Ask the Author: Gordon Cope
Answered Questions (7)
Gordon Cope
I don't have any mysteries in my background that would qualify, but I do have one that rates as a potential plot for a war story.
In World War I, my great-grandfather John Kenyon was a quarter-master sergeant for the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, which fought in the battles of the Somme, Ypres, Vimy and Flanders. Late one night, Kenyon, who was in charge of the officer's mess, went out on an excursion to 'liberate' a cow. The Germans advanced, catching Kenyon and his men behind enemy lines. They took refuge in the cellar of a bombed out chateau, where they discovered a secret cache of Champagne. They spent the following two weeks evading capture; their only sustenance was the bubbly.
In World War I, my great-grandfather John Kenyon was a quarter-master sergeant for the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry, which fought in the battles of the Somme, Ypres, Vimy and Flanders. Late one night, Kenyon, who was in charge of the officer's mess, went out on an excursion to 'liberate' a cow. The Germans advanced, catching Kenyon and his men behind enemy lines. They took refuge in the cellar of a bombed out chateau, where they discovered a secret cache of Champagne. They spent the following two weeks evading capture; their only sustenance was the bubbly.
Gordon Cope
Start with an anecdote. Simply describe something that happened.
Gordon Cope
Every day, everything that happens to you, everything that you experience, is fodder for your writing. It can be a glimpse of an old woman waiting at a bus stop, the smell of garlic being fried in the marketplace or a helium balloon tracing a spiralling arc as it flees the earth. Inspiration is everywhere.
Gordon Cope
Read a lot and write more. Reading gives you ideas and shows you how an author you admire structures a book. As for writing, you need to reach a point where you are comfortable getting something down on paper - style, editing, etc., can wait until you have a manuscript you think is worth polishing for public presentation.
Gordon Cope
I am working on a mystery novel, Murder in Manzanillo. Linda and I live in Mexico, and the resort town of Manzanillo has a rich culture and a large population of eccentric individuals - just the sort of environment to inspire a book.
Gordon Cope
I am a professional journalist and write every day, mostly energy-related articles for specialty journals. I also love to read novels, and good writing inspires me to come up with ideas.
Gordon Cope
My most recent completed manuscript is A War Child. It is a contemporary historical novel set in occupied Paris in World War II. My inspiration for the novel came from living in Paris for several years. While there, my wife Linda and I would walk for hours on end, enjoying the sights and vibrancy of the city. One of the prominent features are plaques on buildings announcing the death of resistance fighters, or the office of the Gestapo, or where children were rounded up from a school and sent to the concentration camps. In Paris, World War II remains very real, and that reality was a catalyst to the story.
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