Toronto - My Home Base
One teenage summer at the cottage spent submerged in Perry Mason paperbacks sealed my fascination with suspense fiction, a love affair that has never ended. Since those days books have been friends, entertainers, and teachers and when the opportunity for some personal time finally arose, I wrote my own novel.
Short stories came first and I was gratified to have two published. By then I'd gotten to know a number of authors and the tales about their constant piles of rejections were enough to give a new writer nightmares. So instead of sending my novel out to an uncertain slush pile future, I entered it into the Crime Writers Association (U.K.) Debut Dagger. Opening the email announcing The Witch of Babylon had placed on the shortlist was a watershed moment, one I'll never forget. One year later the novel won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Unpublished Crime novel and my writing career was launched. "The Witch" went on to sell in twenty countries and received an Amazon Best Mystery and Thriller designation in 2011.
Short stories came first and I was gratified to have two published. By then I'd gotten to know a number of authors and the tales about their constant piles of rejections were enough to give a new writer nightmares. So instead of sending my novel out to an uncertain slush pile future, I entered it into the Crime Writers Association (U.K.) Debut Dagger. Opening the email announcing The Witch of Babylon had placed on the shortlist was a watershed moment, one I'll never forget. One year later the novel won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Unpublished Crime novel and my writing career was launched. "The Witch" went on to sell in twenty countries and received an Amazon Best Mystery and Thriller designation in 2011.
Bluewater - Lake Huron
Nowadays when my fingers aren't tapping the keyboard, living in a metropolis affords me the luxury of indulging in two loves - museums and live music. And I spend four glorious months of the year in beautiful Bruce County.
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ON WRITING
My Latest Novel: The Angel of Eden follows New York art dealer John Madison as he searches for a rare book, an important Renaissance occult book called The Steganographia. The book’s title refers to a seemingly innocent document that is actually written in a secret code. It was authored by Trithemius, an abbot and man of letters, whose work is considered of such historical importance that portions are today archived in the NSA library. Madison is hired by Lucas Strauss, a magician and spiritualist renowned for his gruesome yet fascinating sleights of hand. Strauss wants Madison to find the book, stolen from him thirty-five years ago and the thief – George Hoffstetter – his former assistant. Hoffstetter believes he is a direct descendent of the real Faust. Madison’s quest takes him to the lair of the snake god in Pergamon, Turkey and from there to Iran where he discovers, the origin story of the Sumerians, the nature of the devil, the location of the Garden of Eden and the true facts of his birth.
How Does My Work Differ From Others Of My Genre? Antiquity thrillers, set in contemporary times, feature a hunt for an ancient object that has played a pivotal role in human history. My novels all reflect this theme. They differ primarily in two ways. My leading man, John Madison, has no background in the military or with the police so he must depend entirely on his wits to survive. Secondly, most antiquity thrillers focus on artifacts associated with ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece or the Holy Land and in some cases, American or European history. All three of my novels feature Mesopotamian history and culture and are set against the backdrop of the Iraq war.
Why Do I Write What I do? I read many historical novels because I love books I can learn from in addition to being entertained. So I write what I most like to read.
How Does My Writing Process Work? Outlining is a must. And that’s true because I value a good plot, with twists and turns, very highly. Quality of writing style is also very important to me but without a narrative that is propulsive, I rapidly lose interest. Then comes the first draft. For me, it’s torture pure and simple to get those first words on the page. Once over that hump, into the phase of many revisions, and with my editor’s input, it all changes – this part I love - where the book and the writing really take form.
.
ON WRITING
My Latest Novel: The Angel of Eden follows New York art dealer John Madison as he searches for a rare book, an important Renaissance occult book called The Steganographia. The book’s title refers to a seemingly innocent document that is actually written in a secret code. It was authored by Trithemius, an abbot and man of letters, whose work is considered of such historical importance that portions are today archived in the NSA library. Madison is hired by Lucas Strauss, a magician and spiritualist renowned for his gruesome yet fascinating sleights of hand. Strauss wants Madison to find the book, stolen from him thirty-five years ago and the thief – George Hoffstetter – his former assistant. Hoffstetter believes he is a direct descendent of the real Faust. Madison’s quest takes him to the lair of the snake god in Pergamon, Turkey and from there to Iran where he discovers, the origin story of the Sumerians, the nature of the devil, the location of the Garden of Eden and the true facts of his birth.
How Does My Work Differ From Others Of My Genre? Antiquity thrillers, set in contemporary times, feature a hunt for an ancient object that has played a pivotal role in human history. My novels all reflect this theme. They differ primarily in two ways. My leading man, John Madison, has no background in the military or with the police so he must depend entirely on his wits to survive. Secondly, most antiquity thrillers focus on artifacts associated with ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece or the Holy Land and in some cases, American or European history. All three of my novels feature Mesopotamian history and culture and are set against the backdrop of the Iraq war.
Why Do I Write What I do? I read many historical novels because I love books I can learn from in addition to being entertained. So I write what I most like to read.
How Does My Writing Process Work? Outlining is a must. And that’s true because I value a good plot, with twists and turns, very highly. Quality of writing style is also very important to me but without a narrative that is propulsive, I rapidly lose interest. Then comes the first draft. For me, it’s torture pure and simple to get those first words on the page. Once over that hump, into the phase of many revisions, and with my editor’s input, it all changes – this part I love - where the book and the writing really take form.
