Reading Club

 Full disclosure:

She's my sister. 

But do you realize how hard it is to get relatives to read your work?

Reading Club

Snowed in? 

Have I got a good book for you.

 

Edward Albee on reading

 “Read the great stuff, but read the stuff that isn't so great, too. Great stuff is very discouraging. If you read only Beckett and Chekhov, you'll go away and only deliver telegrams for Western Union.”

― Edward Albee

Review: Bombay Monsoon

 The ugly American is always an innocent. It’s innocence that makes him ugly.
Danny Jacobs is not only an innocent, he’s polite. He doesn’t ask personal questions. He takes everyone at their word, at the surface. It’s not that he has no experience; he’s a foreign correspondent for a young and rising news service. He’s been dangerous places. He even has a shrapnel scar on his butt from Vietnam. What he lacks is suspicion, and it’s a nearly fatal flaw in Bombay in 1975. 

     (The action takes place during the Emergency which Indira Ghandi imposed to keep power, a time when democracy and truth were suspended, a time in which a young new correspondent was discouraged from asking personal questions.)

     But his neighbors are friendly. Everyone he meets is friendly, including a wealthy upstairs neighbor who’s in “import-export” and his stunningly beautiful girlfriend whom Danny falls hard for--even some people he’d rather not be friends with, including even an uglier American than himself who keeps turning up in his path. But all these people DO ask personal questions. They all know everything there is to know about Danny, including some dangerous secrets he’s certain ARE secret.

   Bombay Monsoon is like skating on thin ice. No one is who they present themselves as. Even as the truth is slowly peeled away, the reader has to ask: have we finally reached the truth? It’s a tale of constant betrayal with more twists and turns than the hair-raising mountain roads Danny must navigate. And he’s never in the driver’s seat. 

    To tell you more would spoil the surprises. Head out to the bookstore now.

Bombay Monsoon can be found here on Amazon.

Midwest Book Review: the Dutch Painter

 

From MBR:

A welcome addition to the growing library of Sherlock Holmes stories, "The Strange Case of the Dutch Painter" by Timothy Miller does full justice to the exploits of that master detective which was originally created by Sir Conan Doyle. A 'must read' selection for all dedicated mystery buffs, as well as the legions of Sherlock Holmes fans, and also readily available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99), this paperback edition of "The Strange Case of the Dutch Painter" from Seventh Street Books is an especially and unreservedly recommended for all community library Mystery/Suspense collections.

Aaron Sorkin on dialogue

 

"I like dialogue. It sounds like music. What the words sound like are as important to me as what the words mean."

-- Aaron Sorkin

I'm not insane!

Have saber, will travel.

I mean, I had this figured out long before any German scientists.

"The story of van Gogh's madness was part of a coverup, the authors say, by none other than van Gogh's friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin."

For the full article, 
check out NPR 

Scion Society hazing

 The admissions test was brutal.
First they blindfolded me. Then:

(Actually I just had to give my name)

1) They asked me whether the train from Paddington at 8.30 would get me to Devon by noon.

2) They asked me to discern five different types of tobacco ash by smell alone.

3) They asked me to recite "The Great Rat of Sumatra" word for word.

4) They asked the middle name of Watson's fifth wife.

5) They asked me in which story Holmes first mentions "the little grey cells."

6) They told me to put on a deerstalker cap backwards.

7) They swore me to secrecy.

But I passed! I'm now a member of the Crew of the Lone Star Barque Society (based in Dallas). I can put a swagger in my step.

Claude Levi-Strauss on language

 

Language is a form of human reason, which has its internal logic of which man knows nothing.

--Claude Levi-Strauss

Review: The Fugitive Colors

 

Nancy Bilyeau used to live in Tudor England. Now she lives in Georgian England (with side trips to Gilded Age New York). I say this because her books are so meticulously researched that the reader feels he is reading an actual narrative from the past, and that’s a very good feeling indeed. We’re transported to 1760s London, the silk-design shop of Genevieve Sturbridge, the heroine of The Blue, a fearless, determined woman whose aspirations to be an artist got her entangled once in a world of spying and intrigue, shifting allegiances and yes, murder and will do so again in short order in The Fugitive Colors.

The difference is that this time Genevieve has a business and a family to protect, so that her room to maneuver against the various forces trying to entrap her in their webs is even more circumscribed, the stakes that much higher. And the cast of villains and artists which Bilyeau blends so well is that much richer. What are the fugitive colors? Let’s just say that the outisize ambitions of the premiere English artist of hos day, Sir Joshua Reynolds come into play, as well as a host of artists jostling for his spot. And did I mention the king of France? And the Bow Street Runners? And Casanova? It’s a heady brew that Bilyeau mixes up, served up in the finest of crystalline prose.

The Fugitive Colors can be found here on Amazon.

Contraband

 Psst! I just got my copy of Maus 

(by Art Spiegelman) which put the "novel: in graphic novel back in the 80s, telling the tale of his father's experiences in a Nazi death camp. I'm late to the party. It was lauded back then; now it's being banned by school after school in the usual suspect states.

It literally came in a plain brown wrapper. Keep it on the downlow, willya? They're coming down hard on readers, and I've already got Beloved and Ulysses against me.

"We haven’t learned much from the past, but there’s some things you should be able to figure out. Book burning leads to people burning. So it’s something that needs to be fought against.”--Art Spiegelman

John or Paul?

 

Which one are you, John or Paul?

As an artist, which are you?

The raw or the cooked? 

     

 I mean, there are those artists who want to dig into themselves, confess themselves, use themselves as their source material. And then there are artists who hide behind their art, who use their art to please, to put on a hundred different masks. I think it's true no matter what medium you work in: writing, acting, painting, etc. Of course art by it's very nature is a kind of hiding; even if it is a revelation, it's always at one remove. One can always deny it if questioned by Pilate. 

Yet it is also an invitation to follow the clues, no matter how tortuous or obscure, to the soul. So there's a dialectic involved.I adore Lennon, but I'm definitely a McCartney, hiding behind the mask of Dr. John Watson. (Not that an artist can't occasionally break the mold: McCartney's Yesterday or Lennon's For the Benefit of Mr. Kite.

Reflections on Reflections

    There comes a time in every draft of a novel when things start to click together, to reflect each other. For instance, did you know that King Tut photographer Harry Burton preferred sunlight for his pictures? Which meant he had to use a complicated setup of mirrors and reflectors to bring the sun into the tomb. (I didn't know this, and had to rewrite that whole section.)

     

But then I realized that must have been the exact method used by Geoffrey Hodson, 50 pages earlier, to create the illusion of dancing fairies! 

Research always shows you the way.

Memorabilia

 

I'm not really one for memorabilia. Years ago I decided to collect laughing buddhas. I got up to three at one point but now I'm down to one. Anyway, I figure I owe these two characters something. So I got this. Plus a mug. Who could ask for anything more?

Benedict Cumberbatch

I like Benedict Cumberbatch. I like Sherlock. How could I not? But the truth is, I have no news about either subject. I have no special insights into either phenomenon. I have no whimsical tales to relate. I'm simply pandering, hoping that a picture of this dashing young man will garner my blog more followers. Hey, it's worth a try.

Thanks, Benny.

 

The Strange Cases of Strange Cases

 Of course, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was the inspiration for the title of my first (and therefore my second) novel. I should perhaps have done my research further. It turns out there are a lot of "Strange Case" titles out there, and I am now chained to them for all eternity, like Marley's ghost with his cashboxes. And some of the titles are a wee bit...well...

HUGO SPROUTS AND THE STRANGE CASE OF THE BEANS
THE STRANGE CASE OF THE RICKETY COSSACK: AND OTHER CAUTIONARY TALES FROM HUMAN EVOLUTION
THE RABBIT REPORT: THE STRANGE CASE OF THE MISSING GINGER
THE STRANGE CASE OF THE SPOTTED MICE & OTHER CLASSIC ESSAYS ON SCIENCE

These are just some of my new bunkmates. But my favorite, hands down, is this title:

I haven't read the book, and I never will, because it couldn't possibly live up to its title. Perhaps you've read it and enjoyed it. Let me know. It's definitely a brother from another mother. 

Now excuse me, I have to get back 

to work on The Strange Case of the Pharaoh's Heart.

Where to start with Agatha?

 If you've always wanted to read the Queen of Crime, but didn't know where to start? Here's an excerpt from an excellent primer:

The shocker

If you’re looking for an ending that shook contemporary readers and is still capable of jolting the unsuspecting reader today, then settle down with The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. The eponymous victim is a neighbour of Poirot’s and his sudden, violent demise brings the detective out of retirement.

                                               --Janice Hallett

For the entire article, check out The Guardian.

Art Spiegelman on words

Samuel Beckett once said, "Every word is like an unnecessary stain on silence and nothingness."

 

...On the other hand, he SAID it.”

                  ― Art Spiegelman

Book burning

 Face it: if you read books, you read banned books. If you ban books, you don't read books.

This is really a war between readers and non-readers.

One Happy Customer

Bringing a smile to all ages. That's my mission.

 

Lermolieff has his say

 From an interview with "Ivan Lermolieff, Holmes's confederate in The Strange Case of the Dutch Painter:

What is something you want people to know about you?

My name is not Ivan Lermolieff. That’s only a nom de guerre hung on me by Vernet—or can I say Sherlock Holmes? My real name is—oh, perhaps I should stick with Lermolieff. Which is actually an anagram of my mentor’s name. More or less.

For the complete piece, visit Karen's Killer Book Bench--

As I was saying...

 Any age is the right age to introduce them to the Great Detective. Especially members of the Red-headed League.

On the other hand...

 

It's good to know that it's a relaxing read for all ages.

Hmm...

I love pictures of readers with my books. However, there are some endorsements I'd rather not claim.

 

Remember your first book?

 Check out First Book and give them their first book.

Over half of America's low-income children are growing up in homes without books.

That's millions. Millions of children live in a book desert - no books to spark imagination. No books to strengthen their critical thinking skills. No books to connect with the outside world.

First Book changes all of that.

John Crowley on books

 

“Learning to decipher words had only added to the pleasures of holding spines and turning pages, measuring the journey to the end with a thumb-riffle, poring over frontispieces. Books! Opening with a crackle of old glue, releasing perfume; closing with a solid thump.”

--John Crowley

Historical fiction or conspiracy theory?

 

Vincent van Gogh did not commit suicide. He was murdered.

And I can prove it.

How? By fudging the facts. Creating doubt. Promulgating  conspiracy theories.

Historical fiction writers do it every day.

Let’s face it, we’re deep in conspiracy theories these days, and more and more people are latching on to conspiracies to explain the world around them. Conspiracy theories are a growth industry. Unless the market is being manipulated by the Russians, or lizard people, which would explain a lt.

A good conspiracy theory does explain a lot, the more phenomena the better, no matter how disparate they may be.  5G causes Covid is good; 5G causes Covid and chemtrails and weight gain is even better. It’s more complete and tidy than reality, which has a lot of ragged edges. Truth is always stranger than fiction.

When I was growing up, there was just one conspiracy theory, the mother of them all, the Kennedy assassination theory. It had it all: the Mafia, the CIA, Cuba, and LBJ. Then came the faked moonshot theory. Then it snowballed, so nowadays we’re wondering what’s going on in the basement of our favorite pizza parlors. As faith in our institutions, the state, the church, the school, the military has waned, conspiracy theories have rushed in to fill the vacuum.

But how do these even get started? I’ll tell you. At least I’ll tell you my theory, and it’s a pretty good one, because I’m a professional conspiracy theorist. I write historical fiction.

Now don’t get your hopes up. I can’t explain the really loony theories. Those are just loony. But a lot of theories are built around a kernel of truth. The truth is the bait. What’s needed is a selective eye. Science takes a set of facts and tries to build a theory around it. Conspiracy theorists start with the theory and tries to fit the facts to it. Maybe the facts need to be bent some. Maybe they need to be twisted all out of shape. Hey, they’re still facts.

I didn’t start my journey with a theory, actually. I started with a question, something that didn’t seem right. Why, I thought to myself, if he wanted to make a sacrifice to his lady love, did Van Gogh cut off an ear? An artist would cut out an eye. That would make a real sacrifice.

And there I was, off to the races. Because that’s all you need: doubt about the accepted story. And it doesn’t have to be informed doubt. Just as long as it’s plausible. What if he didn’t cut off his own ear? He was living with Gauguin at the time, they had just had an argument, and Gauguin had been trying to teach him saber dueling. And as soon as it happened, Gauguin got the hell out of town.

Gauguin did it!

What about him shooting himself? From the evidence, he was shot from several feet away, from above—and the gun was never found.

Is it possible then that van Gogh was not mad? That there was a conspiracy to make him think he was mad? Why?

He must have known something. Something criminal. Something big, involving most if not all of his friends. Most of his friends were fellow artists.

A giant forgery ring! Easy peasey. Then I ignore or soft-pedal facts that don’t agree. Van Gogh had himself committed to the madhouse for a year. While there, he often had fits of violence toward his attendant, or he tried to swallow his paints. He lived for three days after he shot himself, and never accused anyone else. Of course, I do explain these away in my book (which you might like to read). And I don’t need to disprove facts. Only create doubt about their veracity.

And the biggest stretch of all, that there was a giant forgery ring. There’s no evidence for that at all. Of course not. That would have been hushed up by the state.

Now the question you’ll ask is: what do I believe? I first began this story (as a screenplay) some twenty years ago. Since then, scholars have questioned Gauguin’s role in the ear incident. A new biography asserts that he was killed (although manslaughter might be a more apt description than murder, and their killer and motive differ from mine.)

So my questions aren’t crazy. But I did make up the answers. I would say more than likely Van Gogh was bipolar, and possibly epileptic as well, although whether his conditions led to his purported actions, I can’t decide. It would be a fascinating study to try to match his letters and paintings with manic and depressive periods.

But that’s not my task. My task is to create conspiracy theories. I hope you read them and spread them among the general population. It’s better than “Paul is dead”, if not quite so juicy as Roswell.

Originally published in Lesa's Book Critiques

Interview: Historical Novel Society

A review/ interview with the Historical Novel Society:

 

"Timothy Miller’s second ‘Strange Case’ novel features a witty amalgamation of Sherlockian investigation with historical oddities. The Strange Case of the Dutch Painter (Seventh Street Books, February 2022) revolves around the suicide of Vincent Van Gogh, and throws up some intriguing perspectives on the era, the painter, and the power of art."

For the entire piece, visit the Historical Novel Society

Review: Dreamland

 If you liked Robert Altman’s Gosford Park (and I loved it) chances are you’ll love Nancy Bilyeau’s Dreamland. In both mysteries foreground and background are switched, so that while the bodies pile up in the background, in the foreground are the various tangled relationships among a very wealthy (or perhaps not so wealthy?) family which rivals the Rockefellers for both fame and fortune. But where it differs from Gosford Park is that the action takes place not at a typical country house but at a Coney Island you probably never knew existed circa 1911: when there were three magnificent hotels for the wealthy set right against three magnificent amusement parks for the working man, and where the wealthy can slum and cast off their outward shows and indulge their ids.

It’s this magnificent realization, full of detail, of the two worlds side by side, and the edffect it has on each character that make this a truly exceptional, fully realized novel. Seen through the eyes of an older daughter who already suspects the rottenness of her wealthy life and dares to plunge into the world of Dreamland, one of the three amusement parks, she finds herself in love with and defending the number one suspect of the murders. Either she’ll get him off or be killed herself. This is mystery in the hands of a master of the historical novel. I’ve read Bilyeau’s other novels—this is the one to start with.

Dreamland can be found here on Amazon.

Historical Novel Society review of the Dutch Painter

 From the Historical Novel Society:

"While the book contains deft Holmesian plotting and a plethora of historical tidbits, the real draw for me is the extraordinary voice of Miller’s narrator: hilariously pompous, erudite, and evocative. The
sheer riot of his descriptions captivates and invites readers to linger over the sentences rather than rush headlong through the story."

For the entire review, check out the Historical Novel Society: