"How did you come up with the title?" All my books contain an alliteration indicating the book's themes and settings along with the prime location of the story. ("Bullets, Butterflies, and Italy": the threat of violence, the first stirrings of new love, and... Italy)...
"Book #3 Now Has a Title!" This Friday, I return to Spain for the second part of my research trip for book #3 - although this time I'm trading in the peaceful and pastoral Camino de Santiago for the louder and more libertine Ibiza (along with Mallorca and Gibraltar)....
Watching the recent Golden Globe Awards, I couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous. And it had nothing to do with all the rabid attention and all the fawning praise and all the shiny golden trophies. But after hearing actor after actor - Hugh Jackman, Jennifer...
It was at Christmas time that I made the fateful decision to publish my first book. It was one year ago today—almost to the very moment. In previous posts, I’ve described the inspiration, the creation, the inherent obstacles, the long waits, and the gate keepers. But...
I didn’t exactly idly wait around while agents and publishers mulled over my manuscript and then concocted creative letters to let me down easily. I started to outline book number two. And then in the summer of 2009, I traveled to England and Spain to inspect the...
After my research trip to Italy, I returned to Toronto with a basic plan. I had to transcribe all my handwritten notes into my computer. And organize them properly. And research some more. And then actually start writing the thing. I had no idea on how long it would...
I had already toyed with the idea of writing a book. Not a travel book. And not a novel. But something in between. I had read several travel books and was usually left a little… wanting. The authors were often a little pretentious—writing about the unrefined locals...
This is the story about a robbery in Rome. And yes, the robbery derailed a potentially thrilling adventure. But it was also the inspiration behind the birth of my first book... "The Background" In the spring of 2004, I had finished my contract working as an...