Lucky number 13! Wow, it's hard to believe that Genevieve has already had 13 adventures. And I'm so very, very excited to share the latest one with you! As always this was a lot of fun to write - the research more play than work.
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Available 12 March!! The book trailer is always such fun! Stolen masterpieces. Deadly narcotics. Artificial intelligence.
A mysterious email and the arrest of a fugitive art thief send Doctor Genevieve Lenard and her team to Prague, where it soon becomes apparent that this theft has a close connection to a sadistic killer they’ve been tracking for almost a year. No sooner do they arrive than they find a scientist tortured and murdered by Shahab Hatami—the man they’ve been looking for. Joining forces with Prague’s elite investigator and a controversial journalist, they start uncovering the trail of terror Shahab has left behind to discover he has only just started. With Shahab developing a weapon that could kill hundreds, if not thousands of innocent people, Genevieve has to push past her autistic mind’s limitations to stop him. But when those she cares for most become his target and he threatens to exact his revenge on them, Genevieve has run out of time to investigate and has to act before it’s too late. Pre-order here: * Apple: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-sirani-connection/id1453968589?mt=11 * Amazon.com: https://amzn.to/2IyeoPL * Amazon.co.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07P2CPD1H/ * Amazon.ca: www.amazon.ca/dp/B07P2CPD1H/ * Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1130674335 * Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-sirani-connection Stolen masterpieces. Deadly narcotics. Artificial intelligence. Ooh!!! I'm so excited about book 13. I can't wait for you to read it. Yet, we have to wait a wee while longer. The Sirani Connection is currently with my editor being polished to a shine. Then it will go through proofreading and more scrutiny to remove as many of my typos as possible (hopefully all of them!).
A fabulous reader reminded me that it has been six years (and 2 weeks) since I published The Gauguin Connection – 13 August 2012. Wow. Six years? It feels both longer and shorter.
In this second video I chat (a lot!) about how I choose the artists, which coffee shops I prefer, when I knew I was going to be a writer, and a bit more about my writing process. With a hot mug of coffee in hand, I chat about how to pronounce Genevieve's name, why I chose Genevieve and autism; my knowledge of Strasbourg and the dark web; Nikki and Pink as well as Vinnie's cooking (and my own).
I’ve received countless emails and messages asking me why and how I came to decide on Genevieve. Why autism? What was my reasoning for this? Yesterday, I received an email from the lovely Kathie asking me how I started writing about autism. That finally got me to sit down and write this post. Thank you, Kathie!
To be honest, it feels like a lifetime ago when I was on my treadmill pondering this series I wanted to write. I knew I wanted to write the type of book I enjoyed reading. Something with an intriguing mystery, well-developed characters and with a sense of humour that appealed to me. Also I wanted to write about the topics that interested me – psychology, art, politics, music. A tall order. So, I got on my treadmill and started walking through this challenge (pun intended).
About a month ago, a reader on Facebook, Sonya (thank you, Sonya!!), asked me if I’d known where all the characters would go when I wrote The Gauguin Connection – the first book. It’s such a good question that I made a note to post about it when I finished writing book 7 and had a little rest. Well, book 7 is done and I feel rested.
Let’s start right at the very, very beginning. When I created Genevieve’s world in my head, there was no story yet, but I had Genevieve, Colin and Manny’s characters. Phillip was also there, but in a much smaller capacity. Then I planned The Gauguin Connection. Somewhere around chapter 10, this big, loud bouncer of a man stormed into my planning and into the book. Vinnie. Good, I thought. He would be Colin’s sidekick and would disappear after a chapter or so. Well, 7 books later and Vinnie (and his cooking) is not going anywhere. He’s worked his way deep into the story and into my heart.
Firstly, a tiny biography: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on 27 January, 1756 – 259 years and one day ago. By the time he was 6 years old, he was playing multiple instruments. (6 years old – mind-blowing!) In his life, Mozart was incredibly prolific, composing hundreds of works.
His symphonies, concertos, sonatas, operas and other works are known for their emotion, sophistication and complexity. He died at the age of 35 (so young!) in his home on 5 December 1791. It’s said that so far his death has been attributed to 118 different causes, so I think it’s safe to say we don’t know what was the cause of death.
A smart reader asked me on Facebook how I chose the artists that feature in the Genevieve Lenard series. I thought it was a great question. With an extraordinarily boring answer. I truly wish I could rhapsodise about how inspiration comes to me through a dream linking the crimes to some artist. I can’t.
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