Ask the Author: Nev March
Answered Questions (13)
Nev March
I'd heard so much family lore...retold through the ages so that we've forgotten when and who it relates to. I inherited a ton of photos and letters from both sides of my family, where something sparks a memory.
Like this one... my nonagenarian friend mentioned 15 year old Noshir Bankwala - The 15 year old was stabbed in his bed in his boarding school dormitory--it became quite a sensation at the time ~1945? Can't stop thinking about it!
Like this one... my nonagenarian friend mentioned 15 year old Noshir Bankwala - The 15 year old was stabbed in his bed in his boarding school dormitory--it became quite a sensation at the time ~1945? Can't stop thinking about it!
Nev March
Eager to hear from readers!
Nev March
Message ahead for the link to join: https://lnkd.in/e_dm9y-D
Nev March
Something catches my attention--a story in the papers, an odd fact of chemistry, the peculiar origin of something (nail polish invented to cover the bluing of fingernails from arsenic in early cosmetics). Sometimes it's a quirk of history: the first Parliament of World Religions was held at the same time and place (Chicago) as the World Convention of Anarchists!
When I learn how major historical events were moved by a small factor, an event, a secret, what a close thing it was, then I'm compelled to look closer. That's food for research, as my mind begins to assemble the elements of the next book. All I have to do is trust in it.
Sometimes I recall a whiff of a story from my childhood, a fragment overheard, whispers not intended then for my childish ears, and am driven to figure out what it was all about. Yes, I'm drawn to mysteries of all sorts. And the biggest mystery is of course, the strange contradictions in the human psyche!
When I learn how major historical events were moved by a small factor, an event, a secret, what a close thing it was, then I'm compelled to look closer. That's food for research, as my mind begins to assemble the elements of the next book. All I have to do is trust in it.
Sometimes I recall a whiff of a story from my childhood, a fragment overheard, whispers not intended then for my childish ears, and am driven to figure out what it was all about. Yes, I'm drawn to mysteries of all sorts. And the biggest mystery is of course, the strange contradictions in the human psyche!
Nev March
Shocked, I checked today's date. It couldn't be, yet there it was: March 14, 2020. Again.
Nev March
Read. As Stephen King says: Read a lot, write a lot. But that's not enough.
I enjoy deconstructing the plot of great books, writing out one or two lines per paragraph, going over a chapter to the section that delighted me. Helps me see what worked, how the story builds.
Do what works for you--I alternate between reading contemporary writers and modern classics (including Christie, Conan-Doyle, Chandler, Hammett, Elmore Leonard). Learn from the greats, and make it your own.
I enjoy deconstructing the plot of great books, writing out one or two lines per paragraph, going over a chapter to the section that delighted me. Helps me see what worked, how the story builds.
Do what works for you--I alternate between reading contemporary writers and modern classics (including Christie, Conan-Doyle, Chandler, Hammett, Elmore Leonard). Learn from the greats, and make it your own.
Nev March
Glad you're enjoying it Kendall!
Yes, Vikas is fantastic in this book, and a very talented voice actor. He got the pronunciations perfectly. I was charmed to learn that his mother is Parsee!
In fact, he's won an award for this one! https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/rev...
Nev
Yes, Vikas is fantastic in this book, and a very talented voice actor. He got the pronunciations perfectly. I was charmed to learn that his mother is Parsee!
In fact, he's won an award for this one! https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/rev...
Nev
Nev March
Hi Donna!
So glad you enjoyed the Captain Jim's adventures in Murder in Old Bombay! I'm revising and editing the sequel at present, so don't yet have a title. Once my dear agent Jill and I are happy with it, we'll send it on to Minotaur--St Martin's Press and get into the schedule. Stay close, I'll keep you posted!
In the meantime, do tell your friends about Murder in Old Bombay. Hoping that book clubs also enjoy this book as we get through this winter. Reading about hot, sunny Bombay, with scamps and scoundrels, ballrooms and mountains will help them safely 'travel by book!'
To all our Goodreads readers, Happy Holidays and have a safe, splendid new year!
Nev
So glad you enjoyed the Captain Jim's adventures in Murder in Old Bombay! I'm revising and editing the sequel at present, so don't yet have a title. Once my dear agent Jill and I are happy with it, we'll send it on to Minotaur--St Martin's Press and get into the schedule. Stay close, I'll keep you posted!
In the meantime, do tell your friends about Murder in Old Bombay. Hoping that book clubs also enjoy this book as we get through this winter. Reading about hot, sunny Bombay, with scamps and scoundrels, ballrooms and mountains will help them safely 'travel by book!'
To all our Goodreads readers, Happy Holidays and have a safe, splendid new year!
Nev
Nev March
Woo Hoo! I'm a week away from finishing the first draft of the sequel to Murder in Old Bombay!
The idea for my sequel came to me when I attended the Parliament of World Religions in 2018, a delegate of the miniscule Zoroastrian religion. I learned that the First POWR was held in 1893 during Chicago World's Fair.
The US population then was about 60 million. Over six months, 27 million people visited Chicago to see the World's Fair. That's almost HALF the country!
It was in this Chicago parliament that America first heard the visionary Hindu orator Swami Vivekananda speak. This, then was a pivotal moment in human history, the beginning of something marvelous: people of different cultures and faiths reaching out to understand each other. I knew this watershed moment had such potential ... but working out the deadly plot was tough. It took me 15 months :)
The idea for my sequel came to me when I attended the Parliament of World Religions in 2018, a delegate of the miniscule Zoroastrian religion. I learned that the First POWR was held in 1893 during Chicago World's Fair.
The US population then was about 60 million. Over six months, 27 million people visited Chicago to see the World's Fair. That's almost HALF the country!
It was in this Chicago parliament that America first heard the visionary Hindu orator Swami Vivekananda speak. This, then was a pivotal moment in human history, the beginning of something marvelous: people of different cultures and faiths reaching out to understand each other. I knew this watershed moment had such potential ... but working out the deadly plot was tough. It took me 15 months :)
Nev March
Writer's block tells me I need to "feed the engine". For a break I take walks or hikes to new state parks, bake sourdough bread, read something new, or watch a classic movie.
Sometimes I just need to journal more to figure out what's got entangled in my head. Other times I need to 'zoom out' and look at my outline again. Hmm. This could make a nice article. Oh yes--sometimes I work on non-fiction pieces to break up the pattern and refresh my writing brain.
Sometimes I just need to journal more to figure out what's got entangled in my head. Other times I need to 'zoom out' and look at my outline again. Hmm. This could make a nice article. Oh yes--sometimes I work on non-fiction pieces to break up the pattern and refresh my writing brain.
Nev March
At any given time I'm reading some fiction and some non-fiction. My fiction reading alternates between classic detective fiction (Hammett, Chandler, Elmore Leonard etc) and modern writers (Kazuo Ishiguro, Amor Towles, Sujata Massey, and others). Just finished The Big Sleep, and it haunts me. That's why it's a classic. I enjoy Shakespeare--watching performances with subtitles or the plays on my kindle nearby.
My non-fiction reading is often history or research (Erik Larson, Barbara Tuchman, Myra Immell, P D Lyle) and craft books and magazines. In place of craft books I also enjoy online courses to keep learning and I like figuring out how other writers build beautiful stories.
My non-fiction reading is often history or research (Erik Larson, Barbara Tuchman, Myra Immell, P D Lyle) and craft books and magazines. In place of craft books I also enjoy online courses to keep learning and I like figuring out how other writers build beautiful stories.
Nev March
When you write a scene that works, it's such a source of joy. And this is before anyone else has even seen it.
It's thrilling to send a few chapters to my agent, and then wait (resisting the urge to bite my nails) for her call. When she enjoys them, how I love to hear her surprise, her chuckles. How blessed I feel.
Then the icing on the cake--a reader writes: I recently finished "Murder in Old Bombay" and wanted to personally let you know it was amazing. Thank you for such an absorbing tale! Looking forward to see what you do next.
My reply: Dear Desiree, your note is why writers write.
It's thrilling to send a few chapters to my agent, and then wait (resisting the urge to bite my nails) for her call. When she enjoys them, how I love to hear her surprise, her chuckles. How blessed I feel.
Then the icing on the cake--a reader writes: I recently finished "Murder in Old Bombay" and wanted to personally let you know it was amazing. Thank you for such an absorbing tale! Looking forward to see what you do next.
My reply: Dear Desiree, your note is why writers write.
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