communicating and more about reflecting the wonders of the world. I do write some poetry, though I feel pretty inept. Oh … and I journal a great deal, which is very much stream of consciousness writing.

Have you always wanted to have a career in writing or did you have other aspirations?

The Enneagram psychological assessment pegs me as a #2 – The Helper, which is a very apt description. I have a constant tension between the act of creation, and the need to make it useful or applicable for others. No wonder I ended up with a Masters in Social Welfare, and no wonder so many of my worldly roles involve coaching, consulting, mentoring and guiding. I guess the other part of my personality that finds a lot of expression is The Wanderer. Those who know me well often ask, “Where the hell are you now?” And my daughters, Natalie and Brianne, have joked about the need to put a microchip for tracking under my skin so they can find me. There is so much to see and to experience. To keep that all together I have really strong meditation and contemplative practice to keep me grounded.

Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book?

Love, love, love a really immersive continuing storyline! (Of course I’d be writing five books as The Chronicles of Grace involving Pitcairn and Emmy. Manuscript #3 is in the hands of the publisher, manuscript #4 is up to about fifty pages, and I have the outline for Manuscript #5, after which I think it comes to closure.) I recently re-read the Dune series, and The Hunger Games when the latest book released. When Carlos Ruiz Zafon died a few years ago, I honored his passion by re-reading his series on the Cemetery of Forgotten Books. And I’ve been reading and studying Maurice Nicoll’s five volumes on the Psychological Commentaries on the Teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky for many years. So too all the writings of the great American mystic, Joel Goldsmith, and his Infinite Way.

Is “Dark Side of Grace” available to purchase worldwide?

Yes! Only as English language however. The audio book should be out by September.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

A big and delighted belly laugh on this question! Due to some problems with how my big toes function, I’ve had to gravitate to loose fitting shoes: clogs, moccasins and sandals. However, I can spend hours in the western, hand-tooled boot stores in Santa Fe, New Mexico. And I am a total sucker for jewel tone colored heels on women. For reasons unknown, they jump into my awareness when I’m walking through public places.

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites ?

I love eclectic offerings, and sometimes wander off down rabbit holes looking for things I haven’t found elsewhere. Oh, and roomy, comfortable pullovers are a most beautiful thing!

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

Just has a passion recently for heavy cotton, jewel tone t-shirts, which are perfect to wear under a sports coat.

Boots or Shoes?

Heavyweight hiking boots or beautiful western boots, though my feet just don’t like them much anymore.

Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc

Home Site from which all my other sites pivot is RonaldChapman.com Fresh psycho-spiritual content released free several time a month at SeeingTrue.com/blog Free twelve-step recovery content added regularly at ProgressiveRecovery.org Constantly pushing out reflective material at https://www.facebook.com/ron.chapman.5
Note: All this stuff is free because of the recovery principle that saved me from myself, “Freely received, therefore freely give.”

BOOK TOUR DATES

My thanks to Ronald Chapman for inviting me onto his book tour and for the preview copy of the Dark Side of Grace. All views expressed by me are 100% my own thoughts and observations. All photographs have been published with the kind permission of Ronald Chapman

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Following on with the “Artificial Intelligence “ genre book theme that I mentioned last week, I had a double dose of AI this week when I read both books of the Spark Chronicles -“ Spark” and “Fire” by author Pat Daily. Although aimed at the teenage/ young adult reader, there is enough substance, interest and thrill factor to appeal to mainstream adult readers too. To my utter amazement, I found the books more riveting than I had initially envisaged. I caught up with author Pat Daily to find out his inspiration behind his books … but first, here’s my book review:

MY BOOK REVIEW/SUMMARY

Book 1 “SPARK”. Solar Prime Augmented Reality Park or SPARK , is a theme park for gamers – a reality complex with quests and games to appeal to all ages. When 16 year old Will escapes from his foster home, he runs to the place where he last found happiness with his parents – SPARK. Playing one of the reality games, a “princess” tells him to “Find Me. Save Me” – ironically his mother’s last words too. What does it all mean? The park has many secrets behind the scenes … which he slowly unravels as he bumps into another runaway, the feisty Feral Daughter, who has made SPARK her home and life. As their relationship grows, and his gaming exploits increase, Will begins to unveil the secrets of SPARK as well as settling in to a new way of life for himself. Add into the mix a terrorist attack, and things turn upside down again…

Book 2 “FIRE” – Terrorist forces are intent on destroying the technology behind Black Grass and the AI that help SPARK to run efficiently. Gamers Will and Feral used to fly under the radar, but their gaming successes has put them in the public eye – which doesn’t help when they are struggling to control an AI who has decided that actually killing humans can be an effective and efficient strategy.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

Pat Daily is the CEO of Boundary Layer, Inc., a company dedicated to improving human performance in high-risk endeavors. He is a polymath, serial entrepreneur, gamer,and the author of The SPARK Chronicles, a near future science fiction series. Pat began his professional career as an engineer and Air Force test pilot. After leaving the military, Pat worked at NASA’s Johnson Space Center on both the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs before launching his first company. He has worked globally as a human performance and safety consultant. Pat and his wife live in Houston. They love spending time with their dogs and cats, but most of all with their daughters, sons-in-law, and grandkids.

Hi Pat ! Who or what inspired you to write “The Spark Chronicles”? 

Virtual reality and Artificial Intelligence have fascinated me for years. VR has promise but will always be limiting because of the constraints of actual reality. We grab the controllers, settle the headset into position and begin. Thirty minutes later, we’ve crashed into the TV, punched the wall, and stepped on the dog. 

Both my daughters were playing a game called Pokémon Go. I wanted to see for myself. As I walked the dog one morning, I simultaneously searched for the elusive Growlithe rumored to be in the neighborhood, but finding nothing but Pidgeys, it dawned on me. The superimposition of the virtual over real backgrounds solved most of the problems. You could still be aware of the TV’s location and manage to avoid the dog whilst fighting orcs and rescuing princesses.

I loved the characters in your books, and I liked how book 1 “Spark” linked in with book 2 “Fire” seamlessly.  It’s so hard to pick a favourite character:  I obviously liked Will (WB), but I adored feisty Feral; I giggled at the antics of my namesake Linda in “Fire” and in an odd way, the terrorist Dimitri had a sort of godfather feel about him! Did you base a lot of your characters on you and people you’ve met in life? Which character did you enjoy writing about the most?  Which character was the hardest?

I select and blend people I’ve known. Will is an amalgam of two young men. The first inspired Will’s physical appearance. The second provided Will’s tragic backstory and fear of the dark. In both cases, a lot of my own imagination factored in.

Feral is a blend of my own daughters. They’d argue that she’s more like one than the other, but that feisty streak is there in both; the trait simply hides deeper in one than the other. Feral is absolutely my favorite character to write. She is unencumbered by filters and the people she encounters have no doubt where they stand with her.

Dimitri is the hardest to write. He thought his days as a warrior were behind him and that he’d be able to live a pastoral life. It is more tedious than he anticipated, and the cows don’t care that he’s cold, tired, or hung over; they expect to be milked every day. I work hard not to let him become a caricature.

Were there any aspects of writing the chronicles that surprised you, pleasantly or otherwise?

Originally, Spark was to be a single novel. Write it. Tidy it up. Send it off and then turn to the next project. It wasn’t until I wrote the first draft of the final scene that I realized there was much more to the story. That was quite a pleasant surprise. It helped that I had grown very fond of the characters.

Conversely, when my editor told me that Fire was too long and that she felt one of two story arcs needed to be cut, I was unhappy. I refused to cut out the cave scenes because they play a critical role in how the world and Morrigan see Will. I had about seventy pages of questing that I ended up cutting. When I’ve polled my readers, I was surprised by how much they enjoyed seeing Will and Feral in quest mode. Cutting the OrcLand scenes hurt. 

Months later, and after continuing to think about those pages, I started reworking them into a novella. It should be available in May 2023.

So, imagine SPARK was a real venue, and you were completing the games/quests – what quest/area would you attempt first?  Any quest you would have avoided?

I would head straight for War on Mars. I’ve always enjoyed futuristic adventures and the aspects that frightened Will are those I would crave.

As you travel up the Modern Times arcade, you come to an anchor quest called The City. It’s urban warfare and human against human. It feels a bit too close to reality for me to want to spend time there. That said, it and its themes figure prominently in Ash, the third full novel of The Spark Chronicles. Ash is slated for release next spring.

Following on from my previous question, what would your avatar look like?

You’d find me kitted up like Commander Shepard – a tall, dark, and handsome warrior of the future from the Mass Effect game universe. My avatar would be more muscular and better looking than I am, but still recognizable to my family and friends. I’d have a Desnardian Commander’s blaster on my hip and a wakizashi (the middle of the three traditional samurai swords) on my back.

Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book? 

Yes, I chew through books at a good clip and always have a stack on my bedside table. In order, I prefer Science Fiction, Murder Mysteries, and cutting-edge nonfiction. In those genres, the last three books I read were:

• Have Spacesuit Will Travel – Robert Heinlein. I re-read this because of a poll I asked on my socials about favorite sci-fi. This came up and I hadn’t read it in decades. It was originally published in 1958 and stands up well, although Heinlein failed to foresee personal computers and smart phones. He does have some scathing comments about the state of public education and where he saw it going.

• Neon Prey – John Sandford. It’s one of his Lucas Davenport series. Great stuff.

• Consilience, The Unity of Knowledge – E. O. Wilson. Wilson makes a compelling case for the interconnectedness of knowledge. If you can’t find the links between Psychology and Biology and Math, that means that we don’t understand them well enough.

I like the heft of a physical book, the smell of the pages, and the ability to search by generally remembering where something was, and on which page – left or right – it could be found.

Are the Spark Chronicles books available to purchase worldwide?

Yes, they are. Buy them now; buy multiple copies they make great gifts. They’re available on Kindle Unlimited, so your subscription (if you have one) covers the cost. Buy some physical copies anyway. It’s very difficult to sign an ebook. 

Growing up had you always wanted to be an author, or did you have other career aspirations?

I wanted to be an astronaut first and still; the desire to become an author was born of my love of reading. I think everyone has a good story in them.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

It’s generally warm in Houston. I spend most of my time in shorts and a T-shirt.

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?

Basic Dude Stuff is atop my list of favourite sites at the moment. Pat Mac has a lot of things in common with Robert Heinlein. His videos are less than five minutes and give insight into what he believes a man should be and do.

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

A new pair of Teva sandals for the summer.

Boots or Shoes? 

Boots. I’ve spent a good part of my flying life in boots like these. They’re comfortable in flight and breathe when you’re mucking about on the ground.

Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc

Website: https://thepatdaily.com

Blog: https://thepatdaily.com/blog/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patdailyauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patdailypics/

Twitter: @patdailyauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21521042.Pat_Daily

I’m so looking forward to reading Ash when it gets published! Thanks so much Pat for chatting to me on the blog – it’s been a blast!

Linda x

All photographs (apart from the Pinterest & header photos which are by Linda Hobden) have been published with kind permission of Pat Daily. Thanks also to Pat Daily/Ben Cameron for the copies of Spark Chronicles for reviewing.

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My guest this week is author Cal Georgeson, who is probably better known for having a hugely popular TikTok account that documents amazing historical facts and conspiracies. So it comes as no surprise that Cal has published a humorous spy ” thriller” that is set within a secret agency in London that investigates fake news and conspiracies – a book jam packed with bittersweet humour and very curious characters. It certainly has many “laugh out loud “ moments! I caught up with Cal Georgeson to find out more his book and his fascination with conspiracies …

Hi Linda! My name is Cal Georgeson and I live just outside London with my partner and long-suffering muse / editor, Griff. I also have two teenaged sproglets who are both my source of motivation in life and of course my fountains of knowledge on fashion, shoes and social media!

Cal, you are a fire risk specialist .. so who or what inspired you to write “The Department Of Conspiracy”? 

So I guess the inspiration lies somewhere in my distant past. I found myself on BBC Radio this weekend explaining how my Dad initially motivated me to write when I was a teenager. He was a writer himself and used to enthral me with tales of intrigue and valour, which were actually the life story of his own father (so, my grandfather) who was an absolute legend during the war having won the Victoria Cross amongst other heroic endeavours. So yes, I would say my inspiration were the stories my Dad told me about my grandfather by bringing this into a contemporary, modern-day London setting and with an underlying comedy flavour. I tried writing a serious thriller and the words just didn’t spill on the page in the same way.

“The Department Of Conspiracy ” is a humorous spy story set within a secret agency that investigates fake news and conspiracies. The characters are quite a weird bunch – the goofy Sam Juniper, cold hearted Florence, the doddery  Mr & Mrs Bimble, love interest Josie, lisping Leo & the mysterious Mr Milquetoast.  I had a fondest for poor Sam but I also liked the forthright Florence!  She made me giggle. Did you base a lot of your characters on you and people you’ve met in life? Which character did you enjoy writing about the most?  Which character was the hardest?

So I think there’s a little bit of Sam in all of us. He’s basically trying so hard to do the right thing and find his place in the world but he’s a little bit of a lost cause. He is very much based on myself as a teenager and so came quite naturally to the page.

I loved writing Agent Florence the most. The sheer audacity and abrasiveness that comes with a character like that made her a lot of fun. Its probably fair to say that Florence embodies the eruption of anger and sarcasm that we all feel internally sometimes, only she has the fearsome confidence to fire at will with some creative use of swear-words, which makes her a great counterpart to Sam. Although I think there’s a broken heart under that bravado somewhere, and of course she loves a pair of killer heels.  

Were there any aspects of writing the novel that surprised you, pleasantly or otherwise?

So one aspect I hadn’t originally planned was a chapter later in the book which was a flashback to decades earlier, exploring where the Department of Conspiracy originated. By seeing the characters of Mr Milquetoast and the White Rabbit as young men, I found this added a lot of depth to the world-building, and I felt it gave the reader better context and layering.

If you could visit any country/place in the world, to base a future novel in, where would you go and why? 

Well I’m quite lucky to have spent a lot of time overseas during my time in the Royal Navy (many years ago). Since I first visited the Arabian Gulf back in the nineties I’ve always been fascinated with the speed at which places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi have developed. I was recently speaking to a friend who’s working on ‘The Line’ in Saudi Arabia. 

The Line is an incredible new linear building under construction which is only 200 metres wide, but its 170 kilometres long (yes, you read that right!). It will have high-speed trains running from one end to the other and people will be able to live, work, shop and play all within this single development. There will be several huge shopping centres built within it with fashions imported from all over the world. 

The most amazing thing is that all is that this is in the middle of a desert, miles from the nearest city. I think this post-modernist behemoth could potentially be an amazing setting for a new story.

The Line does sound fascinating and a great base to set a novel in… I look forward to reading about it in your future book 😜

Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book? 

So I love stories of all kinds – books, movies, comics, musicals, Netflix – it’s all about the story. I do prefer a paperback (I’m a little old-fashioned like that) but have recently been enjoying audiobooks a lot more.

I love Douglas Adams and Tom Sharpe and since childhood I’ve grown up in the worlds of Neil Gaiman. The ethereal beauty of his Sandman series, Neverwhere and Stardust could just make me weep with joy. These to me are titans of literature that we can only aspire to, but as they say ‘standing on the shoulders of giants..” and all that!

Is “The Department of Conspiracy” available to purchase worldwide?

Yes it certainly is, but currently only on Amazon (£7.99 paperback or £3.99 for the Kindle version, and of course free if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited).

I’ll soon be recording the audiobook version, and we’re currently looking for talent to bring the characters to life so if any of your subscribers like the book and are interested, they are welcome to contact me directly via my website or social media.

Growing up had you always wanted to be an author or did you have other career aspirations?

Growing up I was much like Sam – I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to be. I left 6^th Form College without a plan, pretty much got press-ganged into the Navy and then subsequently fell into becoming a firefighter, which led onto my current, more grown up, role. So it would be true to say that I always loved stories and story-telling but I certainly never planned to be on Jackanory as a child.

You have a hugely popular TikTok account that documents real life conspiracies and amazing historical facts. Have you got a “favourite” weird/almost unbelievable conspiracy/historical fact that you have uncovered? 

Oh gosh, a favourite! Well, I love the story of Operation Acoustic Kitty. So in my novel you may have noted that poor Ralphy (Josie’s dog) was unfortunate enough to have a listening device inserted into an orifice where no self-respecting dog wants one inserted.

Well this may sound crazy, but this was kind of based on fact.

In 2001, the CIA declassified a lot of their secret documents from the 1960’s. One of these was Operation Acoustic Kitty, whereby cats would undergo a medical procedure so that a vet could implant a tiny microphone in its ear, a transmitter at the base of its skull and a battery in its rib-cage. Meanwhile, the tail was used as an antenna.

The idea was that cats would be able to eavesdrop on conversations from windowsills, garbage cans or from trees. The first Acoustic Kitty mission was to spy on 2 suspects in a park in Wisconsin Avenue, Washington DC, just outside the Soviet Embassy.

Legend has it that the first spy-cat was taken near to the park and released from the back of a CIA van but was then immediately run over by a passing taxi.

Estimates vary, but the whole operation cost somewhere between $10 – $20 million dollars but was ultimately cancelled in 1967 as they decided cats were too difficult to train. I love this story as it sounds like such nonsense, but is entirely true.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

So being in my early 40’s I’m determined not to turn into Jeremy Clarkson but it’s hard. My go-to outfit is always a Ralph Lauren shirt, black or grey jeans (Levi or Diesel) and a ¾ length coat (always worn open). I have a range of these coats (Luther-style grey, All Saints beige or Lock-Stock tweed) and find they go nice with a variety of styles (jeans / t-shirt, trainers or business suit).

In terms of shoes, I’m usually looking for a quality, top-end brown ankle boot (never black) and I figure this harks back to my younger days of wearing DM’s.

My other choice for trainers is a bit unusual, at least for the UK. There’s a company called Royal Elastics that make quirky but cool sneakers, although you can generally only get them from the United States. I once fell in love with their style and order 6 pairs (2 in each colour) and got them imported. Never regretted it!  

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites ?

So I’m quite liking Stitch Fix at the moment. This is an online app where you input your style preferences and sizes initially and then pay a £10 fee in order for a stylist to pick out items that might appeal. You get to try them on in the comfort of your own home and then send back what doesn’t work.

I do prefer the in-store experience though, if given the choice. I’m quite a tactile person so I like to feel the fabrics in person, rather than just rely on the pictures. All Saints is great for nice feeling fabrics, and of course Ralph Lauren for a trusty collared shirt.

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

So I’m currently investigating a classy French retailer called Sezane. It’s my partner Griff’s birthday coming up soon, and being half-French she’s entirely obsessed with this brand. Unfortunately I believe their only outlet is based in Notting Hill, so given that I’m lacking the confidence to purchase the correct size online, I’m now planning an excursion across London to view their stock in person.

In all seriousness, it looks like a great company and the fashions are reportedly inspired by Paris and the people who call it home, so I’m very sure Griff will be pleased. 

Boots or Shoes?

So definitely brown or tan boots. I’m 6’ 1” and of somewhat of a sturdy physique, so when I look at my feet so far away, they always appear remarkably small in shoes. Or perhaps I just need to get my glasses checked out so my feet look bigger.

Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc

My website can be found at DepartmentOfConspiracy.com which is a huge library of interesting historical stories and scientific wonders, and acts as a great source to follow up on some of the themes and facts hinted at in the book.

On social media, I can be found more commonly on TikTok with the handle SecretSocrates.com, where I post lots of bite-sized fun stuff with some cool soundtracks.

I can also be found on Twitter as @secretsocrates1.

Fantastic to chat to you Cal … Operation Kitty … that’s a brilliant true story! I highly recommend your book, The Department of Conspiracy, and I look forward to reading your future “thrillers”… I love the lighthearted humorous edge to your “thrillers” 😊 Thanks for sending me a copy of your book to review (and to Ben Cameron for suggesting I give your book a read! )

Linda x

All photographs have been published with kind permission of Cal Georgeson (apart from the Header & Pinterest photos which were by Linda Hobden)

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I’m so pleased to be part of the “Whispering Through Water” Book Tour for author Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler. Rebecca is a children and young adult author and “Whispering Through Water” is a lovely coming -of-age , young adult story: although this isn’t a genre I normally read, I really enjoyed the story and I think the novel would appeal to young adults and those who like a uncomplicated romantic novel with family dynamics and 1990s nostalgia involved 😊

BOOK SUMMARY

The coming-of-age story follows Gwyn Madison, the summer after her high school graduation, as she grapples with her fast-approaching future. She’ll have to face more than she bargained for with her Aunt Delia, the family matriarch, who holds the purse strings and the final word.  In the meantime, Gwyn stumbles upon a tightly held family secret. Could a mysterious letter provide Gwyn the leverage she desires? Will it only bring more family division? Or, maybe, the past was never meant to stay buried after all. Whispering Through Water navigates family dynamics, young love, and female autonomy with a little 1990s nostalgia.

Publisher: Monarch Educational Services, L.L.C

ISBN-10: 1957656052

ISBN-13: 978-1957656052

ASIN: ‎B0BCCW8T54

Print length: 265 pages

Purchase a copy of Whispering Through Water on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.

MY INTERVIEW

I caught up with author Rebecca to find out more about her, her book and her wardrobe! Hi Rebecca!

Hello! I am Rebecca. I was raised in West Point, Virginia, a small town in the Tidewater region of Virginia. My town is a peninsula of 6.6 square miles! Currently, I live in Durham, NC. I have worked 20+ years in education in various roles, including teaching high school English and psychology. Along the way I earned a degree in Professional Counseling, and now I work in school-based mental health. My husband is a physics instructor. We have two kids and two very spoiled Siamese cats. I am also a registered yoga teacher, and I have taught yoga for 11 years. In addition to writing, I also love baking and gardening.

“Whispering Through Water” is your young adult/teen coming-of-age story featuring family dynamics, young love, a mystery, and a touch of 1990s nostalgia. Who or what inspired you to start your writing career? 

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was in elementary school. I remember writing my “life plan” as an assignment in 8th grade health class. I wrote that I would get a college degree and write a book before age 30 (only one of those happened according to my 8th grade timeline. haha). Books have always been an important part of my life; they are a source of connection and knowledge. I want to be able to share that connection with my readers. 

I loved the love story between Gwyn and Isaac.…. in fact I found all the characters believable, including Sal from the pizza joint; Trisha and her sister, Aunt Delia were like chalk and cheese (although I did get frustrated with the way Aunt Delia acted towards her niece and frustrated with Trisha and Uncle Beckett for not being a bit more supportive); the exuberant but likeable Brenda Quigley ; and Gwyn’s best friends Denise & Danny. Did you base a lot of your characters on you and people you’ve met in life? Which character did you enjoy writing about the most?  Which character was the hardest?

I love that you felt all of those feelings toward the characters! Yes, we have people in our lives that we wish were more supportive, but just aren’t. In families we do fall into roles, like we are on automatic pilot, and it helps to have some new additions in our lives to shake up the dynamic. Because of Isaac and his family, Gwyn sees a new way to relate and is able to take initiative to relate differently in her own family. You cannot control someone else’s behavior, but you can control how you react toward the behavior. If you take the initiative to change yourself, you change the world.

Gwyn was the easiest to write, probably because she is most like me. Gwyn was probably a bit bolder than I was in high school. I do love Sal Jr. He was a character of my own invention, and just makes me smile!

Aunt Delia was probably the most challenging to write. I completed the second draft in 2013, and shelved it for a while. When I re-read my draft in 2021, Delia did not read as the sympathetic character I intended her to be. I wanted readers to feel sympathy for Delia at the end. I rewrote the relationships in her backstory, so she could become who I envisioned in my mind.  I have encountered people similar to Delia. I am curious as to what lies beneath the tough exterior. Bitterness grows over time. 

There is no singular person that influenced a character. They are more a hodgepodge of people I’ve met over the years. Mrs. Jenkins and Brenda are an amalgamation of some of my favorite teachers. There’s a little of my college roommate in Denise, and a little of my cousin in Danny (though neither have actually met each other in real life!)

What attracted you to writing a young adult/teenage novel? What is it about this genre that appeals to you? 

Adolescence is a pivotal time in a person’s life. Our experiences in adolescence certainly impacts our relationships and behavior patterns as adults. My husband likes to say, “The irony of life is that the 40-year-old must live with the decisions the 18-year-old made.” (Of course the 18 and 40 year-olds refer to the same person!) I know so many adults who love to read YA, and I believe one reason is that it helps them process what they might have experienced as a young person.

I do love the flexibility of the genre. In YA, characters can experience the coming-of-age anywhere, from realistic fiction, to a dystopian universe, to lands with fairies. And the characters can have fun!

As a teenager, books were very important to me. I grew up in a small town, and I never felt like I quite fit in. As C.S. Lewis’ character in the Shadowlands said, “We read to know we’re not alone”. Through my writing, I hope readers can find connection. 

If you could visit any country/place in the world, to base a future novel in, where would you go and why? 

Such a good question. Partially because I’m curious about my Scandinavian ancestry, I would love to learn more about Sweden and Norway. If someone wants to fund a trip, give me a call! 🙂

Growing up, did you always want to be a writer or did you have other career aspirations?

Since childhood, the one true thing I always knew about myself was that I wanted to be a writer. As a kid my other career aspirations weren’t as realistic (one of the humans on Sesame Street, a spy, etc). I think many creatives find themselves doing lots of other careers in hopes one day they will be able to support their creative pursuits. 

Are you a bookworm? What is your favourite genre and/or authors? Kindle or actual book? 

I am a pro-actual book. I will read a Kindle on a plane, and when carrying a bulk of books isn’t practical. Being on a screen too long gives me a feeling of being trapped. I like the freedom of being able to carry an actual book. Let’s face it, kindles are no fun reading in the sun.

Is Whispering Through Water available to purchase worldwide?

Yes, Whispering Through Water may be purchased from a variety of booksellers like Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and I like to plug independent bookstores. Find your local indie bookstore on indibound.com.

Personal now – what outfits and shoes would you normally be found wearing?

I love jeans, and I’m so glad that high-waisted jeans have come back in style. (I will still wear them when inevitably the low-waisted returns). I am a tall girl, and low-waisted just doesn’t work on me! I also love a fun boho shirt and jewelry.

I live in North Carolina, and unfortunately, at least five months out of the year it’s too hot to wear jeans. I’ve never liked shorts, so in the summer, I’m usually in a cotton dress.

My favorite shoes I own are a pair of beige and red Dr. Martens I bought in a consignment store, probably 15 years ago. 

Do you have any favourite shops or online sites?

I love ThreadUp (I blame my former co-worker, Jessica, for this addiction!). I have always loved consignment stores. They encourage me to try brands I wouldn’t always try, and make pricier brands more accessible. Being more eco-friendly is a big perk too!

I love ThreadUp in particular because of the ease of searchability. You can add so many filters to find just what you want. 

I also am a gardener, and I buy the majority of my seeds and bulbs from Eden Brothers. They are a North Carolina company and will ship anywhere! www.edenbrothers.com

What’s next on your clothes/shoe wish list?

I have Rothy’s flats, and I would love The Chelsea high top boot.

Boots or Shoes?

Both! Depends on the hemline.

Links you would like to share e.g. website/facebook etc

Instagram: @rebeccawwheeler_author

Twitter: @RWW_author

Website: www.rebeccawwheeler.com

BOOK TOUR DATES

All photographs have been published with kind permission of Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler; illustration by Terri Moore @mooreillustrating . Thanks also to Rebecca for a review copy of “Whispering Through Water”

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